A nice view from our room overlooking the town of Homer below. It’s early afternoon, the weather was beautiful and Nathan is doing his morning treatment with his new AffloVest. And yes, he’s given us permission to share his picture while he’s doing his therapy!
Having lived in Alaska for most of my life, I hadn’t truly realized just how big and beautiful this place can be. Being around it all the time, dampens one’s senses and lessons the grandeur of what others would be nothing short of amazed by.
It finally kind of hit me this last trip that we took to Homer. Looking back, I think it’s because we’re nearing a time in our life where I’m realizing that if all goes well, we’ll be leaving Alaska to travel indefinitely. Leaving…
That’s the key word.
But I digress.
With this post, I’m going to be talking about our (most likely) last trip to Homer for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, it wasn’t under very happy circumstances. So for the sake of privacy, I won’t be talking about that very much, if at all.
I will however, briefly talk about a couple things we are doing to promote ourselves through social media sites such as our YouTube channel and Instagram account. That might sound a little bit off topic, but it does tie in together eventually.
Just like everyone else, we have questions about blogging and vlogging, and whether or not they could be a viable means of creating a livable income.
Fortunately, Vanessa and I enjoy creating content and sharing it with others. We are slowly but surely improving the quality of our videos and gradually adding to our list of must-have video equipment. We just purchased our first drone for aerial photography. I think people also call them quadcopters sometimes and after a bit of research, we settled on a DJI Mavic Pro and I can say it’s been amazing in the brief time that we’ve learned how to use it. It can only get better with time and I can see how flying the drone around could easily become quite addictive.
My overall goal however, is to make the primary focus of this post to inform viewers about Homer and what kind of things are available to see and do when visiting. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive guide though.
It’s early April as I write this post, and you will notice in the video below that it definitely isn’t summer in Homer. Also, the world famous Homer spit is a lot emptier than what you’d expect to see during the peak of summer.
You’ll see footage from the drone in the video below as well. Thankfully the weather was quite good that weekend, and we were able to get some pretty decent shots in and around Homer.
Alaska is a unique place. When someone says they are from Alaska, it’s almost as if it gives them a sense of worth. It’s okay to experience a little bit of pride (in a good way) when telling others that you come from Alaska. And most of the time, the other individual will be a little impressed by the fact that you come from such a cool place. After all, not many people can have the honer of saying that they’re from Alaska.
Homer is a small city located on Kachemak Bay, situated near the southern part of the Kenai Peninsula. And believe me, when the weather is good, the views of the surrounding mountains are spectacular – particularly when traveling through Anchor Point.
The city is home to roughly 5,600 people and it features an array of local art galleries, restaurants, and churches in addition to other various establishments. There’s even a bowling alley and a movie theater. Although, at the time of this writing, the theater is up for sale.
I’ll be narrowing my focus a little to try and concentrate on only a few different places that we visited while we were there recently.
Another still photo from some flight time at Bishops Beach. This location is at the end of Beluga Pl. just down the road from Two Sisters Bakery.
You can find Homer’s lone McDonald’s, located pretty much smack dab in the middle of town at the only true red light intersection. There are a few other red lights in Homer, but they’re basically just three way stops with a single blinking red light hanging above the middle of the intersection.
Apart from McDonald’s, if you’re in the mood for a healthier fast food option, there’s a Subway sandwich shop in Homer as well. It’s located just up the hill from McDonald’s on the corner of Lake St. and E. Pioneer Ave.
However, it goes without saying that the focal point of every trip trip to Homer is visiting the Homer Spit. It’s a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) long piece of land stretching southeast, directly into Kachemak Bay. From a high vantage point on the surrounding mountains, it’s easily one of the most beautiful views the state has to offer. And it just so happens, that we were put up in one of the local B&Bs situated high on the mountain overlooking the Homer airport and Spit.
*See the picture at top.
The first evening, when the time was available and we had found ample time to recharge the drone, we backtracked to a parking lot located at the very top of the hill leading down into Homer. We had previously stopped there earlier that day and would have liked to get some video because it looked like an ideal spot.
