August: Back Home and Reminiscing

August 2010: A look back on our EPIC month: The Yukon Territory’s slogan is “Larger than life.” That’s how I think of Alaska too. After a month, it was time to come home but I still think about where I’d like to go next, in Alaska. I’d love to do some fishing. And visit some remote islands, maybe even the Aleutian chain. But mostly, I’d like to pick a few places and just sit still and enjoy. Alaska is fascinating for its many facets. For its vastness and its endless temperate rainforests and arctic tundra. For the glaciated mountains and beautiful coast. For the rich fisheries and the over the top wildlife. For it’s native Alaskan cultures and its Russian heritage, and even for its modern day culture that seems 50 years behind the rest of us. I’m so glad we went!

Portland Canal, Hyder AK

Ubiquitous Fireweed - This ought to be the state flower

7/30 - 8/8: 4000 miles to go!

Friday July 30 to Sunday August 8, 4000 miles in 10 days: John and I made a rule for ourselves: 400 miles a day, every day! It was long and hard, but it worked and we got home just in time for work and marching band practice on Monday morning. We travelled through so much territory, all of it so tempting to explore. But mostly, we didn’t stop and now I’ve got to go back and spend some time in the Yukon and British Columbia - and more Alaska, of course!

We were escorted through a British Columbia forest fire...

We did make time for one more foray into Alaska. Hyder is a southeastern Alaskan town that’s surrounded by British Columbia. The road into town is spectacular in the usual Alaska way. We passed below glacier after glacier and breathtaking water falls tumbling out of the glaciers to the lakes along the road. At the road’s end is Stewart, BC and Hyder, side by side, facing the end of a very narrow fjord called the Portland Canal. Chum salmon swim up fish creek from there, and we drove up to the viewing platform along the creek, hoping to watch bears catch salmon. The salmon were all over and beautiful to study from above. A few dead and partially eaten ones were along the creek’s edge. But the bears we saw were on the road rather than in the water. Maybe it gets to be too much of a good thing!

Border crossing from Stewart BC to Hyder AK is not a big deal.

Chum Salmon in spawning colors

Chum, after the bears dine

That morning as we drove towards Hyder, we had 2 very exciting bear crossings on the highway and I thought to myself, what are these cubs doing without their mothers? That evening, on the way up the gravel road beside Fish Creek, another bear ambled out onto the road in front of us, followed by her 2 cubs. They took their sweet time, and one cub sat down and scratched. It suddenly dawned on me. The bears I’d seen earlier were adult black bears! They’re about ½ the size of browns (or grizzlies) and by comparison they look pretty cute and cuddly.

7/29: The Kenai's West Coast

Thursday July 29, Kenai City or bust: John and I reluctantly agreed that we would have to begin the long drive home on Friday in order to be back in Fort Collins by August 8. So, we all decided that one more beach town destination was in order before our 2 families parted ways. Our friends had another week of fun planned, including a pontoon plane trip to stay at a bear camp in Katmai National Park. We drove back north, up the Sterling Highway along the Kenai’s west coast. It seems that almost all the roads in Alaska are called highways, and most are named after someone. Maybe this makes sense in a state that has only a half dozen or so major thoroughfares. Each one is a big deal – why not name them?

We took a short break at the Russian Orthodox Church on the ocean bluff outside of Ninilchik. The Father was gone fishing, so the door was locked but I chatted with a local guy who was working in the church’s cemetery, repairing his uncle’s grave site. He’d grown up in Ninilchik, but lived in Homer now. Russian surnames are still everywhere in this part of Alaska.

For lunch, we stopped at Clam Gulch and after a quick bite, we (you guessed it) tried some clam digging. The tide was unusually far out and we walked along the water line looking for the air holes of razor clams, shovels in hand. After absolutely no luck at all, Fei spotted some clammers up ahead of us and waded through a creek to get some advice. They had a bucket full of the elusive creatures and told her to dig very fast, then reach down and pinch with your fingers. Razors apparently can move away quickly. Soon thereafter, Fei caught a clam! The rest of us didn’t seem to have the knack. The returning tide and more rain sent us back to our vehicles.

