One forgets how large Alaska is until one wants to travel around the
state. Living in Southeast has its charm but when the wanderlust
strikes, you can't 
just get in the car and drive, say, from Milwaukee to
Madison for a weekend away. Driving "out the road" is nothing
like driving "up north" - we were known to have driven 5 hours to Eau
Claire from Milwaukee JUST FOR THE DAY - but a short drive here in
Juneau finds you at a dead-end no matter which way you go. On the long
Labor Day weekend,
Bill and I wanted to visit some friends who had
recently retired and moved out of Juneau to the Kenai Peninsula but it
took some travel plans in order to do so. Our flight had us flying two
hours to Anchorage, then another 45 minutes in a very small plane to the
airport in Kenai which was about 30 minutes or so away from their new
home in Nikiski. Cloudy weather didn't stop us and it was easy to spot
our friends in the small airport terminal. A quick breakfast treat
with coffee and welcomed conversation with our friends started our
Saturday. We had plans to drive to Homer with stops along the way at the local brewery and winery with our final destination being the "Spit", home to, among other things, the Salty Dawg Saloon. While the weather was cloudy and a bit of rain was falling, the temp was pleasant and we drove along the beautiful Kenai Peninsula enjoying the scenery and the company. Homer is a small fishing town at the end of the Peninsula on Kachemak Bay. The "spit" is a long needle of land that extends into the deep, blue bay only wide enough for a row of buildings on either side of the two-lane road. A large boat harbor and
water-side camping sites make up most of the spit. The town of Homer is like most in Alaska, booming in the summer with tourists but quiet in the fall and winter. Arriving towards the end of tourist season, things were on the down-turn but we drove up to a busy Bear Creek Winery, famous for their fruit blends. They grow most of the rhubarb, berries and other fruit on-site in large garden plots to mix with wines imported from California. A tasting allowed us to try five or six different varieties along with special tidbits of snacks that enhanced each wine. Servers were generous with their pours so our driver decided to be "designated" for the day allowing us to sample many of the wines. 
We strolled the gardens before heading out to our next stop - the Homer Brewing Company (do you detect a pattern?). Alaska is filled with
micro-breweries and this is certainly one of the most popular in the state. We had tried their products at Haines Beer Fest but their is no distribution in Juneau so it was a treat to stop at the Brewery. We bought a pint glass to add to our ever-growing collection before heading out to the end of the "spit" and the Salty Dawg Saloon. Ringed by mountains with the surf touching your toes, the Homer Spit is gorgeous. I have to admit that none of the pictures that I took did it justice so I "borrowed" one from an online image gallery. You can see the road winding out to the end and that is where we stopped - the Salty Dawg Saloon. It is an icon of a saloon, people 
world-wide have come to experience it. I practically fell over it, thinking it had to be something grand and flash-y but it isn't. Kind of 
looks like a lighthouse on top of a log cabin. You kind of step down into it rather than up the front steps. The interesting part comes when you do step into the saloon - the entire interior is covered in paper money! Now, I have been to some northern Wisconsin bars that have dollars tacked to the ceilings but, at the Salty Dawg, EVERY SQUARE INCH is covered in money. The walls, the ceiling, the decorations ON the walls and ceiling, the window sashes, the bathrooms - dollar upon dollar pinned in tribute to a visit to the Salty Dawg. On the tables are permanent markers and tacks so all patrons can include their own "story" before tacking up their cash - a name, a date, an important event, even political statements are posted for all to see. We were wondering what the value of the building must be! We posted our own memories, had a drink in 
toast to our friendship and our day on the spit, then went off in search of dinner. One possibility had our hostess asking "do you have reservations?" to which our friend Jeff said "Yes, but we thought we'd eat here anyway" - and with that we were off to find dinner! 
Fully satiated, we started the long drive home with conversation starting to dim with the light. Not far from the homestead, we spotted a moose in the roadside - made my day! Sunday, our last day on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula, and we wanted to spend it at the picturesque plot of land our friends now call home. A "tiny" house before it was popular, the home is an A-frame on a beautiful lake with swans, ducks, moose - the deck out front was so relaxing even with a couple drops of rain to mar the sky. A perfect get-away - small, but perfectly appointed with plenty of yard for the dog and a greenhouse (an Alaskan necessity for gardeners!), an all-weather entry and loft bedroom with a view of the lake. Our friends will make this 
their home for the summer, spending winters with nearer family in the lower 48. Finishing our day at the local brewery before flying home to "home", we relished this time with friends - new friends who somehow became "old" friends, those with which we have made 
memories that will last long past our time in Alaska!
