Alaska- Homer & Seldovia

Aug 5 – We Found the People

After more than a year’s delay, we are finally able to take Jenny’s high school graduation trip to Alaska. This trip was planned with adventure in mind while traversing a large portion of central Alaska over the course of 2 1/2 weeks. We, but Jenny especially, are disappointed that Thies could not join us as originally planned but with the borders still not open to vaccinated Europeans… well… don’t get me started!

Our flight to Alaska wasn’t as bad as I had originally planned on it being. We didn’t get the upgrade I was hoping for but we were able to move up to seats with extra legroom and seeing as this was a 787, it allowed for far more comfort. The flight time was also and hour and a half shorter than it had posted so that was a huge boon! But the best part of it was the adorable golden retriever on her maiden flight that was seated in the row in front of us; Jenny and I just couldn’t get enough of her!

Starting about 45 minutes before landing, we started getting glimpses of mountain peaks jutting out above the clouds. The skies were very hazy mixed in with sparse clouds so the view wasn’t perfect but the sheer immensity of this place struck us as the mountains never let up, even until landing at Ted Stevens International Airport.

I grabbed a taxi to go get our car rental while Billy and Jenny secured our luggage. Perfect timing as they were just walking out of the terminal when I pulled up. We immediately put an order in for pizza and beer to go from Moose’s Tooth Pizza, we checked in to our fairly worn out room at TownPlace Suites (this was the best redemption on points I have booked as the room was $360 a night, and I would have been pissed if we spent that on this room); we chowed dinner at 11:00 and then all abruptly fell asleep.

This morning I thought it best to fuel up for our drive so stopping for lunch wouldn’t be necessary. we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Snow City Cafe, a place that gets great reviews, leaving perfectly satiated!

After breakfast Jenny and I went to Walmart to pick up the order we had placed on line last night and then on to Costco for bear spray and a few more snacks to last the trip.

After getting everything organized in the car, we were ready to hit the road at 11:00AM. We all decided that there wasn’t much in Anchorage that would lure us back but that’s the case for us for most cities in the US.

The drive out of Anchorage was spectacular, as far as one could see. unfortunately, there was a heavy layer of low-lying clouds that obscured most of the tops of the mountains on both sides of Turnagin Arm, a narrow waterway branching off of Cook Inlet. It was low tide so the mudflats were the main attraction, dashing any hopes of seeing the whales that give Beluga Point its name.

As we drove further south, the clouds lifted more and by the time we crossed over onto the Kenai Peninsula, we could see the mountains across Cook Inlet, including what we realized was the top of Denali, but only after we had passed the viewpoint for it!

We only made two stops on the four plus hour drive to Homer- one at a viewpoint and the other at a Russian Orthodox Church on the hill above Ninilchik.

The church was built in 1901 and sits on a bluff overlooking Cook Inlet. Its gardens and graveyard are a bit overgrown but that only added to its mystique.

The views dropping down into Homer were breathtaking, we can only imagine what they look like on a blue bird day. As we crossed over to the Homer Spit we were immediately struck by mobs of tourists in a fairly honky tonk area – the kind of scene we typically avoid at all costs. In all my research, Homer had been described as a cute artsy town, the sort of place Jenny loves – this is definitely not that.

We found the business that we rented our room from for the next two nights. The clerk told us to follow him as he walked us over the boardwalk, pushing our way through people standing in line waiting for a local popular restaurant to open. Ugh we thought as we walked on – this was not the image I had imagined nor researched.

Turning a corner, we were finally away from the crowds. The clerk opened a nondescript door and we were immediately blown away with the setting and the view! We were smack dab on the beach, in a cute room furnished in a chic beach vibe with a small kitchenette and a large balcony. We could not hear nor see the hordes of tourists on the other side and except for the occasional beach stroller, we felt like we had the place all to ourselves. We absolutely loved it!

Just a few days ago, a very large earthquake struck off Kodiak Island (Just south of Homer); sirens blared and all of Homer that sits at sea level was told to evacuate due to tsunami warning. Obviously where our rental is, is a prime area for being washed away by a tsunami so fingers crossed, we will not see anymore seismic activity anytime soon!

For the next couple hours. we hung out, relaxing and enjoying the view. We ended our evening with a delicious dinner at Little Mermaid before turning in and calling it a night, with all the daylight that is still to be found in August in Alaska!

Aug 6- We Now Have Friends in Alaska

The day we left for our trip, Billy sent word to his sales force that he was going to be in Alaska and as such might be out of cell phone/wifi range for an uncertain amount of time. One of Billy’s sales guys responded. asking him if there was any chance we would be in Homer as his sister and her husband lived there, and he was sure they would love to show us around. Flash forward to today…

After a quick breakfast of cereal and coffee in our room, we walked over to the boat basin to meet up with Courtney and her husband Kevin. We were immediately struck by the inclination the ramp down to the water was at along with the height of the pilings that hold the floating docks – holy cow, both were extraordinary.

