Dana Stabenow is a Homer-based author and the founder of Storyknife, a writers’ retreat for women. Her latest book is Spoils of the Dead.
Senior Editor Michelle Theall shares her journey of buying a home in Alaska and photos of the places she considered.
Alaska magazine’s chief editor took a mini-vacation in late April to visit her brother in Peterson Bay across from Homer.
Kachemak Bay State Park outside Homer has over 400,000 acres full of hiking trails, beaches, fishing holes, paddling routes, and other adventures.
The family behind Synergy Gardens in Homer is dedicated to growing garlic and sharing their garlic love with all of Alaska.
Want to see what the weather is like at any given moment around Alaska? You’ll find the most comprehensive system on the FAA Aviation Weather Cameras site. Choose Alaska for the location on this Federal Aviation Administration resource to find out if your destination is sunny or overcast. It’s also fun to peruse places you’re not visiting, just to see what they look like. From Akhiok to the Yukon River Bridge, stations include popular tourist destinations like Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali (still called McKinley on the website), Homer, and Ketchikan. But try clicking on someplace you’ve never heard of—perhaps Nunapitchuk or Perryville or Chistochina. Bon voyage!
(from the February 2012 issue)
Planning a trip to Alaska? Or looking for somewhere off the beaten path? Here are some spots that should not be missed.
Whale watching options in Southcentral Alaska
Fighting seasickness and living up to expectations are part of it.
[by David Bayes]
This 4.3-mile stretch of land reaches out into Kachemak Bay like an arm waving hello to the Kenai Mountain Range on the opposite shore. Part of an underwater moraine from an extinct tidewater glacier, Homer Spit provides a hub for adventures of every sort from tidepooling and kayaking to bear viewing and halibut fishing, along with 360-degree views of the turquoise-blue waters, glaciers and bluffs surrounding the spit of land. Here, you can watch boats—commercial, charters, cruise liners, ferries on the Alaska Marine Highway and even U.S. Coast Guard vessels— dock and load while bald eagles circle overhead. It’s as picturesque as it gets and only a short 226-mile drive from Anchorage. 1 Land’s End Resort and the Chart Room Restaurant and Lounge At Land’s End, every room offers a view of the bay and first-floor units exit right onto the beach. Watch from your balcony as otters and seals…