We said goodbye to Anchor Point this morning and to Homer last night. We were finally ready to depart our old home. Last night we had dinner with Jerry and Stephanie at a very nice local Homer restaurant overlooking Katchemak Bay.  What an enjoyable time we 4 always seem to have. It was sad saying goodbye to them but, at the same time, it was so good to have seen them after 20 years.

I have deliberately not talked about Anchor Point because our first venture to our old land was such a disappointment.  Homer, that has grown through tourism and population density, is still beautiful and liveable. Anchor Point, on the other hand, has grown as well but its populace seems to have no regard for the land. Only the Anchor River and Cook Inlet seem to have remained somewhat pristine. The fishermen populate both of these bodies of water along with the eagles and the sea gulls. Once you travel outside the main street, the once abundant forests are now devoid of trees and littered with dead cars and junk yards (and these are the places the people live – their homes). Our land has been  decimated by loggers, bark beetles and fires. Those who live on our old road use it mostly as a refuse pile for cars and abandoned houses . Michael and I tried to walk our land and hopefully get to where the house was or to the creek. After 10 minutes of trudging over downed trees and underbrush we finally gave up. You really can’t go home again.

Still we are in Alaska and it is unlike any place in the world. When I stood outside Jerry and Steph’s house overlooking Katchemak Bay and the mountains and glaciers, all I could feel was an amazing peacefulness. The quiet is deafening. Standing outside our motor home overlooking Cook Inlet and Redoubt, Iliama and St. Augustine volcanoes, I felt the same way. I’ve never experienced silence the way you can here in Alaska. Though our old home is no longer, our hearts and souls still live here.

Yesterday, Lily and I walked to the beach on Cook Inlet to watch the eagles and sea gulls cavort. On the way, I discovered an eagle’s nest. One of the adults was in a tree “talking”, a baby was in a nest and another eagle was sitting in one. How cool! Here are some images of these eagles.

Baby Eagle

"Talking" Eagle

Immature Eagle flying along the beach at Cook Inlet

Mature and Immature eagles on the beach at Cook Inlet

We are now in Seward, Alaska sitting in the shadow of beautiful snowy mountains. We are hoping to take a boat out into Resurrection Bay either tomorrow or Thursday.

Hallo Bay Bear Camp, located on five acres, is bordered on three sides by the Katmai National Park and on the fourth side by Shelikof Strait, about an hour by bush plane from Homer, AK.  After landing on the beach in front of the camp (a new experience), we were introduced to the camp & how we would go about observing the bears (and any other wildlife we might encounter).

One of the planes we flew in

The Rock in Shelikof Strait as seen from the camp

The owners have established an eco-friendly camp with energy generated by solar panels and wind mills. Their key objective is to provide the utmost safety for their visitors as well as to preserve the natural habitat for the brown bears – the largest land carnivores in North America.  Each morning, after a sumptuous breakfast, seven of us hiked out onto the beaches and meadows led by our guide, Brad. Our only protection from the bears was Brad’s expert knowledge and experience, his flapping raincoat when a bear got too near, and a flare when a bear got too too near. Otherwise, we were completely open and exposed to these giant brown bears. Most times we sat about 30 feet from them. We were so close we could hear the sound of their yanking the grass from the meadow and chewing it. In the evening, after an excellent dinner, we would again head out to the beaches and meadows to observe these awesome creatures.  We not only observed bears, but saw wolves, eagles, a sea otter and a number of other birds.

