Thurs, Sept 10: On the road to Homer

It is still quite windy this morning, but the sun is out. The weather forecast for Homer is not too promising, but we pack up the rig and head down there anyway. It is around 70 miles along the buff that runs down the east side of the Cook Inlet. We get glimpses of the Aleutian mountains and the several volcanoes that are active across the inlet on the west side. Unfortunately the high overcast and sea mist keep us we from getting a really clear picture with the camera.

We make one stop along the way at Ninilchik, a very small village on the beach, to see the second of three Russian Orthodox Churches in this part of Alaska. The church is up on the bluff overlooking the village.

There is still a Russian presence in the this part of the peninsula. The church,The Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord,is about the same age but smaller than the one in Kenai. The priest greeting visitors tells Carolyn there are between 25 and 30 parishioners at the Sunday services. To be as sparsely settled as the peninsula is, there are many small churches representing most denominations. There is also a small cemetery beside the church. Carolyn finds the way the graves are marked interesting.From what she reads this is very much the Russian influence.

As we approach Homer at lunchtime, the skies are getting heavier and the sea is very rough. Someone is enjoying the weather though!This does not look promising for a fishing trip or a trip over to Seldovia, a little Russian village down near the mouth of Kachemak Bay, only accessible by plane or water taxi.

We are lucky in that the only campground on the Spit with full hook ups is still open...at least until Saturday noon.According to the lady at the desk, the only reason the campground is still open is that they are expecting a 26 rig caravan at 3:00PM for two nights! Hmmm...that is close!

After getting things set up and the car unhooked, we head out looking for some lunch. There are a bunch of little shops and cafes up and down the spit. We opt for fish and chips. Turns out it is their last day to be open. After eating we walk around. Several of the shops and businesses are closed for the season, but we do find very nice gifts for our two oldest grandsons. We talk to several operators and find that either the business is closed for the season or is shut down due to the weather and may not be operating tomorrow either. Bummer...oh well we will just have to continue with some retail therapy in downtown Homer.

We get back to the rig about 3:00PM, just in time to see the caravan that was with us up in Fairbanks pull into the campground. It is also beginning to rain big time. We settle down in the rig for a very lazy afternoon. We have very good internet here so Dick works on-line and Carolyn continues putting the finishing touches on Volume two of the RTW book.

We fix some fettuccine and salmon for dinner and watch the movie, "The Cardinal"...a very good old movie. The rain on the roof puts us to sleep.