SUMMER CAMP HAINES ALASKA 2010

LAST POST - THANKS FOR FOLLOWING

2010-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

We are glad to be home but it is hard to leave such a beautiful place! If you ever get the chance to travel to this area of Alaska you will not be disappointed!

THANKS FOR FOLLOWING OUR BLOG!

Bob and Dena

9-24 - FRIDAY

2010-09-26T14:35:00.001-07:00

Today we got up at 4:30 a.m. - nervous, I guess. Quick breakfast and headed down the road in the dark. We crossed the border to the U.S.A. about 6:30 a.m. Drove about an hour and parked for a nap. We got home about 1:00.

9-23 - THURSDAY

2010-09-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

Drove 10 hours again. It started raining about 3:00. We stopped in Hope, B.C. for the night. Got fuel, ate dinner, then parked for the night. It poured all night!

9-22 - WEDNESDAY

2010-09-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

Up early and left by 7:30. Headed south again on the Cassiar Highway. The Cassiar is 450 miles. Last night we were camped at the halfway point. The next turn was east on Yellowhead Highway headed to Prince George. Time to put the camera away. We are now on a two lane highway (with stripes), power lines, and billboard signs, and small towns. We saw one grizzly bear in the morning and three black bears in the afternoon. Today we drove 465 miles and 10 hours. Staying in Vanderhoof, B.C. at an RV park.

GRIZZLY ALONG THE CASSIAR. IN THE PICTURE BELOW HE WAS STARING RIGHT AT ME ABOUT 20 FEET AWAY. ALL OF A SUDDEN HE SPUN AROUND AND LEFT. THIS PICTURE IS ALL I GOT!

US PARKED ALONG THE CASSIER - READY TO BE HOME!

9-21 - TUESDAY

2010-09-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

26 degrees out when we got up! 17 degrees when we got out on the Alcan. Some of the smaller lakes are already frozen and we hit freezing fog at one point. We turned south on the Cassiar Highway (Highway 37). This road is always a challenge. It is always under construction due to the harsh winter. The speed limit is 40-55. The Cassiar was closed earlier this summer for a forest fire. It is in pretty good shape right now. We drove 373 miles today. Stayed at a Provincial Park on Kinaskan Lake which is about 75 miles south of the town of Dease Lake.

9-20 - MONDAY

2010-09-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

We both slept 9 hours last night! It was 33 degrees out when we woke up and 49 inside! We built another fire and finished packing up. Jen from the Parks Dept. came out to tell us goodbye. Then she went off to clean toilets which Bob was happy to let her do! We went down to the ferry terminal and waited an hour and a half to board. Louie and Matt (the guys that count fish at the weir) circled back and came to tell Bob good-bye. We were the first to board the ferry which of course means we were the last to unload. It only took about 10 minutes to unload everyone. In Skagway we made one stop at the T-Shirt Store, then drove the South Klondike Highway and ended up at Teslin on the Alcan Highway. Teslin is in Yukon Territory, 140 miles southeast of Whitehorse. 181 miles today. Clear blue sky but cold and the fall colors are beautiful. Got fuel and had dinner, and lost an hour on the clock because of the time zone change.

PICTURE DOES NOT DO IT JUSTICE!

9-19 - SUNDAY

2010-09-26T11:43:00.005-07:00

We had a BIG fire in camp this morning and used up the rest of the wood. Then went to town for showers. We stopped by the ferry terminal to check on taking the ferry from Haines to Skagway with the trailer. We have never done that before. We bought a ticket - $207 for the truck and trailer and 2 passengers. That is the charge for 44 feet of vehicle and 2 passengers. At 2:00 we went to the Rangers house for a BBQ with other park employees. The Ranger lives on Lutak Road right outside the park. At 5:00 we all went down to the boat launch and went around the lake on the flat bottom pontoon boats - just like tourists! A good time was had by all!

BMJ - LOOKING GOOD!

ALL OF THE CUBS ARE BIGGER !!

9-18 SATURDAY - ARRIVED IN HAINES

2010-09-26T11:43:00.003-07:00

Today I rode the "fast ferry" from Juneau to Haines. The Fairweather travels at 36 knows and takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to get from Juneau to Haines. Bob picked me up at the terminal and we went to camp to unload my stuff and his stash of goodies and newspapers. Then we went to town to drop off more supplies at the parks building. The weather was gorgeous and we wandered around town and down at the boat dock for awhile. Then had a late lunch at the Light House Restaurant (halibut of course!). Stopped at the store then back to camp. Bob took a little nap before we went down to the river to watch for bears. There were 9 on the river tonight.

