Reminiscing: Alaska 2010

As fantastic as our first trip to Alaska (2001) was, our second time up to the 49th state was even more so. What an amazing and wonderful time we had.

This trip — which spanned just over two weeks in August — was a two-parter … each part different from the other. The first part took us to places brand new to us. The second part was a mix of places familiar to us … and some that weren’t. The first part had us romping in a natural setting. The second part had us visiting towns and cities … with plenty of nature thrown in for good measure.

The trip did not get off to a good start. Mechanical issues with the aircraft not only caused a schedule and route change, but also had us rushing to find our way to a different airport ... in a neighboring state. In the end, not only did we make it where we needed to go, but also, unbeknownst to us, our delayed luggage joined us on the flight to our final destination. All’s well that ends well.

THE BROWN BEARS OF KATMAI …

We’re bear aficionados. Well, actually we’re wildlife aficionados, but this trip was all about brown bears.

There are many ways to go bear watching. We chose to do so by boat … moving from one place to another … taking a skiff to get ashore. It was a week-long trip from Kodiak … one that ended up being a private charter because no one else wanted to book for a week. An unexpected bonus that we greatly appreciated.

Despite non-stop soaking rain for two days, we had a great time in Kodiak … driving from one end of the island to the other; exploring enchanting woodlands where the trees were draped in lacy green moss.

What followed after we left Kodiak on the Single Star — pitching and rolling our way across the Shelikof Strait — well, that was what made the trip beyond awesome.

We made fond and everlasting memories galore on the crossing. Kittiwakes and gulls nesting in cliffs with their fluffy chicks carefully balancing to stay in the nests; humpback whales feeding, breaching, and fin slapping; orcas playing near the boat, blowing puffs of air that sunbeams turned into mini rainbows; otters rafting by with young ones nestled on their tummies; mists swirling along the coastline; quiet coves giving the impression that we were the only ones in the whole wide world.

Once the Shelikof Strait was in the rearview mirror, we hop-scotched from Geographic Harbor to Kukak Bay to Hallo Bay … staying a night here, two nights there … as the mood struck us and the tides allowed. What was especially nice was having these places to ourselves (most of the time) … just the two of us and our guide, Eberhard … Captain Lee and chief bottle-washer-and cook Lindsay joining us ashore occasionally. When there were other groups (seldom did this happen), they were quite were distant from us … often out of view.

We made fond and everlasting memories galore … one of them a sad reminder of the circle of life. Sitting quietly with countless numbers of bears lunging across the water as they fished for salmon; hearts thundering in our chest when bears walked by just feet from us … paying us no mind whatsoever; watching mama bears teaching their cubs how to fish and fend for themselves; studying bears resting quietly on sandbars; laughing at gulls following bears in hopes of getting leftover scraps; measuring our own hand- and footprints against those left behind by bears; being amazed when sows led their cubs to us as though to introduce them to the humans who sometimes show up to watch them go about their business.

One everlasting memory … far from fond. Witnessing a sow killing the cub of another sow … in front of our very own eyes. It was a shocking moment — all the more so because, as we later learned, it’s unusual for sows to kill cubs. But this mama bear was desperate … it had three cubs to feed … and the cub of another sow was easy hunting, though mama put up a good fight. Circle of life. (I won’t reminisce more about this event … if interested, you can read the full story here: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/08/view-to-k….)

The trip wasn’t all about bears. We allowed ourselves to be distracted by green clad mountains alternately brilliantly lit by the sun and hidden by eerie mists; eagles stealing salmon from gulls who stole their booty from bears; breathtakingly beautiful sunrises reflecting on calm waters; lenticular clouds forming in blue skies; fast-flowing creeks that were no barrier to us … ever grateful for our waders; meditation-inducing peaceful, driftwood-ridden beaches.

Eventually the time came to cross the Shelikof back to Kodiak. Sad that our time with the bears had come to an end … thrilled by all that we had experienced. Looking forward to the next part of our trip. A mix of emotions.

SEWARD TO ANCHORAGE …

Flying back to mainland Alaska from Kodiak, we picked up a rental car and headed to Seward for a three-night stay that was filled with all kinds of fun stuff.

We made fond and everlasting memories galore. Wandering around town in search of beautifully executed colorful murals; walking along the waterfront, thinking that perhaps someday we too would camp in the RV park; eating the best halibut fish and chips at a shack-like restaurant on the waterfront; picnicking with provisions from a nearby supermarket; hiking to stand just a few feet from the blue river of ice known as Exit Glacier; spending hours with the critters at the Alaska Sealife Center … puffins are so ridiculously cute in a very clownish way; taking a boat trip out to the Kenai Fjords National Park where Aialik Glacier performed by calving over and over and over again.

Then it was time to move on north to Anchorage for a few nights. But of course, we had to stop and play along Turnagain Arm during our drive.

We made fond and everlasting memories galore. Hiking to a snowfield at the base of Byron Glacier … hopping over streams to play in the dimpled snow … surrounded by spectacular scenery; watching a moose cross Portage Creek … “I own this area,” his demeanor said; reacquainting ourselves with the not-so-wild critters at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

In Anchorage, we relaxed a bit; saw the sights a bit; dined at some of our favorite haunts; stayed in a hotel downtown, our fingers crossed that we would not be visited by the ghosts that are rumored to haunt the place.

We made fond and everlasting memories galore. Wandering around the ruins of Independence Mine, peeking into windows and picnicking at a table nearby; revisiting the musk ox farm to see the cute calves and add to our collection of qiviut pieces; wandering amidst the colorful spirit houses of Eklutna; exploring the Alaska Native Heritage Center … culture and photo ops … and beautifully carved totem poles.

And then it was time to leave Alaska behind once again. Our departure by airplane not nearly as moving as our departure was in 2001 when we sailed out of Seward to the hauntingly beautiful melody and words of “It’s Time to Say Goodbye.” Yet again, we left a few more pieces of our heart behind.

By the time we deplaned in Virginia, we knew we would have to return someday to explore more of Alaska.

Who knew then that it would take us eight years to do so.

(Though, more than 20 years after the fact, I have yet to process my photos from this trip, I wrote about it extensively ... with lots, and lots of photos. Link: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2010/08/two-to-tr….)Read more