Going Wild in Alaska's Sadie Cove

Seattle Magazine, March 2006
By Roddy Scheer

As I steer my kayak around the bend, I am breathless with anticipation. Yesterday at this time, at this very spot, my guide Marcee, who is now two boat-lengths behind me, had a close encounter with a black bear out searching for clams on the beach. But in negotiating the turn myself today, I sadly realize that Marcee had not uncovered any habitual ursine behavior the day before, as our friend the bear is nowhere in sight.

But despite my disappointment, I realize that the very prospect of seeing a bear digging for clams highlights Sadie Cove's charm. It doesn't get much more remote than this, tucked into a fjord 10 miles across Kachemak Bay from the town of Homer, halibut fishing capital of the world, on Alaska's Kenai peninsula. Given my own newly developing affinity for the area, I start to wonder if maybe the halibut--not to mention the sea otters, bald eagles, mountain goats and black bears--are onto something. Indeed, the very wildness of Sadie Cove is practically tangible.

For those who like to indulge their wild side, the Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge is the place to stay. Built by hook or by crook in the 1970s by Lower 48 expat Keith Iverson, the lodge and its facilities keep visitors one step away from the elements while indulging them with rustic luxuries. While those looking for five-star amenities might be better served elsewhere, the lodge offers visitors the opportunity to live a simpler life while delighting in the abounding wonders of nature visible in every direction.

Famished after my late afternoon kayaking adventure, I peel back my spray skirt and meander up to the kitchen, where I am greeted by the sweet smell of fresh-baked bread. As I walk through the door, Randi Iverson, co-proprietor of the lodge and Keith's wife of 8 years, is pulling piping hot loaves out of the propane-fueled oven for the evening's repast. On the counter lay a dozen neatly trimmed halibut steaks, patiently awaiting Randi's secret seasoning before their own upcoming appointment with the oven. My mouth is watering. It dawns on me that since the halibut I usually order in Seattle no doubt hails from these waters, I will probably never have such a fresh cut of fish as tonight. While she would love to chat, Randi informs me that she has to make a quick run up to the lodge's garden--actually a series of old skiffs filled with compost soil and planted with a wide array of sumptuous edibles--up the hill. I decide it will be in my own best interest to let her go, so I open the door for her on her way out.

With a few minutes to kill before dinner, I take a seat on a rough-hewn deck chair to survey the panorama spread out before me. To the south, Sadie Cove stretches out as far as the eye can see. Due west, the cove's opening yields a view of Mt. Alexander, an active volcano a hundred miles away in the Aleutian chain. As I scan to the right, a glint of light catches my eye, and before I know it, a bald eagle with a wingspan wider than I am tall swoops down to the beach directly in front of me, scavenging a dead fish that had washed up on shore. The eagle picks up his dinner and flies back up to a nest in a spruce tree just 100 yards or so away, still on the lodge's property. There the majestic bird shares the meal with another eagle, presumably his better half.

Just then, the conch shell blows. While I would love to stay out and watch the rest of the eagles' show unfold, I would hate to disappoint Randi by being late to the table. And the halibut, just out of the oven, is sending me olfactory signals to boot. I guess roughing it isn't so bad after all.

COORDINATES

Travel time: 3 hour flight to Anchorage followed by 4 hour drive to Homer followed by half hour water taxi ride to Sadie Cove

THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND SADIE COVE

Kayaking

Sailwood Adventures (PO Box 15342, Fritz Creek, AK 99603; 907.235.5465; sailwood@hotmail.com ; http://www.sailwood.com ), located just across Sadie Cove from the Iverson's lodge, offers guided half-day, full-day or overnight kayaking trips within Sadie Cove and out into Kachemak Bay as well. Proprietors Marcee Gray and Willie Condon will also take you out in their sailboat if you ask nicely.

Bear Viewing and Flightseeing Tours

Bald Mountain Air Service (PO Box 3134, Homer, AK 99603; 800.478.7969; baldmt@ptialaska.net ; http://www.baldmountainair.com ) flies individuals as well as groups no larger than 10 in its prop-powered float plane over the remote and glaciated Kenai and Katmai peninsulas into the domain of Alaska's coastal grizzly bear for day-long excursions up close and personal. Tours run June-September. Owner Gary Porter has been flying visitors in to see the majestic bears for two decades--without incident!

Fishing Charters

Captain Bruce Warrner of Alaska Halibut Fishing Charters (P.O. Box 2807, Homer AK 99603; 800.478.7777; http://www.alaska-halibut-fishing-charters.com ) has been plying the waters of Homer and environs since 1986, and can customize the fishing experience for clients' needs in terms of boat size, crew, tackle, etc. Silver Fox Charters (PP Box 402, Homer, AK 99603; 800.478.8792; info@silverfoxcharters.com ; http://www.silverfoxcharters.com ) is another good choice for halibut fishing excursions. Meanwhile, Mike Bartholomew, AKA "Bart the Guide" (300 Woodside Ave. #2, Homer, AK 99603; 907.235.8389; woodside@alaska.net , http://www.homersalmon.com ) specializes in finding salmon runs in and around Kachemak Bay.

Sleep

While the Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge is the only staffed resort in Sadie Cove, DIY vacationers looking for more privacy can rent La Caleta, the private home of the owners of Sailwood Adventures (PO Box 15342, Fritz Creek, AK 99603; 907.235.5465; sailwood@hotmail.com ; http://www.sailwood.com ). The house, perched directly across Sadie Cove from the lodge, sleeps up to six, and includes access to a wood-fired sauna, not to mention Sailwood's kayaks. Nearby, the Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge (PO Box 960, Homer, AK 99603; 907.235.3905; tutka@xyz.net ; http://www.tutkabaylodge.com ) offers more luxurious amenities as well as access to similar scenery and activities.

And while in Homer, the Kiana B&B (58856 East End Rd., Homer, AK 99603; 866.235.8824; kiana@xyz.net ; http://www.akms.com/kiana ) offers incredible views of Kachemak Bay and the surrounding countryside while making for a warm and cozy base camp. Moose can often be seen wandering through the B&B's backyard. Owners Jerry and Lou Scholand are founts of knowledge about the area, and the breakfast table conversation can't be beat.

Eat & Drink

No trip to the Kenai peninsula would be complete without a stop at Homer's most famous landmark, the Salty Dawg Saloon (Homer Spit, Homer, AK 99603; 907.235.7204), where locals and tourists trade tall tales over stout microbrews. Two Sisters Bakery   & Cafe (106 W Bunnell Ave Ste B, Homer, AK; 907.235.2280) is the place to go in Homer for informal eating, with their sticky buns getting the nod from fishermen heading out for a long day at sea. Meanwhile, Seattlites in need of their fix can head over to Espresso Express (280 W. Pioneer, Homer, AK 99603; 907.235.3688) for a steaming hot Macho Grande Quad, a regular latte, or a pepper jack infused panini sandwich.