Second times a charm I guess, and we were able to get some nice shots from the scenic overlook. I was rather happy with what we were able to get that evening. Even though it was getting late, the sunlight was still pretty intense as it reflected off the bay at certain places. All in all though, it was one of the better videos I feel. Below is a still from that video.
This was taken from a few hundred feet above where we launched the drone. In actuality, its elevation is considerably higher due to the height of the cliffs we were on. You can see the Homer Spit in the middle of the image above.
Before I go any further, I have to talk about a little place that’s situated just off the side of East End Road called Fritz Creek General Store. It’s kind of easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for. I have a picture of the front entrance right below.
Fritz Creek General Store is very unassuming from the outside. Well, okay to be honest it’s pretty unassuming from the inside too, but don’t let that stop you from pulling over to check this place out. I’m not going to lie, right after we entered, I made a beeline to where the food was and I didn’t explore much else besides the table I promptly sat myself down at after ordering our food.
The front entrance to Fritz Creek General Store. It might not look like much but it’s a neat and unique place to stop and get some food. Just beware that there are only a couple tables to sit at. You might have to take your food somewhere else if the tables are occupied.
I really don’t know where Vanessa found out about their brisket sandwiches, but I’m glad she did because they did not disappoint in the least. It’s one of those things I never seem to get around to ordering. It might be because I’m not good at cooking brisket yet, but I do know that they slow cook the meat for a long time.
Apart from the brisket sandwich that Vanessa ordered, her mother ordered the Eggplant Muffuletta and Nathan and I split a roast beef and provolone sandwich. Nathan isn’t big on vegetables yet, so I simply took the lettuce, red onions, and tomato slices off his half and threw them in with the rest of my sandwich.
Oh yeah, they have pizza there too!
This is what the menu looks like at Fritz Creek General Store. It’s a little hard to read from the picture but it should give you some indication of what you’ll find. Don’t let this small place fool you. The sandwiches were absolutely delicious. I highly recommend visiting this place if you have the chance.
And now for just a little background. Fritz Creek General Store is located about 8 miles down East End Rd. This road heads out of Homer toward the very north end of Kachemak Bay, passing various homesteads and some other restaurants such as the Bagel Shop that Vanessa mentioned in her video at the bottom. Eventually, the road turns into Circle Lake Rd after many miles, and I’ve been told that somewhere along the line the road ends at an Old Believers village.
If you decide not to take the scenic detour down East End Rd, you should definitely head to the Spit and stop off at a few places while you’re there. If you fancy yourself a beer drinker, you might want to check out the always popular Homer Brewing Company. You can find it close to Beluga Lake on Lake Shore Dr. The brewery is actually located just before the Spit, but I included it here anyway.
Other noteworthy places you’ll encounter upon entering the Spit are Starvin Marvin’s Pizza which you’ll notice immediately to your right shortly after entering the Spit. I’ve never eaten there, so I can’t vouch for the food, but it’s certainly a well known name around the area.
And be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the Salty Dawg Saloon. It’s a well known landmark in Homer. I’ve seen people in other states wearing pullover sweatshirts with their logo on them.
Here’s a good view of the Salty Dawg Saloon on the Homer Spit. I’ve actually never been in there, but it’s a pretty popular place.
I highly recommend finding a parking spot and taking a leisurely stroll around the area. The Homer small boat harbor is situated here along with many other boardwalk restaurants, flight seeing companies, and souvenir shops.
As we were walking around the harbor, Nathan decided to run down the metal stairs and start throwing rocks into the water. He always enjoys the thunk as the rock hits the water.
One other thing. Be prepared to see a lot of bald eagles. They are numerous down here. In addition, you’ll see crows down in Homer. I’m not used to that, because here in Anchorage the bird you most commonly see is the Raven, which is a larger cousin of the Crow.
And with that, I believe I’m going to bring this post to a close. Remember, above all else have fun and enjoy yourself while in Homer. And if you haven’t already found lodging for your stay, you could always make reservations at the Land’s End Resort at the very end of the Homer Spit.
Here is an absolutely awesome picture of the most handsome boy ever. Nathan!
Check out Vanessa’s video below. It’s quite well done and provides much more detail about Homer. There are additional places of interest that she’s highlighted as well as adding extra information you won’t find in this post.
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