Pole Star Country

I have never been in a place whose sheer beauty has made me cry until today. And I'm not just trying to be all googly and effusive--I really mean it. We drove from Anchorage down to the Kenai Peninsula today because Katy and Jon wanted to check out Homer, AK. Mere moments out of the city--actually, probably still within city limits, we were on a frontage road running parallell to the railroad tracks between us and the water...an inlet, I guess. Looking out across the expanse, we can see huge, looming mountains with snow still on them. Ocean and snow-capped mountains? How?!

That was the more bland part. We got to rolling down the road and everything around us was green and greener and lush and then suddenlly a waterfall or a brook or a pond would appear and create an emerald wonderland that would take my breath away. It was kind of misty for a while, a little bit drippy and then the sun would peek through and I am not even going to try to describe this any more. I just couldn't believe my eyes. We were listening to a Mahalia Jackson cd on the way and I tried to say something, but the words got caught behind the lump in my throat and I had to tell myself to not burst into tears.



And again, we drove and drove and got here to Homer, which is kind of an artsy fishing village, but not really artsy in an annoying way and not really a village in a backwards way, but they really fish here and there is an area called the Homer Spit--a long jetty or sand bar build-up which I would liken somewhat to the Wharf in San Francisco only more real and gritty or to the marina in Santa Cruz, only more...fishy. It's surprising, because it has all these places tourists love, but it doesn't seem to bend over backwards to attract them. Mixed in with the fish houses are souvenier shops and then there's a whole area full of RVs and a couple of tents and then more places to buy and look and then some real fishing areas and some very old boats and rusty marine stuff. It's a trip.

Homer has a lot of cabins, B&Bs, inns and other accommodations, and hostels...because there is a lot to do here like fishing, kayaking, bear viewing, shopping, dining or flight seeing (in teeny little planes that look like toys!)



Homer is known to many as the 'Cosmic Hamlet by the Sea,' but it was made famous in Tom Bodett's tales as 'The End of the Road.'



Katy and Jon think they might want to live here.

Jon was trying to go to sleep just now, because it's late, but decided instead to take his book out to the deck (of the cabins where we're staying tonight) overlooking the ocean and read by the midnight sun. Katy has that Armstrong night-owl disorder. I think that could be a problem in a place like this.