This morning we headed off to Homer, about an hour and a half away. The morning started off thick with fog. This is when we were hoping not to find a moose, for sure, with the limited visibility. Despite the fog, it was still a beautiful drive, as we enjoyed the moments when the fog would clear, unveiling stunning views of the surrounding mountains, only for it to roll back in shortly after. We drove through several small towns, each with its own character and charm, and ended up stopping in Ninilchik at a quaint little coffee shop. LJ went in to get coffee for him and cocoa for me, and in less than 10 minutes, he was all caught up on a lot of the town drama, offering a glimpse into the local life. After this quick break, we kept going on our way and arrived at the overlook that welcomes you into Homer, where we were greeted with beautiful clear skies and a breathtaking view of the ocean. LJ grabbed some quick pictures, including one of me with the Homer Spit in the background, capturing the moment perfectly. However, within five minutes, the fog rolled in underneath us, shrouding the Spit once again, and you could no longer view its outline below. It was completely crazy how quickly the weather changed.
After taking in the transformation, we headed down the mountain into Homer and then out onto the Spit, where it was clear again, revealing a stunning landscape that made the journey all the more worthwhile. The contrast of weather made the day feel more adventurous.
The Homer Spit is a 4.5-mile long narrow finger of land that juts out into Kachemak Bay in Homer, Alaska. There’s a small lagoon that you can fish in as you drive out onto the Spit. LJ had brought fishing poles because he wanted to be sure to throw in a line in Homer. As he scouted the area, he found Sally. The tide was down and Sally the sea otter had gotten stuck in the lagoon. We quickly learned her habit of laying on her back eating something if she had it and once she finished it, she would pop her head up, turn, roll and swim down underwater to find something else to eat. He was able to photograph to his hearts content, and I was able to enjoy. He did go get his fishing pole out and cast a few times but no luck but that was okay because well… Sally.
We decided we better not spend all our time at the lagoon, so we went down to where the shops and restaurants begin and took a drive all the way to the end to decide where we wanted to visit first. There were a few things that had already closed for the season, including one of the Sister’s coffee shops that we were hoping to visit, but that was okay. We parked and decided we better eat lunch before we went any further.
We went to the Harbor Grill, which is a large restaurant on the Spit that LJ remembered we had eaten at before, but I did not. We were able to sit out on the deck and placed our order. He got the Nashville Chicken pasta dish, and I got halibut fish and chips. I figured if we were in the halibut fishing capital of the world, I should enjoy some. He walked over to the edge of the deck and quickly motioned for me to follow. We were right beside the boat harbor, and he quickly found another sea otter! We came back to eat our lunch, which was quite delicious, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Then we decided to go get the camera and look for more otters. That was the main priority for the day. Once we went towards the car, we realized there were actually two otters, a mother and a baby (probably born this spring). The baby was now old enough to dive; when they are first born, their fluffy hair keeps them buoyant so that mom can go fishing while the baby can float. However, this otter was old enough to dive down for food but was also still nursing. We enjoyed watching mom and baby, whom we named Maxine and Roxy, for more than an hour. LJ took over 1,000 pictures, and while I continued to enjoy them, he went to get Morty, our drone, for his second flight of the trip.
Everyone was eating very well. We could continually hear the otters eating the clams and even saw the baby catch a little green crab, which it had on its stomach. The baby had a bite or two, and LJ actually witnessed it crawl away down the baby otter’s tummy and back into the water, so it lost a few legs but was still intact.
Today was a much less windy day, and the skies were still blue, so he sent Marty out for some great views over the Homer boat harbor and I continued otter watching, with some occasional seals that came by. After Morty flew over, we packed up, realizing it was now almost 5, and went for some ice cream.
We went to Scoops ice cream shop. This was the last day it was going to be open for the season, so each scoop was only two dollars and all toppings were free. I opted for a scoop of peanut butter and chocolate. LJ went for a sundae and then even though it was cool, it was still nice enough to sit up on the deck at a picnic table. We enjoyed some people watching and then visited a few few of the shops nearby.
The fog came back again and we were glad that we had flown Morty when we did because the visibility was now almost nothing. We were past high tide now and wanted to see if Sally had made it out of the lagoon so we stopped again on our way out. LJ also wanted to try his hand fishing again. Sally was still in the lagoon enjoying some snacks. It had been a great day in Homer. We decided to make our way back towards Soldotna with some extra stops for moose hunting on the way.
We went back by the overlook park and were surprised how calm the water still was in the Cook Inlet. Any of these days would have been perfect for our Seward cruise but let’s put those memories out of our head.
Tomorrow will be our float day on the Kasilof River.
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