As you can see from the map, immediately on leaving Anchorage the route runs for some distance along the edge of Turnagain Arm off of Cook Inlet. The road is on a narrow shelf of land between the shore of Turnagain Arm and the mountains. The snow covered mountains across the arm were spectacular.

The entire rest of the drive was very similar - except the mountains were higher and were more snow covered across Cook Inlet. A portion of the drive was through the Kenai National Forest and Cugah State Park. There were many signs warning of Moose crossing the highway - we saw none crossing the road but did see a couple at a distance alongside the highway. We had some concern about getting to Homer in time to eat and get to bed at a reasonable hour, because the highway was a two lane road with relatively slow speed limits. Consequently, we didn't stop to take any photographs along the drive down to Homer. This was a shame because the weather was clear and the sun shining - perfect conditions for photography. This perfect weather did not reappear often while we were on the Kenai Peninsula. We arrived in Homer about 6:30 that evening. Remembering that Alaska is four hours behind the east coast, we decided it was not strange that we were very tired. We went out to eat at the Caribou Family Restaurant, then turned in about 12:00 (AK time) - in the twilight!!!! The day length was already something like 19 hours so the sun didn't set until around 11:00-11:30 PM. It rose around 4:00 or 5:00 AM - I can't verify that though (grin).

May 9, Day 2: We woke up the next morning to overcast skies and rain. Having already discovered that we had not packed the correct clothing for the weather (no light outerwear), we headed for Ulmers Ace Hardware which, along with the Safeway Food Market, were the only places in town to purchase clothing. After picking up a light jacket, gloves and a few other things of this nature, we set out to look around Homer. We drove out the Homer Spit - a long, narrow piece of land that projects into Kachemak Bay - which had been described in one of the tour books a bit like the scene in "Titanic" where the hero and heroine were standing in the wind on the prow of the ship. I think this was a bit overdone because it was actually more like a long drive between restaurants and charter offices. However, there were a lot of Bald Eagles on the spit - although the setting left something to be desired.

After checking the Homer Spit, we decided we'd drive back up Alaska Highway 1 and see what was to be found there. We found that the State of Alaska has small recreation areas frequently along the highway and along most shorelines reachable by roads. These usually include a small campground with no services, a parking/picnic area and sometimes a boat ramp. They are, apparently, entirely unattended. We were there well before the tourist season so they were largely deserted. We drove into the first one we encountered to find that we had disturbed this moose in the midst of a nap. He stood up and calmly began to eat the grass. FUN!

We left the Recreation Area and headed north. We checked out several more of these until we hit one called Deep Creek State Recreation Area. We drove down to this one, spotting a Bald Eagle sitting on the mud of a marshy area next to the parking area. While I was photographing the Eagle, Dot excitedly pointed out that there were 50 - 100 Bald Eagles sitting on the beach on the other side of the parking area.

I switched my attention to these Eagles and found that I could approach within a few yards without frightening them. A gentleman who was in the camping area immediately above the area in the photograph told us that someone in the camping area had been fishing and had dumped the remains on the beach. The Eagles had been feasting on this "fresh fish" and were sitting around relaxing - or maybe hoping for another course. The sight of these impressive birds was a real treat!

We left the Deep Creek Recreation Area and continued north on Alaska 1. Dot wanted to see a real Salmon run so we decided to head for Kenai City and Soldotna where it was rumored the King Salmon usually start their runs up the Kenai River. We were there very early in the season though so it was unlikely that they would be running yet. Along the way, we checked out the Kenai Flats for birds and Caribou - seeing none of either except Sea Gulls - and proceeded through Kenai City to Soldotna - seeing no Salmon runs. After dinner at a local restaurant (The Bears' Den), we counted this a great day and headed back to Homer for another night's sleep in broad daylight (grin).

May 10, Day 3: Up early the next morning and had breakfast of Salmon Scramble at the Fresh Sourdough Express (great restaurant!). Went by the Homer Visitor Center and then back out the spit and we walked around a small, manmade lagoon where we were told there may be some Salmon coming in through the short run from Kachemak Bay - but no joy. We drove around some of the roads along the shore of Kachemak Bay, ultimately finding our way onto Skyline Dr., a road along the top of a mountain ridge high above the shore of the bay. The scenery from here was really spectacular - even in the heavy overcast and rain. The heavy clouds will give an idea of how bad the weather was for photographs. Looking across the Bay, there were several glaciers evident back in the mountains across the way. They could only be seen from this height. We could see the spit from up there as well - it looked really tiny from that height. The second pair of photos were intentionally over-exposed to show the spit.

After driving the Skyline Drive for several hours, we returned to Homer and decided to go by the Homer Islands and Oceans Visitors' Center. On arriving, we found that it was the sign-up location for the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival which was in progress this weekend. By now, the sun was beginning to peak through the broken clouds so we took the boardwalk into a marsh behind the Center and saw, among other migrating birds, these geese that were enjoying the marsh grasses.

After bird watching at the Center for a while, we went back out onto the Homer Spit for dinner at a newly opened restaurant, The Fresh Catch Cafe, and had some great boiled Prawns and fried Halibut. Back to the hotel and to bed in broad daylight again. Fortunately, all but one of the hotels we stayed in on the trip had "black-out" curtains, otherwise, we'd never have been able to get to sleep. It was like going to bed at 3:00 PM in the afternoon.

May 11, Day 4: Up early the next morning, breakfast at Sourdough Express again. Front page of the local paper gave an account of a Brown Bear attacking, killing and consuming a Moose in the driveway of a resident on Skyline Drive the preceding day. Missed an opportunity to see a Brown Bear I guess. We apparently drove right by the location and missed all the action . . . oh well. We went back out the spit and saw more Eagles and a Harbor Seal.

We then decided we'd drive up Alaska Rt. 1 again since that had been so productive a couple of days ago but this time we decided to take more time at the Alaska Recreation Areas. The weather was much better today with periods of sunshine punctuated by broken clouds and some, occasional light rain. Along the way, we spotted some Mergansers and Harlequin Ducks on one of the streams near the roadway. These two ducks were fairly commonly seen in the waters around Homer.

We drove on north to Whisky Gulch Recreation Area where we found a Bald Eagle sitting on a nest in a tree just off the road down to the facility.

Progressed on up Rt. 1 to Deep Creek Recreation Area where we had seen the Eagles on the beach a couple of days ago. We climbed a ridge where I was able to sit on the edge of a cliff and observe Bald Eagles and Gulls flying by at distances ranging from 10-20 feet to way out over the water. For some reason, the Gulls appeared to be willing to fly closer to me than the Eagles. On the other hand, the distant Eagles made for some interesting scenic photography.

On up the highway, we spotted a Moose cow with a yearling calf just off the road. Watched them for a while and they didn't appear to be afraid. These are really big animals.

Next stop was the small town of Ninilchik. We drove down to the waterfront where the Ninilchik River flows into Cook Inlet. There were a lot of Eagles sitting in the river. Dot got a shot of the scene. However, none of my photos were satisfactory.

On the hill overlooking the settlement stands a Russian Orthodox Church. The Church was organized in 1846 while the current building was built in 1901. Dot wanted to see it but it was locked. She took this picture of the outside.

We wended our way back to Homer, had dinner at the Fresh Sourdough Express and turned in so we could get up early tomorrow to head for Seward.