Another day in Homer

It is another beautiful day in Homer! The sun is out with light winds making the 50 degree weather very comfortable. We walked along the beach and then to the harbor where we talked to a local fisherman as he was cleaning his catch of halibut and cod. The tide is unbelievable - at least a 100 foot difference! While at the harbor we caught sight of a ship docked - the Time Bandit. This is one of the ships that the Discovery Channel follows in the tv show, Deadliest Catch! We saw an ice rink in the main part of town. While sitting outside admiring the view we noticed two eagles down on the beach. We were able to walk pretty close to them without having them fly away.

Homer's the "Halibut Fishing Capital of Alaska," and is about 26 square miles with half being land and the other half water. The population Is about 5000. Homer spit is 4.5 miles long and is between Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay. Kachemak Bay is among the richest marine estuaries in the world. Homer was named for Homer Pennock, a gold-mining company promoter, who arrived in 1896 on the Homer Spit and built living quarters for his crew of 50 men. However, gold mining was never profitable in the area. Homer has a moderate subarctic coastal climate which causes its weather to be moderate compared to interior Alaska. Winters are snowy and long but not particularly cold, with the average January high only slightly below freezing. Snow averages 50 inches, falling primarily from November through March. Homer receives only about 25 inches of rainfall annually due to the influence of the Chugach Mountains to the southeast which shelters it from the Gulf of Alaska.

We had dinner at a local restaurant- Captain Pattie's Fish House. I had locally caught salmon and Rod had Alaskan King crab legs. Both were delicious.Read more