After a short stint at work yesterday, I decided a “day-cation” was in order. Picked up oldest daughter and her daughters and we headed off to Homer. What a gorgeous day!
We stopped several times to take pictures (of course!) and to let everyone stretch their legs and take in some of southcentral Alaska’s beauty.
This is the bridge over Anchor River – it’s pretty narrow; cars cross one at a time. Below the bridge was some sort of equipment – I’m not really sure what it is or why it is there. Upriver from the bridge we noticed planking of some sort (looks almost like a fence lying on its side in the water) crossing the river. There were people building something as we watched.
Two men from California were standing near the bridge talking about the structure as I snapped a few pics. Then one of the state workers climbed up the bank and they asked him what was going on. The structure will funnel the fish towards the center of the river so they can be more easily counted . . . at least that was what I gathered.
Did you know that Anchor Point is the furthest westerly highway point? Yup – and here is the sign to prove it.
🙂
We had a really nice surprise when we got to the Anchor Point beach area below the sign . . .
Eagles feeding along the beach – lots of eagles and terns. I think I counted 13 eagles at one point. We were fascinated by them.
We stopped several times during our trip – gave all of us a chance to stretch and take a break from the confines of the car. It really was a beautiful day . . . capped off by a trip down into Homer, a stop at Two Sisters Bakery to get hubbymoose a loaf of multi-grain bread (and yummy ham and cheese bakes), a visit to the beach, capped off by a stop at chocolate store for some fudge to treat ourselves on the drive homeward.
From Alaska with Heart
That structure is a weir. It is indeed used to count fish as they swim by. Most times it is manned by an individual with a ‘clicker’ in his/her hand who literally counts each fish. Sometimes it’s manned by camera. We were in Anchor Point several years ago, after the weir was put up. There were college students down there doing some sort of research/study. It’s all so interesting. Also, weirs can attract bears, especially when the fish are running good. Good photo ops if they do come!
We don’t have any plans to visit Homer this summer – the first summer in the last 7 that we won’t be going that far. However, if we don’t win the Denali Road Lottery, we might drive down to Homer in September. I haven’t been down that way in the fall, and I’m sure it’s beautiful.
We’ll be in Kenai in July – or rather Cooper Landing, but I’m sure my husband will find his way to Kenai for some fishing too. I was shocked to see how crowded it was in Soldotna and Kenai last summer. The tourists really flock to your area!
Enjoy your future ‘day-cations’. *grin*
Susan