Clyde (otherwise known as scar face)

Clamming

Checking things out

Right now is the mating season and the bears are either digging for clams on the beach or grazing in the expansive meadows in the shadow of the mountains. Come July they will move to the rivers and falls for the salmon run. For hours, we sat silently, photographing their movements, observing the nuances of communication among and between them. We watched the aggressive bears bring the more timid to submission just through a look or a slight movement of the head.  Each seemed to recognize who was in charge. Both males and females would occasionally challenge the alpha bear (a HUGE male with many scars on his face & a chunk taken out of his shoulder – remnants of previous battles) by closing in on his territory only to back off when he took notice of them. Others would make a wide path around a group of bears just to avoid confrontation.  At one point, 2 bears suddenly started a chase heading directly at us.  We all stood up not sure what to do. Brad held us in place as the 2 charged within 15 feet of us running over the ridge and onto the beach.  As the adrenaline rushed through us we headed to the top of the ridge and watched the 2 continue their confrontation. With teeth bared and growls emanating from each, we watched them challenge each other for position. For a while, neither backed off. Then one stepped back, lowered its head and began to lie down. The other bear waited a minute and then slowly walked off, looking back several times before it returned to the meadow— on a path about 30 feet down from where we stood.  What a climax to an incredible evening. I don’t think any of us had been that close to a brown bear before.

The chase

The Confrontation

Here’s a short video of the bears:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1fpk5HXrmk

Our accommodations at camp were relatively primitive. We stayed in “cabins” equipped with a battery operated lamp (not very effective), small propane heaters, a large container of water for washing (sink with bucket under it), and a cot with a sleeping bag and pillow. Surprisingly the cot was relatively comfortable and the sleeping bag was perfect for the cool temperatures. The Galley, a much larger version of our “cabins”, was where we ate our meals, socialized or just hung out. No food was permitted outside the Galley and no one was permitted beyond a certain point in the camp without one of the staff. The only drinking water was from a spigot in the kitchen. The high tech outhouses had a sophisticated composting system and the showers were operated with a tankless water heater. We were provided with 3 wholesome meals each day plus cakes, cookies, coffee, tea and an assortment of snacks.  Believe me, we were never hungry.

The Cabins

We had no problem burning off the carbs during the strenuous hikes on the beach, through the brush and the mud and the hours of sitting in the cold and the wind. They provided us with knee high rubber boots for the times we had to navigate the deep mud and muck. All carried backpacks and camera equipment as well as raingear and additional clothes to accommodate the changes in weather. At times the chilling winds whipped through us. At other times the sun would come out causing us to shed our outer wear.  You never knew from one minute to the next what the weather would be. But there were always the bears, grazing and moving in their own world, not quite oblivious to us but definitely unthreatened. All the discomfort was worth being out there with these incredible animals.

When we arrived at camp on Friday, the 24^th, we had been scheduled to spend the night and return to Homer on Saturday. However, things are not that simple when you have to fly in small 4 or 5 seat planes over the water and the mountains. The weather was such that they could not get a plane in. On Sunday, the weather was iffy and one plane that started out to Katmai had to turn around. We were told that if we did not get out Sunday, the likelihood of getting out in the next 2 days would be minimal. Luckily, the weather cleared enough for a plane to get through and get us back to Homer.  Exhausted from our trip, we were happy to finally see the mountains and glaciers of Katchemak Bay.

That evening we had a seafood feast at our friends’ Jerry & Stephanie’s house overlooking the mountains & glaciers at the head of Katchemak Bay.  We feasted on shrimp, Dungeness & Alaska king crab with rhubarb cobbler (made from their homegrown rhubarb) and ice cream for dessert.  We drove back to the motor home tired, sated, and thoroughly   contented.

We celebrated the summer solstice with our friends, Jerry and Steph who we had not seen for 20 years. We originally met them at Starisky Campground outside of Anchor Point in the summer of 1973. Both had been drug counselors in Chicago and were in the process of building a log house about 15 miles outside of Anchor Point. We walked the 4 miles through muskeg flats to see what they were doing and immediately fell in love with the place. It was then that Michael and I decided that this is where we wanted to be.

August 1976 at Starisky Campground.

Here we are today.

Once we moved here, Jerry and Steph became our closest and dearest friends. For the 2 1/2 years we lived in Anchor Point the 4 of us and David and Mark shared so many incredible experiences–the building of our homes, the moose hunt, the cabin fire, the rigors of living in Alaska, the crazy things we did. It’s impossible to explain how intertwined our lives were.

