Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

The Kenai Peninsula encompasses an area almost as large as Israel. It boasts many large glaciers, and the lakes, streams and rivers created and fed by them.  Earthquakes are common. Across Cook Inlet there are five active volcanoes on the northern edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.  Peninsula highways are susceptible to avalanches in winter and moose crossings all year.  Many communities are accessible only by boat or plane. Wildlife is abundant, and it is common to see moose, porcupine, eagles and even bear in the midst of a town.

Native populations include: the Kenaitze Dena’ina Athabascans and the Alutiiq peoples.  The Russian Orthodox Church, which came with the fur traders, is still an important part of the native communities. Additionally, there are four villages of Russian Old Believer immigrants who fled religious persecution. They maintain their language and customs, helping to enhance the diversity of the population.

Natural resource development has long been an important part of the Peninsula’s economy. A number of communities originated as gold and coal mining camps. Today, oil and gas exploration and development, tourism, and commercial and sport fishing are predominant industries.

Homer, Alaska

Homer, Alaska is located at the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula approximately 225 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska.  It is the end of the road system in North America and is situated on Kachemak Bay, a finger of Cook Inlet.  From almost anywhere in town there are stunning panoramas of spruce forests, Kachemak Bay, mountains and glaciers.  Jutting four miles into the bay is the world’s second-largest natural spit, site of the small boat harbor and the center for summer tourists who flock here for the spectacular views and world-class fishing. Homer, a town of only 5000 people, is considered to be a haven for artists.  There are local community theater groups, galleries, writers, dance troupes, and musicians.  Many who come to visit stay for a lifetime.

This page: photos by Peter Norton