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Published: July 10th 2013
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hiking trail
to the base of the glacier Wrote this 2 days ago but just getting around to posting. Sorry! I know you've been waiting with bated breath to know what we've been up to....It's 11:00 pm and really bright out, like noon time in NJ, on a sunny day. I guess that's how it's been since we got to Alaska with its 22 hours of daylight but since it's also the first day it didn't rain and the sun was out, I'm more aware of the brightness and it's harder to fall asleep. So instead I'll write an update. We started the day with a hike to the base of Exit Glacier. We were in touching distance of this glacier and once again saw both its blue majesty and its rapidly shrinking size. Signs on the hiking trail to its current base, showed where it had been the year I was born and years since. It was a great short hike. After that we were on the rode to Homer and made a couple of pretty unremarkable stops along the way from Seward and one strange lunch stop at Sal's Kodiak Diner, a local eating spot, actually even I would admit too local. The highlight of the day's
driving for me was when we were on the road back from seeing an old Russian Orthodox Church and village... we saw a moose with her baby! Seeing a moose out in the open was definitely on my 'must see' list for this trip so now I could check it off! We also stopped at the most westerly highway point in North America, Point Anchor. There was a sign to prove it but not much else except awful port a john's. Next time you see Beth, you should ask her about that stop. We had quite a laugh over her encounter with one of them. Homer is a small town surrounded by high bluffs, Cook Inlet, and Kachemak Bay. It is a fishing town, set in the middle of the most beautiful panoramic surroundings at the end of Seward Highway. When we drove into town and found the Driftwood Inn office, it was in a pretty run down looking place and I had already been a little worried about this reservation...would it be a dive and how would everyone react? but it was exactly the opposite. We were led across the road to a most incredible house, also owned by
Driftwood Inn that faced the water (Cook Inlet) and had a wall of windows in the kitchen and living area and only 5 bedrooms so we had this house almost to ourselves. It was newly remodeled and furnished and had the most incredible view and it was ours for 2 nights. The time in Homer is also the 'free time' on this trip...no specific plans for how to fill the day and somehow we managed just fine. I started the day with a 6:30 am walk on the beach, in the mist, and then time on the porch reading. Everyone got up at different times, and hung around enjoying the view or taking walks. We stopped into the visitor's center to see the displays on Kachemak Bay and the history of the area and checked out some of the local artist work in the shops. Dinner was a highlight....a joint cooking effort produced a great meal...freshly caught Alaskan King Salmon, bought from a fish store on Homer Spit and cooked on the grill on our patio with grilled sweet potatoes and veggies, and malbec, of course. Delicious! More walks on the beach ended this very peaceful, relaxing Alaska day.
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Maury
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Two?!
I can't believe you actually saw two moose(s). One less thing on your bucket list!