May 27th-28th, 2010

This morning we bid farewell to Paulmer and made our way southwest to a town called Homer where FullPower graciously offered to put us up a few nights.  The weather was great for the most part, but got quite chilly here and there.  

We stopped in Anchor Point along the way to take a picture of this monumental signpost.  We had to turn back and look for it because it wasn’t visible from the highway. 

A fellow KLR rider himself, FullPower runs his own business here in Homer, AK.  He specializes in repairing alternators and starters ranging from lawnmowers to marine vessels.  FullPower had another hour or so before he closes shop and recommended we check out some of the local sites.

Getting a little sample of the local brew

The Seafarer’s Memorial in Homer Spit

FullPower’s place was a real eye opener.  It was rigged to run solely on solar power; I guess it really pays off to be an expert in the field.  This is the view FullPower and his wife Becky wakes up to every morning.  In order to get a view like this, living off the grid might not be a bad idea at all. 

Cooked to perfection

After dinner, followed by a few brewskies to get us fired up, the four of us were rocking the air guitar to AC/DC like nobody’s business.  The evening’s debauchery lasted till two o’clock in the morning and somehow our beverage of choice magically transitioned from Alaskan White Ale to Tito’s Handmade Vodka during the course of the evening.  It’s so easy to lose track of time when there’s so much light outside at this time of night; I’m sure the booze had nothing to do with it. 

The next morning we managed to make it to the Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center while FullPower and Becky went to work. 

Lots of information and interesting history can be found here

We stopped by the shop to tinker with Amanda’s electrical vest.  It stopped working since she laid the bike down back in Washington near Mt. Rainier.  This root beer vodka sample was in my pocket at the time when I took this photo.  Drinking and working with electrical equipment wouldn’t be the brightest thing to do. 

After supper the four of us went out for a walk.  FullPower brought a few toys to make things interesting. 

Somehow I was lucky enough to witness this magical moment.  Fullpower noticed a female moose along with her twin calves making their way towards the house.  I grabbed my camera as quickly as I could and quietly made my way outside.  I sat on a bench next to the house and made sure not to make any sudden movements.  The last thing I want to do is startle her.  If that were to happen, I’d probably be in a whole lot of trouble.  Poor Amanda was in the shower and missed out, but Becky was able to call her out to get a glimpse.  Judging by the way the calves were walking, FullPower reckons that the mother gave birth within a day or so.  For the brief moment it took for them to walk by in front of me, time stood still and I felt I was truly at one with nature.  Not a single sound of anything remotely mechanical or man-made disrupted this moment until I snapped out of it and took this picture.  I could easily have lost myself and forget to take the picture, but I knew I wanted to share this moment with Amanda and this was the best I could do. 

269 km

Shook me all night long!

Nature in its purest form.

This…is my boomstick!