Homer

A trip to the last frontier is not complete without visiting Homer.  Homer provides the visitor with a little bit of “last frontier” color offering breathtaking views of Kachemak Bay.  It is alive with a wide variety of activities including fishing, bear viewing, birding, kayaking and the arts just to name a few.  Of course, there are great restaurants and “off the charts” hospitality and friendliness abound in the Homer area.

Homer was named after Homer Pennock who dropped anchor at the end of the Spit in April of 1896 with his 1 woman 50 man crew.  He was described as a promoter and “the most talented confidence man who ever operated on this continent”.  His company, the Alaska Gold Mining Company, took a minor role in shaping the history of Homer.  He only stayed about a year before moving on to the Klondike when gold was discovered there.  Coal was Homer’s original export product.  Russians mined an abundance of coal in the mid 1800’s and by 1889 American companies were mining and shipping coal via Alaska’s first railroad from shafts and tunnels near Coal Creek above old town to a large wharf built near the end of the 4.5 mile spit.  The railroad was 7.38 miles long. By 1902, the coal market faded and the remaining residents resettled on the bench land turning to farming and fishing.   Visitors and residents still collect coal along the banks of the Kachamak Bay. 

Much of the Spit town was torn down and recycled into new structures for homesteaders and fishermen and then during the early 1930’s most of the remaining structures burned in a slow-spreading fire fed by coal that had washed ashore.  The cabin that is now part of the Salty Dog Saloon on the Spit, was one of the few structures that survived.  Take a look inside the very small cabin and you will see thousands of dollar bills all over the ceilings and walls and a lot of them are autographed.  After the coal market failed, salmon, crab, shrimp and halibut harvest from Kachemak Bay strengthened the area’s economy. 

Strong-willed and highly-individualistic characters have laced the entire area throughout its history.  The beautiful land and sea also shaped the artistic nature of the people who increasingly turn their talents to producing arts and crafts for the growing number of visitors.  On the Spit, you will find small unique gift shops offering a very different assortment of items for purchase.

I just wonder if the first settlers ever envisioned the lively colorful scene that the end of the Homer Spit has become.  The Spit was once a 4.5 mile long finger of grassy, flower-carpeted stretch with a grove of spruce and considerably higher, wider and drier than it is now.  The massive 1964 earthquake reduced the size of the Spit to 508 acres, about 350 of which are submerged at high tide.  Early Native peoples camped out here based on archaeological digs in the area.  The Spit is as far south as a person can drive in Alaska and it is the longest drive into the ocean in the world.

An interesting place to learn all about the area is the Pratt Museum. This is the only natural history museum on the Kenai Peninsula.  It hosts indoor as well as outdoor exhibits on art, homesteading, fishing, marine ecology and the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  A botanical garden – which is a good place to start identifying common flora in the Homer area - is found at this museum and hosts 125 species native to the Peninsula.

For those who like to hike, the Calvin and Coyle Nature trail behind Paul Banks Elementary School on East Road off Mariner Drive offer abundant wildlife and flora.  The Homestead Trail traversing higher elevations is off Rogers Loop at the top of Baycrest Hill off the Sterling Highway across the street from the Bayview Inn.    Check with the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust for dates and times of guided walks.

Natural history tours are conducted by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies which offers their customers education in the marine and coastal ecosystem.  A close-up drift around Gull Island Bird Rookery is a highlight of this organization’s activities. 

Many charters offer trips to rookeries. While out on the ocean keep an eye peeled for humpback or beluga whales, sea otter and sea lions.  Many sea birds migrate through this area including sandpipers, dunlins, dowitchers, as well as all different varieties of surfbirds.    A truly awesome adventure awaits when you charter a float plane and enjoy the true Alaskan wilderness where the brown bear roam.  I am hoping to provide you a first-hand account of these tours in the November issue as we are scheduled to fly out to Katmai with Emerald Air on my birthday, Sept 1st, 2008.

Several state park campgrounds and private parks abound in this area and the Spit can get rather busy during the summer months.  Ninilchik State Park is located at Mile 135 of the Sterling Highway north of Homer.  Deep Creek is located at mile 138 of the Sterling Highway and has 300 sites. 

For great fishing sites, Anchor River at mile 157 of the Sterling Highway provides opportunities for anglers to catch Dolly Varden, trout and salmon.

The Spit offers city and private camping areas for tents and RVs.  Summer is a great time in Homer but the winter can also be just as beautiful.  Snow machines are favorite pastimes for Homer residents and cross country skiing and alpine skiing are also enjoyed by many.  Winter king salmon trolling and ice fishing can be an angler’s delight.

Jean Keene, the Eagle Lady, will continue to feed hundreds of eagles in the winter at her home on the end of the Homer Spit Campground.  You can view this daily ritual seven days a week around 10 am beginning in November and ending in April.  Watch for the Oct column on the Homer eagles and the Eagle Lady.   At this writing, I just found out that Jean has been hospitalized with kidney problems and a few other health problems.  She is 83 years young and very spry for her age.  The eagles have kept her going since 1976.

During the summer months, the City of Homer sells halibut derby jackpot tickets for $10.00.  Make sure you purchase one if you go fishing as you never know when you will reel in the $10,000 winner.  Some halibut have been tagged with different monetary amounts on the tags and if you are lucky enough to catch the biggest one of the season, you could win $10,000.  What a great surprise that would be during your visit to Homer.   Quite a few fishermen this season have either caught 300+ lb halibut or tagged fish and did not purchase a derby ticket.  What a disappointment!