Tunnels, Kuilau RIdge Hike and Ke'e - July 4th 2009

We started the day early to go snorkeling in Tunnels Beach. The reef was beautiful and a highlight was was one huge trumpetfish that changed color right in front of my eyes from blue-gray to blue-green. I think it just woke up and started cruising along the sandy floor. In general the reef was busy. Al these fish was heading to the same part of the reef to nibble of the coral. A very good way to spend the morning. Coming back to the beach was tricky with the very shallow reef and the low tide. This site is best at high tide.

On return, R again motivated us to go an hike - the Kuilau Ridge trial. This trail is absolutely delightful for the effort you put in. It was drizzling for most of the time on the trail and it was oh so green and varied all the way. On our return we found an interesting gecko type bug on a rock.

Today was sunset and snorkel day again. We went back to snorkel in Kee. I saw the turtle, the tiniest of eels, and HumuHumunukunukuapa'a. On our return to the car, R found a key and went back to the beach to find the owner. He was so overwhelmed that he sponsored a lot of our very expensive dinner that night at the sushi place in Hanalei. A fulfilling day indeed!

The adventure of the Wailua Falls, Kumao and Kee! July 3 2009

We couldn't believe we had gone for so many days without seeing the famed Wailua Falls. So we made it a point to make it our first stop today. The stop soon turned into a hike, when fellow visitors told us that they had done the hike safely with kids. The mention of kids completing the hike spurred us into action and we took the longer trail away from the viewpoint based on hearsay. First we went down the steep mountainface and were soon at the river. This is where the concept of the trail gets murky and G crossed the river with great difficulty and moved on to find the likes of a path. We skirted the "banks" of the river (narrow foot hold spaces between the river and the mountain). We realized there is no way but to cross the river. R and I boulder hopped and hopped ... hoping not to wet our feet all the while scolding G for abandoning us. Midway (this was a long time later) in the stream, I gave up and just waded with my shoes on. It sure was liberating. R took a different approach, left his shoes midway and waded across.

After some not so trivial bushwhacking, G called out to me. He had been diligently exploring all possible options and could guide us well towards the falls. At this point, I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into since we were the only people around. We had to cross the river again and bushwhack and boulder hop some more before we came to idyllic setting of the falls and the river running from it. There was another family who had taken the much much shorter trail that goes straight down from the viewpoint. The pool and the falls were a befitting reward for all those mental and physical challenges we faced :-) It was an obvious choice that we would take the much shorter trail back but R's shoes back midway on some boulder in the river posed an obstacle. G hiked back to get them while I got some extra pool time. It is shallow for a long time and swimming in the deeper portions in not recommended as the THE (falls) force could suck you in.

We hiked back through the much shorter, fairly steeper trail to the viewpoint and walked back on the road to the starting point only to find a note from D which said she's parked at the viewpoint. We retraced our path and had some very sweet low acid pineapple sold by a girl from a truck. Morning had slipped by us. We drove to the end of Kumao road stopping Opeaka'a falls, the Wailua river lookout and Kauai Hindu temple. We saw the Powerline Trail beginning and in general the Keahua arboretum was a nice place to stop. Wailua river lookout was also eye-popping.

We drove back to Kee beach to catch sunset. G on a whim decided to go snorkeling while R set up his gear (no pun intended - an inside joke :-)) for some very good sunset shots. Lucky G must have snorkeled for not more than half an hour and ended up seeing an octopus change color from brown to blue to gray and a turtle as well.

Falls, falls and Spouting Horn - July 2 2009

We started the day fairly late and visited the Ho'opii Falls. We only visited the Upper Ho'opi'i falls as it was our recovery day :-) R sweetly reminded me that I am yet to make any arrangements for our last night stay and so we took a rather time consuming detour the Kaui county office to secure our camping reservation at the only available campground - Haena Beach Park. It was easy but there was a wait before our turn and the process is fairly slow. D&R were of course engaged by newest (i)possession.

After lunch at a Chinese restaurant, we made our way to Shipwreck beach in the south shore hoping for some boogie boarding action. The wave were high but sloppy and so I was just going to a relaxing sleepy mode on the beach when R suggested we keep moving. So we drove over to Kipu falls whre people were jumping into the falls. I so wanted to do it but was not confident enough. But we did enjoy a nice private soak in the river rapids away from the tourists and touristy action.

