Tuesday, August 5, 2008

a place called Homer

We don't always take big vacations like we did this year. The year Danielle graduated, we went to Maui. This year was Jake's year and after looking into several different options, he chose Alaska. The next thing we needed to decide on was where in Alaska.

After more discussion, it was unanimous that the ocean (and whales) is what everyone wanted to see. With that in mind, Since I knew my blogging buddy Nancy, of More Than Enough, used to live in Alaska, I asked her where would be the best place to go. She highly recommended her home town of Homer, and I'm so glad she did.



Homer is a beautiful little fishing town located at the end [literally] of the highway, 225 miles south of Anchorage. Located in the harbor is a long gravel bar known as the Homer spit. We spent a lot of time on the spit, either to catch a boat, do a little shopping, bird and fisherman watch, or just be part of the daily activity.



As I posted earlier, we went whale watching and Don and Jake went halibut fishing. We spent the rest of the time sightseeing in town and around the area. With the majestic mountains meeting the ocean and wildflowers dotting the varying shades of green that surrounded you, the landscape was breathtaking.


We took in all the sights, the sounds, and the smells of the area. We spent time on the beaches and up in the hills. We ate at the local eateries and conversed with the local residents. We became a part of Homer for a week... and Homer - and Alaska - became part of us.

I've posted my photos on Flickr and they can be seen here.
You can view them as a slideshow by clicking on the slideshow icon at the top right of the page.
Tomorrow... moose!

4 comments:

nancy said...

Wow, Diana. You got some remarkable shots. And it looks like home to me. Did you eat at the Boardwalk Fish & Chips place? I could almost see it in the one shot. Feels like I was there with you. And it looks like it wasn't too awfully cold. They've had such a "no summer" summer, I was afraid you all would freeze. My stepson in Homer tells us they are expecting summer next week. :)
Nancy

Melissa said...

Oh wow! That is so awesome! Your photos on Flickr were amazing! I've never wanted to go to Alaska... I've heard their mosquitoes are the size of bats :) But looking at your photos... I just might change my mind!

Lori said...

sounds like a wonderful relaxing vacation

i'm off to check out the photos

we are vacationing at al's brother this week
we had a wonderful time yesterday doing a hike at Silver falls. the waterfalls and scenery were beautiful
i will post next week sometime after we return home

Susan said...

We spent a few days in Homer and it was such fun. I have to share a funny story here about it if I may.

One night we were parked on Homer Spit and we came to the conclusion 1/2 of Alaska was there that night. Everyone was crammed in side by side in the RV's, tents, etc. In the middle of the night we were awakened with the noise of someone driving tent stakes into the ground right under our bedroom slideout. We got the biggest kick and laugh out of this....here we are in Alaska where the population is so sparse and here this is going on!!! Too funny and something we will always remember.
Glad you are having such a grand time!!!
Susan