Saturday, May 31, 2014

Adventure - Under the Dock Tour (a view of dock life)

At the docks


Stats

Difficulty: Easy                                                                                                        Time:  2 hrs


Summary

Every May, the Homer Chamber of Commerce hosts the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival.  The festival celebrates the passage of huge numbers of migratory birds through Kachemak Bay.  It lasts 3 days and is jam-packed with bird-watching, hikes, talks, kayaking, and boat tours.  One of the activities we chose to do was "Under the Dock" a naturalist guided discussion of the life under the Homer docks.  This tour was sponsored and led by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies.  They offer a variety of guided tours throughout the year.


Opinion

This was a delightful tour.  At first is seemed like something only for children, but

Friday, May 30, 2014

Adventure - Kayaking with True North Kayak Tours

Kayaks on the beach


Stats

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate                                                                               Time:  half-day


Summary

Every May, the Homer Chamber of Commerce hosts the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival.  The festival celebrates the passage of huge numbers of migratory birds through Kachemak Bay.  It lasts 3 days and is jam-packed with bird-watching, hikes, talks, kayaking, and boat tours.  One of the activities we chose to do was a kayaking trip with True North Kayak.


Opinion

This trip was a lot of fun.  The price is surprisingly reasonable and

Information - Apps We Use

Several people have asked up how we develop our blog.  One of the most common questions is what apps do we use.  We’re Apple, iPad, and iPhone junkies so we’re working through the iTunes App store. 

And mainly we use only two apps.  One for recording the map for the hike which is Motion GPS.  The other is AyeTides (iPad)  or AyeTide XL (iPad) to check the tides for our beach hikes or trying to time our arrival with the Turnagain Arm bore tide or the rush of water at the Homer Spit Fishing hole.  AyeTides also provides the sunrise/sunset times which helps us pick depart times for the best photos. 


We also use a number of weather apps but there is no real front-runner.  The weather in Alaska seems to be hard to forecast and we are constantly cross checking them.  But we’re always prepared on our hikes for inclement weather.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

(Closed due to massive undercutting of trail) Hiking - Diamond Creek Trail to Kachemak Bay Beach

Young Eagle on the Beach
Closed due massive undercutting of the trail
-- We'll update this post when it gets opened again.
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Stats

Distance:  0.5 miles +           Difficulty: Easy / Moderate           Time:  30 min +


Summary

This hike is in Homer, AK.  The first time we walked this trail was 16 Jun 2013.  It was a beautiful day, so we decided to go for a walk on the beach.  We hiked the trail again a couple of weeks later.  It is close and easy, so we'll be doing this hike often.

The link to the official web site is http://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/recreation/diamond-creek-trail.  This is limited site that lists a few of the hikes in the Homer area.



Opinion

We love this hike for an easy day hike.  We prefer this hike and beach access to the better-known Bishop Beach.  The beach here is more interesting