Spouting Horn was very cool with all the rainbows but I felt so sad that the sugarcane plantation guy was callous enough to destroy a 200ft blowhole that would have dwarfed the Spouting Horn. The water fountains up to different heights and sprays and makes for good watching and picture taking. Sunset at Poipu at the resort was not something to write home about but motivated us to search for better sunset spots for the next few days. We had dinner at a new Mexican place in Kapaa. Taro leaf enchiladas were quite memorable.

Hike to Hanakapai'ai Falls - July 1 2009

Until we started the hike, we were debating about it. So we got a fairly late start and hit the trail at 9.20 AM. It got steep fast and soon we were looking down on Ke'e beach on one side the Na Pali cliffs on the other. Views were intermittent and trail was mostly rocky and foresty. We must have hit the trail (and in fact, Kauai) in one of its drier spells. Soon we started crossing streams and the trail was as steep as ever. Two hours later I was at Hanakapai'ai stream where I had to remove shoes to get across (while forgetting my pole behind!) Then we had to hop on what seemed like zillion boulders on bare feet to get to the beach. But the beach was very serene and though we spent half an hour it felt like nothing. All it did was rest our feet a little bit before we continued on. We soon entered the "woods"-bamboo groves, huge mango trees among others and the stream running right alongside and below us. I am not sure we gained or lost a lot of elevation but footing was tricky. After a few stream crossings, the path narrowed considerably while become slippery with mini-waterfalls. We came to yet another stream crossing and realized we had to go further to reach the falls. This stream crossing was tricky and so was the trail beyond. Soon we were boulder hopping full time to behold the 300 ft of water gushing down to a VERY cold pond below. I hadn't come this far to give in to coldness so I jumped right into the pool. One regret I will have is that I chickened out of swimming over to the waterfall like some folks did. No biggie though... We had our very dry cold sandwich from the Princeville Mart before we had to turn back. The hike back was okay but long. We rested a little bit by the Hanakapai'ai stream by the beach. After picking up Dhruva we headed over to Pasta Buffet where they were extremely surprised at the number of pasta plates we ordered at our table. What do they know! We deserrved every morsel we ate.

Albatross, Waimea and the rest of the west ... (Kokee is the best) June 30 2009

Based on inside information from our new hiker friend, we went to the street in the neighborhood where an Albatross chick was roosting(?) There it was right in someone's front yard (lucky them!) one of the biggest birds I have ever seen. After some quick pictures without getting too close, we headed to the west.

By the time we reached Waimea, we decided to pack some lunch for our time in the state parks. We chose a pasta salad and a wrap from the limited vegetarian options in the store there. We started seeing parts of the Waimea canyon from the highway. One of the surprise sights on entering the park was the waterfalls on bright red rocks - something I wouldn't have even dreamt of before I saw it. We stopped in many of the viewpoints to view the canyon, the Waimea river and the Waipio falls. After lunch, we headed up to Kokee to be treated to a grand view of Na Pali from the start of the Pihea trail. It is quite unforgettable and worth the entire drive up there from the North even. The trail was dry and we could have taken it if we wanted to. The campsites and the lawn near the museum is very inviting.

After sufficient gawk time and pictures, we headed further west to Polihale beach park where we really did not spend much time. The sand was still hot and we could see the beginning of the Na pali coast. The sand dunes were not as high or impressive as I had imagined. On our way back, we stopped for shave ice which true to Blue Book's word, was very yummy. We discussed a lot before stopping at the Glass beach and all the wave action past the cemetery. THis was truly beautiful. While we couldn't make out all the caves and formations eaxctly as the book says, just the random blow-holes, air-holes, rock and wave scenery was awe-inspiring. And what the ocean has done to the the glass at the Glass beach is also surprising. No wonder there are no warnings about glass cutting your feet. The ocean seems to have taken care of that bit by rounding and polishing every piece that's washed ashore, The sad thing was that we saw many people (who didn't look like tourists) harvesting these jewels at a rate that would leave the beach glass-less that very night. We had great Thai food at Mema's in Kapaa.

A relatively relaxed day with unforgettable scenes for the mind's memory eye.

