September 8, 2013 Sunday
Day 64

It is sunny, blue skies and warm. We hooked up the camper and took one last drive through Seward to say our good-byes. At 11am, we got on the road heading to Homer; should be around 165 mile drive.
On the Sterling Highway we went through Cooper Landing, population 353, an old mining town that is now a cute place with cabins, lodges and cafes, all geared for fisherman and raft trips down the nearby scenic Kenai River. We saw numerous people standing in the river or in their boats fishing. The river, with the sun shining on it, is a gorgeous icy-aquamarine-turquoise color. Entered into Kenai Wildlife Refuge, almost 2 million acres preserved to protect moose, bear, sheep and other wildlife. We are on the lookout!
Other towns we passed through:
Sterling and Soldotna- where several people were on the highway holding signs promoting peace; they were against using military force against Syria. "Honk for Peace" lots of people were honking, including us. Cool.

Driving along Cook Inlet, we saw Mount Redoubt and Mount Iliamna, off in the distance. Near the little historic old Ninilchik Village, we stopped to walk the beach, then we drove up the hill on Orthodox Avenue to see the Holy Transfiguration of our Lord
Russian Orthodox Church. Pretty church, stunning views.
White feathery fireweed seeds were blowing everywhere, like a snowy blizzard. It was windy and 57 degrees when we arrived in Homer at Ocean View RV Park - hands down, the best campground of the trip so far! It is clean, the sites are level, the owner, Jerrie is the sweetest woman, wifi, tv, water-pressure all work great and best of all- the spectacular view, sights, sounds, smells of Kachemak Bay. The waves lapping against the shore made us homesick for our Emerald Isle and the Atlantic Ocean . . .
Windy and sunny, 57 degrees, we quickly set up camp and drove out to Homer Spit, a 4.3 mile long narrow strip of land jutting out from Homer's shore. Homer Spit has deep water docks for ferries, cruise and cargo ships as well as Coast Guard vessels. The Spit has restaurants, small shops, motels and lots of parking areas for campers.

Dinner at Captain Patty's on the Spit - Steak for Michael and for me- scallops from the waters around Kodiak Island. YUM!
One of our best restaurant experiences!