Homer – such a calm, little fisher town.
Homer is a city located in the Kenai Peninsula – that means beautiful views and the fresh air from the water. The town is espacially known as “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World”. Homer’s nickname is “the end of the road”. There is only one road leading into Homer which is the Sterling Highway. It is 218 miles southwest of Anchorage and it is famous for its geographical landmark “the spit”.
Homer has a population of 5,003. Which you can definitely tell. This place is tiny but that gives it the character. There is not a lot to see or do here but Homer was definitely my favourite place to visit. It is such a one of a kind place. The air here is fresh as it could be, the people are super nice and you are literally surrounded by blue water and mountains.
The town has a total area of 22.4 square miles (58km²) of which 10.6 square miles (27km²) is land and 11.9 square miles (31km²) is water which makes 52.83% of the area.
Homer Spit
The feeling of being surrounded by only water is especially strong on the spit. The spit is a geographical landmark in Homer. It is a 4.5mi (7.2km) long piece of land jutting into Kachemak Bay. The Homer Boat Habor is also located here. It contains deep and shallow water docks and has space for up to 1500 commercial and pleasure boats. In winter hundreds of eagles gather here to be fed by Jean Keene, the “Eagle Lady”. In general are there many eagles flying around here. Probably most Eagles I have ever seen. The spit is also the longest road into ocean water in the entire world. It takes up to 10-15 minutes to drive to the far end.
There are two theories on how the spit became what we see today. The first theory says that the tidal swells and currents of Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay are responsible for sand buildups that created the spit. The other theory is that the spit was pushed into place by now-retreated glaciers to what it is today. The 1964 Alaska earthquake shrank it to 508 acres (2.06km²) and killed most of the vegetation, making it today mostly gravel and sand.
Considering that the spit sits about 19ft (5.8m) above sea level makes you think about the danger of people living here. A violent enough storm or tsunami could create waves up to 30ft (9.1m) high which would overflow the entire Spit. An eruption of the nearby Augustine Volcano could bring a giant wave to the Spit within minutes which would give residents very little time to react. However, there is the West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (WC/ATWC) in Palmer, AK which has an early warning system for tsunamis from other areas in the ocean which would give Spit-dwellers enough time to get to safety.
All around the spit is a beach with small rocks. In the water you can watch otters play and sometimes there is a sea-lion swimming by.
There is little downtown in the middle of the spit with many snack opportunities, restaurants and shops.
If you are looking for a campground you will have no problem to find one here. On each side are probably 3 campgrounds with 10 to 20 camping spots. All range from the $15 to $30 per night. We stayed at the Mariner Park, a small campground right in the beginning of the spit. It was $15 per night and located right by the water. There are only 10 sights and only dump toilets but it is a nice place. If you think about it you are almost sleeping on top of the ocean. When we visited Homer it was the only time we experienced rain during our entire stay in Alaska. It was pouring in the evening and throughout the night which is why we decided to sleep in the car in order to not get our tent too went. Sleeping in Big Rudy, a Nissan Altima, wasn’t the most comfortable, neither did we get a lot of rest but it was definitely an experience.
Two Sisters Bakery
Two Sisters Bakery is a place worth visiting in Homer. It is a cute little cafe with a bunch of pastries and drinks. It is a great place to just take a little break and allow yourself a treat. I took a Vegan Peta and a Latte which were both delicious!
233 E Bunnell Ave, Homer, AK 99603
