Homer, AK - Helicopter Work Trip

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Just got back last night from a whirlwind trip to Homer. We drove to Homer, which is 280 miles south of here, did a little work at a site we could drive to and then jumped in a Helicopter to a couple of sites, then had a small plane meet us for the last 2 sites. We landed back in Homer, got in the truck and hauled ass north back - about a 17 hour day, which is great time considering the distances & aircraft involved. We fully expected this trip to take at least a couple of days but the stars were aligned in our favor all the way around.

This is the Bell 407, which is my favorite helicopter. It's smooth, powerful and fast - I'm told the only 2 helos faster are the Chinook and the Apache. As it turns out, I flew on this baby back when she was brand new in '09 out of King Salmon on a week long trip working for the Nat'l Park Service. She's still looking great and I was overjoyed to be able to ride in her again.

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Leaving the airport in Homer - we could not have asked for better weather.



The Homer Spit, the small finger of land on the right jutting out into Kachemak Bay, is where we caught the Ferry a few months ago to Kodiak, where the Salty Dawg Bar is located.



The tourists are slowly trickling in. A month from now, this will be wall-to-wall RVs and tents everywhere.

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We passed a small plane like he was standing still on our way out over the water. It was hard to judge, but I think we were going about twice as fast as he was.

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The end of the Homer Spit.

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Scenery, looking out toward Halibut Cove across the bay from Homer.

I apologize for the yellow reflection in the plexiglas, but the new FAA regs state that all helo passengers have to wear those little yellow life jackets.

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On our way to Dangerous Cape.

I suspect there's a couple of hair-raising maritime stories about how it got the moniker.





There's some pretty sweet cabins out here among the islands... and world-class fishing just minutes away.