Some of you may recall that I have posted two previous threads about my trip north so far.
We are now in Homer after stays in Skagway, Valdez and Anchorage.
Last time I was in Homer was about 44 years ago. As most places it has changed dramatically in that time.
Homer is one of the true jewels of Alaska, especially if you are a fisherman. The setting is stunning.
Unfortunately much of the Spit has been ruined to my mind. But this is inevitable I guess.
Near the southern end the famous Homer Spit is now chock-a-block with tacky Eastern Seaboard style Boardwalk tourist trap shops crammed cheek by jowl grinning at you with garish colors and pleading signs.
Most of it can be given a total miss.
One place to go that is worthwhile is the Salty Dog Bar. Very atmospheric and filled with locals as well as tourists.
If you are staying in Homer with your RV I would advise giving a miss to the RV Parks here.
The Heritage RV Park on the Spit is so grossly overpriced it made me laugh. It is basically a gravel parking lot with (albeit) a nice new building. Oh the scenery is great but it is great from anywhere on the Spit. And Heritage wanted over $73 dollars for a full hookup 30 amp site.
At the Far end of the Spit is another RV Park that deserves to be given a miss. The Homer Spit Campground is a disgrace. It's dirty, rundown, unlevel, weeds growing everywhere. In need of a lot of work and they want $39 Plus Tax for ELECTRIC ONLY SITES. The Full hookup without Dump was over $50 Plus tax...no discounts except for active military. On top of that you must pay a dollar a day per person for a shower.
My guess is that the rather new-ish Heritage came in and raised their rates and the scruffy older places decided they too could gouge the RV Public.
Now there are other choices in and around Homer but I have not been inside them yet.
Homer really exists for the weekend get-away business from the Anchorage area and Fishing Afishionados. (Pun and SP intentional) so they will continue to charge outrageous rates.
My suggestion is to dry camp at one of Homers city parks for 15$ per night. They too are right on the Spit...with the same views and frankly are not much more "rustic" than the RV Parks.
Homer has a beautiful new library, large and airy and great wifi. It is a very impressive library for a small town. They also have used books for sale on an ongoing basis and will accept your already read books as a donation.
A fabulous eating place especially for wonderful home made breads and other baked goodies, interesting lunches and Dinner Wednesday thru Sat is THE TWO SISTERS BAKERY on Bunnel street in old town Homer. It's warm and cozy with plenty of seating and smells wonderful.
We came to Homer from Seward where we only stayed long enough to take the Kenai Fjords Boat tour to the glaciers. I took this tour about 15 years ago, it was truly spectacular then and hasn't changed. You will see many types of creatures for your efforts.
We saw several Humpback Whales, a pod of Orcas, Puffins, Eagles, A mother mountain Goat and her newborn, Sea Otters and more birds than I can list. I highly recommend this tour especially with Kenai Fjords Tours. Mys suggestion is to take the 8AM tour. This is less crowded as the excursion tours from Anchorage (the big tour groups) take the 11 AM tours.
And finally a plea to all of you who share your Alaskan Experiences here. Please consider starting your own threads. This makes them easier to find (with this questionable search engine on this site)and much more accessible than sifting through hundreds of posts in another thread.