FERRY RIDE - JUNEAU TO HAINES

THIS IS THE FIRST THING I SAW IN CAMP!

THIS IS THE SECOND - THIS BEAR PRINT IS RIGHT BELOW THE "ROCK".

HAINES HARBOR

THIS STELLER JAY WANTED TO SHARE MY SUNFLOWER SEEDS.

9-17 FRIDAY - TRAVEL DAY

2010-09-26T11:43:00.001-07:00

Today I flew from Portland to Seattle, Seattle to Ketchikan, Ketchikan to Sitka, and Sitka to Juneau. Arrived at my hotel after 8:00 pm. Up again at 6 am to be at the ferry terminal by 7.

BEARS AND PEOPLE

2010-09-26T08:13:00.001-07:00

BAD DAY FOR THE BEARS.......AND BOB!!

"BACK AWAY! IT'S MY FISH!"

BMJ AND HER TRIPLETS. SHE IS A GREAT MOM.

THE CUBS HAVE GOTTEN "FEARLESS" AND FATTER!

THIS BIG BEAR DIDN'T COME DOWN TO THE WATER VERY OFTEN IN THE DAYLIGHT, AND ALWAYS STAYED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER.

THE BEARS HAVE ALL FILLED OUT OVER THE SUMMER.

CLUELESS - 1ST TIME AS A MOM. SHE DID GREAT!

.............AND HERE THEY COME AGAIN!

BIRDS ON THE CHILKOOT RIVER

2010-09-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

MORE BEARS

2010-09-25T18:30:00.001-07:00

CLUELESS TAUGHT HER CUBS TO FISH ON THE WEIR

THEY WERE GOOD LEARNERS!!

DOING WHAT MOM TAUGHT ME!

ALWAYS WATCHING FOR FISH.....

USUALLY ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL...

BMJ - THE MATRIARCH OF THE RIVER

..........AND HER CUBS (WHO NEVER HOLD STILL!)

"GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW!!"

NUMBER 2 WANTS TO TAKE A NAP!

WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T SLEEP ON A ROCK?

GOTTA BE #2 ON THE RIGHT, STILL TRYING TO NAP!

FOLLOWING MOM (BMJ)

MOM IS ALWAYS TEACHING US NEW THINGS!

9-4 PLANE LANDED ON THE LAKE

2010-09-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight a plane landed on the lake and tied up at the dock - that is a first! A car picked the people up and took them away! They left Sunday morning September 6.

9-2 TAGGING BEARS

2010-09-06T11:30:00.001-07:00

Today the State Fish and Game Biologist came to the park to locate and tag bears. They tranquilized Clueless (the bear that is already tagged and collared). Her collar was very tight and it needed removed! They put a new collar on her and also tranquilized and tagged her two cubs. Then they tranquilized and put a collar and tag on BMJ and tagged her three cubs. Bob was able to use the parks radios and help direct the biologists along the river right to BMJ and her cubs. Of the 5 cubs that belong to Clueless and BMJ - 3 are male and 2 are female.

BEARS - LOTS OF BEARS

2010-09-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Bob sent home a stick with pictures on it. Most of them were bear pictures. He got some really good ones and it is hard to pick the best ones. The two sows that are around most every day are Clueless and BMJ. Clueless is the collared and tagged bear from last year. The Fish and Game Biologists believe that she is about 6 years old and this may be her first set of cubs. BMJ is believed to be about 20 years old and has had many cubs. She has 3 this year. Both are very good mothers. You will see in the pictures how they are teaching their cubs to catch fish and also how to swim. The bears do not hold still and pose for pictures so we do the best we can taking the pictures and cropping them………

Clueless with her cubs by the fish weir

Isn't he cute!!! Both cubs that belong to Clueless have white on their neck/chest area.

And, one of her cubs is bigger than the other one.

And, they are always ready to play!

This is the problem! The fish weir is just to the left. The bears fish here and bring their fish out on the road to eat. You are not allowed to walk through this area or stop when driving through. You must stay beyond that sign on the left where the people are standing.....unless you have a State Parks coat on! Bob's job is to keep the people away from the bears. The job description should say "people monitor" instead of a "bear monitor". This looks like it was a light day for traffic!

BMJ with her triplets at the weir - training.

Clueless - Tagged and collared.

CHARMIN COMMERCIAL!

Cubs of Clueless - learning to fish.

Always playing!

BMJ teaching her cubs to swim and fish - and also how to sit on a rock!

