Porcupines, the most popular roadkill in Alaska

For real.  They are everywhere.

     We took a trip down to the Kenai Peninsula these last couple days and it was wonderful.  Partly due to the fact that the car we are using this week is an Explorer.  This vehicle is about 10 years old and has many of the same quirks (afflictions) that my beloved Sploder had.  The driver's door can't be opened from the outside (at least it is not January in Fargo this time), the windshield is cracked, the rear windshield wiper doesn't work, and it does not like hills.  Between all that and the interior being gray, it is easy to forget that it is not my old car.  There is some pretty severe construction happening on the Seward Highway though and pregnant me wished at that time we were not in an Explorer.  The seat belt kept getting to tight do to the bumpiness and that was not what I needed to be thinking about while driving  this road.
     Alaska doesn't have many roads.  You want to head south?  You hop on the Seward Highway.  That is your only choice.  After about an hour part splits off and heads toward Sterling, City of Kenai, Soldotna, and Homer, it is called the Sterling highway.  It is hard to get lost here.  Both these highways literally end at the ocean.  The major destinations are Seward and Homer.  You hit water you've gone too far.

Shops on the spit

     We wanted to go to Homer because we heard it was an artsy community and Dan wanted a hand made mug.  As far as Alaska goes, they probably are the artsiest community, and they had quite a few galleries and studios, but it is important to remember that this is a coastal town in Alaska, so really, they are a fishing community.  That is not to be forgotten.  We went out on the spit and found some shops, a billion seafood restaurants, and boats.  So many boats.

     Homer is also where the Time Bandit from Deadliest Catch is docked.  We did not see it, but there was a Time Bandit store.  We didn't visit.
     Although gloomy and drizzly, I was able to get a decent picture of the mountains in the bay at Homer.  I was not as lucky with similar conditions in Seward.  It was pretty neat to see how the clouds move around the mountains, but most of the time it made for REALLY bad pictures.

     We walked around town for a bit and found Dan a mug and learned some things about pottery at Jars of Clay.  The artist was very kind and welcomed us back into her studio to observe what she was working on.  Dan said it was cool.  I was exhausted and sat on the floor doing my best to cool down.  No it wasn't hot, it was about 60 degrees, but I have issues.
     We ate dinner at Fat Olive's.  It was very good, very busy and, plenty pricey, but everything is, so we dealt.  After a quick trip to get groceries we went to the hotel and it was FINALLY time to sleep.  That was a very long day.
     We left at seven the next day to make sure we got to Seward on time for our fjord tour/wildlife cruise.  We went with Major Marine Tours mostly because they had a sale and a 5 hour cruise which is what we were looking for.  The morning started out a bit dreary, but apparently that's how it is in Seward.  I took a lot of pictures, because the scenery was beautiful, but with my standard digital camera and my own personal limitations I didn't do so well.  A tripod and a camera I actually have some control over would have been nice.  But I persevered!  And the sun came out!  And it was beautiful!  Oh, and by the way there were lots of boats in Seward too.

     Alright.  The tour was a wildlife tour.  We were guaranteed wildlife and we are happy to report that they delivered.  We saw thousands of kittiwakes (a cuter, though not quieter, seagull equivalent), a couple sea otters playing about, porpoises swimming alongside the boat (for about 5 minutes- they were having a blast), several bald eagles, puffins, and probably a hundred sea lions basking in the sun.  Some of these were understandably hard to photograph, but I did what I could.

This was definitely a happy accident.  I was just seeing if I could get the eagle in the center (tiny
white dot) and while reviewing the pictures later I see eagle swooping in on the right.  Neat.

     One of the hardest things to remember while touring the fjords is a sense of scale.  In some spots there are many boats, but often not where you want pictures.  I did get a couple though and they give you an idea.  In the fist picture is probably the smallest island we saw.

     As far as the boat ride went, I don't know if the baby loved it or hated it, but there were definitely strong feelings about the situation.    

     For dinner we ate at the Seward Brewing Company. It was their opening day and it was fantastic.  Best beer cheese soup in the history of the world.  I would be quite content with alternating that and Cossetta's mostaccioli for the rest of my life.  Forget content.  I'd be thrilled.  

     The drive home was just as beautiful as the drive there, complete with gorgeous sunset.  Very distracting to the driver.  And just to prove that we are in fact in Alaska and not just pulling images from the internet while hiding in a cave somewhere, your lovely hosts:

     Also, thanks for reading and for all your comments!  I'm glad you are enjoying the blog!