Na Pali by sea and snorkeling, Sleeping Giant on foot, and the Kealia waves on the board June 29 2009

A real early start ... Checked in at 6.45 at Napali Catamaran in Hanalei where we were treated to pastries. Talked to them about the blue book which they really liked but were a little disappointed that the book gave them second place after 5 years of being first and in fact handling all the bookings for the now number 1 company. I felt sad too especially after the trip. I knew these people really give their best and do a good job. Why rank just for ranking? Keep two companies equal if they deserve it ...

The tour narration basically points sights of interest along the coast. In 15 minutes we see sea caves and waterfalls gushing right into the ocean and even waterfalls in caves. Soon we were in a sea cave - dark and deep (with dirty secrets? :-)) I thought this was it - but further along the coast, we entered another cave (?) that leads to a hong (as they call it in Thailand) with no ceiling and cliffs on all sides. I really enjoy this (both in Thailand and here) Check this out, there is a waterfall at the entrance of the cave that sprays on you as you ride by. The scenery changes from lush to leeward revealing the drama of the sheer drops and jagged ridges in lovely hues of red. Soon we passed by Kalalau beach and Nualalo to snorkel and we see a turtle bobbing up and down the gentle surf. Otherwise snorkeling was mediocre. Some fish near the boat that they fed (I wish they don't) 2 reef patches one towards the shore and one diagonally away with the usual underwater suspects. Of course G saw a white tipped reef shark and led me there but I guess it didn't like me much. Never saw it. R was enamored with a parrot fish like we all are on of first visit underwater. They served good sandwiches, sides, drinks and the sweetest pineapple. The return ride was fast and bumpy so take all your pictures on the way in.

On our return back to port, we bought a low acid pineapple from the Hanalei Shopping center for 5 bucks. Some say its expensive .. I just found it sweeeeeeeeeeet :-) We headed back to the condo, dropped D, went to Banana Joes and picked up mangoes and tried two of their frosties. (papaya pineapple was better than pineapple - but both are not recommendable). Soon we found ourselves on the Nounou trailhead to Sleeping Giants. the trail climbs nice and easy with views of the kapaa area. The views are urban for Kauai in that u see settlements, houses but then the backdrop is the ocean and Wailua river. So who's complaining! On reaching the picnic table, we were curious about that deadly dangerous path which led up when we saw people returning from there. Since we had trailblazers before us, we marched on while engaging in good conversation with a lady who joined us. The trail though steep and rocky is definitely doable and short(it is like the Royal Arch or Mt Sanitas trail of Boulder). Up there you get even more panaromic views before he hike down. We hardly felt the hike back since we were chatting with the professor from Nebraska all the way down. Took us 2.5 hrs, I think. We were ready to call it a day but R motivated us to try some boogie baording at Kealia. Though not the best ,even I caught some neat waves and there are some for all levels. G says the waves were slower than he would have liked.

We had a dressed up dinner at the Mediterranean gourmet. Their pita and hummus that kept coming was so welcome after the long day...

Helicopter, monk seal and secret waterfalls June 28 2009

We started the day in our budget ocean view room and enjoyed a cozy breakfast at the balcony. Then came the helicopter tour which I was very excited about. It was like the Vishwaroopam of the color green! (sorry can't think of a better fitting English word - means 'in true form and all its glory') The most memorable moments were the Jurassic park waterfalls at eye level, and many others adorning the cliffs, flying into the Honopu valley with the Na Pali ridges all around and of course viewing the Waialaealae crater and the Weeping Wall. I wish we spent all our heli time in Na Pali and Waialaealae - very unique and mesmerizing. I was pretty upset that Jack Harters landed at 59 min and odd seconds when it was supposed to be a 60-65. minute tour. Call me bickering but at those rates and all that eye candy scenery, air time should be measured in nanao seconds with an atomic clock which stop counting after 60 minutes. (maybe 59 for our pilot) . We had lunch at Kauai pasta (thumbs up) and then visited the Kilauea lighthouse and bird sanctuary. Birds were everywhere - nesting close to the trail, all over the cliffs and flying above (red footed boobies, red and white tail tropicbirds, Newell shearwater and the great frigate bird).