This is how it is done!

BMJ - showing her age!

BMJ helping one of her cubs.

BEAVER AND EAGLES

2010-09-05T10:07:00.001-07:00

SWIMMING BY CAMP - WONDER WHERE HIS GIRLFRIEND IS

ALWAYS WATCHING FOR A MEAL

8-7 GLACIER BEAR

2010-09-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

From the Chilkat Valley Newspaper:

A jetboat captain spotted a white bear cub on a guided trip about 2 miles upriver from Wells Bridge. (Wells Bridge is at 23 Mile). The bear was identified by Fish and Game Biologists as a light colored black bear or Glacier Bear. These bears are also called Spirit Bears. This little guy is not an albino because he had some dark color around his eyes. Glacier Bears are a sub-species of the black bear.

HI FROM BOB!!!!

2010-08-18T19:40:00.001-07:00

HAVING A GREAT TIME!!

UPDATE

2010-08-18T19:38:00.001-07:00

More bears - Another sow has showed up on the river with two cubs. Her name is Clueless – she was the bear last year that had a collar and an ear tag!

Most days now the sow with 3 cubs and Clueless and her 2 cubs and at least one other bear are on the river. There are 5-6 tour buses and many people on the river – some fishing and some watching bears. Bob usually spends mid day on the river directing traffic and people!

8-2 MONDAY

2010-08-18T19:00:00.001-07:00

What can I say……We headed to the Haines Ferry Terminal about 7:30. No bears on the river this morning and the fish count has been updated to 55,000 sockeye over the weir. Saw a pod of humpback whales on the trip to Juneau. Arrived home at 8:30. It was 75 in Haines today, figures!

LEAVING THE HAINES FERRY TERMINAL

HAINES FROM THE FERRY

HISTORIC FORT SEWARD, HAINES, ALASKA

PASSING THE COLUMBIA WHICH IS HEADED FOR SKAGWAY

ELDRED ROCK LIGHTHOUSE

GLACIER ON THE WAY TO JUNEAU

TWO MORE GLACIERS

POD OF HUMPBACK WHALES

WAVING GOOD-BYE

MENDENHALL GLACIER - COMING INTO JUNEAU

8-1 SUNDAY

2010-08-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Woke up to clouds again and can’t see the lake. 55 degrees. After the morning routine we drove out the Haines Highway. Stopped along the Chilkat River several times. Met John and Jen the camp hosts at Chilkat State Park for lunch at 33 Mile Roadhouse. Just a log cabin, but it has the best hamburgers, fries, and homemade pie! While we ate lunch we watched a helicopter drop supplies several times next door to the restaurant. Just a routine thing up here! Took a rock in the windshield today.

Back to camp, checked the chickens, and built a fire. I finished packing my suitcase. We watched two kids walk up the road with full backpacks looking for a site. We told them camp was full. They were going to walk back towards town – 10 miles. We ended up letting them stay in our site. They pitched their tent and we gave him a beer. She cooked a steak on the fire. We visited with them for quite awhile. They were 28 years old and from Switzerland. He was an Environmental Engineer and she was a Social Worker. They quit their jobs, gave up their housing, and bought international medical insurance. They had landed in Fairbanks from Switzerland about 2 weeks earlier and were traveling from Alaska to South America! They are going to walk and hitchhike and stay in their tent or in hostels. They have a visa for 6 months (3 months in Canada and 3 months in the U.S. and they don’t need one in South America). They have to return to Switzerland after the year because he has to do either a year of military or community service. They were very interesting to talk to.

About 9:00 Bob walked away to help a camper and OF COURSE the beaver swam by camp. I scrambled to the trailer for the camera and got a picture. It is not great but I am posting it anyway as proof!!

EAGLES ON THE CHILKAT RIVER

FISH WEIR ON THE CHILKAT RIVER, HAINES HIGHWAY

YOUNG EAGLE FISHING ON THE CHILKAT RIVER

I THINK THESE TWO PICTURES ARE THE KLEHEENE RIVER.

(SP). BOB WILL CORRECT ME IF I GOT IT WRONG.

PROOF!!!

7-31 SATURDAY

2010-08-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Raining this morning. Can’t even see the lake. Did the morning routine, then went to the shop for showers. On the way in to the shop we saw whales moving out Chilkoot Inlet back into Lynn Canal. Went to the fairgrounds for the SE Alaska State Fair. It’s not much. Lots of entertainment and most people stay all day. We lasted 2 hours then went to the Lighthouse in town for fish and chips.