Our visit to their home on the bluff in Homer–15 miles outside the town near the head of Katchemak Bay was exhilarating. We shared memories, laughed at our exploits as we read through my old journals and my mother’s letters and kept saying–“We must have been crazy!” The house that they built over a period of the last 20 years is beautiful with a spectacular view of the glaciers and mountains across the bay. We watched a pair of eagles cavort near their nest and followed the clouds as they moved across the mountains. We were so tempted to move back. I even started to think  that I could put up with Homer if I had a view like this.We dined on Jerry’s smoked salmon and grilled salmon and just reminisced. What a great way to celebrate the solstice.

View from Jerry & Steph's house

Eagle seen from Jerry & Steph's house

On the way back to the campground we saw 5 moose. A mother and twin calves were just outside our site–so close to us we could almost touch them. We sat in the Tracker and just watched them.  The photo was taken at 11 pm without a flash. At 11:30 pm I stood on the hill overlooking the Cook Inlet and watched the sun not set. What a day!

Mama Moose & twin calves

Yesterday Lily & I walked down to the beach along the Inlet and watched the eagles and sea gulls fighting over halibut carcasses. I plan to go back there this afternoon. It was a photographer’s field day. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching eagles (or moose).

Eagle being chased by gull

Eagle & gull

Seagulls on Cook Inlet

Tomorrow Michael and I will be taking a float plane to Katmai to view the brown bears and whatever else is roaming around there. We will be there overnight. I am so excited. Lily will be kenneled for this trip. Until then….

Today we went into Homer and were amazed at its growth. The population in 1974 was around 2,000. Today it is 5,551. Over 3.500 people have moved to this area in the last 35 years. McDonald’s, the first fast food chain, was built in 1983. There was a big battle as to whether it could have the arches. The arches lost. In 1986 they built the bypass that circumvents the old downtown area and takes you right to the spit. In addition, stores, shops, supermarkets, hospitals, clinics, and anything else you can think of have taken over the town. We drove to the top of the bluff where our cabin was and all we saw were multi million dollar houses overlooking a spectacular view. That’s one thing about Homer, the view is still spectacular with Katchemak Bay surrounded by snow-capped mountains and glaciers. Fishing is still one of its main industries but tourism is quickly taking over. The spit, which juts out 4.5 miles from Homer, is now cluttered with gift shops, restaurants, condos, camp grounds, fishing charters, and bars. We drove the length of the spit and the only thing that I wanted to take photos of, besides the eagles, were the old abandoned fishing boats. All the roads on the bluff overlooking the bay are paved and there are streets and houses everywhere.

View of Katchemak Bay from the top of the bluff where our cabin used to be

Abandoned boat on Homer Spit

Eagle with its catch on Homer Spit

Go to  That 70’s Blog and scroll down to the Homer, Alaska section and the letter to my mother dated January  12, 1975 to get a good picture of our life then and of the town of Homer.

Since we spent 5 days in Fairbanks I decided it might be nice to give everyone a brief idea of the city. Firstly, we had no intention of doing anything more than passing through Fairbanks and maybe checking out the Pipeline/Haul Road.  Cities are not where we are coming from when it comes to Alaska. That’s why we moved there in the first place—to get away from cities.

After 35 years there has definitely been an incredible change in Fairbanks. What we saw back then was a “one horse town” somewhat out of the frontier days. The pipeline was just starting to be built and pipe fitters, welders, construction workers and anyone else who thought they could make some good money were lined up and waiting at the union halls. Rumors spread that people were abandoning their children in Fairbanks in order to work on the pipeline. Crime was rampant.