Our final night together was north of Kenai City at a tranquil and beautiful campground right above the beach. As we circled the campground, looking for 2 good spots next to each other, a little quail-like bird crossed the road and stepped into the bushes. I grabbed my bird identification pamphlet. Cool! I’d spotted a Ptarmigan – Alaska’s state bird. We had a great night. After feasting on king crab legs, smoked salmon and steak, the boys built a bonfire on the beach and we all gathered round. A fitting way to celebrate the end of a remarkable 3 weeks.

7/28: To Seldovia

Wednesday July 28, What the heck - why not one more boat ride: Across Kachemak Bay from Homer, there’s a quiet little fishing town called Seldovia. So this morning, we all boarded a tour boat to go explore a town that can’t be reached by car, as well as grab another chance to spot wildlife on the water. After seeing the usual hordes of beautiful seabirds, a dozen sea otters and one not so shy harbor seal, we were dropped off at Seldovia’s harbor, with 4 hours to spend as we wished.

Seldovia was founded by the Russians in the late 1700’s, and a Russian Orthodox church still stands on a hill above the harbor. We found a cramped little bookshop/café and had a break on the deck overlooking the Seldovia Slough. Looking down on the water, we watched a lone salmon making its way upstream at low tide. It was a big fish in very shallow water and its dorsal fin stuck out above, making him easy to follow. We found a hiking trail just behind the town’s school called the “Otterbahn”, originally constructed by high school students. It took us through a high canopy of very tall Sitka Spruce and at eye level, berry bushes were everywhere along the trail. Salmonberries and blueberries and strawberries. And the occasional pile of bear poo. We all like berries! The trail ended at a gorgeous beach cove, and we stayed to enjoy the water, sand and tide pools.

7/27: Biking Homer

Tuesday July 27, Biking around town: We camped in a city campground abut ½ mile uphill from the main street and it was easy to get everywhere by bike. First stop was the Pratt Museum just down the hill. It’s a beautiful medium sized collection of fishing history, wildlife exhibits and the works of local artists. For most of the 20th century, Homer was a salmon fishing and canning town. Now, tourism is the main draw, including many tourists who come for the salmon and halibut fishing. The halibut are huge, often 70 or 80 pounds each! Mark and I spent the better part of a day pedaling around and shopping. The Homer bookstore has a really good selection and I picked up a history of the Russian exploration of Alaska. Then we rode out along the Homer Spit – a narrow sandy bar of land that extends more than 3 miles out into the bay. The boat harbor and most tourist activity is along the spit, and it’s very entertaining. It reminded Mark and me a little of Santa Monica and Venice beaches in Southern California, Alaska style. Bald eagles hang out on the driftwood and in dead trees, I suppose on the lookout for not so giant fish. There’s a constant stream of single engine pontoon planes landing and taking off from the airport next to the spit. It’s a happening place! After finding some souvenirs and ice cream, we headed back to camp and it seemed a lot farther pedaling back than going out. We had a beautiful moonrise over the glaciers and Kachemak Bay that night.

7/26: Exit Glacier and a few hours' drive to Homer

Monday July 26 Over to Homer: Leaving Seward, we made a stop at Exit Glacier, the only one in Kenai Fjords National Park that's accessible by car. Yes, it's called Exit, because it's often used as a path to leave the gigantic Harding Ice Field that feeds all of the glaciers in the park. At first, I didn't understand the highway signage announcing an Exit! Trail construction up to the glacier is constant, as the ice melts back 20 or 30 feet per year.

The town of Homer is on the southwest side of the Kenai and gets about ½ the rain of Seward, and so we drove with hope through the rain across the deeply wooded peninsula, along the Kenai river. This river is world famous for the fishing, especially for the world’s largest king salmon. We drove down into Homer just as the rain stopped and the clouds lifted enough to see the glaciated valleys and snowy mountaintops across the Kachemak Bay – a spectacular view of the western extent of Kenai Fjords. Homer is a neat little city and we stayed put for 3 days!

Photos of Northwest Glacier

Waterfall into the Ocean

Top of Northwestern Fjord, with tidewater glacier

Seals, Hauled up on the Ice

Northwestern Glacier, calving