Came back to a full campground and still raining. High 56 degrees today.

7:00 A.M.

9:00 A.M.

GORGEOUS!

CAMP VEGETATION

7-30 FRIDAY

2010-08-17T20:16:00.001-07:00

Sat along the river this morning. Each day starts with breakfast, then walking the campground to pull tags if anyone has left and pick up anyone who came in late the night before. That has not been a problem because most nights the campground is full. Then the toilets get swabbed out and new toilet paper gets installed. Then we get to leave. At night the bathrooms usually get checked again and we walk the campground checking for paid tags and collecting from new arrivals. Everything gets logged on a sheet with license plate numbers of vehicles in camp and if they pay during the visit the money gets dropped in a holder at the entrance to camp. When the campground gets full a sign is hung out at the entrance. CAMPGROUND FULL.

No bears until 4:00 when we were leaving to meet friends at the Elks for hamburgers. The bear walked out on the weir a ways. Matt was counting fish. He banged on the weir and the bear ran back to shore. Then he slowly came back out on the weir and didn’t give up until he caught a fish!

Back at camp counted chickens, built a fire, and did lots of visiting.
Full campground 65 degrees today.

WATCHING MATT ON THE WEIR

ALWAYS WATCHING!!

TRYING FOR A FISH....

MATT'S MOVING, GOTTA WATCH HIM!!

BETTER VIEW FROM UP HERE!

GOT ONE!

DID HE SEE ME???

CROSSING OVER.

MATT WON'T BOTHER ME HEADED THIS DIRECTION!!

FINALLY - PEACE AND QUIET AND A SNACK!!

ANOTHER SUNSET...............NOT DARK UNTIL AFTER 10:00 TONIGHT

7-29 THURSDAY FIRST BEAR

2010-08-16T19:32:00.001-07:00

Went to town this morning for showers and laundry. 3 loads of laundry and 2 showers = $22.00. Headed back to camp but ended up staying on the river for over 2 hours directing traffic! Mama bear and 3 cubs were on our side of the river. Mom was fishing and eating what she caught. The 3 cubs were hidden in the bushes just below the road. They were making so much racket squawking at Mom. Mom brought a fish over and one cub came out and snatched at it. She smacked him good and he backed down. Then she “gave” him the fish. Pretty amazing. When she had enough to eat she slowly walked across the road into the bushes. She stuck her head out of the bushes and when she was ready for them to cross she made a huffing noise and here came the three little bears crossing the road and running into the bushes. Then a lone bear came out and we stayed and watched him for awhile.

Back to camp for lunch then back to the river and watched eagles for over a long time. The single bear came back and we stayed for 2 more hours on the road directing traffic and people.

Dinner was chili and peanut butter sandwiches! Counted chickens and built a fire. More visiting tonight. 2 beavers swamp right in front of our camp. (no camera!)

Full campground. 64 degrees today.

WHO ARE THEY KIDDING!!!???

MAMA BEAR IS ALWAYS WATCHING AROUND HER

WATCHING SOME MORE - THE CUBS ARE OVER THAT DIRECTION

THIS IS THE LITTLE GRAY CUB THAT STICKS BY MOMS SIDE. THE OTHER TWO CUBS ARE IN THE BUSHES.

"I JUST KNOW SHE IS EATING SOMETHING GOOD!!"

MOM SAID TO WAIT!

FINALLY A PIECE OF MY OWN!!

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO SHARE!!"

MAMA BEAR IS CHECKING THE ROAD FOR A CLEARING

READY TO CROSS

THOSE PEOPLE ARE WAY TO CLOSE!!!

MOM SAID THE COAST IS CLEAR .

LAST OF 3 CUBS TO CROSS......"WAIT FOR ME!"

7-29 THURSDAY SECOND BEAR

2010-08-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

The sow with 3 cubs left when this bear headed up the river. This one fished, then moved on to eat roots. Everyone thought he left but we went up the road and he crossed in front of us.

HEADED UP THE ROAD........

THE PARK IS IN A RAINFOREST

THE SIGN COMES WITH PARKING PRIVILEGES!

7-28 WEDNESDAY

2010-08-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Stayed around camp and the boat launch today. Bob did his “jobs” then we went down on the river. He caught two pinks – let them both go.

Back to camp for dinner. Didn’t see any bears on the river tonight. Course, that doesn’t mean they weren’t there. Built a fire and sat outside. A blue heron circled above us and landed in a tree nearby. (Picture didn’t turn out very good).

Full campground again! Last chicken came in at 10:00 tonight. 66 degrees and overcast today.