Cortney, Kevin, and their two adorable labs – Trip (a chocolate lab) and Trigger (a yellow lab), welcomed us onboard their vessel “Hooked Up” for what turned out to be a fabulous day experiencing parts of Alaska a bit more off the beaten path.

Our morning began with a smooth ride across Kachemak Bay where we beached the bow of the boat to offload us and the pups. Kevin moored the boat and then rowed back to shore with the dinghy where he proceeded to tie it up as far up the beach as possible. (At the time I thought it a bit odd and that perhaps he was trying to make it difficult for someone to abscond with it).

The hike off the beach began with a set of stairs but we hadn’t even gotten to the first landing before there was a warning sign posted about recent bear activity. Upon reading it, Kevin turned around and quickly remarked, “the brown bears had finally made it here.” Up until very recently the only bears that were in this part of Alaska were black bears, but…apparently not anymore. The good news is that between the firearms and the bear spray we were carrying, we were prepared!

Following the stairs, we encountered a series of switchbacks that climbed the cliffs overlooking the magnificent Halibut Cove, with views that were just spectacular.

Along the trail Courtney pointed out all the different berries that were growing and warned us to steer clear of the “Devils Club” that lined the trail as the thorns of it would quickly embed themselves into your skin if it came into contact with you. The vegetation was beyond dense with a variety of native plants packed in as tightly as fans at Lollapalooza; the perfect hiding place for bears I thought…Oh and the pile after pile of bear scat we passed on the foot-wide trail, only confirmed the fact we were deep into bear country. Had we attempted this hike alone, without Kevin and Courtney leading the way, I am certain I would have turned around after encountering 3 large, fairly-fresh piles within 100 feet.

As we hiked on, we enjoyed easy conversation exchanging stories on various topics, and appreciated hearing perspectives from local Alaskans. The trail leveled off and then slowly began its descent into what seemed to be an ancient riverbed.

We hiked on until BAM!, we literally walked out into an opening with an iceberg filled lake that stretched back to the magnificent Grewingk Glacier pouring down out of the mountains above. Wow, wow, wow!

We sat and took it all in for a bit, relishing the beauty and solitude of the area. At one point, we heard what sounded like a large thunder clap but Kevin insisted there is rarely thunder in this part of Alaska, We pondered whether it had been the glacier calving on its face, some three miles from where we were standing. Not long after we were joking about which one of us could run quicker up the pebbled beach, Kevin pointed out that the previously statue-still lake, was now moving. We watched as the water line receded and then moved forward, receded again and moved a bit further forward, receded even farther and then moved a bit further inshore and so it went; another thunder clap followed minutes later by more wake movement – it was so cool but a bit unnerving at the same time.

Upon the return hike, we encountered a group of people that suggested we leash the dogs as there was a black bear sitting on the edge of the trail. Sure enough, as we rounded the exact corner they had said to anticipate it, there it was. Unfortunately, the vegetation was too thick to see much more than the outline of its head and ears but I suppose we were fortunate in that it left us alone!

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, it made sense why Kevin had tied the dinghy way up the beach the way he had – there was really no beach to be seen. Where just hours earlier there was at least thirty feet of exposed ground running from the tree line, now there was five feet; the tides in Alaska can be extreme., to say the least

We enjoyed a late lunch in Halibut Cove at The Saltry, a really cool restaurant built into the rock outcroppings of an island that had a large boardwalk elevated above the water, running along the waterline.

On the return trip to Homer, Billy was thrilled to see his first Alaskan puffin, as Kevin passed along a bird rookery. The ride home was a lot lumpier than the ride out but we had no problems. We headed to the Sawlty Dog to enjoy a few beers with Courtneey and Kevin before saying our goodbyes.

Today was such a nice, unexpected adventure. We enjoyed every minute of it but the best part of it is… we can now say, we have friends in Alaska!

August 7- Our Kind of Place

Most of the incredible vistas have had some form of cloud layer blocking theme since we arrived, but late last evening Mount Iliamna popped out, standing tall in all of her 10,016’ glory. So this morning, it was a real treat to see the entire Kenai mountain range sitting across Kachemak Bay allowing us to finally have a good perspective on what has been hiding all this time.

This morning we were switching locations and had planned on heading to Seldovia, a town located across Kachemak Bay from Homer but that is only accessible by a 45 minute ferry ride or a 15 minute plane flight. I of course, had planned on the ferry ride, because as we all know, I avoid small planes at all costs!