Today, with an exploding population of 35,000 and a metro area of 99,000, Fairbanks is replete with expressways, big box stores (Sam’s, Wal Mart, Home Depot, Lowes), fast food operations (McDonalds, KFC, Subway), museums and lots of traffic. It is the home of the University of Alaska Fairbanks , Ft. Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base. Unlike Anchorage that is surrounded by mountains and Cook Inlet, Fairbanks is surrounded by rolling hills. Its Tanana Valley is an important agricultural center. But like any other place in Alaska, you can go 5 miles out of town and you are in the wilds. At least we were able to take advantage of that aspect of the area.

Now to our day. We made it to Anchor Point! But that’s for tomorrow’s post.

After 2 gorgeous, sunny, hot (yes, 70 is actually really hot here) days, the overcast skies and rains came.  As we traveled  down the Seward and Sterling Highways we were amazed at the quality of the roads (well paved and mostly 4 lane) and the amount of traffic both into Anchorage and going down the Kenai Peninsula. Coming out of Anchorage, we were struck by how wonderful it was to see Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm once more. Unfortunately, the views were diminished by cloud cover.  Hopefully we’ll catch them on the way back. After a grocery stop in Soldotna, we headed for Anchor Point.

Even though it was raining, we decided to make a side trip to Portage Lake to see Portage Glacier and the blue icebergs. We hadn’t been there since 1977 and remember a lake full of blue icebergs and even standing on and under the glacier. Today the glacier has receded to the point that you need to take a boat across the lake to see it. There were very few blue icebergs left. The scene was a little sad though still beautiful. I did get a shot of Burns Glacier that is adjacent to and slightly in front of Portage Glacier.

Blue iceberg on Portage Lake

Burns Glacier on Portage Lake

The clouds cleared and the rain stopped as we made it to our campsite on the Anchor River. I did manage to get a shot of an eagle flying overhead.

Eagle flying over the fields in front of our campsite

Tomorrow I’ll talk about Anchor Point, our old homestead and why “you can’t go home again”.

At 6 pm yesterday, after a full day of waiting and waiting, we departed Fairbanks. What a welcome relief to finally be on our way. We didn’t care how far we went, just so we were out of Fairbanks. We were exhausted from just sitting around waiting for parts to be delivered, parts to be welded and whatever else had to be done. We drove south for about 2 hours and camped at probably the worst campground yet, in Hely, Ak. It did not matter. We were on the road again and 11 miles from Denali Park.

We awakened to a beautifully clear, cloudless sky. We were hoping that, at long last, we would get to see the mountain.  About 8:30 am we stopped  along the highway so I could photograph a moose in a rather beautiful setting in a pond. (Yes, I know, another moose! But I don’t see too many of them in Wake Forest, NC  so as long as they are in range, I will continue to be awed and to photograph them!)

Moose on Parks Highway

We entered the park and drove the 15 miles allowed before you have to either turn around or take a shuttle. The mountain range was indescribably exquisite with a backdrop of blue skies and white billowy clouds. We stopped at the pull off where you were supposed to get the best view of Denali. It was smothered in clouds to the point that you could not even tell there was a mountain there. We were told that only 25% of visitors to the park get to see the mountain. We did, however, get to see some caribou way off in the distance.

A caribou in Denali Park

We left the park a bit disappointed but still hoping that we would get to see it on one of the pull offs on the way south. We were told that there were a few places that you could get a great view if there were no clouds. We tried 2 places—no luck—only a partial view of the north face.

As we continued south through Cantwell, I read in the Milepost that there was a Medal of Honor Loop at a rest area with an Alaska Veterans Memorial/POW-MIA. We thought we’d stop and take pictures of the memorial for our friends, Patty and John. There was also a final note about the rest area that there is a wonderful view of Mt McKinley from the entrance of the memorial. So we pulled in. Unfortunately, there was really nothing to photograph regarding the memorial. However, the clouds had lifted and there it was! Wow! What a sight.

Mt. McKinley/Denali

With our day made, we headed on to Wasilla (Sara’s hometown) through amazing scenery and are camped for the night. Tomorrow we will go through Anchorage and head down the Kenai Peninsula.

