Fishing, Alaska Style

Fishing, Alaska Style

     It's a great time of year in Katmai National Park in Alaska. Salmon are running and bears are feasting.  Every day hundreds of visitors are flocking to Alaska to view the bears. An estimated 20,000 viewed them in 2016.     

     I'm watching the bears, too, but remotely from Arizona.  In fact, I have breakfast and lunch with them almost every day.  The bear cams located at Brooks Falls are better than ever and very popular.   

  This experienced fisherman knows he only has to wait patiently and the fish will come to him.

This younger bear has picked a spot further down the river, away from the big guys.  It looks like luck is with him today as he holds his snagged fish.

The site is not only fun, it's educational. The Park Service provides free e-books that teach about grizzly bears. Even more interesting is that it tells us the name, age, sex and other known information about individual local bears.  Ranger talks are broadcast frequently, too.   For anyone who isn't fortunate enough to watch the grizzly bears in person, the bear cams provide the next best chance to see these great animals up close.  

So the next time you have a few spare minutes or need a relaxing break, check out the Brooks Falls Bears.  Just be careful--bear cams are addictive!

Bears at Brooks Falls

Fishing at Brooks Falls

     For the past few weeks I've been eating breakfast and lunch with the bears at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park in Alaska.  The Park Service set up two web cams aimed at the falls and the river.  Though of us who can't make it to Alaska can see the live action, too.  Explore.org features the bears, as well as a lot of other animals, on its site.
      Last night I had an extra treat when I came in to listen to Ranger Mike talk about the different bears.  It was an amazing night at the Falls.   The salmon were huge and plentiful.   The bears would position themselves and wait for a salmon to swim right by.  At one time I counted 13 bears.  The hour flew by!

    This female bear, #409, is a great fisher.  She caught a number of fish last night.   Another female, not shown in the picture, was standing nearby waiting for a chance to take the fish away or to at least get the leftovers.

      The bears are all numbered, and some have been named by the people who watch and regularly chat on-line.   I tried to take good notes as Ranger Mike talked.  There's a free e-book available that has all their pictures and great info.

Adult male #747 fishing in the “Jacuzzi”.

     Holly and her two cubs were there, too.   The small one on the left is a female.  The middle cub is a male that she adopted.  I haven't learned the story about how that happened yet.  He's a year older than the female and doesn't like to share his food.    You can see his darker coloring in this picture.

    These two keep their mom busy all the time.   But she seems like a really good and patient mother.   They fish in an area called the Ripples, away from the bigger males.

   

       A big male with his catch.

An eagle watches from a high tree.

     Two large males engaged in "jaw popping" as they sorted out who was going to be the dominate male.   It didn't last long before one of them backed away.  I was glad to see that. The fishing was good and a fight could seriously hurt both of them.   One of the bears lost an ear in June during a fight.




       This photo was taken about 9 p.m. Alaska time.  The bears were still fishing and eating when I went to bed.

Wild in Alaska

Denali Backcountry Lodge

       There's only one road that goes into Denali National Park.  It's about 90 miles long, and regular cars can only go on the first 15 miles.  After that traffic is limited to Park buses and a few local residents' vehicles.  
     The road is partially paved.   It's bumpy and dusty in the summer and snowed closed in the winter.  Some parts are single lane.   In a few spots, like at Polychrome Pass, it twists and turns and offers more thrills than an amusement park ride.   Bears, moose, and caribou graze within a few feet of it.   Some animals walk right down the middle of it.    Just riding the bus is a great adventure. 
        But there is more at the end of the road--four backcountry lodges--hidden away in the vast wilderness of Denali.   We were lucky enough to stay one night in the Denali Backcountry Lodge, although I wanted to stay there longer.   They were booked up so one night was all I could get.   This sign marks the turnoff.   

        The area is huge and very secluded.  One other lodge was visible from the road as we drove down a long hill toward our destination.  Later we looked up the mountainside from Moose Creek that ran past our lodge and saw the back of that lodge.   But the other two lodges were totally hidden from view.  I think one of them belongs to the Princess Cruise line, but I'm not positive.   If it's inside the Park, it has to be near here. 
      

 

      Here's the sign that marks the end of the road.   The air strip is a few feet past here.   Some people took flight seeing trips from here or flew back to avoid the long bus ride back.

       We went on a botany walk with one of the naturalists.  It may not be visible in the picture, but we were wearing mosquito netting and a ton of Dreet.   Fortunately this was the only place that the mosquitoes were really bad.  

       Not too far from the turnoff is this cabin.  A pioneer woman, Fanny Quigley, lived here for many years.  She was known for her pies and provided food for the miners and others.   The cabin was used by a few other people after her death, but now it has been restored as a landmark.   Every nail, board, table, etc., had to be hauled in from the outside!   She gardened and cooked, but it had to be a lonely way of life. 

 

 

         This area, Kantishna, was brought into the Park in 1980.  The private lands are "in holdings".  The Lodges remain, but the mining operations have ceased.   From this location the Park continues west to the sea, but there are no roads in that area.

      

       I loved the Denali Backcountry Lodge!   It's beautiful, spacious, and just rustic enough.   The main building is two story, with the main dining room downstairs and a library, fireplace, and small gift shop upstairs.  There was a wine and cheese party before dinner, and we enjoyed our  wine on the deck off of the library.  

   
             There are rows of "cabins" and a separate building where they serve lunch.   After dinner one of the naturalists gave a talk on owls in there, too.   Very interesting.   You can see that building in the picture below.   Even the swinging bridge was fun.   On the other side of Moose Creek was an old miner's tent, a maze, and a few other spots for reading and relaxing.

             A view of the buildings from the other side of the creek. 
 

 

      The Lodge was even better than I had imagined.   Lunch was very good and very informal.   Lots of options for sandwiches, soup and salad.   Many of the people were only there for a short time.   They had to return to town when the afternoon bus left.   
       Dinner, however, was gourmet quality.   It was only served to the overnight guests.   We were seated at tables for 6 so you had a chance to talk with other people.    Two of our table mates were from Australia, and the other two were from Washington state. 
        If you ever get the chance to go, do it!        

North to Alaska

       
           From the time I first heard Johnny Horton sing "North to Alaska" in 1960, I've wanted to go there.   This month I finally made it. 
           Alaska was everything--and more--than I expected.
           The first clue that Alaska was different came when I saw the Alaska Airline's plane.  A flying fish.  

     In Anchorage, fish rule.   

 

          Ship Creek was lined with fishermen and women from early morning to night.   Except there isn't "night" in Alaska now so I'm not sure if the creek was ever without someone fishing there.    

 

 

  The Comfort Inn, where we initially stayed, was next to Ship Creek.   You could borrow poles, go across the street, and catch your lunch.     There was even a bait shop nearby.

 

One man caught his fish while we were there.  I don't know what kind of fish it was, but it was big.

 

 

        We went to the local artisan's fair on Sunday where we found more fish.   I love quesadillas, but I wasn't ready for ones made out of salmon.  

 

 

         Walking around Ship Creek and down to the bay was interesting, but I was after bigger fish.   I came to Alaska to see Denali and the wildlife that live in the Park.    Early Monday morning Kent and I would board a motor coach, the Anchorage Denali Express, for the 5 hour drive to Denali.