We packed up our stuff, rearranging our bags so we would only have one duffel for the three of us, along with the cooler and a dry goods bag. The ferry was at 11:00 but since we didn’t have tickets yet (when I tried to book them two months ago they told me no need to, I should just get them the morning of), I pushed for us to leave a bit earlier.

We arrived at the ferry terminal, 45 minutes before the scheduled departure only to be told that the ferry was sold out but if I had already purchased my tickets, we would be good to go. Wait…what? They had insisted months ago I didn’t need to pre-buy and now they are telling me that they are sold out. Oh, yeah, and all the other boat charters are also sold out, but they very kindly offered to put us on the next ferry…at 6:30, seven and a half hours later. Uhm…I don’t think so. Time was of the essence so I had no choice but to resort to option two…and I assure you, I shuddered as I suggested it…we would fly.

While we were standing there discussing it, another couple who had been behind us in line, and subsequently denied tickets as well, overheard us talking about our options. When they heard us talking about flying they were eager to join in. I called the “airline” and they confirmed that they indeed had space for exactly five people. How perfect right? five seats were left. Nope. Not that. There were five seats because there was nobody else scheduled on that flight; meaning….the aircraft only holds five passengers…Lord help me!

Tony and Lori were a cute couple in their late sixties I would think. He asked us where we were from and when we said Connecticut, he told us they were from Florida but he had grown up in Westport, CT and in Essex as well. We laughed telling him that’s where we lived, it turns out I knew, and had done some volunteer work with, his late mother.

OK, so we now had a way to Seldovia but logistically we had to figure out where to leave our car as we would be returning to Homer by ferry in two days and then we had to figure how to get to the cottage from the airport in Seldovia as I knew it was right off from the boat ferry terminal, not the airport. The airline agent said it would be best to leave our car at the ferry terminal as they didn’t really offer parking for more than one night; so that’s what we did.

Upon checking in with the airline, Jenny immediately noticed a sign that said we could not travel with our bear spray (both Jenny and I had it in our backpacks). The agent suggested we leave it in our car but I reminded her she told us to leave our car at the ferry terminal so we didn’t have our car. Needless to say, we are hoping our bear spray is waiting for us at the terminal when we return and, more importantly, that we don’t need it in our hike tomorrow!

Billy watched as the plane landed, a single engine, 1970s era Cessna 207. He laughed that the plane came in “hot” and laughed even louder when he saw a young female pilot hop out. Did I mention that she was young? Like very young?

Turns out Brittany was hot shit. She has been flying six years, so we are guessing she got her license at 18 years. She said she flies roundtrip to Seldovia nine times a day. We were going to be the first leg of today’s fifth run. She was quick to try and put my mind at ease assuring me we had perfect flying weather and we would only be off the ground for 12 minutes.

So, I will admit it…the flight over was incredible; the views were spectacular and I was happy to fulfill Jenny’s wish to fly in an Alaskan bush plane. I told her that I thought she had secretly sabotaged us for the ferry so we would have no choice but to fly, even if it wasn’t quite the full bush plane experience she was looking for.

We landed in Seldovia, were quickly offloaded and pointed in the direction of town, Brittany assuring us that our two legs were more than capable of getting us there. So, we schlepped our bags and cooler the 1/2 mile to the village and found our adorable cottage sitting right on the water.

We dumped our stuff, grabbed an excellent lunch, headed back to the cottage and chilled the rest of the day and night, watching the otters play and catch fish. Jenny just loves them, she says they remind her of Lucky.

Seldovia is a super quaint, artsy, laidback, beautiful village with a great vibe. When we asked our host for the key, she said she doesn’t have one. The kids and dogs run free and wild, the locals clearly look out for one another and lend a hand to lost tourists who are schlepping their sh*t through town 🙂 This is our kind of place!

August 8 – Solitude…

We woke to a steady rain today, the first of our trip. When we were trying to figure out what month to travel in, we decided on August even though we read it would be rainier but it is supposed to be less buggy than June/July – a worthy tradeoff Jenny had said. We also woke to Jenny feeling crummy. We knew she had been fighting something and even though we are all vaccinated, we covid tested her yesterday before we came to Seldovia and were given a negative result (of course we hope its accurate but we have still been taking all the precautions of masks and distancing etc).

We had a good laugh over coffee, talking about the seagulls that seemed to call all night and them moving around on the metal roof but especially since it sounded as though they were using the roof as a means to crack open their shellfish!

Our plan today was to hike the Otter Bahn trail out to an area called Outside Beach where I had read extensively about the tide pooling opportunities there at low tide. Today was the lowest tide there would be of our trip, minus 2.0 feet below mean low tide – creating a 20 foot tide swing, so the tidepools were said to be great.

