Rahul Pathak : My Personal Blog

I’ve been asked enough times about where we stayed, who we used for the charters etc that I decided to consolidate that information into a blog post. If you’re not lucky enough to be dating someone from Alaska, this list might be helpful to you. In general, we found that you’re better off calling and talking to people than trying to do all your research online. Alaska rocks. Go visit, you won’t regret it.

Books

• Frommer’s Alaska by Charles Wolforth
  We used the 2003 edition, but most of the information in there was pretty accurate. A great guide book that had a ton of useful information on how to approach the trip. Another pointer from Alison was that it’s best to get to Alaska, have a general idea of what you want to do and let the trip evolve rather than trying to pre-plan every detail. This way you can adapt to weather, mood etc. It’s great advice - take it.

• Hiking Alaska by Dean Littlepage
  Dave and Iva used this book and they seemed to like it. There were a ton of trails on the Kenai Peninsula and the book provides descriptions, elevation maps and difficulty ratings for quite a few of them. Don’t underestimate the bug factor - get some strong, mean bug repellent. Also, a moderate hike in Alaska means really bloody hard from what I can tell. The place operates on a different scale from what you’re accustomed to.

Lodging

• Copper Whale Inn, Anchorage - (907) 258-7999
  Great, small hotel in downtown Anchorage. Some of the rooms have a view of the water and the staff is very helpful and friendly. If you’re arriving late, they’ll leave an envelope with check-in instructions taped to the door. Rooms are big, clean and comfortable and at $150/night, not super expensive (not super cheap either.) A continental breakfast is included and it’s about a $15 cab ride (20 mins) from the airport. Highly recommended, I’d stay there again in a heartbeat.

Food

• Sourdough Express, Homer
  Great little diner/restaurant near the Homer Spit that bakes awesome sourdough bread on the premises. We stopped there twice for lunch. Prices are reasonable, portions are large. Don’t miss the Reindeer Melt (reindeer sausage, cheese, pepper and onions on a toasted sourdough bun) or the Clam Chowder (New England style - awesome.) Casual, no reservations needed. It is popular though so there might be a short wait.

• Land’s End, Homer Spit - (907) 235-0400

  
  
  
  This is a hotel at the tip of the Homer Spit and their restaurant is called the Chart Room. We had a great meal there the last night of our trip. It’s pricey ($25 entrees) but unlike most places with amazing views, the food is pretty damn good. I had the Halibut Ilamna which is a fresh halibut fillet covered with crab and cheese and which is then baked. Yes, it is as awesome as it sounds. The place was packed when we went and I highly recommend reservations. Wednesday is Locals Night (which apparently used to be half off the bar menu, but has since become 40% off select bar menu items.)

Charters et al.

• Smokey Bay Air, Homer - (907) 235-1511

  

  We stopped in here after finding the prices for flightseeing on the Homer Spit outrageously expensive. Most of the brochures will talk about a bear viewing trip that costs $500+ per person. At Smokey Bay, we were able to charter a flight for less than $400/hour and we had 5 passengers.
  
  Make sure you ask for John, our pilot - he suggested our flight route which involved a trip around Mt. Iliamna and Mt. Augustine (which was spewing steam like there’s no tomorrow), a beach landing and a short hike to see brown bears.

  

  Total trip time was 2.5 hours. Well worth it - one of the coolest things I’ve done.

• Mako’s Water Taxi, Homer Spit - (907) 235-9055
  

  

  Mako’s has been around for a long time. You pay $70 per person and in return they will drop you off just about anywhere in Kachemak Bay State park at a time of your choice and will then pick you up at a pre-arranged time. The boat ride is about 30 minutes long and can get bumpy. When you get to your destination, they just drive the boat up onto the beach, stick a step ladder out and you walk off. The same process works in reverse coming back. They’ll wait about 15 minutes from your pickup time before taking off. Fortunately, cell coverage in the park is great so you can always call and reschedule. Another really cool thing is that you can ask them to meet you on day say 2 of a multi-day trip with kayaks (that you can also rent from them) so you could combine a hike/boat trip. They drop off and pick up the boats so you have a lot of flexibility. The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable about route conditions, good hikes etc.

• Coal Point Seafood, Homer Spit - (907) 235-3877
  We stopped in here to buy fish boxes to get our halibut catch home. These are big cardboard boxes with a polystyrene cooler inside them. Conveniently, they have them in sizes that are right at the limit of what the airlines will allow you to check in without excess baggage penalties. A box that will weigh 50lbs when fully packed with fish cost $20. We flew Continental and you can take 2 50lb boxes for no extra charge. The fee for 50-75lb boxes is only $25 extra per piece. This is a much better deal than shipping the fish yourself. This would have cost about $150 to Seattle for 100 lbs. They will also process and flash freeze your fish which is the best way to get it back home. Fish will stay frozen for 24 hours and will keep frozen for well over a year.

• Copper King Charters, Ninilchik - (907) 567-3479

  

  Will and his assistant Quinn, were awesome. Alison’s Dad was generous enough to take the four of us on a fishing charter with Will. The boat was launched from Deep Creek. The way this works is really cool. Basically, a giant tractor pushes the boat (on it’s trailer) into the water at which point you reverse out. When returning, you drive the boat onto your submerged trailer and they pull you back out. You’ll need to buy a fishing license which we bought at the General Store in Ninilchik. It cost $20 for a day and allows you to keep 2 halibut.
  Will is incredibly knowledgeable about fishing and the area. He was able to get us catching Halibut in just 50 feet of water. Apparently, 100+ feet is much more common. The advantage of shallow water for us novices was that it made reeling line in much easier. When fishing for Halibut, you need to weight your line so your bait drags across the bottom. Reeling in a 2lb weight that was 50ft deep was tiring. I can only imagine what a 4lb weight at 120ft feels like.

  
  Will and Quinn were friendly, patient, informative and did most of the work but let you take all the credit for your catch. Watching Will slice up halibut was pretty humbling - he was clearly an expert - not a single cut was wasted. I don’t know what he charges, but if you have any interest at all, I can’t recommend him enough. You’ll have a fantastic time. Oh, you’ll also catch a lot of fish. We came back with 80lbs of halibut fillet.