CATCH AND RELEASE PROGRAM

THIS MAMA MERGANZER ONLY HAS TWO BABIES LEFT. SHE JUST ABOUT LOST ONE OF THEM. THIS EAGLE SWOOPED DOWN TO PICK ONE OF THEM UP BUT THEY ALL DOVE JUST IN TIME.

WHERE DID THEY GO???

BACK TO MY TREE TO POUT!!!

EVENING FIRE

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SUNSET

BLUE HERON - CAMERA WAS ON THE WRONG SETTING!

7-27 TUESDAY

2010-08-08T19:05:00.001-07:00

Left at 8:30 for the shop where we met the Ranger (Preston). Took the parks boat and went out to 25 Mile where we launched the boat in the Chilkat River. The boat is a flat bottom with a jet pump motor. The river is VERY shallow in places. We hung up on a sand bar twice and Bob had to get out and push us off. We went about 15 miles up the river. People usually travel in pairs up here so the Forestry Service boat went with us. We were trying to take a measurement of a channel for the Parks Department and the Forestry Service was marking GPS locations on the river.

CHILKAT RIVER

SAND BAR

FORESTRY BOAT + 2 LABS

SHE WAS TRYING TO GET HER OWNERS LUNCH!

THIS DOCK AND CAMP IS PRIVATELY OWNED. YOU HAVE TO COME IN BY BOAT OR SNOWMOBILE. THE FORESTRY GUYS ARE SETTING A GPS MARKER.

GPS MARKER

GLACIER ABOVE THE CHILKAT RIVER

MOOSE TRACKS

I TOOK THIS WHILE THEY WERE TRYING TO PUSH US OFF THE SANDBAR!
It was a very beautiful day!

Got back in to town at 5:30. Headed right over to Taco Tuesday at the elks then back to camp to “count the chickens”.

Not quite full tonight. 68 degrees and sunny.

MERGANZERS

2010-08-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Not sure how they decide who gets to ride!

7-26 MONDAY

2010-08-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

We both slept 9 hours last night! Gave Bob a haircut right after breakfast then went to town for showers and to the store. Saw the sow with 3 cubs on the river on the way in.

THE CUBS ARE HARD TO SEE IN THE GRASS

THEY STAND UP ALOT TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON

THIS LITTLE GREY CUB WAS VISIBLE MOST OF THE TIME MOM WAS. HE SEEMED TO HAVE NO FEAR. THE OTHER TWO STAYED HIDDEN.

WHEN MOM IS DONE EVERYONE FALLS IN LINE.

HAINES AND FORT SEWARD.

PRINCESS SHIP IN HAINES HARBOR.

Back to camp and relaxed in the sun.

Full campground. 64 degrees and sunny.

7-25 SUNDAY

2010-08-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

Checked the campground and then went down to the boat launch and bridge. Watched eagles for awhile. They are hard to get pictures of!

Visited with several friends from last year. The Ranger and Assistant Ranger came out and Bob went with them to the back of the lake in the parks boat. They hiked about 2 miles on an old logging road that Bob had been on in the 70’s. This area is called The Glory Hole. The parks department owns some land back there they were trying to find. They didn’t find the property but did find a gigantic beaver dam that was blocking the road.

JEN, BOB, AND PRESTON - ALASKA STATE PARKS BOAT

IT'S ALMOST PRE-HISTORIC BACK HERE

SOCKEYE SPAWNING AREA - LOTS OF BEAR SIGNS

HUGE BEAVER DAM!!!

Bob's boots drying - they got hung up on a sand bar and he had to get out and push!

I built a fire while they were gone, visited some more, and answered campers questions. Standing on "The Rock" I watched an eagle swoop down and try to catch a fish right in front of me. He missed the fish, but what an awesome site (camera was in the trailer).

THESE PICTURES ARE ME GETTING RE-ACQUAINTED WITH CAMP!

Me on "The Rock".

Bob demonstrating how "The Rock" works!

60 degrees today and no rain. Full campground.

7-24 SATURDAY

2010-08-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Made my summer trip to Haines today – left Portland early. Flew to Seattle, then to Juneau. Getting ready to board the ferry in Juneau for the 4.5 hour trip to Haines when the phone rang. Bob had taken the ferry from Haines and met me in Juneau, AND he kept it a secret. He got off the ferry and they let us get right back on. Arrived in Haines at 7:30. Camp is only 5 miles from the ferry terminal. Made rounds in the campground and then had company. The Park Ranger came by and also the Assistant Ranger Jen and her daughter.

