Friday to Monday, July 29-August 1: Fish Camp Larry’s



We left Clam Gulch mid-morning after I took a a walk along the beach. My destination was a set of fishing buoys about a mile away  as I started out I noticed several halibut carcasses along the shore . The previous afternoon a fisherman had dumped a tote sized bin of fish remains into the surf as the tide was receding. Birds must have picked the clean, except for the head and tail. 

Our destination today is Larry’s Fish Camp near Anchor Point, a small community just outside Homer. Larry Braeburn is a friend and neighbor of Larry Nolen and Fishcamp Larry had invited us to stay at his place for a while  Fish Camp is set on 11 acres of mildly manicured forest just steps from the Cook Inlet  Fish Camp features a large metal barn (with shop and ample storage area for truck, boat, trailer, tractor, and more), two newer cabins, a wash house, fish cleaning station, room for at least six RVs, and The Pit. The Pit is Larry’s lounge and kitchen building set on 3x12 timbers brought south with him from his last job posting at Prudhoe Bay. 

The Pit is a central gathering point for whoever happens to be in residence at Fish Camp. The day of our arrival included Martin, a former coworker, and his wife Terry, family of Larry’s with four young children, and us. People are constantly coming and going because Fishcamp Larry is a king and generous guy who invites nice people to come stay a while. While here we lounged, helped a bit with painting one of the cabins, watch the family clean fish they’d dip netted up on the Kenai River, and took a sightseeing trip out to Soldovia on Larry’s fishing boat. The only thing we didn’t do was fish, Fishcamp Larry’s main pastime, because conditions just weren’t right to be halibut fishing. Wrong tides. Maybe next time.

The trip out to Soldovia took most of the day. The town is only accessible by boat or plane. It has an excellent museum on the waterfront and several restaurants. We did a little exploring before we sat down for lunch. Betsy, of course, found a geocache in Soldovia. Then it was time for a little more sightseeing on the return trip. 

Fisherwoman on the dock in Soldovia with her 43 pound halibut. 

The Soldovia Monument.

Larry and Betsy at the back of the boat as we leave Homer. 

The Soldovia Boardwalk. 

Larry driving the boat. 

Inside one of the many fjords along the coast. 

The day after Soldovia, Fishcamp Larry treated us to a fantastic dinner of halibut cheeks fried in garlic and butter, deep fried salmon covered in beer batter and Pablo breading, with fresh salad and smoked salmon dip. Both Larry’s are great cooks and the fish was amazing. I’ve never had deep fried salmon and was skeptical about it, but Betsy even liked it! I thought it was the best!

Deep fried Sockeye Salmon chunks. Yumm! 

Dinner in progress. 

Larry cooking. 

Halibut cheeks frying. 

We’ll be leaving Wednesday for Anchorage despite Fishcamp Larry’s offer to let us stay the summer. . In the meantime we’ll do a little electrical work on the cabin and see what else we can get into trouble doing around here. 

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