RV Stuff: Ferry to Whittier and Drive to Homer

We are in line to board the ferry at Valdez for the trip to Whittier on this rather cool and rainy morning. They had us unhook the car so Sandy is driving that. I'm parked over to the side and watch them.

The coach fits but there isn't a lot of room to spare. I'm tucked into the space with no flex room. Driving out will be a challenge.

Taking this ferry saves me backtracking from Valdez halfway back to Tok, then over to Anchorage, and down the Turnagain Arm (a long body of water) to intersect with the cutoff to Whittier. I’m not sure it was less expensive but we had a good ferry ride and we definitely saved about 650 miles of driving.

Our trip today is somewhat rushed in that we arrive/dock at Whittier at 1530 and will drive direct to Homer (180 miles). There is only one road in and out of Whittier—a 2.5 mile tunnel that was something to drive! They took the working railroad tunnel, filled in along the tracks, and you drive the tracks—seriously. Cars are released outbound on the hour and inbound on the half-hour. If they get a train, all the cars wait in the parking lots, and then the schedule restarts. The tunnel seems really narrow (just big enough for the train). It works.

Kodiak Island

Homer is on the south end of the Kenai Peninsula. We have a campground reserved on the 2/3-mile long piece of narrow land—called Homer Spit—extending from Homer out into Kachemak Bay. From Whittier, we arrived at the Homer Spit Campground about 2000, checked in, plugged in the coach, went out for dinner, and got ready to leave early the next morning. We had packed the day before.

We left the coach plugged in, kissed it goodbye, and got in line for the ferry to Kodiak Island—just us and the car. We had to be in line at 0730 so everyone is there and ready as soon as they unload the ferry. We finally depart at about 1045 (45 minutes late) for a loooooooong ferry ride (about 10 hours) to Kodiak Island.

There is a lengthy and strange ferry-loading process that includes an elevator for the vehicles. They are loading two normal vehicles at once, first bringing them onto a big elevator, then lowering them into the hold of the ferry.

Down in the hold, the cars are then backed into their place on the deck. It's a strange but efficient operation. For those drivers that confess they cannot back a vehicle, the ferry crew takes over. It works.

Getting off is the reverse process. You drive onto the elevator and up you go!

What's odd is that if you look on a map, the distance from Homer to Kodiak doesn't seem very far. When I first called for a reservation on the ferry, I thought I was quoted an exorbitant price for such a short trip. I was wrong. This was a great trip.

There was a US Forest Service naturalist on board and we saw several whales and other wildlife.

These three shots were from a pod of humpback wales close to our ferry. They were just playing. It was simply good luck to get the shot of the blow. The others you can (somewhat) anticipate by being poised and ready with the camera but you just have to be pointed in the right direction for the blow shot—it's just a click and hope. There were lots of blows farther out but nothing good for a picture. Fascinating!

Andy Brumbaugh, a Monaco e-mail group friend, had offered me plenty of Alaska advice over the last couple of years (he summers on Kodiak) and promised to show us around. He did more that that! He even met the ferry, guided us to our Bed and Breakfast, met us the next day, we had brunch (Sunday), and then Andy and Vivian played tour guide for us all day long. It was a great way to see the area. It was a wonderful gesture on their part. A sincere “Thanks!” to them.

We arrived on Kodiak Saturday night, after a leisurely brunch, ran around with them on Sunday. On Monday, Sandy and I visited the three museums and did more driving around including the Coast Guard Base (largest in the world).

The churches are a result of the early Russian influence in Alaska. Remember your history... the Russians settled/owned the land but never fully colonized Alaska so the colony was never very profitable. William H. Seward, the U.S. Secretary of State, engineered the Alaskan purchase in 1867 for $7.2 million. It was called "Seward's Folly" by the critics.

We were told that the strip of Alaska that stretches south, along the inside passage (the land that sits between the water and Canada) was "tacked on" to the original deal of $7.1 million. Doing so added another $100,000 to the total sale making it $7.2 million. Doing that gave us Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and other towns. Not a bad deal for all that gold and oil and scenery, too!

All our running around was balanced by an excellent Bed and Breakfast run by Marion and Marty Owen. Marty is the Harbormaster of Kodiak. It is the second busiest harbor in the state. Marion is like a whirlwind—she never stops. She is a gourmet cook, published author, professional photographer, radio personality, avid gardener, and, don't forget, runs the Bed and Breakfast. Whew! You can read about them here. I shot the picture of their new house/B&B as we were actually leaving Kodiak on the ferry. (Theirs is the center house.) The next shot is our view, out the bedroom window in the house. Not bad!

We were in line for the ferry back to Homer at 1600 and departed at 1800. The return trip makes a stop at Port Lion and the total trip is overnight, getting in at 0730 on Tuesday. We had a cabin (no-frills two-bunk room with a sink—the toilet and shower are down the hall).

Back To Homer

We have a full day (Tuesday, the 16th) in Homer and all the next day to run around. A local tells us that for the best view of the bay, we should drive Skyline Drive—but definitely not in the motorhome. We do. It is a spectacular view and we are weaving through a residential area high above Homer.

We even find that Homer has a microbrewery and give it a try. But, there’s only carry out and you can bring your own jug—seriously. The guy “loaned” us a couple of liter bottles and suggested that we go outside and use their picnic tables. We did. The tables, the view, the resident cat, and the beer all were fine. Homer Brewing Company really does exist.

But Homer is about fishing and we don’t fish. Someone has to balance all that fish-catching with fish eating and that’s what we do well. There are several fine restaurants in Homer and we tried a couple with good success.

Homer has one of the most unique visitor's centers called the "Oceans and Islands Visitor's Center" and it is located on the main highway through town headed for the Spit. They created huge dioramas inside showing the coastal regions and wildlife. It is really well done.