After 2 days of constant rain the sun finally came out. On Wednesday we sat around and read, did laundry and did some food shopping. About 8:30 yesterday morning we took off for the Chena Hot Springs.

This well paved 60 mile road through the 270,000 acre Chena River State Recreational Area parallels the Chena River. With virtually no one on the road, we drove on and off just about every dirt road that intersected with it. We went into all the trail heads, waysides and campgrounds exploring the river beds and ponds stocked by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. All these roads were dirt or gravel and stone and some were partially flooded from the recent rains. Gradually we made our way to the hot springs where the road ends. It was filled with tourists. So we circled through there and made our way back to a picnic area we had explored on our way up the highway. We sat by the rapidly moving river and enjoyed a long lunch. All along we watched for moose and eagles. We did spot an eagle sitting on the edge of the river but it took off as we got close. But no moose.

Check out Lily in the back seat!

As we worked our way back toward Fairbanks, Michael spotted a moose on the side of the road. It didn’t bolt so we got out and I photographed it while it leisurely ate leaves and occasionally glanced in our direction. Then Michael spotted a calf further back in the trees feeding on leaves. Slowly it worked its way closer to its mother and came into an open area where I was able to photograph it. What an incredible sight watching this very young calf. Eventually mom stopped eating and gave us one of those long stares. We weren’t sure of her intentions so we backed off and returned to the car.  That scene had made our day.

baby moose eating

Mama & Baby

However, Michael was not finished taking the side roads and on one of these we saw a bull moose in the water. Fortunately we were not as close as we were to the cow and calf because this bull was really wary of us. I stayed in the car and shot from the opened window. He realized we meant no harm so continued dredging  the pond he was in of grasses and roots. Again, a beautiful site to see. No eagles but some really great experiences with moose.

Bull Moose

This morning we took the motor home back to the mechanic to get it repaired. If all goes well, by noon we will be on our way south. We should make it to just outside of Denali and camp near the park tonight.

The verdict is in. We have a cracked exhaust manifold. We could travel with this but we’ve decided to  get it fixed. It should be repaired by Friday and then we’ll start to head south.

In the meantime, we’ve been biding our time in Fairbanks. Yesterday rain pretty much kept us indoors so we just laid around and read. I am constantly amazed at how comfortable our living quarters are. One would think that two people and a dog, living in a 36 foot motor home with one bathroom for extended  periods of time, would begin to feel claustrophobic and cramped–especially coming from a 4,000 square foot house with 4 bathrooms. Even when we have all the curtains closed, the motor home still feels spacious and easy to move around in, to sit and read, watch a movie or TV or even go into the bedroom to read or work on the computer. Or take a nap or go to sleep.

Today the sun shone and the temperatures went into the mid 60’s. Since we decided not to attempt the pipeline road, we knew the only place we would be able to see muskox and caribou/reindeer was at the Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station, operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  This facility studies and breeds muskoxen,  reindeer and caribou and opens to the public in the summer. The muskoxen were so cool to watch.

2 muskoxen

What a great face!

Caribou

We took some short drives around Fairbanks and stopped at Fox, Alaska at the intersection of Alaska Highways 6 and 2. It is nothing but a gas station, grocery/liquor store, bar and bakery.  The bathroom is an outhouse. However, besides the gas, we bought 2 delicious sausage, egg and cheese biscuits,  the best  chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies to date and Michael’s favorite—homemade rhubarb pie. We picnicked at the Chena River Recreational Park. There I found a white crowned sparrow, an American Wigeon and a nesting raven. We sat at a picnic table, read, walked along the river and just enjoyed the beautiful day.

White crowned sparrow

American Wigeon

Tomorrow we plan to take a ride to the Chena Hot Springs, about 60 miles outside of Fairbanks. We’ve been told it should be a very scenic ride. Don’t know if we’ll try the hot springs or not.

