7/27: Biking Homer

Tuesday July 27, Biking around town: We camped in a city campground abut ½ mile uphill from the main street and it was easy to get everywhere by bike. First stop was the Pratt Museum just down the hill. It’s a beautiful medium sized collection of fishing history, wildlife exhibits and the works of local artists. For most of the 20th century, Homer was a salmon fishing and canning town. Now, tourism is the main draw, including many tourists who come for the salmon and halibut fishing. The halibut are huge, often 70 or 80 pounds each! Mark and I spent the better part of a day pedaling around and shopping. The Homer bookstore has a really good selection and I picked up a history of the Russian exploration of Alaska. Then we rode out along the Homer Spit – a narrow sandy bar of land that extends more than 3 miles out into the bay. The boat harbor and most tourist activity is along the spit, and it’s very entertaining. It reminded Mark and me a little of Santa Monica and Venice beaches in Southern California, Alaska style. Bald eagles hang out on the driftwood and in dead trees, I suppose on the lookout for not so giant fish. There’s a constant stream of single engine pontoon planes landing and taking off from the airport next to the spit. It’s a happening place! After finding some souvenirs and ice cream, we headed back to camp and it seemed a lot farther pedaling back than going out. We had a beautiful moonrise over the glaciers and Kachemak Bay that night.