Two RV Gypsies in Homer Alaska with bald eagles and sandhill cranes

Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers

Homer, Alaska and lots of bald eagles
June 25-26, 2009

Homer is a city located in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. One of Homer's nicknames is "the cosmic hamlet by the sea"; another is "the end of the road". A popular local bumper sticker characterizes the town as "Homer - A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem." LOL Homer has a total area of 22.4 square miles, of which 10.6 square miles is land and 11.9 square miles is water. The total area is 52.83% water. Its most distinguishing feature is the Homer Spit, a narrow 4.5 mile long gravel bar that extends into the bay, and the location of Homer Harbor.

Below: Sign and views of Homer Spit, Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet as seen from a scenic lookout. Kachemak, the Russian name for the bay, means "high cliffs on the water." Another interpretation of the name suggests it means "smoky bay" and is derived from the smoke which once rose from the smoldering coal jutting from the clay bluffs of the upper north shore.




A Golden Eagle flew majestically above the two RV Gypsies.


The Homer Spit is a geographical landmark located in Homer, Alaska on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula. The spit is a 4.5 mile long piece of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay. The spit is also home to the Homer Boat Harbor. The harbor contains both deep and shallow water docks and serves up to 1500 commercial and pleasure boats at its summer peak.
Additional features and attractions include The Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon, which is an artificial "fishing hole", campgrounds, hotels, restaurants and the Salty Dawg Saloon, which is constructed out of several historic buildings from Homer. The Spit features the longest road into ocean waters in the entire world, taking about 10 to 15 minutes to cover by car. The Spit sits about 19 feet above sea level.


Fisherman's Memorial on Homer Spit is a monument to those who have been lost at sea.





Below: Heritage RV Park and the new yard of the two RV Gypsies. Heritage RV Park was the only full-service RV Park on the Spit. Unfortunately that meant a very high price to stay there ($84 night). There were other parks on the spit for about $25 but they were not full-service parks. There were limited TV stations, and no ABC. Wi-Fi worked only inside the building and outside on the covered deck, not at sites. DSL was available at courtesy phone area only. But the view was spectacular, and although the two RV Gypsies enjoyed their stay at Heritage RV Park, they probably will not pay that price on their next visit.

The two RV Gypsies had a beach front view from their RV. Standing down below on the beach, Karen took photographs of their motorhome.

Looking at the beach from the front of AWO. AWO stands for "All We Own" - the name of the motorhome of the two RV Gypsies, because they do not have a house or apartment anyplace.



views at low tide from the RV of the two RV Gypsies


BALD EAGLES were seen on the beach at the RV Park right in front of AWO. Bald Eagles were also perched on the lamp-post by AWO, and all around Homer Spit.





The two RV Gypsies took about 100 photos of bald eagles and hopefully have chosen the ones that you will enjoy most - but there's more below than just eagles - so keep scrolling down the page.



The two RV Gypsies took a stroll behind the nearby Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center.


The two RV Gypsies were surprised to see two Sandhill Cranes, tall gray birds with a long neck, red forehead, and long pointed bill, plus long dark legs that trail behind them in flight while the long neck is kept straight in flight. They like open grasslands, meadows, and wetlands. They congregate in huge numbers during migration. The sandhill crane's large wingspan is 6-8 feet when fully grown.


Surprise - as the two sandhill cranes came out of the tall marshy grass, they had two babies with them.


A mural on the building across from the Wildlife Refuge Center.