We're still in Wrangell and it's now Saturday and the last day before we head on to Juneau.
We drove across the island and launched Dave's boat on the other side. We were heading Southeast about 30 miles by boat to a island called Anan to visit the bears.
This waterway is called the narrows and we went through them and on to Anan.
Another view from the boat launch area. The day was cloudy but no rain so it was pleasant.
This is a short video clip so you may have to click on it to see the video This area is one of the best in the world for bear viewing and at this time of the year the Salmon are running and the bears are fishing. An amazing site in the wild
Another short bear clip. We saw about 6 black bear as it was still about a week early for the big show. They said that they have identified about 20 individuals that fish here every year and when the Salmon are in full run they see them all.
This is Dave our trusted boat captain, guide and fount of information. Note the gun in his hand. All the party leaders who come here carry loaded guns "just in case" I questioned the need for the gun and was told it was indeed necessary as a precaution. We were in the bears home and while a violent encounter was unlikely it was possible. We spent lots of time here and then took a 3/4 mile hike back to the boat.
Back at the mouth of the river Heber contemplates the water and looks for fish. Back in the boat Andi did the driving and we found our way home. What a great day and it was one of the highlights of our stay on Wrangell Island.On Sunday we flew to Juneau in the morning and did some sightseeing in the afternoon. We took the tram up the mountain and were rewarded with this view of Juneau. Juneau is the capital of Alaska and I was surprised at how small and rural the town is.,
From the tram station we hiked up the mountain to this overlook with a cross. Again, another magnificent view of a beautiful area.
Monday was rainy.... one of only two days of wet weather on the trip..... so we walked the town and took in the sights. Tuesday we rented a car and headed out to the Mendenhall glacier. Here we see the glacier on the left and a waterfall on the right.
We hiked to the waterfall and from there got a great look at the Mendenhall glacier. Since 1975 the glacier has receded about one mile and continues to do so today.
This is just so you can see that we survived the time in Alaska. Thanks for taking the picture, Heber.
This is the Juneau harbor as seen from our hotel window. Lots of cruise ship so lots of folks in downtown every day. They didn't seem to bother us so we just had a great time in Juneau. Thanks to Heber and Natalie for letting us tag along on their visit to see daughter Andi. We're home now and the next adventure will be the desert Southwest in September. So.... till then have a great summer,
No comments:
Post a Comment