July 19, 2018
Well what a grand day! Eagles … beautiful snowcapped volcanoes with mountains and glaciers!
First, I woke up around 1:30am to what I first thought was a rifle being shot. After the 3rd shot I realized it was bear caps. Apparently there was a bear in the area. Can imagine that staying in Black Bear Campground ... Go figure! LOL
The winds seemed to have calmed down and I took a drive back to Portage Glacier. It was a beautiful start to the day with reflections off the lake.
After enjoying the view, I headed towards Homer. Along the way there were beautiful rivers. It was about half way there that I looked out the passenger side and saw a huge mountain, which turned out to be Mount Redoubt, an active volcano … it was amazing! I stopped along the way and took a few photo’s. This volcano began a series of eruptions since 2009 (sent ashes up to 60,000 feet into the air) and continues to be active to this date.
Another volcano near Mount Redoubt is Mount Iliamna and it looks like there are either many mountain peaks or volcano peaks here, but in actual fact it is all part of Mount Iliamna.
At one stop, I walked across a small field and you could see the string of mountains and volcanoes across the bay. I saw a shadow zip in front of me and looked up to see a bald eagle flying overhead. To my surprise there were three of them! It was awesome to watch them.
I headed back to the vehicle when a couple asked me if I got any good photo’s and that they hope that the eagles come back so they can take a few pics. I waited about 5 minutes from the truck, but the eagles didn’t come back … I was lucky to see them.
I made it to Homer and stopped at their welcoming viewpoint.
I didn’t see any campgrounds just outside of town. When I drove into town and out on the spit, there were a number of campgrounds, but most were truly only good for RV’s as it was cold and windy here. There were a few tents, but certainly not many. The place was totally swamped with vehicles and a protected harbor loaded with boats. Salmon and halibut fishing season is open.
I went back to the main town of Homer and stopped at the Information Center. This young lad was very informative about photography and told me of some places where he goes to take pics … nice guy. I asked where the nearest State Park was located and was informed it was about 15 miles back at Anchor Point. I quickly left and headed to Anchor Point.
Anchor Point was named after Captain James Cook, the explorer, lost an anchor in the strong currents of Cook Inlet. He named a bump on the nearby coastline and this is presently where the community of Anchor Point is located. Also, another claim to fame for this community is that it is the most westernmost community in North America.
When I got to Anchor Point, there were about 4 State Camping Parks along the back road. I got into the second last one and very pleased that I came here as it is sheltered from the bay winds and cold. It is a lot warmer than the other sites on the spit. LOL
I got a load of wood from the volunteer host trailer and talked to Nina for about 10 minutes. Come to find out that there are many eagles nearby along with cranes and other birds. Also, two bull moose have been spotted near this campground.
I took off into town and turned onto a side road that takes you up to a panoramic view of the town, the bay and the mountains. An absolutely amazing view!
The sky was mostly clear here all day. I took a little stroll on the nearby beach and saw an eagle land just a short distance up the beach. I slowly made my way towards him and was able to capture a few nice photo’s. What a great day!