We then hiked down to Secret beach where D rested in the tree shade while the 3 of us hiked to find the secret pools. The going was a little tough in flip flops over lava rocks especially after we passed by a monk seal snoozing in the sand. The pools themselves appealed less than the waterfalls further down. It was a small waterfall with exactly 3 massage spots after crossing some super slippery rocks but imagine soaking in a waterfall while gazing at the ocean a few feet away. As we headed back to the beach with relative ease, I waited and witnessed the very cute sight of the monk seal wobbling back into the ocean, after it's slumber was disturbed by a rogue wave. We spent time in the water braving the waves and saw a guy boogie boarding without a board! Way cool ... We could also see the Kilauea lighthouse above us. We hiked back up with a smile on our face and joy in our hearts. After much debate we had dinner at the Polynesian cafe in Hanalei. The Mexican dishes r decent, the Asian dishes not as much. G very very sweetly sacrificed his enchilada dinner for me and ate my uncooked rice and sorry looking Tofu. All in all a fabulous start with wildlife and waterfalls.
Notes:
The trail to Secret Beach is short and steep like many other beach access trails of north shore. It was dry when we were there. Rainier weather would have made for a slicker trail.
Please do not loiter and talk close to the monk seals. After all its their hard earned nap time. And yes we heard this from the ranger.
Helicopter tour is great if you have the money for it. The photos are rewarding too. If not don't sweat it, it is just another way of enjoying the beautiful island.
Regarding seating in the helicopter, we got seated in the front. Lucky us! The front middle seat is great for overall viewing while the front right seat is good for photography and gazing on particular sights. The glass panes extend to almost your feet.

Flying to Kauai - June 27 2009

Just boarded the flight to Ontario where we wait for 3+ hours before we fly to San Francisco and then to lihue. I could not sleep yesterday night fantasizing about changing (missing!!!) flights so as to fly on the nonstop which leaves Denver at 11 am and reaches Kauai at 2 pm. That would have been cool(er) right? I have been eyeing that flight ever since I chanced on it being available on miles exactly 4 days after I booked my long winding trip leaving at 9.00 am MST and reaching Kauai at 7.00 in the night ... While I did put my best foot forward in trying to change it, I made peace with it the minute I talked to a united service agent.

Lessons learnt:

united has some seriously twisted rules on award tickets - any changes including missing a flight have to rescheduled on exactly the same itinerary with the same stopovers. Get ready to camp out - tardy award flyers :)

Sometimes procrastination is a virtue. The mystery (wisdom?) is knowing when!

I am thankful that i didn't really miss a flight. That would have been very uncool, wouldn't it?

Last but not the least we are on vacation! The rest is fluff.
We have been grumpy, sleep-deprived, stressed, relaxed, with all care and concern slowly ebbing away all in the span of a flight journey. Yeah baby, vacation has begun ... Long live the travel bug!

East Coast trip - May 20-26 2009

Well the trip mostly involved seeing family and a lot of driving, with some touristy highlights thrown in the mix. The trip included the cities of Binghamton (where I landed), New Jersey, New York, Boston, Amherst and Ithaca (for a little bit).

May 21 2009

I spent a few hours in New York where I took a sub ride to Brooklyn Bridge and walked up to the arch. It was hot, crowded and impressive at the same time. This was my second trip to New York - had already done the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island,Time Square and Rockefeller plaza in my first trip. This time I did a couple things I did not get to see the first time around. I looked around Grand Central Station as well. This was truly a stunning building on the inside. One level had a impressive food court with aromas of bakeries, indian cuisine and many others wafting as you walk by. Another level had a supermarket that didn't look too expensive for its location. If I lived in New York, I think I can maintain my weight sans any extra effort. All that walking in and to subways stations will do it for me. I enjoyed that part a lot- more relaxing that driving a car in a new place. It seemed like the work hours were longer here and in New Jersey possibly because of unavoidable commute times. I drove to Princeton at 8.30 in the night and while I did not get stuck in traffic, the highway was busy.