“Slow for frost heaves” the Milepost warned us in red letters as we traversed the Tok Cutoff and the Richardson Highway. We needed no warning as we bumped and bounced and swayed for at least half of the 270 miles we covered yesterday. Lily gave up sleeping on the sofa after she was tossed off of it several times. Cabinets flew open and items inside them clanged and jiggled as we rode.  I would have been thrilled to have found a chiropractor and a masseuse waiting for me at the end of the ride. The saving grace was the magnificent mountains, gorgeous lakes with ice still on them, the winding rivers and the trumpeter swans.

Gulkana Glacier

Rainbow Mountain

Summit Lake with ice on it

According to our Audubon bird book, the trumpeter swan, one of the largest birds in North America, numbers around 6,000 with 4,500 of these in Alaska. We saw 4 and I was lucky enough to catch 2 in flight. Their honking sounds were amazing as they flew across a lake and past snowy mountains. That experience alone was worth the misery of the ride. However, riding past Summit Lake, the Gulkana Glacier and by Rainbow Mountain overhsadowed all the unpleasantness of the day.

2 trumpeter swans

The past 2 days were spent in what we both felt was one of our favorite campgrounds, Sourdough Campground in Tok, Alaska. The camp sites were treed and large allowing for comfort and privacy. The owner was delightful and the reindeer chili and sausage were excellent.  There was something about the atmosphere and the people we met that made the place so enjoyable. We met a young man from Anchorage who was beginning a bicycle trip to Argentina and two bushy bearded brothers from Phoenix who were on their 8^th fishing trip to Alaska. They were right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. I so wanted to photograph them but they took off before I had an opportunity.  In fact, there was even “entertainment” on Friday night. The main attraction was a tall, white bearded singer by the name of Dannylee Whittle.  Attired in black pants and shirt, string tie, boots and black cowboy hat, he presented a Johnny Cash night with recorded music he sang to. The 20 or so campers in the audience applauded his renditions and seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Dannylee  even had his own “June Carter Cash” join him in a couple of numbers.   He also does weddings and get this – funerals!

Dannylee Whittle singing

"Johnny & June"

I guess I won’t be shooting any spectacular sunrises and sunsets since there aren’t any. It is virtually light out 24/7 with the sun setting around 12:30 am  and rising somewhere around 3:30 am. It has been a bit tough getting used to, especially when it comes to going to sleep, but we seem to be adjusting. I have been told that people gather in Fairbanks on the 21^st to celebrate the summer solstice.  It’s supposed to be akin to Mardi Gras. Hopefully we’ll be somewhere else at the time. We now sit in a campground in Delta Junction on our way to Fairbanks.

Change of plans. Originally, we were  going to set out from Tok tomorrow for Anchorage and then the Kenai Peninsula and Homer. However, it looks like we’ll have to redirect to Fairbanks to get the motor home fixed. Michael thinks there’s something wrong with the engine and Fairbanks is the closest place we could find that could fix it. Our appointment is on Tuesday so we’ve had to regroup. Tomorrow we’ll continue on the Tok cutoff for a campground that sits on a lake and has a view of the Wrangell Mountains.  The Milepost says that it is “in a beautiful wilderness setting with wonderful views”. I think we can handle this for one or two nights.

Spent today doing laundry and working on some of my images. Nothing really new since we left Atlin.  Atlin, for its small size, was incredibly rich in culture as well as beauty. While driving around the town we came across the local cemetery. This proved to be both historical and interesting. Most headstones dated back to the late 1800’s and many actually gave the cause of death on the headstone. (Be sure to click on the images to enlarge so you can read them .)

Sign at entrance to cemetary

gravestone #1

gravestone #2

gravestone #3 "Gentleman Adventurer"

We also drove around a now abandoned mining town outside of Atlin called Discovery.  It virtually does not exist except for old mining debris, dismembered log cabins and refuse. This is where I found the old pickup. Couldn’t resist a little HDR. Also, I couldn’t resist another view of Atlin. Enjoy!

Old pick up truck

Atlin Lake-early evening