It’s summertime in Alaska, which means the days are loooong.
When we left Utah and drove the Alcan Highway toward Alaska, we brought a giant 10,000 candle power flashlight. That was silly. We did not need it.
The sun may set around 1 or 2 a.m. and rise again around 4 or 5 a.m. Long days means plenty of sunshine, and lots of energy. It’s not uncommon for us to be out enjoying nature’s beauty and say, “Maybe we should head home for dinner. I wonder what time it is... it’s 11:00 p.m.???!!”
Bundled up warm and expecting cool breezes, our family of seven walks out onto the dock of the Homer Spit, a peninsula of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay from Homer, Alaska.
We board our friend’s boat and begin taxiing toward open water. The skies are overcast, the wind is brisk and chilling, but the scenery is beautiful -- deep green water is encircled by azure blue peaks highlighted against a golden sky.
Before long a powerful stench attacks our noses.
“What’s that smell?” the kids ask.
We’re approaching Gull Island. As we get closer we see hundreds of seagulls, puffins, cormorants and other birds nesting and flying around a rock protruding from the surface of the sea.
We stop to watch as long as we can, but our desire for fresh air finally wins and we sail away.
Next we stop at an outpost for the Alaskan Center for Coastal Studies. The water is shallow and clear, and we spot colorful and unusual starfish on the sea floor below. Bright oranges and reds, some have four arms, some have more than ten! We’ve never seen starfish like these before, and we’re amazed.
It’s time to sail back toward home. There’s still hours of daylight left, but as the sun gets lower in the sky temperatures begin to drop. It’s the perfect time to snuggle up next to a cozy fire and enjoy some fresh halibut for dinner.
Have you visited Alaska? Where did you go?
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