Homer, population 4,000,  is the most Western stop, via freeways, on the Kenai Peninsula – it’s as far as we can go without hopping on another ferry. It is a primary spot for sport fishing, both on the shore and by boat. It’s obviously a very tourist-oriented place, but we were surprised to find that most of the other campers we met were also from Alaska! Maybe Homer is actually a suburb of Anchorage???

People come here to fill their freezers full of Salmon and Halibut to last through the long winter. One young man, who was cleaning about 20 mid-sized salmon, said he can’t even think of eating Salmon in the summer because he catches so many! Only Alaskans can catch fish using dipnets – which most sheepishly confess isn’t “the way” one should catch salmon – but then go on to say it’s the quickest. A dipnet fisher just stands in the creek and pulls the fish out as they swim into the net. Many folks get their salmon quota in just a couple hours using a dipnet.

What caught my eye is that there seems to be quite a large population of artists here, as well. Murals and metal sculptures decorate many city buildings or shop entrances. The Pratt Museum is an interesting mix showcasing local artists’ works alongside natural history exhibits on the Valdez oil spill, the impact of weather, volcanoes, live videocams of birds on a near by rookery and bears in Katmai , and other diverse natural subjects.

Although we’ve had mostly rainy days here and haven’t ventured out on the sea, it has been interesting to see how a small community meshes together such different attitudes and interests. We also like this modern library with the first taste of high-speed internet we’ve had in months!