The trail was basically through a coastal rainforest with extremely dense vegetation of giant ferns and loads of salmon berries. We called out often to the bears we knew were lurking in the woods but were relieved, since our bear spray was sitting at the airport in Homer, that we never came across any scat on this trail, unlike the last hike where we easily walked over 20 piles. The trail was a bit longer than described but it was beautiful, and we were the only ones on it.

Emerging on Outside Beach, we encountered a black beach (really rocks and pebbles), on a cove with two peninsulas jutting out on both sides. There was a creek rushing down across the beach, well actually two, the second was wild in that it just disappeared into the ground not making it the extra few feet to the ocean’s edge.

We made our way towards the area that looked like it should be tide pools, only to be disappointed that we could find almost nothing. A few anemones, a pygmy rock crab that was bright purple in color, a few cool snails, and one minuscule sucker fish like the one Jenny used to have in her fish tank and how the heck she spotted it, I have no idea. I felt especially badly for Jenny as she made the trek not feeling well only because she loves the tide pools and everything I had read said we should see starfish, octopus, sunstars, sea cucumbers, etc., but there was nothing of the sort.

We had also read this morning that it was a great beach for collecting sea glass but again, we didn’t find one piece. I will say this for all of the Alaska coastlines we have been on, there is not a single solitary item of garbage – nothing, zilch, nada! I am shocked that with the huge fisheries there are here that there is not a ton of fishing detritus washed up everywhere. We haven’t seen a piece of plastic anything, anywhere… if only the waterways of Cambodia could be so lucky.

What Outside Beach lacked in beachcombing it more than made up for in solitude and ambience. We were the only ones there and it certainly gave you that remote Alaska feel.

We decided we should head back as the break in the rain we had been lucky enough to enjoy up until this point, was rapidly coming to an end. The mountains were quickly disappearing before our eyes and by the time we made it on to the road for the walk back, the rain began to fall. Walking back along the road, Jenny said she was having deja vu – hiking in the rain, feeling like crap – she had pushed through the same situation in Peru a few years ago but that time was burning with fever – let’s hope that is not to come.

Back in the village, we decided to get some food – first place closed on Sundays, second place coffee and pastry only, third place doesn’t do breakfast, fourth place -a coffee shop- was open and their menu said they had breakfast sandwiches. We put an order in for three but were quickly told it had been a busy morning and they only had enough left to make one sandwich. OK, how about a decaf latte and a cappuccino – they had no decaf (and apparently I was only the third person to ask for decaf so far this year) and did Jenny want that cappuccino “dry or wet?” Uhm… the girl had completely stumped us. Dry or wet? Apparently dry is more foam, less liquid and wet is more liquid less foam-Jenny drinks a lot of coffee and has done so in A LOT of places and this was a first for her.

Our last hope was the food truck and wouldn’t you know – ding ding ding -it was the winner! We grabbed some breakfast sandwiches and an order of biscuits and gravy to take back to the cottage (hey, don’t judge! We had just hiked a few miles and remember it was cold and rainy). By the time we were back inside, it was pouring and we were glad to have arrived back before the deluge.

Another break in the rain and I decided to take a small walk. I was in search of the bright red salmon Billy said he had seen looking over from the bridge last evening. The bridge over the Seldovia Slough is probably 30 feet high at dead low tide and 15 feet high at high tide. Yesterday, as we were walking to town from the airport, I looked over one side and about 30 feet below I could see monstrous salmon holding themselves in place. A local kid hear me and walked over, looked down and dropped his fishing line that had a large, round, orange lure on the end (it looked like a huge bobber). I thought there wasn’t a chance in hell he would catch anything as he plopped it right on their noses, but wouldn’t you know it – BAM! The smallest salmon (which was larger than any trout we have ever caught) snatched it right up. The kid let out some line, ran over to the stairs, climbed down and claimed his prize. It was one of the craziest fishing scenes I have ever witnessed!

The rest of the day was spent playing cribbage and backgammon and reading. The rain finally stopped around 7:00 and the sun popped out for a brief time. Seeing as Jenny was not feeling great, the rain was a bit of a godsend as it allowed us to not feel pressured to keep exploring.

Seldovia is a really neat town. I love how so many of the houses are uniquely and creatively decorated, many with carved wooden sculptures, rich in detail – there is definitely a lot of character here. The cottage we are staying in is over a nursery/gift/curio store that has something to look at no matter which direction you turn. The town has loads of public parks all planted with beautiful flowers with spots for sitting and relaxing. There is an air of peacefulness and solitude here, almost like any other place we have ever been- even the seagulls knocking on the roof didn’t disrupt it!