Halibut Cove, Alaska

Maree had told me many times about this artists community she had gone years ago called Halibut Cove. She said they used the honor system to pay for works of art, which were displayed in their absence across a scattering of galleries on the island. Sounded suspicious to me. I imagined a bunch of shacks along a beach, like a more riff raff version of the Homer Spit scene.

But i promised to go there one of the days we were in Homer, despite Halibut Cove being so isolated it can only be travelled to by boat or plane (but where Seldovia, another wonderful place to visit, has an airport, i think only floatplanes can make it to Halibut Cove). We took boat called the Danny J., an old fishing boat converted into a tiny ferry.

I was taken aback when i saw the boat and then saw how many people were going to get onto the boat. There is clearly not enough room in the cabin to accommodate all the passengers. You should be well aware of this and bring appropriate clothing because it can be a very miserable experience on the front deck in rough seas. They do provide raincoats and blankets, but on our windy trip everyone on the front deck ended up wet. One you are wet you will not be drying off.

Maree enjoying some nice weather on Kachemak Bay.

Hmmm... The first view of Halibut Cove wasn't very riff-raffy...

We are welcomed into the Cove. Our ferry trip included the transport of a local canine and food supplies, hopefully not for the restaurant we were headed to.

Halibut Cove was originally a fishing village. I don't know how it transformed into an artists community, but today it is still around with a tiny population of around 75 people, but i think only 35 or fewer remain in winter. When we arrived they mentioned that the town has 3 miles of boardwalk to explore. I think that figure includes every board owned by every resident. Nevertheless, the boardwalk system is extensive and serves as a beautiful walk around a small portion of the cove.

The boardwalk system is very cool, and an impressive achievement in a place where so few people live.

This is one of the art galleries. We found one gallery with an absentee owner (Diana Tillion) who still used the honor system for the purchase of her work. Her work was very good too.

 A fork in the boardwalk. Which way to go?

Occasionally you will pass paths that lead to hiking trails. 

Horses are available and might be a nice way to see what's beyond the boardwalks.

This is the path that leads to one of the best galleries. The gallery is on the top of the hill and at the platform above it leads to the picture below.

There is a very good restaurant in Halibut Cove called The Saltry and we had reservations to eat as soon as we got there. We had eaten an early lunch so by the time we arrived i was absolutely starving. Unfortunately we found out that when you make reservations they don't take your scheduled time seriously, they just make a note of which ferry you arrive on. So although we had reservations they told us we would have to wait two hours to be served, because absolutely everyone else on our ferry happened to be part of a wedding party.

I tried to put up with this, attempting to go look around the island, but it didn't work. I get very grumpy and ill feeling if i don't eat so after 10 minutes we returned and i had to throw a bit of a fit. It was obvious anyway that the wedding crowd was more interested in drinking than eating. After that they did seat us and to their credit still gave us good service. The food was very good.

Beyond the boardwalks is a road built on top of what looked like a natural isthmus. The other side was more residential.

The cabin of one of the artists who lived here for many years. We later found his grave.

There are floating docks all over.

This really cool painting on a covered slip perfectly matches the boat that is docked behind it. I think the tide was not quit right to line it up with the grounded boardwalk where the best viewpoint is, but it's super close. Notice that even the pole on the left side of the paining can be seen behind the roof. There is another boat in the covered slip.

There are a lot of little rock islands sticking up out of the cove.

One of the horse trails leads to the top of the island, which is covered in windswept grassy fields and offers tremendous views in all directions. It's very peaceful up there. 

A nice view of the whole community. The proper cove is behind what you can see here but this more sheltered area is where most people live.

The textures of ocean culture decorate the island. At the cemetery on top of the hill was the grave of the artist who's home we saw earlier in the evening. His grave was adorned with a carving of his head.

The ferry tour gives you 3 hours of free time on the island which is enough time to see the galleries, explore the boardwalks and eat a meal. That is exactly what we did. There are however, other things to do, and a couple of lodges for overnight stays. I would assume the lodges are pretty nice, but they are remote and some of them say you should bring your own food. Staying overnight would enable hiking to the nearby glacier or a guided kayak tour. Alternatively, from the prices i've seen it would be cheaper to go to Seldovia and see a more unique area by hiking around the Red Mountain area without having to hire a guide.

With no highways or motorized vehicles the ears of a visitor are filled only with natural sounds. That goes a long way towards making Halibut Cove very relaxing.

It was getting late so we made out way back to the Danny J.

This house was for sale for anyone looking for a beach house.

One of three arches are visible here, and the lighthouse.

Back in Homer we noticed the Time Bandit, from Deadliest Catch was in the harbor. I think they put a lot of makeup on it for TV.

And next to it was the Ramblin' Rose. That makes three boats i've encountered from the Deadliest Catch show. I saw the Kodiak a few years ago at work in Prince William Sound.

I watched one more sunset from our room after returning from across the bay. Our 4 days in Homer gave me the chance to really enjoy the area and the visit to Halibut Cove added a sense of completion to my knowledge of the region. Of course, there is still tons to do, it's just getting to those places that is the hard part.

This is the last part in my series of posts on the Kachemak Bay area. You can read about the other interesting places in the area by clicking the links below:

Seldovia: An attractive fishing town on the South Side of Kachemak Bay

Red Mountain: A hiking area near Seldovia that looks like SW Colorado

Homer: The traditional End of the Road

Or see what's beyond Homer: Around Kachemak Bay, Thereabouts