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