If I Were Going...: 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).