Alaska, Day 6

On our last evening in Homer, I sat at the computer blogging and watching an otter swim outside our hotel room window.  Then these two bald eagles flew by.  It made for a very peaceful final night in Alaska.

Day 6 was the last day of the Backroads trip.  We had a guided walk through the Wynn Nature Center in Homer.  Our guide was wonderful and we learned so much about the flora we had been seeing all week.

This is the Watermelon Berry or Twisted Stalk.  I tried a berry; the ones that aren't completely ripe taste like cucumbers:

This is Monk's Head.  It is deadly poisonous (so I didn't taste it):

This is Fireweed.  At first, we thought that was a strange name for such a beautiful flower, 
but it really is all over the place in patches like this:
Some of the hillsides look purple from a distance because they are just covered with it.

Wild Rose:
Wild Geranium:
Dwarf Dogwood:
Star Gentian:
Lupin  (I somehow did not manage to get a picture of the blooms.  They look just like bluebonnets because they're from the same family, but the ones in this part of Alaska were more purple.)  I liked the way the leaves collect water:

After the walk, we had a nice picnic lunch, then a 5 hour van ride to Anchorage, then an overnight flight back to Texas.  It was a wonderful trip.  I highly recommend Backroads to anyone looking for adventure and luxury all in one trip.

Alaska, Day 5

Today the sun finally came out, and I felt that I could appreciate the beauty even more with a blue sky overhead.  We kayaked around Yukon Island, in the Kachemak Bay.  About halfway around was easy and laid-back, and the other half was against the wind and waves.  A good upper body and core workout to balance out all the leg work we've done this week!

There were often otter swimming close to us.  I think there's one in this picture, out in front of the boat, but I can't see it in the small version.  I think they are the cutest, most playful creatures.  They have always been one of my favorites to watch at the zoo, so it was really special for me to see them in the wild.

Elephant Rock:

Lots of jellyfish (or sea jellies), as well:

When we arrived back at the hotel, I got to watch this otter eat a crab:

This is our entire group.  All wonderful people, with so many different talents and experiences, came together to form a very cohesive, compatible group.  I'm really starting to miss my kids, but I'm also sad that tomorrow is our last day in Alaska.  

Alaska, Day 4

Today I biked 22 miles over rolling hills to Homer.  John opted for the 32 mile route.  At one point, it was raining so hard that my glasses were soaked and I could see better without them.  Other than that, it was nice.  I'm definitely not a cyclist.  This was the longest I've been on a bike in my entire life.  I think those of you that do this for fun are crazy.  But, all that said, it was a great workout and I had a good time.  We definitely earned the drinks we're having this evening.

John saw this moose about halfway through the ride:

(I uploaded the pictures out of order and don't know how to repair that.)  This is a winery where we made a brief stop about 7 miles before our final destination.  It was called Bear Creek Winery and all their wines are made from fruits other than grapes.  We tasted quite a few, and they are much better than you might expect for non-grape wines.  The rhubarb was my favorite - tastes like a Riesling.

This is the beach by the campground where we began our ride (Anchor Point).

This is the kind of spread they've presented us with every time we've packed lunches.

This is the top of the hill we came in on (the part John biked and I opted out of) and our first glimpse of Homer.  That's the Homer Spit stretching out into the water.  I think with a name like Homer, I expected something homely, but this is absolutely gorgeous!

This is the Grewingk Glacier across the Kachemak Bay from Homer.

And amidst all the natural beauty, there were some things that just made me laugh.  I think somebody lives here.  I could see bookshelves full of books in the upper cabin.  And he had a fake castle turret in his "front yard":

Alaska, Day 3

Today was perfect!  We had a brief drive from Seward to our trailhead.  We stopped on the way to see if we could see any salmon.  Sure enough, we got to see several salmon jumping!  Then, while we're watching them, behind us . . . 

a bear crosses the road!  It was a small black bear.  Very cool!  My day felt complete, and the hike hadn't even begun.

Our hike was an easy one today (7 miles round trip, 600 foot elevation gain).  We hiked alongside the Ptarmigan River and through a forest, up to Ptarmigan Lake.

We saw lots of berry-filled scat along the trail.  Which answers the age-old question, "Does a bear s*** in the woods?": "Yes, but he prefers to do it right on the trail."  We saw one bear on the hike, also (much bigger than the one earlier in the morning), but he lumbered off before I could get a shot.

Here's a ptarmigan on the trail.

Alaska, Day 2

This is our group (minus me - I didn't feel like setting up the tripod) at dinner last night.  It is a great group of people.

Here's the van we get around in.  The trailer is set up beside it with all of our lunch fixins, so we could pack ourselves a sack lunch.
Just the parking lot of the lodge where we stayed.  I thought the low-lying clouds were really pretty.
Click on the picture for a bigger version and check out what you're supposed to do in case of a bear attack:
Today we hiked 8 miles round trip (6 hours) with a 3,000 foot elevation gain.  It was a difficult, rewarding, beautiful, and wet hike.  It drizzled or rained the entire time, but we stayed cool and enjoyed the incredible views and changing terrain and flora along the way.

Exit Glacier: