Destination Circle: Day 19

June 1, 2016

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Homer, Alaska - Beluga 

It was ovecast when I left my wonderful room, but not cold and not raining. After a stop for an Americano just down the street, I walked the Beluga Slough Trail, seeing a single Sandhill Crane, a few crows and sparrows, gulls flying overhead and ducks in the distance. The marsh / slough was on one side and the ocean in front of me. It was peaceful. How can proximity to the ocean not be therapeutic? Driftwood, salty air mixed with the scent of the evergreens, ice-capped mountains across the bay...

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge - Homer, Alaska

The Visitor Center had the usual exhibits of natural history and habitats, information, conservation concerns, short movies /videos, a small gift / book shop and staff eager to help anyone with anything. I learned that one can hop on a ferry here and go as far as the Aleutian Islands, or to Kodiak, or one can rent a “water taxi” and explore the islands and ocean that way. In fact, a ranger who had been a naturalist on the Tustamena (boat to Kodiak, Dutch Harbor, Unalaska, etc., for 12 years) and now at the Visitor Center was knowledgeable about birds. He suggested I take a 2- or 4-hour trip with someone he personally recommended from a list of charters telling me that “You WILL see birds...Karl knows his birds and where to find them.” So I tried for 30 minutes to call but could not get my phone to work as a telephone. I was repeatedly prompted to “re-enter the 10 digit number ....” which I did along with changing settings, but nothing worked and I also kind of knew I wouldn't just be able to call, get on his boat, spend 2 to 4 hours and be on my way. It was already 10 a.m. I didn't want to spend all day and another night here.

So I drove back out on the Spit and watched the gulls in the harbor get especially excited about the comings and goings of the fishing boats.

Sailing in Seward Alaska

I went to Seward next. The Kenai Peninsula is a large chunk of land below Anchorage that ends in fimbriations of fjords. These land masses are jagged wild places with glaciers, mountains and no roads. The cruise ships are only allowed within a certain distance of the coast; however, the more intrepid and adventurous travelers rent water taxis, are transported into the fjords and dropped off with their kayaks and tents and backpacks. As far I as could gather, there isn't the same regulatory presence in these national lands as there is the the lower 48.

I don't remember if I mentioned the cruise ship, the Zaandam, which was docked in Skagway the morning we arrived there on the Matanuska, but this ship eventually continued on to Seward and, once in port and docked, the crew discovered a 50-foot dead fin whale wrapped around its bow. No one is certain how this happened: was the whale dead before the encounter, or did the ship hit it? the immediate problem being what to do with a decomposing whale, so it was towed onto an undisclosed beach nearby where a necropsy was performed. The newspaper said that these cruise / whale-watching ships have measures to avoid harming whales, so who knows how this happened?

Barrow's Goldeneyes - Seward, Alaska

Seward is a deep water port surrounded by mountains and glaciers. A gigantic cruise ship arrived in the night, and the small boat harbor was filled with fishing boats. When I first arrived, I drove out on a marginal road along the water, past signs warming of avalanches and falling rocks. I saw hundreds of Glaucous-winged Gulls, some Harlequin Ducks, a Black Oystercatcher, Bald Eagles. Near the end of the road were funky camping areas. I did camp but closer to town, right on the water, as did hundreds of others. The registration was automated and efficient. It was chilly and windy, and I sat in the car for two hours, catching on up on this blog, drinking a glass of wine. I tried to eat the cold leftovers of my dinner the night before (the gorgonzola mac and cheese and non-rock crab) which had now congealed into a hard unappetizing lump that really wasn't even “forkable.” So I walked for an hour which sounds virtuous, but I was only in search of food. Several downtown (about a 3-block area) had bars and restaurants with doors open to the night with the sounds of the happy relaxed people inside, but I only wanted a munchie or small snack, not a $30 minimum meal. Finally, at the harbor, on the other end of town, I got an ice-cream cone. Walking back to the campground, I saw a guy catch a huge fish, throw it on the dock and continue fishing.

The restrooms at the campground were acceptable, barely. But the view was awesome....I have seldom been out of sight of the most photogenic, classic, snow-covered mountains while in Alaska. The snow extends in ribbons down the drainages, and on the slopes, there are often large white patches surrounded by bright spring greenery.

So Seward is another town between mountains and ocean. Of course, hard-core outdoor adventurers love Alaska with its opportunities to climb, hike, bicycle, kayak, sail, fish, hunt, canoe...The homes away from the cities are not trophy homes and usually have yards full of stuff. There are often one or more additions to the original structure, greenhouses, attached or separate, un-mowed lawns, stacks of firewood, double entrances and unpaved driveways. The properties mostly look a bit messy and littered, unpretentious...

I have seen two police cars in the past two weeks. Traffic generally moves at 65 at the high end with many pull-outs and passing lanes.

Seward is the city of murals

Another camper pulled in near me, a young guy, who was also puzzled about the “rules.” One was not directed to a designated campsite and could just pick anyplace that was available. But there also were no little posts on which one could clip a registration, so I didn't know what would happen if I left with no signs that my space was occupied. I guess I could have put up my tent, but it was chilly...

I read until I got sleepy and slept perfectly well...




Amy's flowers....