Wet Day

The story of today was primarily one of weather.

After breakfast I packed, checked out and headed to the southern extreme point of Alaska Highway 1, a small section of land extending into Kachemak Bay, southeast of Homer, referred to as the Homer Spit.

The Spit is basically reclaimed land along a break wall, extending out into the bay. There are precious few businesses, no homes that I noted and virtually no vegetation, until you get almost to the end. At that point there are many structures, most housing outfitters and guides, and others providing support for the numerous trips that depart daily from the Spit.

Just beyond this point is the Seafarer's Memorial

Plaques on the vertical columns and bricks on the platform memorialize those lost at sea. Behind the structure was a stand with a poem, explaining what the sea means to these people.

(Don't know if that will be legible or not)

Shortly after passing the Memorial you come to what Tom Bodett (of Motel 6 fame) calls the End of the Road.

The road ends quietly in a parking lot.

My journey south on the Kenai Peninsula ended pretty quietly too. It was overcast this morning, the forecast didn't lead me to believe it would change and, when I asked the teller at the bank, she said Homer sits in a bowl and when it gets gloomy and rainy it usually doesn't change quickly. I had done what I came for; to see the End of the Road, the place that Tom B. described "as far as you can go without a passport". For me it was an easy decision to head back to Eagle River where Scott and Bev would offer up another night or two of hospitality before heading to points north. The one thing I had no control over was the weather. It started raining before I left the parking lot at the bank, allowing me to seize the opportunity to put my rain suit on. I had already put on an extra layer for warmth so I convinced myself there was no time like the present to start gobbling up the 235 miles between Homer and Eagle River.

My hope was that when the highway cut inland away from the coast the weather would clear up a bit. I was disappointed to find that the first hundred miles stayed along the coast, and with it so did the low clouds that pelted me ever harder with each twist and turn of the road. There's an old saying (and if there wasn't before there is now) that you can only get so wet! And believe me- I was THAT wet!

By the time I came in to Sterling I had ridden 125 miles in a steady onslaught of water. When I left Homer the temperature was 47 degrees. When I stopped for lunch in Sterling, it was 50! At least it was warming up!

So here is what my morning was like:

Picture yourself sitting in a wind tunnel at NASA, air temperature set at 47 degrees. They start the fan up and set it to a steady 60 mph. (Let me save you the time looking it up - that's a windchill of -43 degrees!). Now some Rocket Scientist sits in front of you with the world's largest Super Soaker and sprays you continuously for over two hours. Now you get the idea.

When I walked in to McDonalds they already had "Slippery when wet" signs set on the floor (they must have seen me pull in and struggle bending my fingers enough to remove my helmet). I hung my leather jacket over the back of a chair and ordered a Happy Meal (not really, but I thought it sounded appropriate). When I returned to my seat I noticed that both of my sleeves had allowed the "moisture" to drain from my jacket onto the floor, forming a perfect pond for a Frog.

I went through two cups of coffee and sat for almost an hour, hoping both that it would stop raining and that I would get warm. When neither occurred I looked at my Navigation program to see how far it was from Sterling to Eagle River. In a fit of optimistic fervor I was told it was only 77 miles! So I put my big boy pants on (they were soaked too) and decided to press on, as the British say when asked how to accomplish something that is unrelenting.

The road did eventually turn inland, the rain did eventually abate (after 165 miles), the sun did eventually shine briefly, and it was never 77 miles from Sterling to Eagle River. By the time I finally made it to Scott's very steep, very wet, very dirt driveway, I very nearly slid off the edge before making it to the front of his garage.

One of the very first things I did was take a long hot bath. As I sat down in the tub I could feel myself quickly drying. It's true, you can only get so wet!