Gail South
Alaska 2007 at right
Birds photos are below
Tue—June 19, 2007—the alarm went off at 3:45 am, the taxi arrived at 4:30, and at 7 pm we landed at the Anchorage airport after a very brief stop in Seattle. We had had a snack at the Newark airport, a $5 scrambled eggs on the first leg of the flight, and a $5 turkey sandwich on the second. We were very tired and hungry. After a $20 12-minute cab ride, we reached the Copper Whale and our very pleasant room for the night. It’s actually two houses, connected by beautiful gardens, with a nice view of Cook Inlet. We rearranged our belongings in preparation for the flight tomorrow to Kodiak, then walked a few blocks downtown. The weather couldn’t be more perfect, low seventies and bright and clear. All the lampposts have beautiful hanging baskets and there seem to be parks everywhere. We stopped at the Alaska Tourist Bureau just as it was closing. Had a drink at the Orso in their beautiful bar to celebrate Jerry’s (63rd) birthday, then went to Sacks Café, where our innkeeper had made reservations for dinner. The food was good, but I was just too tired to enjoy it, so I had the remainder boxed and took it home for breakfast. It was as bright as noon when we turned in about 8:15, but I slept straight through until 7 am.
Wed—enjoyed a very nice buffet breakfast and faced another sunny day. We went to a fish processing place to bone-up on what our options would be when we catch our fill of salmon. Then we strolled back to the Alaska Museum and were very impressed with it. Art is on the first floor, permanent collection (mostly Alaskan paintings) to the left and special exhibits to the right. We were happy to find the Spirit of Alaska show with Inuit art, mostly sculptures, from the Heard collection. We also had a 45-minute tour of the second floor with a docent who explained a bit of Alaskan history. The Marx Brothers Café, a well-known Alaskan restaurant has a café at the museum, so we had a very good lunch there—fresh halibut salad and a smoked salmon sandwich with a cup of seafood chowder ($26). Stopped at the Fifth Ave. mall to pick up a few things we had forgotten, got back to the Copper Whale where we left the largest piece of luggage, got a taxi to the airport ($20) and boarded (45 minutes late) our Air Alaska flight to Kodiak. The Kodiak airport is small, so baggage claim was easy to find. We collected our packs, called the motel and arrived at the Best Western about 5:30. Made a few phone calls, then walked and walked, up and up, to the “Smokehouse” where we met Jackie who runs the fish processing business. We found out what we needed to know about how to prepare our catch-to-be. She gave us a frozen sample of smoked salmon and we walked and walked, down and down, to the Old Powerhouse Restaurant, where we sat on an outdoor deck in the glorious sunshine, with lots of bald eagles and gulls circling overhead and ordered wonderful fresh sushi and sashimi. When we had eaten our fill, we walked back to the motel and went to bed, still in the sunshine.
Thu—up at 6:45. Had a rather disorganized breakfast in the hotel dining room (but made good because we had our smoked salmon with bagels and cream cheese). Waited outside till a little after 8 for our van from Andrew Airways. We took off in a little yellow airplane for a 45 minute run to Afognak, where the whole crew was on hand to greet us. It’s in a beautiful location; we have a charming log cabin all to ourselves and are, apparently the only guests. After a quick unpack, at 9:30 we went down to the dock to begin our first day here. Before we got on the boat, a big sea otter appeared close in and kept us entertained for twenty minutes or so. Otto, the lodge Jack Russell, hates the otter and barked and barked, to no avail. I think the otter enjoyed tormenting him. Then we took off and, within the first hour, saw foxes (who gather on the shores at low tide to eat the goodies they find there), Dall porpoise, harbor seals, humpback whales, many, many horned and tufted puffins. Later on, we saw a river otter, mergansers, harlequin ducks, guillemots, a Sitka deer, lots more sea otters, everything but a bear and an elk. We tried fishing for red salmon with lures, but they were only interested in spawning. Then Jerry caught a nice halibut, and Gail lost a huge one. When we tried snagging for salmon we were more successful. I caught one and Jerry caught three. Then we came home for dinner of roasted elk and veggies, a nice salad, and homemade ice cream. Gail and our guide, Dana, went out in a little open boat to find more puffins, and Jerry and the boys went for halibut. Jerry didn’t catch any, but one of the guys who went with them did, and he gave his to Jerry.
