One day while I was in Homer, I took a boat to Halibut Cove, a small island with no roads.  It’s a community of artists and fishermen, where boardwalks connect many of the buildings and homes.  I was one of the only visitors to the island that day, except for a group of Habitat for Humanity volunteers on break from their worksite in Anchorage.  There are not many happier groups with whom to share a boat trip.

For most of my time on the island, I was on my own.  I hiked back to the interior of the island in the drizzly quiet.  It is one of the most beautiful, remote, peaceful places I’ve been.  The closest points of comparison I can think of are the Aran Islands and certain places in Maine.  On my walk I saw sea otters rolling in the cove, clusters of seaweed resting on their stomachs.

While I was there, I also stopped at the island’s art galleries and ate halibut and Kachemak Bay oysters by the boat dock.

An incredible experience.