Homer, Kenai, and Beluga Whales

In this video, we hang out in Homer, overnight in Kenai, and sleep on the side of the Seward Highway so we can see Beluga whales.

Homer

Sadly, the weather was nasty when we arrived in Homer and didn’t improve much. The clouds parted a few times, and we got glimpses of blue sky, but then the gloom and rain came back. Normally we would wait out the weather, but we had to get back to Anchorage, so Paul could fly out to Vegas.

Mariner Park Campground

We stayed at Mariner campground on the Homer Spit. RVs are $24 no hookups. But you can park right on the water.

It’s a good place to set up and watch bald eagles and the tide change even if the weather is nasty.

We did drive down the Homer Spit and did some touristy things like visiting the Salty Dawg. It’s one of those places where you write on a dollar bill and tack it up somewhere. As you can see, the participation level is high! And as touristy as this place seems to be there were plenty of locals hanging out there too.

A few more sights from the Homer Spit.

Vegan options in Homer

Thanks to Happy Cow, we found a couple of spots with vegan options in Homer.

Two Sisters Bakery had some baked goods and lunch items like a vegan pita.

The Bagel Shop has house-made vegan schmears that are delicious! We tried the cashew jalapeño. The plain bagels are vegan as long as they don’t have egg wash on them. If you go, ask which bagels are vegan. They were going to experiment with alternatives to egg wash for their topped bagels and might have worked something out.

On the way out of town, we stopped into the Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center to learn more about the area. And then we walked around the little town before hitting the road again.

Kenai

So there’s not much to say about Kenai. We stopped there for an overnight as we made our way towards Anchorage. Our stay at Walmart National Park was uneventful. Kenai is an excellent place to restock your supplies if you’re not planning a stop in Soldotna.

We didn’t find much to do in Kenai. Even the woman at the visitor’s center said there wasn’t much to do in town. So we drove around a little bit and checked out the beach which was lovely in the late afternoon sun.

Upper Kenai River Trail

After we left Kenai and headed towards Anchorage, we made a pit stop for a short but beautiful hike. The color of the water here was just stunning.

And look at these jolly polka dotted mushrooms!

In search of Beluga Whales!

We’d heard people saw Beluga whales at Beluga Point so we planned to stay in a pullout near there so we could hang out through a high tide or two.

And we were lucky enough to see the Beluga whales come in twice during our stay.

The tide change at Cook Inlet is almost as impressive as the Bay of Fundy. Turnagain Arm sees the largest tidal range in the United States, with a mean of 30 feet. At least according to Wikipedia. Check out the tide change progression in these pics. And this didn’t even start at low tide!

The Motorhome Experiment’s video shows you the Beluga whales a bit closer.

We’re finished with our time in the Kenai Peninsula, but we aren’t done with Alaska yet! We’ve got a few more videos and posts to go.

Next post: eating vegan in Anchorage

Check out all the videos in our Alaska 2018 adventure here.