Fri—good big breakfast at 8. Very slow internet connection. A bit cooler and greyer today. Left with Luke and visited the seal rookery, where we saw harbor seals, stellar seals, seal lions, and lots of sea otters. We saw 4 Common Eiders, 3 males and a female and some Marbled Murrelets. Stopped and caught lots of black bass on hooks with no bait—some were as old as Jerry. Then we came back and changed guides—Dana for Luke. Went back to the salmon snaggery where we finally mastered the art—at least Jerry did. I got one, Dana got some, and Jerry got some—ended up with ten to be smoked. Also saw a red fox. The photos will be better with a tripod. Got home to a delicious dinner of salmon and grilled vegetables with strawberry shortcake for dessert. I somehow lost all the photos from today.
Sat—woke up to drizzle. Dana smoked a lot of our fish. Stick-to-the-ribs breakfast, then off for more salmon fishing. Jerry wanted to get our limit (10) again, so we fished till 2:45 and got all ten. Choppy wet ride over to where we were to take our walk to see the bears. Saw several humpbacks jump clear out of the water. There were some Fish and Game people at the landing who said they had not seen bear the whole week they were there, so we came on home. Went out again on another walk through beautiful rainforest (Afognak is the northernmost rain forest in the world) with moss-covered trees and slippery slopes. Didn’t see any bears, but it was a great trek. Slid back to the boat and made it home by 6:15, only fifteen minutes late for Pam’s delicious chicken parm. We all ate our fill.
Sun—a bit drizzly and foggy. Caught some black bass for camp dinner, then went to the “waterfall” for a beautiful hike to look for bear. Saw a Wilson’s warbler but no bears. Went back to St. Paul’s and caught 8 salmon in 6 hours. Came back to camp for dinner and packed it in. Dana has been smoking our catch and it will be ready for transport on Mon. Visited a while with the “kids” in the dorm cabin.
Mon—Our plane was to leave at 9 am, but fogged in until about 12:30. Got to Anchorage and had a very good dinner at Simon and Seafort’s—I had halibut cheeks and Jerry had macadamia crusted-halibut stuffed with crab. This is a good restaurant right next door to the Copper Whale. The views over the harbor are beautiful.
Tue—it seemed to take forever for the car driver to arrive—we finally got on the Seward Highway about 11 o’clock. What a beautiful drive!! It’s 127 miles from Anchorage to Seward on the east coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Leaving Anchorage, the highway follows the north shore of Turnagain Arm (named because Captain Cook had to “turn again” when he reached the end) through Chugach State Park and Chugach National Forest, giving us a panoramic view of the south shore and the Kenai mountains. Great snow-capped mountains and roaring rivers. There were many signs warning people not to try and walk on the sand at low tide as it is actually powerful quicksand. We stopped at Indian Valley Meats to get reindeer sausage for lunch. Got to Seward and found our Alaska Saltwater Lodge. We have a tiny, dark room but the main lodge room overlooks the Resurrection Bay and I’m typing this and watching the eagles fly. We visited the Alaska Sea Life Center and enjoyed a great exhibit with sea lions, harbor seals, and puffins and sea birds. We had a fine dinner at Roy’s—halibut cheeks for me and planked King salmon for Jerry—boysenberry sorbet for dessert. We saw Dall sheep at two different locations along the highway.
Wed—Had a continental breakfast and left for our Kenai fiords tour. The day was beautiful and our captain and mate were great. We saw harbor seals, steller sea lions, black leg kittiwakes, glaucous winged gulls, humpbacked whales, orcas, puffins, sea otters, murres, marbled murletts. Stopped for lunch at Holgate Glacier, which calved several times as we watched. It was a very enjoyable day. We spent about 2 hours looking for, and finding, some lost kayakers. The owner gave us each $20 for the trouble. Dinner at Roys—halibut cheeks for Jerry and a seafood salad for Gail (with extra Parmesan chips).
Thu—Beautiful clear, bright, sunny day. Drove to Trapper’s Creek and the McKinley Mountain View Lodge. We are very fortunate to have had such wonderful views of Denali. Went down to Talkeetna, about 16 miles away, but found it to be a very touristy place and quickly returned. We had a decent dinner at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge with a SPECTACULAR view of the mountains at the Denali Lodge. Came back to our very pleasant room on the second floor in the back. Did a load of laundry and internet catch-up. Gail got up at 4 am and 7 am to tale panoramic views of the mountains.