just get in the car and drive, say, from Milwaukee to
Madison for a weekend away. Driving "out the road" is nothing
like driving "up north" - we were known to have driven 5 hours to Eau
Claire from Milwaukee JUST FOR THE DAY - but a short drive here in
Juneau finds you at a dead-end no matter which way you go. On the long
Labor Day weekend,
Bill and I wanted to visit some friends who had
recently retired and moved out of Juneau to the Kenai Peninsula but it
took some travel plans in order to do so. Our flight had us flying two
hours to Anchorage, then another 45 minutes in a very small plane to the
airport in Kenai which was about 30 minutes or so away from their new
home in Nikiski. Cloudy weather didn't stop us and it was easy to spot
our friends in the small airport terminal. A quick breakfast treat
with coffee and welcomed conversation with our friends started our
Saturday. We had plans to drive to Homer with stops along the way at the local brewery and winery with our final destination being the "Spit", home to, among other things, the Salty Dawg Saloon. While the weather was cloudy and a bit of rain was falling, the temp was pleasant and we drove along the beautiful Kenai Peninsula enjoying the scenery and the company. Homer is a small fishing town at the end of the Peninsula on Kachemak Bay. The "spit" is a long needle of land that extends into the deep, blue bay only wide enough for a row of buildings on either side of the two-lane road. A large boat harbor and
water-side camping sites make up most of the spit. The town of Homer is like most in Alaska, booming in the summer with tourists but quiet in the fall and winter. Arriving towards the end of tourist season, things were on the down-turn but we drove up to a busy Bear Creek Winery, famous for their fruit blends. They grow most of the rhubarb, berries and other fruit on-site in large garden plots to mix with wines imported from California. A tasting allowed us to try five or six different varieties along with special tidbits of snacks that enhanced each wine. Servers were generous with their pours so our driver decided to be "designated" for the day allowing us to sample many of the wines. 
We strolled the gardens before heading out to our next stop - the Homer Brewing Company (do you detect a pattern?). Alaska is filled with micro-breweries and this is certainly one of the most popular in the state. We had tried their products at Haines Beer Fest but their is no distribution in Juneau so it was a treat to stop at the Brewery. We bought a pint glass to add to our ever-growing collection before heading out to the end of the "spit" and the Salty Dawg Saloon. Ringed by mountains with the surf touching your toes, the Homer Spit is gorgeous. I have to admit that none of the pictures that I took did it justice so I "borrowed" one from an online image gallery. You can see the road winding out to the end and that is where we stopped - the Salty Dawg Saloon. It is an icon of a saloon, people 
world-wide have come to experience it. I practically fell over it, thinking it had to be something grand and flash-y but it isn't. Kind of 
looks like a lighthouse on top of a log cabin. You kind of step down into it rather than up the front steps. The interesting part comes when you do step into the saloon - the entire interior is covered in paper money! Now, I have been to some northern Wisconsin bars that have dollars tacked to the ceilings but, at the Salty Dawg, EVERY SQUARE INCH is covered in money. The walls, the ceiling, the decorations ON the walls and ceiling, the window sashes, the bathrooms - dollar upon dollar pinned in tribute to a visit to the Salty Dawg. On the tables are permanent markers and tacks so all patrons can include their own "story" before tacking up their cash - a name, a date, an important event, even political statements are posted for all to see. We were wondering what the value of the building must be! We posted our own memories, had a drink in 
toast to our friendship and our day on the spit, then went off in search of dinner. One possibility had our hostess asking "do you have reservations?" to which our friend Jeff said "Yes, but we thought we'd eat here anyway" - and with that we were off to find dinner! Fully satiated, we started the long drive home with conversation starting to dim with the light. Not far from the homestead, we spotted a moose in the roadside - made my day! Sunday, our last day on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula, and we wanted to spend it at the picturesque plot of land our friends now call home. A "tiny" house before it was popular, the home is an A-frame on a beautiful lake with swans, ducks, moose - the deck out front was so relaxing even with a couple drops of rain to mar the sky. A perfect get-away - small, but perfectly appointed with plenty of yard for the dog and a greenhouse (an Alaskan necessity for gardeners!), an all-weather entry and loft bedroom with a view of the lake. Our friends will make this 
their home for the summer, spending winters with nearer family in the lower 48. Finishing our day at the local brewery before flying home to "home", we relished this time with friends - new friends who somehow became "old" friends, those with which we have made 
memories that will last long past our time in Alaska!