May 23 2009 - Boston

We stayed in Knights Inn, Danvers for 2 nights. It was okay is all I can say. Breakfast was abysmal, the room was clean but lacking in amenities (no fridge, no microwave) - just a TV. The wash basin was inlaid so much in the counter that you had to bend over to use it. We drove over to Boston harbor and parked in the Harbor garage at a whopping 35$ a day. We lazed around a little bit, had lunch in Faneuil Hall Marketplace and took a whale watching trip to Stellwagen Banks through the New England Aquarium. It was a long ride in and out and relatively less time watching whales. But the whales were plentiful and very close to the boat. I could see the mouth, the tail, the hump almost entire whales. I would take a faster boat if one was available. We came abk to Faneuil Marketplace to have dinner. The Greek/MiddleEastern place was really good with wraps and plates and such.
We came back to the harbor for the Boston Duck tour which gave a good overview of the city away from the harbor. Driving the Duck was also cool. We headed back to Knights Inn after the tour.

May 24 2009

We drove to Amherst to visit my cousin. We also stopped by the Puffer Pond and Quabbin reservoir before driving back to Binghamton. Amherst and surrounds had a very quiet slow life feel to it and as my cousin quipped that the number of cemeteries there (which is a lot) shows how popular it is with the retirement community. Many trees and some hilly drives around.

May 25 2009
Today was the best day sightseeing-wise. My brothers took us to Watkin-Glens Falls where we did the hike from the Upper Entrance to the Main Entrance. I took the bus back to get our car. We then drove to the South Entrance to have a nice picnic lunch prepared by Mom (Vetha koazhambu and thayir saadham) at the expansive lawns there. We also had some very good ice-cream in the Watkin Glens village before heading to Taughannock Falls. On the way we saw the expansive Seneca lake and Hector falls right by the road. Taughannock falls was very pretty in a natural setting and I only wish we had some time to hike down to the falls. The expansive view of the entire river after the falls and the granite-like backdrop of the falls was so impressive. We also stopped at the Cayuga lake picnic area, again very beautiful before we drove back home through Ithaca. Ithaca is also a buzzling town and would make a nice base for exploring this part of upstate. I wouls surely return and maybe even spend a week or more in this area which I tried to see in a day. Looking back, nice memories with family :-)

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - September 1 2008

It turned out to be an event filled last day. We returned our RV, rented a car and drove to Talkeetna to be on a Denali glaciers flightseeing trip. It was a beautiful day and we could observe the Denali north and south peak, gawk at glaciers and the alaskan grasslands. It was unique and other-worldly. We then headed to the Alaska State Fair to marvel at the gigantic vegetables, pet the livestock and piglets and savor the art, crafts, and carnival food. We ended the day with a sushi dinenr at Dami's.

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 31 2008

The day was spent on Seward Highway getting back to Anchorage with gusts of wind and rain in some parts of the trip especially at Portage glacier. We also stopped at the crowded Girdwood for lunch and also timed our travel to catch some boreal tide action in one of the viewpoints. It was unique but not spectacular. We camped at the Centennial campground for the night.

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 30 2008

Today was reserved for the famous Seward boat trip into Aialik bay. We went with Alaska Saltwater Lodge. There were only 4 of us with 2 guides. The boat tour while giving us wonderful picture opportunities is a long ride and a whole day affair. I was extremely concerned about swells but we had a relaxed calm ride while a storm started brewing in the afternoon threatening to cancel the next day's tour. As we left the harbor we spotted a bald eagle perched up a post. Later we saw 3-4 seals above water, some seastars, puffins, common murre, and many other birds. We also spotted some humpback whales and many sea lions. We passed by Bear Glacier (which is not a calving glacier) and sped up to Holgate glacier where we observed some calving. We had to pick up some kayakers whose trip was cut short by the impending storm. So we did not go as far as Aialik glacier (not sure if we missed anything though). We observed the sea lions on the way back as well. Lovely pictures and a great day overall.

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 29 2008

A very lazy day spent sleeping, spotting otters and seals from our RV and visiting the Seward public library to cash in on a free photobook offer. Highlight was watching a seal dive in and catch a fish through my camera zoom lens.

