Altair Boat, Homer, Alaska, USA Photo by Barry Epstein
Katchemak Bay, Homer, Alaska, USA Photo by Barry Epstein
We arrived in the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World- Homer- after a three-hour drive Southwest from Seward, that presented an amazing view of the Kenai Mountains, glaciers and Kachemak Bay. The Homer Spit is packed with restaurants, hotels and more where we had a truly wonderful Halibut dinner experience.
We chose our restaurant for our dinner when standing next to a fishing boat that had just arrived and we watched as one of the fishermen deliver the fresh halibut to the restaurant adjacent to it. Needless to say, the meal was sumptuous. Our log cabin that we had rented was located literally on top of a steep mountain overlooking the Spit and we were glad that we had the four-wheel drive rental. The owner was a real character and had been a bear hunting guide for many years and told us of some very interesting adventures including his detailed reasons for leaving that industry.
On our way Northeast to Coopers Landing a few days later, we had to quickly stop when we saw a grizzly up to its neck in the Kenai River as it fished for the salmon closely alongside many fishermen nearby that shared the abundant fish during the spawning season. The two young bear cubs were nearby as well but they had dashed into the woods before a photograph was possible.
A short drive North to a very small and well preserved gold rush town named Hope allowed us to stay with an old university friend Doug Pope and his lovely wife Beth in his custom built and truly Alaskan decorative house that used timber and rocks from the area. I hadn’ t kept in touch with Doug over the many years but when I contacted him by email and said that I was going to be in the area he kindly invited us to his house. When we arrived, Doug and Beth made us feel so comfortable and it was like Doug and I had not been apart all those years.
BARRY STEVEN EPSTEIN- PhotoAutobiography DRAFT 129 of 156