Days 21-22: Anchorage, AK to Homer, AK
Of all the places we read about and planned for, the Kenai Peninsula was definitely very high up on the list. Unfortunately, as we started heading down toward the Kenai Peninsula, our bout of bad weather seemed like it was going to get even worse, specifically on the eastern half of the peninsula (which was set to be our first stop). We decided to switch things up and head down to Homer first.
The Sterling Highway takes you down to Homer, passing through the towns of Cooper Landing, Sterling, Soldotna, Ninilchik, and Anchor Point along the way. The drive itself was a little rainy still, but began to clear up as soon as we got further south on the Kenai. As you approach Homer, you begin to see glimpses of Kachemak Bay through the trees, and then it's revealed, glorious and expansive, your view dotted with glaciers and fishing boats and seagulls.
The view from the Homer Spit
Downtown Homer is perfectly un-touristy, a mix of galleries and shops and restaurants. Further into Homer, there's the Homer Spit, a 4.5-mile long piece of land that juts out into the bay. Our research had us a little in doubt about the Spit, as it seemed like it could be on the brink of cheesy/touristy. And, well, it is in parts, but it's also pretty amazing to drive down. The road down to the Spit seems to go on and on, and once you get down to the little beachfront, shops, and restaurants, you can't help but like it.
While deciding between camping and looking for an Airbnb or motel, we happened upon one of those super-cool Airbnb opportunities that you save to a bucket list in the hopes that someday maybe the stars will align and you'll get to that destination and they won't be booked. The "Lighthouse" looked a bit like a greenhouse, it's transparent roof giving you views of the sky and trees around you. And then, of course, it wasn't available. After some frantic, pleading messaging with the very helpful Stellavera, we were in even better shape than before: we'd be staying in their yurt the first night, followed by the Lighthouse the second night. Both are set a ten miles outside of town on the Kilcher Family Homestead, originally settled by Yule Kilcher (Stellavera's father) when he came over from Switzerland with his wife in the 1940s. (Incidentally, parts of the homestead are also the setting for the Discovery show "Alaska: The Last Frontier," which features some of the family continuing to live off the land, the way Yule did.)
The road to the homestead is interesting in and of itself, then once past the original homestead/cabin, the road curves around a hayfield and down closer to the bluff above the shore, where Stellavera and Mike have their yurt, the Lighthouse, and the newly added Man Cave, plus an outdoor shower around the corner. (You can see in the not-great iPhone panorama below both the shower and the view from the shower.)
Our first night, Mike was nice enough to share a home-cooked meal with ourselves and the two other guests, two young women from Germany. After some salmon and conversation, we turned in for the night. Between the view you see above and the Hawaiian interior, decked out with wind chimes and silk flowers, we both woke up a little confused if we were still in Alaska.
We spent the whole day exploring Homer, starting with a much-needed stop at the laundromat and a very fruitful trip to the Homer Farmer's Market, below. We just so happened to be there for the Zucchini Festival and Races, so as we walked in (probably looking a little wide-eyed and confused) they were sending little zucchini race cars down a track (think pinewood derby, but with squash). The farmer's market itself was pretty sweet—we walked out with a big bag of kettle corn, several jars of homemade jams, a jar of homemade salsa, plus some produce.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the Spit, sitting by the water, then stopped for a beer at the Salty Dawg after several people told us how necessary it was to any Spit experience. It is pretty funny, truth be told: the walls are all covered with dollar bills and other personal belongings, all covered in messages in sharpie from previous patrons (below).
Inside the Salty Dawg on the Homer Spit
We stopped by Chugach Wild Salmon Co. on our way home, then made dinner in their outdoor kitchen (with some help from Mike). Now we're in the Lighthouse for the night, surrounded by trees, a small rainstorm pounding down on the clear ceiling above us.