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 28 2008

We chose to visit Exit Glacier national Park and hike the Harding IceField trail today. The hike is long, goes through taiga, tundra and a lot of ice with creeks, a bridge and waterfalls and is supremely beautiful with lot of wildflowers and expansive views. It climbs 3200 ft in 4 miles and takes the entire day. We even saw a black bear very far away munching on berries and a marmot wobbling around in the tundra like a cute fat baby. The end of the hike after walking on a lot of ice offers endless views of the vast expanses of the icefield, and the blue Exit glacier crumbling away from the icefield. On the return, with great difficulty (being the end of a very long tiring day) we also did the loop hikes in the base of the Exit Glacier. Global warming is so real in these places with the glacier receding at an alarming rate. We had pizza for dinner at Lombardo' Eatery in Seaward and walked back while gazing at the cruise ships leaving the harbor at dusk.

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 27 2008

Next morning we took a detour to Hope only to see dead salmon and the still town and smell the stinking river. We then drove by Tern Lake (very beautiful) and turned towards Cooper Landing to visit the Russian River Falls. There is a trail by the river which we did not take. We did take the easier trail to the viewing platform above Russian River Falls. Russian river Falls had fishing, berry-picking and bear viewing enthusiasts along the river and trail.

While nobody we met on the trail had seen a bear, the logs indicated that some people had in the morning. With our fingers crossed, we ambled on the trail with mountain views and typical Alaskan lush greenery. As we reached the platform hikers were glued to the viewing platform watching a bear eating its second catch. Thrilled enough while at the same time hoping that she would indulge in the 'catching' act, we stay put. She did catch three more and treat herself and the smart birds unwittingly, peed strong and long and disappeared on the other side of the river. We didn't move until the bear did. Once the bear left, the salmon started jumping up the falls. We had our fill of viewing and left Russian River to Seward exhilarated. THe Kenai lake close to Russian river campground is a beautiful surreal blue. We settled into the Seward City campground and had a lovely (though timed) shower before calling it a night. We could see some otters right from our RV campsite (sans hookups - Tek trained us well)

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 26 2008

While heading out of Denali, we focused on landscape pictures and happened to spot some moose. We also took a dog sled tour which dog lovers might enjoy. The sled demo lasts only a few minutes and the rest of the time, G spent petting the dogs. We enjoyed the long overdue shower and RV-cooked lunch at Riley Creek before we bid adieu to Denali. Unbelievably, we spotted another grizzly just outside the park entrance on Parks highway eating berries while causing a major traffic jam.

We stopped by Byers Lake and Lower Troublesome Creek hoping to sight some black bears. Even without black bears these were green beautiful places. As we passed Anchorage and started driving by the Cooks Inlet G was wonder struck by the cement colored ocean and beluga whales which appeared as white blobs in the gray ocean. We decided to stop at Birds Creek campground that night. It is a beautiful campground close to the sea but with not many views of the sea. We walked along the trail on the coast and had a rested evening.

Bear : 1

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 25 2008

The day was a little warmer than the day before ... Our first bear sighting was neat .. He came down the hillside so fast you'd think he came rolling down. It was fun seeing him weave in and out bushes as he ran down. He came up to the side of the road for better berries? More Dall sheep followed by a grizzly very close to the road. They move a lot - these big brown furry things. We also saw a golden eagle (huge) perching on the roadside and watched while it flew away. We went on a guided hike from Eielson Visitor center and learnt a lot about the glaciers, berries and mountains of Denali. After lazing around a little bit, we headed to the short and steep trail opposite Eielson that offered panoramic tundra views and arctic squirrel sightings. More Dall sheep at Toklat followed by a bear. Next we witnessed 2 cayotes chasing a fox and we think the fox escaped. This was followed by another bear at a distance, ptarmigans and wolf paw prints by the roadside. We spent our last night in Denali before heading out early next day.

Bears: 4
golden eagle :1
cayotes : 2
fox: 1

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 24 2008

The day started off cold. After a cereal breakfast, we warmed up (?) waiting for the bus in the Tek bustop. We realized they are never on time at the Tek but we did meet up with the fellow campers and exchanged travel notes. O what a beautiful clear-blue-sky day it was and what that meant was we get to see the Denali mountain. (Only 30% of the visitors get to glimpse any part of the mountain) We weren't even focused on seeing the mountain since we were all about the bears and wolves.

