Our Alaskan RV Trip 2024: Day 17: Girdwood, AK to Homer, AK

Photo of the day.

RV peanut butter and jelly, or peanut butter and pickles for 5!

Today was driving to from Girdview to Homer. We stopped multiple times along the way for the views and for hikes. We also learned the pronunciation for Kenai is Keen-eye.

Turnagain Arm

First hike was thwarted by deep, deep snow.

No way to get through this deep snow!

Overachievers summited while the rest struggled below.

We headed through Cooper Landing on our way to Homer Spit. Kenai Lake was so pretty we decided to stop and take a picture.

Kenai Lake

Our next hike was the Upper Kenai River Trail.

Next up was a detour off the highway onto Skilak Lake Road. It was a 19mi bumpy gravel road and the RV doesn't like bumpy roads, so we chose a hike that only required a short drive on the gravel road. The hike was the Upper Kenai River Trail and we hiked about two miles total. We got to hike along the Kenai River as well as hiking up to a great canyon view. There were signs warning about bears, but luckily we didn't see any while hiking.

Along the Kenai River there were tons of fish and/or bird skeletons. Bears with full bellies, we assume.

Heading up to the canyon view.

Kenai River from above, with Brittney hanging out

We parted to let the water shine!

Lynda is always relieved and a tiny bit disappointed when we don’t see a bear on our hikes. Mostly she is relieved.

Someone is still tired from her travel.

Instead of continuing on the gravel road, we backtracked onto the Sterling Highway.

A sign posted before the city of Sterling said there’s a high incidence of moose crashes in this area. It said 172 moose have been hit since July 1. We can’t imagine the damage that would do to a vehicle. Sadly, we did see two dead moose on the side of the road.

We stopped at the Kenai National Wildlife Visitor Center, and then crammed into the RV for lunch.

This demonstration showed the migration of salmon throughout the area. Plus, it shows the amazing mountains and forests of the Kenai Peninsula.

Scary, indeed. (that is a bear that was taxidermized - enormous!!)

From the Visitor Center, we took the Nature Trail and Centennial Trail around the lake. Apparently we didn't take any picture along the way. It was a gentle and rolling 3 mile hike.

As we continued south, the wind picked up coming in off of the water. We were getting blown about a fair amount. And after 3 failed attempts (darn you milepost book!). we got down to a spot in Ninilchik where we could see all the peaks at the Lake Cook National Park and Preserve across the Cook Inlet.

On our way down to Homer, we passed through Anchor Point, which is home to North America‘s most Westerly Highway. They’re supposed to have a sign for a photo, but we didn’t look too hard for it.

As you come into Homer, you can see Homer Spit. In geology terms, a spit is a narrow coastal land formation that is tied to the coast at one end.

View of Home Spit as you enter Homer

Arrow showing the exact location of our campsite on Homer Spit 😂

Our campground was at the end of Homer Spit and we had the option to get a site right on the beach.

View out the front window from our camp site.

Homer Spit campground was like a beach town, and it was something of a party. It was Memorial Day weekend and the entire campground (and multiple others) was packed. Lots of people were having fun, cooking out, playing bags, playing guitar and singing, etc. It went on late into the night, but that's to be expected on a holiday weekend and when it doesn't get dark until after 11:00 PM.

View from the beach back to the campground.

On the beach in front of our campsite

Rock outside Dad and Carol's hotel. They saw eagles the next morning.

We went to Homer Brewing Company and enjoyed a pint each.

As we were leaving the brewery, this moose was hanging out in the neighborhood.

Friendly moose hanging out near Homer Brewing Company

After the brewery, we went onto Homer Spit for dinner. We couldn’t get seated at two restaurants, so ended up at Home Slice. We shared some fish and chips (halibut) and a pizza. It was tasty.

White fish in the fish and chips. Good stuff!

Dinner at Home Slice with Homer Spit's harbor in the background

Brittney liked the sign!

After dinner , we went back to Dad and Carol‘s hotel to play Five Crowns. Quite the view from their place, too, including an otter (we think) swimming by.