Day 11 - Tuesday - 09/03/24 - Homer by car

 We woke up early at the Westmark and packed our bags and checked out of our hotel at 8am.  It was about a 4 block walk to the Avis rental car office.  Our car was a Toyota Corolla Cross which we really liked.  I especially liked the adaptive cruise control and the Apple CarPlay.

We drove Alaska 1 along Turnigan Arm past the turnoff to Whittier.  The road heads up and through a pass about 1,000 feet in elevation and proceeds through a long flatland.  There were also a number of state parks and lodges and fishing trip opportunities.  At Homer we stopped at the US Fish & Wildlife Marine Refuge Center where we did a quick tour of the curated museum before doing a short walk out in the marshland which is the summer home to sandhill cranes.  None were there.

Continuing on, we drove to Homer Spit to find some fish & chips at the Boardwalk cafe.  However it was closed so we went across the street to the Harbor Grill where we enjoyed halibut taco and halibut ceviche.  Both were really good.  

Back in the car, we headed back to Anchorage (4.5 hours) with a couple of stops at state parks to check them out for a possible future trip.  We refueled in Soldotna and Angela got one of the last ice cream cones from a shop that was closing in an hour.  Back in Anchorage, we topped off the fuel at a Fred Meyer (overall the car got 33.3 miles per gallon) before parking the car at the Avis office.   We then checked into the Aviator hotel just after 8pm and were stunned by the quality of the room with a plush king sized ed and huge TV.  It was far superior to the Westmark at half the price.     .  

Tomorrow we get a Princess bus shuttle to the Whittier terminal and will board the Grand Princess.  Upon checking our email I found an email from Princess offering us the chance for a free 7 day cruise plus our cruise fare as refundable shipboard credit.  We declined the offer since we're already here and have spent significant funds to get here.