Homer is about 225 miles south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula. To get there, you take the Seward Highway south, then take the Sterling Highway east to Soldotna, then south to Homer.
So I left early so I could have breakfast at Summit Lake Lodge in Moose Pass on the way down. When I lived up here in the 90s, Summit Lake Lodge was a common stop for lunch riding down to or back from Seward. Breakfast was eggs with reindeer sausage.
Keith's BMW R80 parked in front of Summit Lake Lodge on the Seward Highway on the way to Homer for the day.
My friend Tina wanted to ride along, so we linked up in Sterling, about 10 miles east of Soldotna. Leaving Sterling, I quickly realized I had a problem - my bike was firing on only one cylinder. We pulled into Kenai Peninsula Harley-Davidson in Soldotna to see if I could troubleshoot the problem. I had fuel and spark, but after about a half hour I could not trace the problem. Some Harley riders were there for a ride, and one rider walked over, listened for a few seconds, and stated "you're leaking spark." He said he could hear it cracking; he was right, I had a cracked lead in the spark plug and the spark was jumping from the wire sheath to the cylinder without firing the spark plug. The techs at the Harley shop recommended heading down the road a couple of miles to the auto parts store to find a wire that would work - there is no BMW motorcycle shop in Soldotna. The fols there were wonderful, and allowed me to search through their stock of wires in their backroom to find one that would work. Second wire I picked up - success! $2 later, we were back on the road.
Replacement automotive spark plug wire adapted for use on Keith's BMW R80.
We then headed down to Homer. We met Sean at the hotel he was staying at, then proceeded down to the Homer Spit. The Spit extends out into the sound, and has a number of shops, restaurants and such. It also has the town's marina, and a ferry terminal for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Sean and Tina at the end of the Homer Spit. The fishermen are fishing for salmon that are running in from the ocean to spawn in local creeks and rivers.
Since we were next to the ocean, I had to stop at a restaurant on the Spit and enjoy some of Alaska's local seafood. We stopped at a place called Captain Pattie's - dumb name, but nice place with excellent food.
Eating at Captain Pattie's on the Homer Spit. I had deep fried halibut (foreground) and fresh oysters. Sean had a cup of clam chowder.
Now the best part of eating their was a picture on the wall above the hostess station. I've been fascinated with the "celebrity" photos that you find in local businesses around the country. It started a few years ago when I was visiting the North End in Boston with my friend Craig. We spotted a "celebrity" photo in a shop we visited there; here is what Craig wrote in another forum:
"We had Keith staying with us a couple of weeks ago, so I took a couple of days off to show him around. He wanted to see Boston, so we got up early on Thursday and rode right into the heart of the city.
We're in a great little Italian market with these two cute Italian chicks behind the counter. And they're speaking Italian. Anyway, I take a momentary break from my reverie and I realize that there are two pictures hanging on the wall behind the counter. One is the Santa Maria. The other is Robert Loggia. ROBERT LOGGIA!! HAAAA HA HA HAAAAA!! You can't buy that kinda atmosphere!"
Here's the "celebrity" photo I saw hanging in Captain Pattie's.
"To Captain Pattie's Seafood,
I've never tasted better nor had more.
G' Bless
Ernest Borgnine"
So I ask the hostess, "Does he eat here?"
"Yeah, all the time." Like he lives down the block.
After eating we posed in front of Homer's most famous landmark, the Salty Dawg Saloon. I see people wearing sweatshirts from here all the time, and I have always wanted one, but do not think it would be appropriate to advertise for a saloon. I have no idea if it is even a working saloon. Certainly not on the old portion of the building we were posing in front of.
Sean's Harley-Davidson Sportster, Keith's BMW R80, and Tina's Honda Shadow parked in front of the famous Salty Dawg Saloon on the Homer Spit.
Rabbit ears never get old.
Afterward, we gassed up and headed out of town. We had a nice ride back to Anchorage, even with the rain we had between Cooper Landing and Girdwood. I'm glad I had the opportunity to go; I lived up here before, and never made the trip down there. This may have been my only chance to visit while up here this time.
