September in Alaska #15 -- Last Day, a Sun Day

After rain and mist and snow and clouds, the weather finally cleared. It was a gorgeous day on the Kenai ...

The Kenai in early fall

... possibly the clearest I have ever seen in Alaska ...

Pretty vistas

I was so gorgeous, I called Alaska Airlines to see if we could extend a day or two.

Glacier near Girdwood

But, unfortunately, the only seats left on any flights out were first class and expensive. It was beautiful, but not worth over $1,000 for a few more hours.

Trumpeter Swans

So, we headed north to Anchorage, repacked our gear, picked up some halibut to go and headed home with some great images and memories.

This is soooo Alaska!

People often ask us why we go to Alaska so often (that, in addition to asking if we are going on one of those ginormous, impersonal cruises - yuck).

It's because it is so big and so primal. While there is civilization ...

Petersburg

... most of Alaska is truly unspoiled wilderness ...

Somewhere in the Lake Clark wilderness

The mountains are big ...

Denali

The oceans are big ...

Eldred Rock Lighthouse

The rivers are big ...

Denali National Park

The glaciers are big ...

Glacier Bay

The animals are big ...

Coastal Brown Bear

The landscape is magnificent ...

Hatcher Pass

It's also a bit risky ...

Moose at close range, Denali National Park

With your ability to see what you want to see dependent upon weather ...

Haines

Scientific phenomena ...

Soldotna aurora

Luck ...

Red Fox, Denali National Park

Persistence ...

Humpback Whale, Frederick Sound

And, yes, money ...

There is cost to this

We love its vastness ...

The middle of nowhere is everywhere

Its solitude ...

The Brooks Range

Its uniqueness ...

Polar Bear, Kaktovik

And, the thrill when it all comes together.

Young Brown Bear, Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park

Unfortunately, Alaska is addictive. I am already thinking about the next trip.

Keep Exploring!

Trip date: September 10-21, 2015

September in Alaska #14 -- More About the Lodge

So far, I have concentrated on the bears at the Silver Salmon Creek Lodge. And well I should, because the bears were amazing.

Crimpy Ear and her cubs

But, I should say a few more things about the the SSCL because it was a great place.

The main Lodge

While relatively simple, the accommodations were lovely. Our little cabin was snug and warm. The shower water was hot. There were ample rubber boots and waders so you don't have to bring your own.

Scott on the beach sporting the Lodge's boots

The food was fabulous. Rick, who isn't even the regular cook, made all the meals. They even grow a lot in their own garden (must be fun to keep Bears out).

Left and top right photos: Scott Stevens; Bottom right: Silver Salmon Creek

Since were were there after the lodge would have closed (thanks SSCL for staying open), the staff was reduced to Dave, our guide; Rick, who acted as cook; Corey, another guide who was busy getting the lodge ready to shut down; and Oliver, the owner's son who flew in the second day. 

Corey, Dave and Rick

Oliver's plane

Dave told us that, during peak season, they have more guides so that guests can be split up into small groups. Obviously, 24 people in one place might disturb the Bears.

Funny Bear

We also met a Lake Clark National Park Ranger, who joined us on the beach for some bear watching.

I love it when Rangers still get excited about wildlife

The scenery at SSCL is gorgeous. 

What a view!

When the sun came out, we could see fresh snow on the surrounding mountains (the snow on the peak below melted again before we left). 

Look at that sky!

Fall was approaching, so the fields were golden, but the evergreens were green and lush. 

Silver Salmon Creek

For a Coloradan used to the devastation of pine bark beetles, lush evergreens are a treat.

A sleeping Bear

The salmon were still running and Scott and Dave went fishing twice. They caught (and released) an amazing number of fish in a short time (I think Scott caught eight in one outing). 

But, Bears kept arriving, so they had to move on. It is very important to NOT let bears take your fish because you don't want them to associate fishermen with fish. That could be very bad.

Nice fish!

SSCL offers other activities -- Puffin tours, boat trips, hiking, kayaking -- that we didn't do because of the lateness of the season and because we wanted as much Bear time as possible.