Friday, June 29—drove north to the Denali Cabins (where we are to meet our bus for the trip into the park) with great views all the way. They tell us that the mountain is viewable less than 20% of the time, so to have two days in a row is wonderful. Had a soup and salad at the McKinley Creek Inn (they don’t seem to have much imagination about naming things here) and caught our bus through the park at 1 pm. After picking up some additional passengers at the train, we set off for our six-hour, 95 mile trip to the Denali Backcountry Lodge. We saw Dall sheep far off on the rocky mountain tops, a mother grizzly with three cubs, another grizzly closer by, two caribou, a pica, snowshoe hares, ground squirrels, a golden eagle. Our cabin is very nice, but our orientation dinner was mediocre, at best.
Sat—Breakfast, then a four-mile tundra (treeless) hike with very interesting conditions. Sort of like walking through snow or a sea of sponges. Our guide had much information about the geology and botany of the hills. One of our fellow hikers spotted a moose on the drive in, and Jerry found one while we hiked. We watched her for a good while. Saw a few sparrows—white-capped and American tree (which nests on the ground). After a good buffet lunch, we fly fished in the Eureka Creek behind the lodge—no luck. Took the “shuttle” to Wonder Lake where Jerry fished and caught one lake trout and then his line broke. Gail watched a male green-winged teal and got some good photos. After another dinner—delicious salmon, poor everything else, we went to bed.
Sunday, July 1—up at 5 am for our 6 o’clock bus out of the park. We paid our extra charges ($8 for a small glass of wine) and boarded. On the way out it was rainy and grey. We saw two bull moose, a caribou grazing in a field, some Dall sheep high up (hope we get to see closer ones at Sheep Mountain Lodge), and a few bunnies. Dropped the train passengers off and got to our car about 11:45. Had lunch at a small roadside stop and set off across the 134 mile Denali Highway. It was unpaved, but in excellent condition and was a beautiful drive, despite grey skies and occasional rain. We had magnificent views of the Alaska Range. A folder we had picked up at one overlook gave us interesting information about geology. Many of the roads were “eskers”, a sinuous ridge of silt, sand, gravel and cobbles that flowed within the glacier, confined by walls of ice. When the glacier melted away, these deposits were left as elongated mounds. They are flanked by kames (?) and kettle lakes, formed when chunks of glaciers broke off and were compressed to form small ponds and lakes. Many of the ponds contained waterfowl, and, although the light was poor, we were able to get some photos. Among the most interesting birds were the rough shinned hawk and the red-throated phalarope. The latter was at a “palsa”—road construction in 1957 cut into the partially collapsed palsa and initiated its deterioration. A palsa is a small dome-like frost mound, usually 10 to 20 feet high, containing peat. We also saw one moose. We thought we would have trouble finding groceries or meals, so when we saw a restaurant at the Tangle River Inn, we stopped and had their special, barbequed pork sandwich. When we arrived at our destination, Denali Highway Cabins, about 6:40, we were just in time for their famous four hour wildlife viewing float trip. It was raining and the mosquitoes were TERRIBLE. We had sprayed ourselves, but didn’t use our net hats—a mistake. Nevertheless, our guides, Audey and Jennie (also owners of the cabins) did a good job of pointing out birds—finally saw a big flock of American widgeons—and a moose. Can now differentiate between a spotted sandpiper and a solitary sandpiper. Saw Arctic grayling and spawning salmon. Home about 10:45—Jerry is exhausted. I worked on my pictures for a while, then to bed.
Mon—Jerry slept til after nine. Ate fruit and tea for breakfast. Then we set off fishing. Tried the place we put in last night and several other places on the Gulkana with no success. Jerry decided there was too much bear debris so we left. Had lunch at the place close to our cabin—rather rustic. Went up the Richardson Highway and saw some glorious scenery, including the Alaska Pipeline and Rainbow Ridge, then headed back to go and look for birds and animals. We saw Tundra Swans, Scaups, Northern Shrikes, a Willow Ptarmigan, Lesser Yellowlegs, Savannah Sparrow, a yellow warbler with a next full of babies, magpies and ravens. Jerry caught one grayling on a fly and lost a couple of others Had dinner (Reuben sandwich and spaghetti) at McCallum River Lodge. Home to do laundry and Jerry lost his new flies. One of them came back after the laundry.
