Day 12 -- Homer

The plan was to get up early today and hit Homer hard. I didn’t plan any guided outings — I figured we’d need a break after our adventures in Seward. But I still have a list of things I’d like to see and do — a couple of museums, a few hikes. Kachemak State Park is just across the bay, and it’s studded with mountains and glaciers and lined with hundreds of miles of rocky coastline and secluded bays that we can explore.

But we all slept in late today. And Natalie’s still under the weather. So we left her at the cabin, and kept our day low-key. 

First, we browsed through the Pratt Museum, a hodgepodge of exhibits on native culture, homesteader life, Alaska wildlife, commercial fishing and, again, the Exxon-Valdez spill. At the different museums we’ve visited, we’ve seen several exhibits that try to illustrate the magnitude of that disaster, and we’ve talked a lot about it, but it hasn’t resonated much with the kids. But something today — a vivid description of sea otters screaming in pain — left Clare angry and sobbing.

Charlie tried on an emergency wet suit at the Pratt Museum. 

Next, we visited the Oceans and Islands Visitors Center, a small collection of interactive exhibits about seabirds and marine life. And then we drove down to the Spit — a 4.5-mile-long finger of land that unfurls itself into Kachemak Bay and is strung with dozens of little tourist shacks — galleries, coffee shops, adventure outfitters — along with a couple camp grounds, a resort, and a few commercial shipping yards. The Homer Harbor lines one side of the spit. We poked around, then joined a “Creatures of the Dock” tour led by an intern from the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, who showed us how to find and identify sea stars and anemones along the piers. 

For dinner, we consulted my Lonely Planet guide book and settled on the Cosmic Kitchen, which is supposed to have great burritos. Charlie, who for some reason has been craving gyros, was thrilled to be able to order one off the menu. Because, when you’re craving gyros, where else should you go but to a place known for its Mexican food?

We’re excited to fly with a bush pilot out to Katmai National Park to try to find some brown bears tomorrow. The safety information we’ve read stresses that we are not to leave old snack wrappers in our pockets when we make the trip, as the scent could attract hungry bears. This will prove difficult for Charlie, who likes to shove all kinds of dirty napkins and candy bar wrappers in his shorts for me to find on laundry day. I’m not too concerned about that — I can make sure his pockets are empty by the time we fly tomorrow. I am concerned, though, about his gyro farts, which likely can be detected for miles.