We saw many Dall sheep and caribou - some so far off that we could hardly discern them but some close enough for some herd pictures with a zoom lens. Our first bear sighting for the day was at some distance by the river before we reached Polychrome. We thought our best bear viewing was the day before and that it could not get better. This did not compare. Just past Polychrome was our second bear viewing and I am not even sure we saw a face :-) But who is complaining ... 2 bears in two hours ...

The bus stopped so that we could take pictures of the Denali mountain, in the fear that it might disappear beneath the clouds before we reach Wonder Lake. We needn't have bothered since the visibility was the same till the next morning. We also saw nervous Arctic squirrels which screech louder than you would think to warn their family of impending danger. The ones near the road are not that afraid anyway. Our next stop was at Eilson visitor center. As we rode into Eilson visitor center, there was a bear on the hillside across the road. While others went to get their shots of Mt. Denali we went photo hunting our target bear. Again, we left before the bear did. It was a little windy but we got a good view of the Denali mountain range. Eilson visitor center is very modern with flush toilets (unlike Tek bus stop, Polychrome, etc) and lots of good resources. G got some berries for me when he hiked down to the river. ( I relished them even more than I would have otherwise :-))

Half an hour past Eilson, one of the passengers noticed a golden eagle camouflaged on the hillside and within minutes on the opposite side (cliff side) we saw our fourth bear by the river. The landscape was dotted with white wildflowers. Soon we reached Wonder Lake - it was cold and windy but Denali was up and about in the blue sky as clearly as it could be seen. Clouds were rolling in but the peak was visible. The campsites are beautiful if you are ready to brave the cold, the mosquitoes and the isolation. We only saw a small part of Wonder Lake so I was told. One family opted to stay behind and hike around the area. We opted to take the bus back so we could wimp out from the wind and continue our wildlife safari.

On the way back from Wonder Lake, we observed some beavers and really missed the binoculars for this one. We also saw some ptarmigans which are the state bird of Alaska. They live there year round and grow fur even on their claws to survive the cold winters. Between Eilson and Toklat we stopped by a fox den on the hillside and observed a pair for sometime. Then within 10 minutes we were treated to the sight of a pack of six wolves with atleast 3 young ones playing with each other and roughhousing. This sight is supposed to be rare in Denali which supports a very small but steady population of 200 wolves. Since wolves hunt by stealth, Denali's arid open tundra is not exactly the nurturing environment for wolves.

Then we stopped at Toklat. Though not as fancy as Eilson the surrounding area is beautiful with the Toklat river running close by. The glacial rivers in Denali are braided in that they never run bank to bank but keep depositing glacial debris and changing course giving an appearance of silver ribbons (braids). This visitor center has a huge bookstore and samples of caribou antlers you can lift and take a picture with. (They are quite heavy) Moose, elk and caribou shed their horns every season and grow bigger ones appropriate to the age of the bull. We even heard about two caribou bulls whose antlers got entangled, that died without being able to free themselves. Would you call this a flawed design or Darwin's design of natural selection?

Ten minutes after leaving Toklat we spotted a bear and a cub weaving in and out of the shrubbery below. The fur of mother was a light brown (tan) while that of the cub was a dark brown bringing the count up to 6 for the day. All these bears were in hypophasia - constant eating in preparation of the winter. 80% of their diet is vegetarian and consists of berries. The years in which the berry harvest is suboptimal, they go after the moose and the caribou. Speaking of caribou, we saw more of those and captured some pictures of them against the beautiful colors of Denali. We saw two more bears (8 total) before we reached the Tek bus stop from where we walked to the campgrounds. Since in the morning fellow campers mentioned seeing wolves by the Tek we decided to try our luck. Didn't see any. We also attended the ranger talk in Tek both days. It was good but can get repetetive. Will be great for kids though. An eventful day, won't you say?

Bears: 8
golden eagle : 1
Wolves : 6
fox : 2
caribou, dall sheep, arctic quireel, ptarmigans

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - August 22-23 2008

We had a red-eye flight which landed past midnight. We caught a cab to take us to B&B RV but we never saw the B&B office. Our RV was parked in an empty parking lot where we retired for the night. There was some traffic noise but we tired enough to fall asleep. The next day morning we had an employee give us an overview and off we went first to the nearest Fred Myers to stock up with fruits an groceries as we would be somewhat cut off from amenities during our stay in Teklanika.