Tue—Went back up the Richardson highway. Stopped at the salmon weir set up by Alaska F & G to strip eggs from the incoming salmon. We had stopped yesterday, and there were no fish, but there were lots today. They must empty the nets every other day. The Jerry spotted a male Surf Scoter, which was really beautiful. The weather is extremely changeable. Bright sunshine one minute, pouring rain the next. Went past the Rainbow Mt again. Saw more Scaups—still trying to get a good female. When we got to Delta Junction—it was a happening place—I went to the library to use the internet and Jerry bought some breakfast and lunch supplies. We had lunch at the Buffalo Diner (buffalo burgers—I have had more hamburgers on this trip than in the past year), then took the road to Tok and then the Tok cutoff, at the end of the Alaskan highway to our “elegant” lodging in Slana, the Hart D Ranch. We visited the Ranger Station and walked a couple of miles to see the salmon wheels, which were not operating. Had dinner at the Mentasta Lodge, where we will also eat tomorrow, as it is the only place within 100 miles.
Wednesday, July 4—slept a little late to try and cure my cold and sore throat inherited from Jerry. Had breakfast (strawberries we brought, fresh breakfast breads, juice, tea and coffee) and left for the 42 mile Nabesna Rd. Only the first 2.5 miles are paved and we forded raging streams and crossed lots of mud holes. The day began with rain, but we stopped at the Upper Twin Lake about noon and fished for (and caught) greylings. I got some good photos of birds, including a mother widgeon with chicks and some lesser yellowlegs. Had a wonderful picnic lunch under blue skies, fished some more and went the rest of the way to the end of the road. On the way back, we saw a female Northern Shoveler and two Ptarmigans with chicks. We also stopped at Rufous Creek and Jerry fly-fished for greyling and caught then until he was tired. I tried and would like to master this form of fishing. Dinner again at the Mentasta Lodge—roast pork w (too much) barbeque sauce, baked beans, potato salad and corn on the cob—a real Independence Day feast.
Thu—left in the rain and drove the Richardson to the Edgerton Road. Stopped at the Visitors Center to get recommendations for a hotel and called the Chitina Hotel and made a reservation. After thirty-three miles, we came to the unpaved McCarthey Highway, which we drove for 60 miles to the end and then returned. We saw lots of ducks and took lots of photos. Dinner at the hotel.
Fri—Left the hotel and ate our breakfast while watching the fish wheels and dip netters on the Copper River. Sopped at the very well appointed Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (the biggest in the US) Visitors Center and watched a video on the park—very impressive. On to Glenallen, left toward Palmer, stopping to photograph ducks, including a female surf scoter with chicks, to the Sheep Mt. Lodge. Our cabin is very nice, but this is the start of the biggest bike race in Alaska, and it is very congested and confused. Decided to skip the spaghetti dinned and went to the Long Rifle Lodge (with lots of stuffed animals) for a decent hamburger steak dinner.
Sat—Rained all day. Drove back to Copper Center for the First Annual Fireweed Festival. Very Americana, including a throw-the-ball-to-dunk-the-person. Didn’t see much, but had a very exciting off-road trip to Knob Lake. The bikers were returning as we did, so we waited and then had a very good meal (mushroom soup, prime rib and roasted chicken) at our Inn.
Sun—Drove south in the rain towards Anchorage. The Hatcher Pass looked very inviting on the map and in the Milepost. We started our ascent through a rolling Alpine setting. As we neared the top, thick, thick fog enveloped us—sheer mountain on one side and steep drop-off on the other. At the top, there was a State Museum of Mining, but it was too scary to stop, so we inched our way down out of the fog and into the city. Checked in at the Copper Whale, where our room was somewhat less than satisfactory—twin beds and the sink in the room. Did two loads of laundry and met our Discovery party. We walked to the Glacier Brewhouse where we waited a while for our room to be ready. Because of the wait, the restaurant offered us some complimentary appetizers. Then we had a nice meal and talked with our guide, Hugh Rose. He seems to be friendly and quite knowledgeable. There are six couples in the group, two of whom have been on Discovery cruises before. I have found 3 possible ivory sea otters for purchase when next we return.
