July 18, 2008 -- Glaciers and 'DA' Bears

Today was a highlight of our trip.  We wanted to make certain that we would get to see some Alaskan bears!!  When we booked our bear watching trip, they asked if we would need fishing licenses.  So, we also got to do some fishing for Alaskan salmon on the same trip.  First, eight of us were loaded into a small seaplane and transported across to the western shore of Cook Inlet.  Here there is a nature refuge.

We had told our guide that the emphasis was on bear watching.  So after we landed in a lake at the Refuge, we boarded fishing boats from the plane, and went to the inlet where the creek connects with the lake.  This is where the salmon return each year to spawn, and of course, where there is salmon, there are bears!!  There were five of us in the boat, us, our guide, and fellow motorcycle riders who were staying in their trailer in Alaska for the summer.  (Their trailer is used as a motorcycle hauler/residence).

Our guide got our fishing boat situated so we would definitely see the bears -- there were about 7 fishing boats jockeying for position on the stream.  Even tho' we didn't have the best fishing spot, Ed caught 3 (daily limit for out-of-state licenses) and Bev caught one.  Our new friends also gave us theirs to take home.  There had been other catches for all of us, but Alaska law states that the fish needs to be caught with the hook in the mouth; so if the hook is attached anywhere else, then had to put the fish back into the water.

Best part of the trip tho' was the presence of the mother bear and her 3 cubs.

They came down to the lake twice throughout the day.  The first time was to just get a drink of water. 

 Then the next time they came down to eat.  When they were done eating, the guide said they would be coming our way.  We thought he meant on the land (which was about 50 feet away).  Instead, mother bear came into the water that was half way between us and shore.  WOW!!  We did get some good pictures of this. 

Mom took time to take a bath and then show the youngsters how to wash their ears

Much to our surprise because this wasn't advertised, after we left the lake where we were fishing, the pilot took us for a close up view of the Mt. Redoubt glacier.  They don't advertise this portion of the trip because they never know when the weather is going to cooperate.  Here is the view looking down into the glacier.  Mt. Redoubt had been dormant for a long time, so we were quite surprised  when we read in the 2009 paper that the volcano had beecome active again.

After the trip was over, we had to arrange to get back to Soldotna and arrange to ship the fish home.  We joked on the way back to the plane about me carrying the fish on the back of the motorcycle while we drove the 30 miles into town.  The other couple had their truck, so offered to drop the fish off at the processor.  The fish weighed out at 18 pounds; and they were in Fort Collins when we arrived home.

July 15-17, 2008 -- Seward

After leaving Palmer we originally had planned to pass thru Anchorage (knowing we would be there on the return trip), but had to stop and purchase a headlight bulb.  Gravel can be troublesome!  As a surprise we ran into one of the motorcycle couples that had been on the ferry when we left the States.

The ride from Anchorage to Seward follows the Seward Highway along the Turnagain waterway -- which is actually part of the ocean.  Unfortunately, the tide was out, so we weren't able to see any beluga whales.  The area is surrounded with glaciers.

We stayed at an Inn in Seward.  There was a shared kitchen and TV room and the bedrooms and baths are private.  The owner took care of the Inn and his wife worked construction during the day.  They had previously owned a boat and had lived on it for several years.

 We took the evening dinner fjord trip. That was wonderful. We were able to see several types of sea life. We saw a humpback whale with her calf, a school of orca whales, sea lions, puffins, sea otter, and, on land, a black bear. We were served a salmon dinner, and although rainy, we saw some beautiful seaside country.

They also took us to a glacier and it seemed very strange floating in the middle of large ice chucks. 

From Seward we traveled to Soldotna.  Leaving Seward we stopped at the Exit Glacier. 

We have adapted to driving in the rain.  Everyone has told us that it was a very strange summer for Alaskan weather with all the moisture.  While in Soldotna, we came across a 'chain saw craving' contest.  You wouldn't believe what they can make with a chain saw!!

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This is now in our livingroom!

July 9-10, 2008 -- Juneau

We left Sitka on a large catamaran through the ferry system to Juneau.  Took about 1/2 the time of the regular ferry and quite exquisite inside.  They didn't have any lodging, but the seating was quite comfortable.  Of course, there was beautiful scenery along the way.

Juneau was an experience within itself.  From staying in the oldest still-operating hotel to having five luxury cruise ships in port.  It was quite a range of experience.  We opted to have a room with a shared bath, but sharing it with the local residents caused us to upgrade to a private room the next night.  The hotel was quite quaint, located in the central historic portion of downtown Juneau.  There was a bar downstairs, but we were lucky that the noise didn't travel upward.  Parking in historic Juneau is "everyone fends for themselves".  One of the residents in the hotel drove a Harley, so he waited until a parking space became available and then we parked with 3 Harleys for the night.  Otherwise, Ed could park the motorcycle on the hill behind the hotel -- it would only take 83 stairs one way to access it  We were able to leave it in covered parking the next night.  There is a lot of history in this area.  We had a beer and hamburger at the Red Dog Saloon.  http://www.reddogsaloon.com/ 

Raining as usual -- we got up early the second day and drove out to the Mendenhal Glacier.  One doesn't realize how large the glaciers are until you get up close.  We were early enough that the first tour bus hadn't arrived.  Quite serene, and you could hear the sound of the waterfall.  There are a total of 47 driving miles in the Juneau area.  We managed to drive 70 with some backtracking from the glacier.  The town of Douglas is across the bridge, so we were also able to see Juneau from the other side of the bay.  That evening we had dinner at the Hangar Bar -- here we sat at the bar and watched the sea planes land.

Can you see the small plane!


 We actually had a reasonable boarding time for the ferry, so we took the Alaskan Brewing Co. tour. Quite interesting! They had expanded on a brew that had been brought over from Czech back during the gold rush days. The Czech had brought his own ingredients and the beer was stored in caves. Today, this is the fastest growing micro-brewery. They started delivery in Colorado recently -- might want to try the Amber, Summer Ale, or Smoked Porter if you get the chance. Because of their volume in sales, they are no longer considered a micro-brewery. http://www.alaskanbeer.com/