Fish and guts.
Our first stop was at the Clam Shell. We immediately felt disappointment in that we had missed the annual Clam Jam. This small restaurant/bar/liquor store in the town of Clam Gulch exemplifies the Alaskan roadhouse. The bartender steps to the right and she's in the liquor store, to the left and she's in the restaurant. We spoke over a beer with some locals about the upcoming minus tides and where we might have the best luck with razor clamming. It's our plan to come back to clam here on Bucky and Carlisle's birthdays. We spent the night of July 4th camped on the ocean at Deep Creek. We watched fireworks set off from the bluff but found them to be a waste of money as the sky isn't dark enough to see them. It's still hard to become accustomed to constant light. A family of native Alaskans camped beside us using their van as a cook vehicle. I counted 8 people but Bucky counted 14. I later confirmed this to be the actual number. The ages ranged from infants to grandparents all enjoying each other. We were sobered when they erected a flag pole and flew a full size American flag from their tent peak. It made us feel unpatriotic for having nothing red white and blue to display. The Kenai Peninsula is home to charter fishing. The beaches are covered with fish carcasses as the fish are filleted and the remains returned to the sea, making it paradise for seagulls and eagles. How symbolic that we were surrounded by Bald Eagles on this Independence Day. The campground and adjacent boat launching area were very busy with almost everyone focused on fishing. Some fishermen were floating the ocean in zodiacs with motors and others had large sea worthy vessels. Far out to sea we could see large tankers. On the beach, skidders worked frantically putting boats into the water and hauling them out for $50. It was amazing to watch the synchronized activity while eagles soared above. I engaged Bucky in the discussion of wanting or not wanting to take a charter for halibut. After careful consideration, it seemed most economical to take the money needed to charter and buy Halibut, leaving Bucky free of seasickness and possibly ending up with more fish. End of discussion. At Anchor Point, we were proud to stand at the most Westerly point accessible by highway.