Homer area and Anchorage

It has been a long time between hookups, we have gone as much as 2 weeks without electric, but each time we travel the battery in the trailer recharges. Spent 5 nights in a Forest service campground 20 miles north of Homer on the Kenai Peninsula. Lovely little site overlooking the Cook Inlet. We saw bald eagles in pairs with their young from our campsite and in Homer. They are very plentiful in that area. Homer has 2 sides, touristy and wonderful. Beautiful spot with a long, narrow spit of land where there is a convention of RVer's, as well as partiers, mixed up with fishermen. We spent about 30min there! However in the main part of town is a wonderful wildlife center, where we took a guided tour through the estuary seeing many interesting plants and birds. The Sandhill cranes had a chick that they were guarding with their lives. We then spent an afternoon browsing through the Pratt Museum. Samples of sea items and history of the area, gardens, artwork (including quilts), and a video area where they play the news special about the Exxon Valdez disaster over and over. A sad reminder of what oil drilling can do to pristine areas. During our stay in AK the supreme court decided not to give the people of the coastal areas that were affected by the disaster their punitive damages they have waited 19+ years for. You can imagine the frustration of the locals. Our visit in Anchorage was much enhanced by staying with Annie and Westby who toured us around the area, fed us, and took us to some hot spots in town. The 4 of us went on a nice bike ride alongside the beautiful Turnagain Sound. It was great getting to know them and spend time chatting, great hosts! Anchorage is an interesting city with a population of about 250,000. Great book stores, restaurants, shopping. There is an interesting mix of people here. Many Alaskan natives, who struggle with poverty, as well as a mixture of other ethnic groups. A large University section and of course, tourists. Bike paths are everywhere here as well as in many of the smaller communities.