52 degrees in Haines today, 92 in Portland. Full campground.

These first pictures are ones Bob took before I got there.

FIRST SOCKEYE

GREAT DINNER!

PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU GO

TO TOWN. I GUESS THEY DIDN'T SEE THE BEAR SIGNS!

JUST MIGHT GET CONFISCATED BY A PARK EMPLOYEE!!

YOUNG BALD EAGLE FEEDING ON A DEAD SEA LION

HARBOR SEAL (AKA FISH THIEF)

BLONDIE

NOW I AM THINKING THIS IS THE "UGLY" BEAR FROM LAST YEAR!

BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS ON CHILKOOT LAKE!

JULY 12 - FULL CAMPGROUND

2010-07-13T13:31:00.001-07:00

Last night camp was full for the first time. Bob got to hang out the "CAMPGROUND FULL" sign!!

Also there was a big sow with 3 little cubs across the river last night. No picture, but hopefully we will get some this summer!

There is a brown bear in town that is making a nuisance of himself. He is tearing things up and getting into garbage cans. They are probably going to have to "deal" with him soon before someone gets hurt.

A lot of these pictures are the same as others that I have posted, just a different day - BUT, they are what Bob sees on a daily basis.

BEAR PAW PRINT

2010-07-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

WILD FLOWERS

2010-07-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

YOUNG BALD EAGLE

2010-07-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

MERGANZER

2010-07-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

EAGLE

2010-07-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Eagle nest

..........................I SEE YOU!!!

....................NOW I SEE A FISH!!!

BEAR

2010-07-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

We are pretty sure this is the same blonde bear that was seen earlier.

GLACIERS AT CHILKAT STATE PARK, HAINES, AK

2010-07-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

MOUNTAINS ABOVE CHILKOOT RIVER

2010-07-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

Fish weir and State Park are to the left.

BABY HARLEQUIN DUCKS

2010-07-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

The males are the pretty ones - go figure!!

EAGLES

2010-07-13T10:34:00.001-07:00

JULY 10 - NEW PICTURES

2010-07-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

As of this week there have been 6,500 sockeye salmon over the fish weir. There are a few bears hanging around but there will be more when the pinks come in. The pinks spawn in the river and then die shortly after. This sockeye was baked in the oven with some put in the freezer for when I come up.

1st sockeye

BOB'S NEW VACUUM CLEANER

2010-06-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Works great on pine needles! Battery powered and plugs in to the generator to charge. Domestic duties are never done!!

THE ROCK

2010-06-20T09:58:00.001-07:00

THE ROCK - Right in our camp. One foot on each and you can make an outbound call. Very few people can call out from the lake. Verizon would be proud!

RIVER OTTER

2010-06-20T09:47:00.001-07:00

MERGANZERS

2010-06-20T09:41:00.001-07:00

Babies going for a ride on Mom's back

BLONDE BEAR

2010-06-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

JUNE 19 - SATURDAY

2010-06-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Today went on a hike up above the campground. There is an alpine meadow up on top. Tonight there is a free salmon bake in town. The winter was mild this year so the mosquitoes are horrible. Can't go outside without some kind of spray. There has been a squirrel in camp. He has chewed up one of the camp chairs, hauled off a towel that was laying on a rock to dry and gotten up inside the belly pan. Duct tape blocking all the holes seems to be taking care of that!

JUNE 5 - FIRST BROWN BEAR SIGHTING

2010-06-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Today a brown bear walked right through our campsite. It walked up by the trash cans and back down the road to the river where it swam across! This brown/grizzly is a blonde bear. Pictures will be coming. Worked at Battery Point State Park today with other volunteers.

FERRY RIDE TO JUNEAU

2010-06-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

Fairweather arriving at Haines

Eldred Rock Lighthouse

Mendenhall Glacier at Juneau

MAY 30 SUNDAY - DAY 12

2010-06-06T17:42:00.001-07:00

This morning we saw 13 goats on the hillside on the other side of the lake (with binoculars). The ranger assistant came out and let us know because of the heat that there is a fire ban. The only camp fires allowed are for cooking and only if you are standing there using it. There is 18-19 hours of daylight now......time for me to go home!! We headed for the ferry terminal about 11:00. The "short version" is the ferry was late coming in from Skagway so I left Haines 3 hours late which made leaving even harder! The ferry I traveled on is the Fairweather. It gets to Juneau in 2 1/4 hours instead of 4 1/2 which is what it takes the normal ferry. 8 hours in the ferry system. Spent Sunday night in Juneau, then 11 hours in airports on Monday. Home about 8:00 Monday night.