This is what we came for (not what the Bears came for)

We also introduced Dave to Spaceweather.com and that paid off: we had our third aurora display of our trip. 

More aurora

Not as spectacular as Soldotna, but we apparently missed the good stuff because we didn't hear Dave's first attempt to wake us). It was pretty decent in terms of aurora. 

The Big Dipper

I just love the Big Dipper, especially in Alaska, because it is featured on Alaska's state flag, which was designed by a 13-year-old boy for a 1927 contest.

Alaska flag

Even without aurora, the sky is magnificent. 

The Milky Way

SSCL is, as most Alaskan Lodges are, a bit pricey. But, remember, you are paying for accommodations, food, guides, park fees and air transport to the lodge. When you break it all down, it's not that bad. 

Silver Salmon Creek

We loved every aspect of our visit -- I can't think of a single complaint. We met Dave Coray, the owner, as we were departing. He flew in on the plane that came to pick us up. He was a a cheerful, gracious man and I cannot thank him enough for letting us visit.

It was hard to leave

The flight back was as lovely as the flight in, starting with a beach takeoff.

We got great views Mt. Redoubt, an active volcano, which is the highest summit in the Aleutian range. It's only 10,197 ft., but it rises practically from sea level, so it has over 9,000 ft. of prominence (say, compared to Pikes Peaks, which has about 7,000 ft. of prominence). Its last big eruption was in 2009 -- so, it's very active.

Mt. Redoubt

I also enjoyed listening to the conversation between Dave and our pilot, Natron's owner, Tim Pope. It was all about safety and Tim's reluctance to take as many risks as other pilots he knows. In a state with six times as many planes and 16 times as many airstrips per capita as the lower 48,  Alaska also has almost 2.5 times the number of airplane accidents per 100,000 hours of flying time. 

Natron Air plane

The high accident rate is a combination of weather, terrain and the number of small, private planes and non-professional pilots. Everyone in Alaska knows someone who died in a plane crash. So, it's nice to hear that your pilot is cautious. We landed (safely) in Soldotna and headed off for our last day in Alaska (well, partial day, our flight home was in 15 hours). 

Such a great place

Sad to leave, but what a great memory!

Me and my buddies

Trip date: September 10-21, 2015

September in Alaska #13 -- Go Pro Fun

Curious Bear

I recently got a Go Pro Hero 3, which I played with a little at home before the trip, including practicing using WiFi to activate it. Then, Scott gave me his Go pro Hero 4 (a better version) because he prefers to use his phone for video. 

So, I was all prepared to take some killer videos. The Bears at the Silver Salmon Creek Lodge gave me the opportunity. I did get some great stuff, but I learned a few hard lessons. 

One, and I learned this Whale-watching, Go Pro is VERY wide angle. It makes things look very far away. It is good for vistas ...

Distant Bear

But much better for close-up.

Second, I knew that WiFi eats battery, but I had no idea how quickly. So, I had to turn if off a lot. Occasionally, it lost the link and I hard to re-establish it. That's hard to do when you have a subject that's potentially deadly and may run away right in front of you.

What's this?

A good plan

Third, the WiFi reach is very limited. So, when we had everything working and we staked the Go Pro beside a dead salmon hoping to attract a Bear, I couldn't tell if the thing was on or not once I had backed a safe distance away

Once again, once a Bear shows up, you can't go check!

Fortunately it was on part of the time and I got three very cool videos. 

It is three separate videos instead of one because I kept turning it on and off without realizing it. 

The last was a gem (and yes, the end is edited; I don't think two minutes of sand before Dave retrieves it is very interesting).

Unfortunately, we couldn't get it to turn on when Crimpy Ear sniffed and licked the camera! 

The camera didn't turn on!!

Lesson learned, now I think I will just turn it on and not rely on WiFi for distant shots. 

Just walkin'

That's what we did for this cool walk-by shot.

And, I got another walk-by ...

Bear on the beach

... and some beach fun ...

Crimpy ear and her cubs

But, it doesn't compare to still photography.

I still like stills better

Trip date: September 10-21, 2015