fulltimeusa

Boondock–
Last night we left Homer and headed toward Anchor Point. This part of Alaska has started to have a few hours of semi-darkness during the night and as each day passes, the length of time of the semi-darkness and the depth of darkness is beginning to increase. We left our favorite observation perch at the end of the Homer Spit after midnight and there were still a number of die-hard fishermen fishing along the shore despite the increasing darkness. We headed north on the Sterling highway but since we hate to drive in the dark (hate to miss any scenery) we found a gravel turnoff along the way and spent the night. Outside our window is a wooded area leading to the Anchor River. The Anchor River is one of many rivers closed to salmon fishing, likely for this season. The near-by Sterling Highway becomes very sparsely traveled at night so it was very quiet.

Anchor Point–
Northwest of Homer is Anchor Point. When we traveled south to Homer last week, Anchor Point was totally fogged in so we bypassed visiting there. It is the westernmost place in the North American highway system. The population there is less than 2000 and the town has a Russian heritage. This town is located in a beautiful area on the Cook Inlet and the Russian River so all things related to fishing is the main focus. Right now, most salmon fishing has been restricted so this must be greatly impacting many a business related to fishing.
Kalfornsky Beach Road–
This paved road off the Sterling Highway runs along the Cook Inlet and is considered a lovely drive. (I love that in Alaska, you look to see if the road is actually paved when making travel decisions. This is a rare consideration anywhere else in the USA.)
We missed the southern entrance to the Kailfornsky Beach Road so that ended our planned visit the Kalisof Regional Historical Museum for today.  Will do that tomorrow.
We did find the north entrance to the Kalfornsky Beach Road though.   Just a tenth of a mile in we came to the Homestead Museum and that is where we spent much of the day. It is free with plenty of parking. We really enjoy museums but this is a hidden gem if ever there was one. There’s an unexpected, beautifully done, wildlife exhibit along with other displays from world class collections that would proudly be shown in any high quality museum. Outside, all the cabins are original.  All the exhibits are the best we have seen so far in Alaska! We took the tour with a docent. Her family was an early homestead family and she had wonderful stories to tell about each of the cabins, their furnishings, fishing and hunting, food preservation and her own experiences. All of the items in the museum were donated by members of the community. This was a true serendipitous find. I read about this museum but the printed information scarcely tells all the wonderful stories that bring this museum to life. So glad we missed our turn and had more time to spend at this museum today.

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