HOMER, ALASKA...THE END OF THE ROAD. LITERALLY

Also known as the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World.  We didn't go to Homer to fish though.  We went there to see if we would like to move there (someday)! 

Homer is about 220 miles south of Anchorage and really is the end of the road.  It's the termination point for the highway on the Kenai Peninsula. 

It is always a little stressful to drive down to the peninsula for my husband and I because a) it is a fairly dangerous stretch of road; b) we normally travel on the weekends...thus heavier traffic; and c) the fish were going to be running.  (Alaskan translation for fish running:  that means the salmon were making their journey from the ocean back to the river of their birth in order to spawn and die.  They come in to the rivers in "runs" with the tide, attempting to avoid the many predators in the sea and on land.) 

People in Alaska temporarily lose all their common sense, courtesy and basic reasoning skills when the fish are running.  OK, so not all people in Alaska, but at least half of the fishermen do!  The only thing they can focus on is getting to the river (any one of Alaska's many fabulous rivers) and casting their lines!  When they are not at the river, or are on their way to the river, they are certain that all the other fisherman that are already at the river are catching all the fish.  They know that if they don't hurry up and get to the river, all the fish will be gone.  Which is silly, of course, but that's how it works. 

All that to say that my husband and I decided to leave the stress at home and take our time getting to Homer this time.  We headed out on a Monday and instead of going directly to Homer, we stayed overnight at the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge in Cooper Landing, about 90 miles south of Anchorage.

It rained cats and dogs the whole way down, which is pretty unusual for Alaska. This summer has been a record breaker for rain, at least in Anchorage. Thankfully, it started clearing up by the next morning. Praise Jesus!

I double heart love the Kenai Princess.  It is so peaceful and tranquil there.  It is operated by Princess Tours.  I think they built it just so their Alaska cruise passengers would have a neat place to stay.  I have been asking my husband to take me there for as long as we have been married, almost five years, and we finally made it happen! 

These pictures are for my Honey.  He loves Bald Eagles. 

 (It's a metal statue in front of the Lodge.)

The Kenai Princess has the most charming guestrooms.  They are little cabins scattered all over the property around the Lodge.

Here's the inside of our room.

I don't know why, but it tickled me that they have shuffleboard on the grounds. 

The neat little gift shop.

And, of course, the best part.  The Lodge sits right above the world famous, and beautiful, Kenai River.  

They had a really big outdoor hot tub available, but unfortunately for us, we were late in getting down there and the tub was closed.

We slept in the next morning and it was heavenly.  We nearly checked out late on accident.  I wish we could have stayed another day or two.  Thank you Kenai Princess for a lovely night!

I snapped this pic for my honey too.  We were driving down the road through Cooper Landing headed to Homer. 

This is the kind of cabin we could live in if we moved to Homer. 

The Kenai River as seen from the bridge at Cooper Landing. 

Check back soon for the next post from Homer, Alaska!