ALASKA WILD FLOWERS

2010-06-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

EAGLES ON CHILKOOT RIVER

2010-06-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

EAGLE NEST ON CHILKOOT RIVER

2010-06-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

See the second eagle?

MAY 29 SATURDAY - DAY 11

2010-06-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hung around camp all day. Another camper is building a house in Haines. He took us to his building site and we got both of us some fire wood. John and Jen the camp hosts at Chilkat Lake came for a nice visit. We have not seen them since last year! Tonight we are transferring pictures from 4 cameras to two computers. It gets kind of confusing!

This weekend is the 18th annual Craft Beer and Homebrew Festival at the fairgrounds. One of the campers also told Bob that this weekend is also the Recovery Conference for AA……..ONLY IN HAINES!!!!

Today was another amazing day, 75 degrees. I will go to the ferry terminal tomorrow about noon to start my trip home.

CHILKOOT RIVER & FISH WEIR

2010-06-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

MERGANZERS

2010-06-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

KAYAK

2010-06-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

HAINES HARBOR

2010-06-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

MAY 28 FRIDAY - DAY 10

2010-06-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

Today we went to town early. Fuel, laundry, showers, and bank. Back to camp. We brought a kayak with us on the trip. Bob decided he better give it a try before I left. Only had one dip in the lake as he tipped it over. I did not know whether to laugh or see if he needed help! After he got settled in he went out on the lake for about a half hour. Thinks it will work OK. 4:00 we went back to town to have fish and chips at the Lighthouse right on the harbor. Today it is 75 again so there are people out everywhere! Beautiful day. Back to camp. Gave Bob a haircut, not sure when the next one will be! We heard a loud crashing noise across the lake up in the mountains. We could see the dust where there had been a big rock slide. When we looked in the binoculars there were 4 goats up above the slide. It didn’t seem to bother them. Mosquitoes are light so far this year. Have only used spray a couple of times. Bob has fished several times. Had a Dolly Varden on today. There are no salmon in the river yet and the fish weir has not been set yet. Everyone is waiting on the fish! Eagles, bears, fishermen, and tourists! We usually see 8-10 eagles every day .We saw quite a few black bears on the way up, but did not see any grizzlies, and we have not seen a brown bear here at the lake.
Same bear: grizzlies inland and browns on the coast.

HUMPBACK WHALES FROM BATTERY POINT

2010-06-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Battery Point was an amazing place to watch the Humpback whales feeding. We don't know how many whales we were watching. At least 2, maybe 3.

ALASKA FERRY FROM BATTERY POINT

2010-06-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

This ferry is going from Juneau to Skagway and Haines

SEAL AT BATTERY POINT

2010-06-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

BATTERY POINT STATE PARK

2010-06-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

EAGLES AT BATTERY POINT STATE PARK

2010-06-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

TRAIL IN AND OUT OF BATTERY POINT STATE PARK

2010-06-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

Rain Forest

Trail in

Trail out

Not for the "faint of heart!"

MAY 27 THURSDAY - DAY 9

2010-06-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Left for town about 8:00. Went to Battery Point State Park. This is a trail that goes through a rain forest and down to the beach. Not an easy hike for old folks! 2 miles in, 2 miles back. Sat on the rocks and watched a humpback whale feed. Took pictures of whale, eagles, and scenery. Stopped in town at the Hungry Moose for a hamburger and coke, then by the store and back out to the lake. 75 degrees today. I would say it was 10 all around!

LAKE FROM THE BOAT LAUNCH

2010-06-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

MAY 26 WEDNESDAY - DAY 8

2010-06-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day. Hung out in camp and up at the boat dock today. Visited with lots of people. Had a hummingbird in camp tonight.

HAINES AND FORT SEWARD

2010-06-06T13:05:00.001-07:00

MAY 25 TUESDAY - DAY 7

2010-06-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

After a big breakfast we cleaned 31 campsites. This includes raking the site, moving and cleaning picnic tables and cleaning out fire pits. The pollen has covered all of the picnic tables. Left for town at 2:30. Took showers, bought a fishing license, went to the library, and then to Taco Tuesday at the Elks. Stopped at the store for some fresh bread and milk and then back to camp. It was a high of 70 in camp today but now the wind has kicked up and the clouds have rolled in.

POLLEN ON THE LAKE

2010-06-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

The pollen is very bad this year!! At the back of the lake you could see the pollen in the air and on the lake. Then as the wind comes up it pushes it into camp and a little creek nearby.

