
Home July 2 July 3 July 4 July 5 July 6 July 7 July 8 July 9 July 10 July 11 July 12 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 16 July 17 July 18 July 19 July 20 July 21 July 22 July 23 July 24 July 25 July 26 July 27 July 28 July 29 July 30 July 31 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5 August 6 August 7 August 8 August 9 August 10 August 11 August 12 August 13		Kenai Community Library, 2:00 p.m. Leaving the 26th Street Hostel in Anchorage this morning was difficult; it was such a homey place. During my three days, I heard English, Spanish, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian spoken. Sitting here in the Kenai public library, I'm still in a sea of Russian. Another 60 miles and I will be at the end of the road — there is nothing paved in North America west of Homer, at least nothing that is paved and connects by road to anywhere else. Faced with a fork in the road in the town of Kenai, I stopped at the reference desk to ask for directions. This is the nicest public library I have visited in Alaska, and they have open WiFi. It turns out that I want to go right at the light, in order to get to downtown "old" Kenai. It's a dead-end, but I have a reservation for the night, and like Chuck Berry, I have no particular place to go. Old Kenai isn't very big, just a few buildings — but what buildings! This part of Alaska feels really exotic; people in the public library were speaking Russian. The place names seem exotic: Soldotna, Kalifornski Beach, Kenai, Kisilof, Seldovia, Ninilchik. Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church, ca 1895-96 Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church, sans Motorcycle Father Macarios Veronica's Coffee House, aka the Oskolkoff/Dolchuk House, ca 1916 Homer: The End of the World As We Know It Four weeks and nearly 6000 miles ago, when I looked at a map and picked out Homer as my turn-around point, Homer was a name on a map. Now it's a place, and what a long, strange trip it's been. I got here around 5:00, a long day in hours, if not in distance. Homer is the westernmost place you can drive to on the North American continent. If you're wondering where the hippies went, check Homer: the northern tribe appears to have settled here permanently. The Invisible Hostel Network The Homer Hostel is easy to find, right on the edge of town, and I'm running into some of the same people who passed through the 26th Street Hostel. Dean and Alex, father an son from San Franciso, were supposed to arrive today, but after taking the train to Whittier, their ride fell through. The hostel is not as well organized as 26th Street, but I splurged on a private room, and the social scene is just as active, except the conversations are mostly in English. The vibe reminds me most of some of the co-ops in Ann Arbor in the late 60's. I'm learning that there is an invisible hostel network in Alaska (and perhaps elsewhere). When I last hosteled, in the 60's, the International Youth Hostel Association provided cheap, basic housing, always in dorm settings, generally in buildings that were open from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Accommodations were spartan, rarely including hot water. Ten days before beginning this trip, I joined Hostelling International for a modest fee of $18, and started bookmarking hostel websites. The 26th Street Hostel was findable via the internet; while staying there, I discovered there are many, many more hostels in Alaska, but they are invisible until you are inside the hostel network. From 26th Street I made reservations for Homer and Talkeetna, but there are also hostels in Seward and even Denali, Delta Junction, and Haines. And, unlike European hostels in the 60's, all have hot water and indoor plumbing, most have internet connectivity (26th street had two computers plus WiFi, and a 32" TV), and private rooms are available at many. Costs are a fraction of hotels/motels, and not that much more than tenting at a commercial campground, but with considerably more comfort. The Old Fishermen and the Sea After checking in at the hostel, I asked caretaker Jill Marie, an old Finn from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, about places to eat. She recommended Duggan's Pub, down by the water, so I gave it a try. The sit-down dining area looked deserted and depressing; the bar was where the action was, so despite the cigarette smoke, I grabbed a stool. I struck up a conversation with the two guys next to me, Herm ("The Homer Hippie") and Ron, and one thing led to another, and by 8:00 I had an invitation to go fishing for halibut and/or silver salmon tomorrow on their 38-foot boat. They don't guarantee any fish, but will provide the beer. I think Homer is going to be even more interesting than I had bargained for. Herm and Ron at Duggan's Pub Destination: Homer, AK Distance: 257 miles July 23
		Copyright © 2006 Selden Deemer

Kenai Community Library, 2:00 p.m.
Leaving the 26th Street Hostel in Anchorage this morning was difficult; it was such a homey place. During my three days, I heard English, Spanish, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian spoken. Sitting here in the Kenai public library, I'm still in a sea of Russian. Another 60 miles and I will be at the end of the road — there is nothing paved in North America west of Homer, at least nothing that is paved and connects by road to anywhere else.