We left Anchorage behind and Knik's glacier and Denali State park passed by. We stopped at the viewpoints hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. Denali but no such luck. But check this out - a black bear crossed the road (somewhere in Denali State Park area) - it was exhilarating and bode well for more wildlife sightings in the trip.

After checking in with the rangers we had a shower at the Riley Creek Center ( a good hot one and not timed I think). We filled up on water, gas , and emptied the sewage tank - all in preparation of spending the next 3 days in Tek cut off from the rest of the world (Am I exaggerating or what?)

Within minutes of driving on the Denali Park road, we spotted some moose crossing the road. We didn't even have our camera ready at that point. Just past the Savage River Campground, our decision to camp in Tek bore fruit. There was a grizzly bear eating berries quite close to the road. The fun part was that we watched that bear for over half an hour. Buses came by, saw and left while we could stay parked and inside the car, of course, as long as we wanted. Much against what I would have expected, we left before the bear did. Isn't this what you would call quality wildlife viewing? I have pictures of the bear as if he was posing for a photo shoot and I have tons of them ...

Driving over to Tek, we chose a site on a first-come, first-serve basis. None of the sites are by the river and the best you can do is get a good view of the mountains. The toilets were porta-potties and just about manageable. There were faucets for washing, drinking purposes and a sink (which you could use with water from a faucet few feet away) Unless your RV is equipped with large shower tanks (most rental RVs are not), you have to forget about a shower for two days. We cooked up a dinner with what we had (aloo parathas i think with tomato chutney and GB made subzi) and rice (with coconut powder) and packed some for tomorrow. (rice and potato sandwiches).

Not wanting to run out of gas, we did not use the generator for heat throughout the night. So we were pretty much balled up in our comforter in the night and only turned on the heat for a brief period in the morning when we got ready and started the day. G kept waking up in the night in the hopes of seeing the Northern Lights ... Wrong season for that- If you are wondering March April is a good time to see the Aurora ...

Black bear: 1
grizzly :1
Moose : 1

Bear Bonanza in Alaska - Planning

Planning:
This trip was special since DH said yes as soon as as I found a deal without stating at least 5 reasons why it may not be a good idea :-) Such is the lure of wildlife for him. Reserving a trip in May when planning to land there in the last week of August is not optimal when it comes to Alaska. RVs are all taken or expensive and even some popular trips are filled up. We reserved an RV with an obscure company called B&B RV rental. They were the cheapest (1200 paid in advance) and everything was included in one price with no extra charges. RV was okay and it all worked out.
I had booked two tickets to Anchorage so there was no indecision between southeast Alaska and the mainland - Anchorage and surroundings it was.

For a week trip like ours, you just need 1 base. In fact even if I had two weeks, I would still do Anchorage and maybe drive around more (covering Valdez and Homer). Next time I go, I will also consider Kodiak but be warned - not much glacial activity in Kodiak. One of the first things I booked was a bear trip with Emerald Air Service which I had to cancel to fit in budget. TripAdvisor was a boon when booking this trip.
1. Even though Denali is one of the most common tourist attractions in Alaska I learnt that it would be stupid to miss it especially when your main goal is viewing and enjoying wildlife. The value compared to the cost of visiting Denali is phenomenal.
2. Once I decided we have to do Denali, I wanted to maximize my time there and a decision to rent an RV proved critical as I could now camp in Teklanika campground. In fact based on sound advice from Tripadvisor I cancelled my reservations in Riley Creek campground and rebooked in Teklanika. The best wildlife viewing in my two day experience is between Teklanika and Eilson Visitor Center. The reason is the tundra landscape on both sides of the road where you can see for miles. From the entrance to almost Teklanika is the taiga forest. Beyond Eilson, it sorta turns marshy with many lakes.
3. A boat trip in Seward is not be missed.
4. No point driving all around if you can't spend a few days in each place spotting wildlife, going on hikes etc. There is so much more to see once you get off the road.
5. Camping in the Seward City campground is a delight.
6. A telephoto lens is essential for the trip whether you beg, borrow, steal (or buy :-)). Otherwise you would feel frustrated at every wildlife viewing.
7. A binoculars would be a good tool as well but a telephoto lens with the camera's viewer serves the same purpose.