The green line at the back of the lake is pollen!

WHAT A CAMP HOST DOES

2010-06-06T12:43:00.001-07:00

Bob figured this part out within one hour of arriving at camp!!

CAMP

2010-06-06T12:37:00.001-07:00

VIEW FROM OUR CAMPSITE

2010-06-06T12:33:00.001-07:00

CHILKOOT LAKE, HAINES, ALASKA

2010-06-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

MAY 24 MONDAY - DAY 6

2010-06-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

We moved into the campground and set up camp before noon. Got lucky and found half a truckload of wood in a campsite. We took the truck down and moved it to our site. The Ranger and two assistants came out and brought supplies and visited for awhile. Took pictures of eagles and hung out around the lake and camp the rest of the day. Fish and Game came out with their antenna to track the collared bears. They said that Clueless (#235) is in the area. He is within 1 mile of the lake. 65 and sunny!

CROSSING THE BORDER INTO ALASKA, USA

2010-06-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Another shot from the car window. They don't like you taking pictures at the border!

HAINES HIGHWAY - HEADED TO HAINES, AK!

2010-06-06T10:58:00.001-07:00

KATHLEEN LAKE, YUKON TERRITORY

2010-06-06T10:42:00.001-07:00

HAINES HWY NEAR KATHLEEN LAKE, YUKON

2010-06-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

MAY 23 SUNDAY - DAY 5

2010-06-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

436 miles today. We left camp before 6 a.m. every day. Today was no exception. Drove the Haines Highway between Haines Junction, Yukon Territory and Haines, Alaska. We crossed the border to the USA at 2:00. They kept my potatoes!! 1st stop was the carwash. Then out to the lake. There are already campers so Bob will start to work tomorrow. Back to the shop to talk to Preston the Ranger. He will be out tomorrow with Jen and Nick to bring supplies and set the camp host sign. We are staying in town tonight for showers, laundry, and to fill and empty the trailer…..and also because there is someone in our site! Today we saw one black bear, 2 moose, and 2 dear porcupines. Bob says they do not cross the road very fast!

Total trip 2164 miles in 4 days (total).

HAINES HWY (Between Haines Junction, Yukon Territory and Haines, Alaska)
Click to enlarge. These were taken out the truck window at 60 MPH!

BLACK BEARS ON THE ALCAN HWY

2010-06-06T09:43:00.001-07:00

BUFFALO ON THE ALCAN HWY

2010-06-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

We didn't see the herd of buffalo this year but saw 9 lone bulls today.

CARIBOU ON THE ALCAN HWY

2010-06-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

STONE SHEEP ON THE ALCAN HWY

2010-06-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

SUMMIT LAKE, BRITISH COLUMBIA

2010-06-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

Busy Beaver at Summit Lake!

ALCAN HIGHWAY NORTH OF DAWSON CREEK

2010-06-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

MAY 22 SATURDAY - DAY 4

2010-06-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

530 miles today. Temperatures ranged from 35 to 60 degree! Sunny most of the day, clouds and rain in p.m. You never know what to expect! Stopped at Summit Lake, on the Alcan, in the Yukon. Great day for animals! 9 male buffalo in different locations. We did not see the herd of cows and calves this year. 26 stone sheep in 5-6 different bunches, 3 caribou, 1 moose, 9 black bears, 1 rabbit, and 1 caribou that did not count! Remember the rule is we both have to see it to count it. Sent the night at Continental Divide campground between Watson Lake and Teslin.

BIJOUX FALLS PROVINCIAL PARK BETWEEN PRINCE GEORGE & CHETWYN

2010-06-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

MAY 21 FRIDAY - DAY 3

2010-06-04T05:20:00.000-07:00

500 miles today. 32 and snow in Prince George. Under 35 and snow flurries all day. Spent the night in an RV park on the Skiani River. Very cold out! Animals today: 1 gray fox, 1 black bear, 1 moose, 1 rabbit, and 4 deer.

NEAR WILLIAMS LAKE

2010-06-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

MAY 20 THURSDAY - DAY 2

2010-06-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Drove 448 miles today. Rain in a.m. then sunny and 55-60 the rest of the day. Crossed the border at 8:00 a.m. Stayed in an RV park just south of Quesnel, British Columbia.

MAY 19 WEDNESDAY - DAY 1

2010-06-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Left home headed for Haines, Alaska about 2:00 p.m. Drove 250 miles. Spent the 1st night in the rest stop at Marysville, north of Seattle, Washington.