Monday, July 9—Hugh picked us up in a van for our trip up the Turnagain arm (again) where we failed to see much, except some Cackling or Dusky Canada geese with goslings at Potter Marsh. Boarded the boat in the rain and were greeted with an assortment of delicious appetizers, oysters, smoked salmon, salmon dip and fresh fruit. Unpacked in our tiny, bunk-bed room (with the bathroom across the hall—a good-news/bad-news situation—close when needed, but also the crossroads for everyone else). Had spicy bean soup and foccacio for lunch and left about 1. Went through the Passage Canal and into Culross Passage to Port Nellie San Juan and the Nellie Juan Glacier. Alaska’s own unpopulated seacoast Yosemite with towering granite mountains, lush rainforest vegetation, countless rivers and waterfalls, and massive thundering glaciers. We anchored the boat and got into two skiffs, inflatable Zodiacs, to get closer to the iceberg. We saw lots of birds, Arctic Terns, Harlequin Ducks, Surf and White-Winged Scoters, Marbled Murrelts, Kittiwakes in a gigantic rookery, Oystercatchers. We saw harbor seals and sea otters, but not as close as in Afognak. At the colossal tidewater face of the glacier we saw one calving and a few rock slides. Unfortunately, it poured rain all the time and we were rather cold. When we decided to return to the boat, we discovered “crud” (that’s the technical term) in the gas and had to have the other boat tow us back. We were all ready for warmth and a drink. We weren’t wet because the boat has raingear and boots. Didn’t make for great photos, however. Matt had a great halibut dinner ready for us. We can’t understand why, if he can turn out such great meals in a tiny space, the meals were so bad at Backcountry Lodge. Sailed into Knight Island Passage and anchored at Masked Bay. Slept like a rock.
Tue—Raining again. Left after a delicious breakfast and headed through Dangerous Passage to Chenega Glacier (tidewater) and Tigertail Glacier (piedmont). The massive 200 square mile Sargeant Ice Field funnels ice down a wide mountain valley, forming a one-mile long, 200 foot high wall that topples giant blue chunks into the sea. We watched (and photographed) hundreds of harbor seals that make Icy Bay their summer home, using the floating ice as resting platforms and safe places for birthing. We also saw, far off in the distance several mountain goats. After lunch, Jerry fished and caught a halibut, then the rest of us went for a very wet walk to photograph wildflowers. When we got back, he had caught 8 or ten other fish, including a big halibut. As we watched, he fought and landed a 48-inch, 65 pound giant. We had beef tenderloin for dinner. Anchored on Knight Island at Lucky Bay and slept soundly.
Wed—Rained all day. Saw some humpbacked whales and some beautiful falls. Some folks went for a walk, but I decided to stay home. Anchored at Cedar Bay.
Thu—Woke up to a beautiful clear day with great reflections on all sides. Took kayaks (Jerry decided he didn’t want to go) and spent a couple of hours around Cedar Bay. We saw lots of eagles, including one chased by a pair of seagulls. A harbor seal and I played hide-and-seek—he was within five feet of my boat. We saw spawning chum (dog) and pink (humpies) salmon. After lunch we continued to see whales and found the noisy and raucous Steller Sea Lion “haulout” on a rocky island with lots of caves and nesting puffins. These entertaining creatures put on quite a display, some showing off graceful water acrobatics while others roar and bellow, or recline lazily on the rocky shore. The best sightings were of the puffins landing and taking off the sheer cliffs. Anchored at Cascade Falls.
Fri—Traveled the remote shores of Eaglek Bay and visited the oyster farm of Dave Sczawinski where we learned how he grows his crop. Jerry and I and the crew are the only oyster eaters on board, so we picked up a few dozen. Watched an eagle chase a kittiwake. Sailed out to the Dutch Group of Islands and found lots of tufted puffins. Much clicking of cameras. Then a flock of Surfbirds appeared. Our guide said they shouldn’t be here this season of the year. Up the Barry Arm, past College Fiord with its glaciers named for lower 48 schools, to view the Cascade, Coxe, Barry and Surprise Glaciers. Hundreds and hundreds of sea otters appeared with perfect light for photos. Anchored by the latter.
Sat—A group (not including Gail) made a fantastic decision to go kayaking up to the face of Cascade Glacier which proceeded to calf for two hours. Ice was jumping in the kayaks. From the boat, it appeared that the boats were closer than they turned out to be, but it was a wonderful experience for all. Those of us who stayed on the boat got some great photos. What a way to end a great vacation. After lunch and a four-hour sail, we reached Whittier and the van to Anchorage. I found the whalebone sea otter I wanted. Dinner at Orso and to bed.
Sun—Slept late, breakfasted and walked into town. We got some Christmas presents at the Saturday Market, lunched and came back to sit in the sun and read the New York Times (first in a month).
Mon—back to reality