We checked in early for our 1:00pm departure time, and it was a good thing, too. The water taxi ride to the kayaking site would be longer than anticipated—30 minutes in fairly open water. If sea sickness was an issue, they suggested I take something. 😱

I sent the boys off for some gelato while I rushed back to the RV for some Dramamine. The dosage is one pill or two, and without hesitation or regret, I took two and pocketed the prescription stuff.

After picking out our rubber boots, we headed to the docks, and got on a nondescript boat that could transport the six of us, plus the captain and our guide, with little room to spare.

From Homer to Yukon Island, the ride was much shorter than the one in Seward, but it wasn't smooth, especially in such a small vessel.

I kept my food down (barely) but had that weird hand-numbing thing going on again. Any longer of a ride and it could have gotten ugly. Fortunately, the effects of the boat wore off as soon as the water calmed down, and by the time I was in a kayak, I was almost fully functional. This kind of boat never seemed to bother me (probably because a guide wouldn't take a group of novices into rough water).

The company liked using two-seat kayaks, and we had five in our party, three in my family, so I volunteered to kayak with an older lady who signed up for this tour alone. The rear seat was more challenging—there were pedals and a rudder—and that's where I ended up. The lady insisted, and since I've been kayaking before (the Adirondacks, NY), I didn't mind. It was just a lot of work that I seemed to be doing alone. The lady was lightly paddling without giving much thought to direction, and I was hauling most of our weight and correcting our position with the rudder and strategic paddling. It didn't take long for me to get blisters on my thumbs, and we were constantly struggling to keep up with everyone else.

Despite that, it was a scenic, worthwhile activity. I had my phone in a protective case around my neck and took full advantage of our lag. I couldn't really hear most of what our guide was saying for that reason. I think there was a sea lion or a porpoise, maybe more than once, but I didn't get to see more than a distant ripple in the water. I was too obsessed with the eagles anyway, determined to get a decent picture. Up until this point on our vacation, I had tried and failed. They were just too high or far away for the range of an iPhone.

There weren't a bunch of them everywhere, but there were a noteworthy few. They're calm and cautious, and in no hurry, gliding around, hunting or just because. They're certainly not noisy or aggressive like some of the other birds I've encountered before, at home or abroad. The eagles we saw were at least curious, probably somewhat acclimated to the people who visit. And they posed for me—yay!—and saved the best for last. Some of my favorite shots of the day, and probably the top 20 in all of Alaska, happened within the last half hour of the tour.

The boat ride back to Homer wasn't as bad. The water was a bit calmer, and direction does matter. It's better to go with the waves than against them, I learned. All in all, this was my kind of trip. I preferred white water rafting, but thanks to the pictures, this was a close second.   

Leaving Homer Spit by boat.

Another choppy boat ride. 🤢

Our kayak starting point.

The boys, gearing up.

Elephant Rock.

Eagle sighting. There's just something about the way they fly...

They were bickering like old men, but they were still faster than I was.

Our curious eagle friend.

He (or she) liked showing off. I think this one is very emblematic. 🇺🇸

A rock skipping break. Our reigning household champion perfecting his game.

According to our boat captain, this is "allegedly" Steven Spielberg's yacht.

Team Shopping Spree.

They picked up these beauties on the Spit.