Faced with a fork in the road in the town of Kenai, I stopped at the reference desk to ask for directions. This is the nicest public library I have visited in Alaska, and they have open WiFi. It turns out that I want to go right at the light, in order to get to downtown "old" Kenai. It's a dead-end, but I have a reservation for the night, and like Chuck Berry, I have no particular place to go.

Old Kenai isn't very big, just a few buildings — but what buildings! This part of Alaska feels really exotic; people in the public library were speaking Russian. The place names seem exotic: Soldotna, Kalifornski Beach, Kenai, Kisilof, Seldovia, Ninilchik.

Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church, ca 1895-96

Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church, sans Motorcycle

Father Macarios

Veronica's Coffee House, aka the Oskolkoff/Dolchuk House, ca 1916

Homer: The End of the World As We Know It
Four weeks and nearly 6000 miles ago, when I looked at a map and picked out Homer as my turn-around point, Homer was a name on a map. Now it's a place, and what a long, strange trip it's been. I got here around 5:00, a long day in hours, if not in distance. Homer is the westernmost place you can drive to on the North American continent. If you're wondering where the hippies went, check Homer: the northern tribe appears to have settled here permanently.

The Invisible Hostel Network
The Homer Hostel is easy to find, right on the edge of town, and I'm running into some of the same people who passed through the 26th Street Hostel. Dean and Alex, father an son from San Franciso, were supposed to arrive today, but after taking the train to Whittier, their ride fell through. The hostel is not as well organized as 26th Street, but I splurged on a private room, and the social scene is just as active, except the conversations are mostly in English. The vibe reminds me most of some of the co-ops in Ann Arbor in the late 60's.

I'm learning that there is an invisible hostel network in Alaska (and perhaps elsewhere). When I last hosteled, in the 60's, the International Youth Hostel Association provided cheap, basic housing, always in dorm settings, generally in buildings that were open from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. Accommodations were spartan, rarely including hot water. Ten days before beginning this trip, I joined Hostelling International for a modest fee of $18, and started bookmarking hostel websites. The 26th Street Hostel was findable via the internet; while staying there, I discovered there are many, many more hostels in Alaska, but they are invisible until you are inside the hostel network. From 26th Street I made reservations for Homer and Talkeetna, but there are also hostels in Seward and even Denali, Delta Junction, and Haines. And, unlike European hostels in the 60's, all have hot water and indoor plumbing, most have internet connectivity (26th street had two computers plus WiFi, and a 32" TV), and private rooms are available at many. Costs are a fraction of hotels/motels, and not that much more than tenting at a commercial campground, but with considerably more comfort.

The Old Fishermen and the Sea
After checking in at the hostel, I asked caretaker Jill Marie, an old Finn from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, about places to eat. She recommended Duggan's Pub, down by the water, so I gave it a try. The sit-down dining area looked deserted and depressing; the bar was where the action was, so despite the cigarette smoke, I grabbed a stool. I struck up a conversation with the two guys next to me, Herm ("The Homer Hippie") and Ron, and one thing led to another, and by 8:00 I had an invitation to go fishing for halibut and/or silver salmon tomorrow on their 38-foot boat. They don't guarantee any fish, but will provide the beer. I think Homer is going to be even more interesting than I had bargained for.

Herm and Ron at Duggan's Pub

Destination: Homer, AK
Distance: 257 miles

July 23