Alaska Life: Deep Sea Halibut and Salmon Fishing

A couple weekends ago, Tony took me to Ninilchik, Alaska on the Prince William Sound for some deep sea halibut and salmon fishing. It was my late birthday celebration (As you can see, I am turning into a true Alaskan as I chose fishing for my birthday gift). We decided to give a charter a try because we got a deal through the Northern Lights Coupon Book. We went with our friends Laura and Bryan and camped the night before at the Ninilchik River Campground. 

I've never bought a Northern Lights Coupon Book but I know they have some awesome deals. Here is their website: 

http://www.alaska-discounts.com

We had a blast other than some of us got seasick :( So, I highly recommend bringing along some nausea medicine. But, the boat driver and boat hand were super friendly and helpful and after we caught our limit of halibut (two), they let us keep fishing for salmon! 

Here is the charter website:

https://afishunt.com/?v=7516fd43adaa

We also drove down to Homer for a little tour (I had not been to Homer yet) and I completely fell in love. It is the most darling little fishing town ever. There is an amazing bakery called the Two Sisters Bakery and is also a Bed and Breakfast. The cinnamon roll was to die for. They had a lot of other tasting looking pastries, I could have been there for days! We drove out to what is called "The Spit" and the view was incredible. Mountains and ocean. It was boats and fishing and camping galore.

Here is the website for the Two Sisters Bakery:

http://twosistersbakery.net

I loved Homer and am still trying to convince Tony that we one day need a cabin there or possibly that we should move there altogether. If you ever make a trip to Alaska, Homer has got to be on your list of must sees :)

Fishing in the Prince William Sound

Where Homer is for all the non-Alaskans or Alaskan newbies out there :)

Sage came along, but couldn't come on the boat. She loves camping!

Our campsite

Tony and I with our halibut and salmon!

To all the newbie fisherwomen (and men I guess?) out there, just know that these halibut weigh A LOT. Halibut fishing is pretty funny because you basically let your weight hit bottom, wait for a bite, and then you are reeling up for what seems like forever. The overall feeling I am getting from Alaskans is that it is not really "sport" fishing because it is just so easy. Salmon, on the other hand, man. Those guys will fight like crazy for you to reel them in. It is pretty fun!!

On another note, Tony and I fried up the halibut with beer batter. SO. GOOD.

Laura and Bryan came too :)

It was an INCREDIBLE day. Absolutely beautiful.

Becoming an Alaskan.... :)

The rest of the pictures are from our drive to Homer, my new favorite little town.

Loving our trip to Homer!

Two Sisters Bakery

We also stopped at the Old Inlet Trading Post Building and the Bunnell Arts Center and enjoyed it very much. Breathtaking work including paintings, pottery, jewelry, and more in a variety of price ranges. We ended up buying a vintage Map of Homer which I am pretty excited about.

Website: http://www.homerartgalleries.com/downtown.html

Thank you, Alaska, for your endless opportunity for adventure. 

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Alaska Life: Glaciers Are Beautiful & They Taste Pretty Good Too

The weekend before school started, Tony and I got the opportunity to go on a kayaking trip to Whittier, Alaska with our church (Kaleo) and the youth group. It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. 

I'm from Texas, so the more I see of Alaska, the more I fall in love. They were 18 kids and 11 adults and the idea was that we spend time out in God's creation, talking together about our awesome God. Seriously the best youth group trip of all time.

Not all was the weather PERFECT (except the last day it rained but two sunny spotless days was fine by me), but we got to have Christian community together around mountains, oceans, and glaciers. We got to go berry picking and kayaking and some folks went shrimping. We took a water taxi out to 17 mile beach and set up camp on the beach (and yes, Alaska has beaches!!). We had bonfires at night and made s'mores. The whole thing was just incredible. 

And the best thing? Worshiping together under the stars with mountains, glaciers, and the ocean that God created all around.

"In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land." Psalm 95:4-5

This Texan girl can't get enough of this crazy Alaska land. It's the best kept secret of all time. I am thinking Alaska has captured me with its beauty and will never let me leave. 

Taking a bite out of glacier ice :)

Here is where Whittier is for all you who know nothing about Alaska (I didn't before moving up here). One cool thing about Whittier: you have to take a tunnel when you come from Anchorage and the tunnel goes through the mountains. If you are claustrophobic, you might consider flying :)

Check out this transportation guide that could give you more information about getting to Whittier as well:

http://www.alaska.org/advice/anchorage-to-whittier

We used Alaska Sea Kayakers in Whittier for our water taxi. They were very efficient and helpful but a lot of the youth group kiddos reported they were not very friendly (I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, so you never know if they were just having a bad day). 

http://www.alaskaseakayakers.com

Boating to our beach

Setting up camp! :)

This was our view from the beach. Just amazing.

Campfires and Mountains. Two of my favorite things.

And we got to pick berries! They were everywhere.

Watching the kids kayak was breathtaking. The glaciers were wrapping all around. 

The glacial ice was floating around!

We got to kayak right up to an area of beach where we could walk right up to the glacier, called Blackstone Glacier.

Two of the students shared how they came to know Christ as we all sat right next to the glacier. How cool is that?!

And we got to hold some shrimp!!

All in all, it was one of my most memorable travel experiences of all time. I am so thankful for a God whose creation I can see and enjoy with other believers. And I am so thankful that my plans are not always the best plans and that God brought me to Alaska. There is still so much to explore here!!

The adventure awaits.

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