Alaska - Day Fifteen (4th of July): 4038.4 miles to Homer, AK

We weren't sure what to do on the 4th but we knew what we weren't going to do... Watch fireworks. The only town we could find that had a show was Seward and they did them at 12:01am on the 4th. We'd already missed them but about 40,000 people show up every year to watch! Turns out towns aren't willing to spend thousands of dollars on a show that no one will really see all that well since it just doesn't get dark...

Since crowds of people just isn't our style, we decided to drive out to the Kenai Peninsula towards Homer.

We stopped at Beluga Point with high hopes to see beluga whales, but no such luck. It was very windy and cloudy and we were just able to see Turnagain Arm on the other side...

The only access to the little town of Whittier is by ferry, plane or through a 2.5 mile railroad tunnel. Vehicles are metered into the tunnel and limited to 25 mph, maintaining a distance of 100 feet. There are several "safe houses" in the tunnel in case of an emergency evacuation. It is the longest highway tunnel and longest highway/railroad tunnel in North America. And when we came out on the other side, only 2.5 miles away, the weather had dramatically changed and not for the better...

But a little bit of rain doesn't stop Whittier from having their Independence Day parade and free community BBQ.

Just like every small town in America, every one comes out in their red, white and blue decorated vehicle and throws candy as they drive by... :)

Then after the parade, the town through a free BBQ for everyone. And they threw out all the stops for this one: hamburgers, hot dogs, meatballs, baked beans, watermelon, potato salad, chips, pop, cake, fudge, pies... These guys know how to throw a BBQ!

After lunch we went back through the tunnel and on to Hope. This time we caught a glimpse of Portage Glacier...

While the gold rush here in Hope was short-lived, the town survived. And now it is home to the "world's greatest gift shop"!

Once we were on the Sterling Hwy, we could see Kenai Lake and the Kenai River. It was just hard to get used to seeing rivers with banks covered in evergreens but with water the same color as the ocean in Hawaii...

We stopped at Cooper Landing SRA and spied about a half-dozen Dall sheep (including one little lamb) on the distant hill through the telescope. I'm so glad we decided to take the time to peek...

The St. Elias Brewing Company in Soldotna was just begging us to stop, so we did. After all, I had to drown my sorrows at not having fireworks on the 4th of July somehow. ;) Their Frozen River Scotch Ale was perhaps the best brew we had our entire trip! Just like drinking a smooth glass of scotch with none of the nasty burn. In fact, their flight was probably one of the best flights I've had anywhere!

It was getting a bit late, but a detour to the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Russian Orthodox Church just had to happen. After all, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions on the Kenai...

But as we're driving up the gravel road towards the church we notice a small motorhome stopped in the middle of the road. The driver's door was open and no one was inside. As we were attempting to drive around, we saw what had so captivated their attention: a moose was grazing right on the side of the road. And they got the brilliant idea to get out and walk up to get a closer pic. Like intelligent human beings, we chose to take ours from the van...

Just before dropping into Homer, we stopped to admire the view from Homer Hill...

The clouds just parted enough so we could see something of the mountains in the distance. But the bald eagle in the tree right over my head was pretty impressive, too...

We stopped at the sign quickly but then made a beeline to Homer Spit with hopes to camp there. During the 1964 earthquake, the spit sank from 4 to 6 feet and several buildings had to be moved to higher ground.

Then we saw the prices/accommodations on the Spit. Apparently, they figure it's privilege enough to say you camped on the Spit. Well, not for us. The Oceanview RV Park right on the beach at Kachemak Bay was perfect!

After dinner and a shower, we took a walk down on the beach at 10:00. It was fun to see all the families with campfires enjoying a lovely night on the water...

There were so many cool rocks, I just had to bring a couple home with me...