Just dropped PJ off at the airport in Homer, where he'll fly to Anchorage and catch a direct flight to Minneapolis. What took us four long days will take him less than 6 hours air time to get accomplished. I will miss him, but I guess it is time for the next leg of this adventure.
Yesterday was an interesting day - just different. We had been out on the sea fishing and bear hunting and getting pretty beat up by wind (my vessel is considered very small up here) and getting even more beat-up by the fish. Things are a month behind up here - according to the locals. The theory is that the Salmon and Halibut move up from the Pacific Ocean to the south, and then they come into Cook Inlet and Katchemak Bay. They are really not here yet - which means that we need to travel farther to get to them. This costs 50-100 bucks a day in gas, not to mention that it's also dangerous as the winds come up quickly around here. The guys that are getting fish are having to go out 25 miles plus, so my thought is to just lay low for a couple of weeks and let the fish come to me. For fishing, I might just find a place to leave my boat, and then go wade in some of the streams and rivers around here. For instance, the Anchor River is about a half hour northeast of here, and I guess the salmon season just opened and the first run is starting. There's also rainbow trout to be had, and the hooligan are running. They are much like the smelt runs that we used to go for up on Lake Superior, but the Hooligan are a little bigger, and much more numerous - so numerous in fact, that little kids three years old can just stand on shore and catch them with their hands - filling a bucket up in short order. Now that's cute!
Three of the scroungiest potlickers I've seen yet just walked into the cafe. Long, greasy shaggy hair. Haven't shaved in a week or two. Their clothes are just nasty (sweatpants and t-shirts) and apparently haven't been changed in over a week - so they say (I'm eavesdropping). I'm thinking they need a shower, and then one of them pipes up and says just that - and then they all chime in about how grimy they are - going into some pretty explicit detail. This place is funny. Lots of people that look like hippies. The men have long shaggy hair and beards. Not too many are clean cut. The women are kind of earthy, with long hair and braids. Big full legs and butts - sort of like a Jaylo look. Apparently they do lots of hiking? Or maybe it's genetics? Well, that's what I'm noticing anyway - but I hate to stereotype :-)
Anyway, yesterday was more leisurely. We ditched the boat at a local sporting goods store called Reddens (formerly Katchemak Bay Gear Shed). They have everything a guy like me needs, and I've already spent over 500 bucks there without even seeing 90 percent of the store (I needed a Navionics GPS chip of SE Alaska, which was over 300 bucks, and a bear license). They were happy to store my boat for me for the day - out back in a fenced-in area. Then we had breakfast with Maria, and hit some of the gift shops (PJ getting souvenier for Sue). Then had coffee with Steve - a friend of PJ's from up in Soldotna (hour northeast of here), who rode down here on his motorcycle (which is just like Uncle John's by the way).
We have reports that someone pen-raised some pheasants, and many years ago, they all got away. Supposedly they have been very prolific, and are "all over the place" and "you're likely to run them over with your truck there's so many" - so PJ and I start getting visions of South Dakota. Up here, pheasants and turkeys are exotic/invasive species, and they are treated like sparrows. In other words, we can shoot them anytime, anyplace, no limit, hens, roosters - it doesn't matter. Well, we bought a box of shells and headed out east of town where they said to go, but didn't see a damn thing. Looks like good habitat thought, so I can see how there would be some. Maria gave us the tour, while we rode shotgun. Out there at the end of the road, there is an old village of russian orthodox people who live simply, and try to isolate from heathens like us. I just think they all need a hug. There was an old church up there, and PJ and I wanted to take a peek. A woman in a long dress with a head cover was cleaning, and she didn't want to let us in. You could tell she was trying to be polite, but she really didn't want to associate with us. She seemed really uncomfortable and uptight - fearful, really. Finally, she let us in, but insisted that we do not take any pictures. Inside, it was very plain. A square building with a few steps up in the front, and a long table with books laid out from one end to the other - big books like the bible, only much thicker. The room itself was open, but there was one bleacher style bench around the perimeter of the one interior room/chapel.
Four more hungry happy hippies stroll in. They have been out netting salmon for a week. One is falling asleep in his chair...
The view is marvelous this am. Clear and not a cloud in the sky. I am completely surrounded by ocean, and snow-capped peaks. Hazy blue/white in the am, bright white during the day, fading to blue in the afternoon, and violet/purple in the evening. It gets "dark" around here about 1pm, but dark around here is kind of like 9pm at home. Then the light starts coming up again about 3-4 am, and the sun rises over the mountains about 5 or six am.
Back to my story. Peej and I did some more snooping down on the Homer Spit, which is a long thin peninsula that sticks out into Katchemak Bay. That's where the harbor is, and lots and lots of gift shops and touristy stuff. Down there, we talked to fishermen who were coming in and cleaning their catch. I've learned a lot from just engaging people and asking lots of questions. Along the way, I see how they clean a big halibut (one guy had an 80 pounder), or a king salmon. The asian people hang out and take the heads, or any waste that has enough meat to chew on.
Last night, there was a local band playing at a dinner/bar establishment with a small stage and dance floor. These were friends of Maria's (the lead singer plays a bass violin - and is one of the primary cosmetologists in Homer). Anyway, it was bluegrass music - with a violin, bass, guitar, and a killer banjo player. A few people danced. Everyone was so friendly and happy. It was super interesting to just people watch. Funny how in a town of 6,000, Maria seemed to know about a third of the people there (maybe a crowd of 75 or a hundred). Mom and Dad - you would have loved this music. Lots of stuff to waltz to, two step, polka, or whatever. Great harmony. You could tell the musicians just loved what they were doing.
Well I gotta go. Just killing time until the guests leave at the B&B. Then I will sneak in for a shower and get ready for church. Everything is an experience up here.
Have been forgetting my camera lately, so have lots of pictures on my phone. I need to figure out how to get them onto my computer (they won't load for some reason). When I do, there will be lots more interesting pictures.
Everyone has a name on their "vessel". And, they ask me what mine is, and why it isn't on it? Got any good ideas for my boat? If so, publish a comment!
Jenny
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