Happy Birthday, Don

I went out to Dyea looking for bears last night and nobody got stuck in the mud. In fact, Don is the only person I know who ever got stuck out there.

Anyway, I lucked out, and saw the first fishing bear of the season. My friends who work at the dog camp out there have been telling me for a week that the bears are in.

This little guy was very efficient for the first half hour. There is a channel behind him that makes a sharp bend and he is very good at catching fish in the corner. Once he crossed that sand bar into more open water, he was less successful. He eventually wandered downstream, across the bridge I am standing on to take this picture. Then it was getting late, so I went home.

H A, B&P, Vol II

We're back from Haines.
We met the ferry early (6:00am) and had a smooth ride over.
We went straight to The Bamboo Room for breakfast. Despite it's fancy name, it is a diner-type place with good breakfasts. Then we went out to the Chilkoot River and Lake to see if any grizzlies were there. Lots of fisherpersons, but no bears. As many spectators as fishers. We went back several times, and spent time spectating, but no bears. One sow with two cubs left just as we drove by, but we missed them. We, of course, went to the local quilt shop, and tried to go to the Hammer Museum, but it was closed. We checked into our B&B where we watched the three ships from Skagway sail past on their way to the next port.
Our hosts prepared a good breakfast, regaled us with tales of life in Haines, and we headed out. The road was uncrowded and in good shape (only 21 km of construction) but NO wildlife. Oh, except for a pair of trumpeter swans in the same pond where we saw them last year. The fireweed was in spectacular form on several stretches of road. We stopped in Whitehorse for some groceries and ran into one of our neighbors in the store. After we got back here, she knocked on our door. She had locked herself out! We assisted her, got her back in, then she and I went looking for bears in Dyea. Again, no luck. The salmon are plentiful, though.
So, today is our actual anniversary. It is raining already and we both have to work.
And that's the way it is; 41 years and counting.

Happy Anniversery, Bill & Peggie: Vol. I

Tonight we had a little celebration with friends.
It started like this:
We decided to go to Haines this weekend to celebrate our anniversery because we both have to work on Monday. (our actual date is July 25, for those who don't track such things)
Earlier this week I got a call from a couple we met this year on the trail to Lower Dewey Lake asking if we wanted to meet for drinks. We already had a dinner date, so I suggested we meet tonight, instead, to toast our anniversery. Fine. Then I realized that we hadn't seen Jeff and PJ recently (since we were at their anniversery party) so I called and invited them to join us. Good, so far.
Oh, slight backtrack; Dennis is the bartender across the street who we met last year when we called The Bistro our backyard place and went there more or less regularly. So we were planning to go tonight to kick off the celebratory weekend. OK back on track.
Yesterday, one of the jewelry store people we met at the beginning of the season ran into me on the street. She was on her way to the airport to leave. She was not having a good time here. So I stopped into the jewelry store to see how the rest were doing, and one of them, our neighbor at the apartment lamented that we haven't seen each other for a while, so I suggested she join us at The Bistro. Along with another coworker who was in on the conversation. So they came.
Then as I was walking past the library on my way home from work tonight I ran into Lynn (aka Atlin from our card playing buddies from year one) and she said how she missed seeing us so I told her she and hubby Robert should join us, so they did, too. Then, another couple we met and have had multiple contacts with over this summer came by and joined our group, too. Then a young lady who met Peggie at the quilt shop last year, and who became our favorite waitress at the BrewCo was walking by, so she stopped in for a while, also.
So, this is why we are having such a good time here. We celebrated our anniversery with friends from years one, two, and three. From Florida, Vermont, Hawaii, St. Thomas, California, and Arizona. From twenty-something to sixty-something. Most of them did not know each other before tonight. Peggie and I had a great time. We think everybody else did, too. The conversations moved randomly around the tables and now more people know more people than they did before.
And tomorrow, when we get on the ferry, four of them are also getting on the ferry, with Juneau as their destination. We discussed just partying all night. But, really, let's be real, we are too old for that kind of foolishness.
In fact, it is too late to be up writing.
Good night.

We better make hay!

We are losing daylight at the rate of 4 minutes per day. We are down to seventeen and a half hours already. We went out to Dyea at 8:30 last night because the salmon are starting up the creek and we hoped to see some bears. No luck on the bears. But on the way home through the woods (yes, and over the river, but no Grandma's house) we really noticed that our headlights were on. Also the reflective road signs actually reflected.
On Saturday I went with two others to go gold panning in a creek known to have some gold. We had a wonderful time. We did not find "color" though. Then we went further up Montana Mountain than I had been before. We found a road around the big washout. It was getting late, so we did not go to the end of the road. That is for another day. Anyway, I had my camera set wrong and ruined my pictures, so have to go back to get good ones. There is something (awesome? can't think of the word) about being above timberline.
We are looking forward to this weekend. We will celebrate our anniversery in Haines. We are ferrying over on Saturday morning and driving that beautiful road back on Sunday.

We will just have to go more often.

On Sunday, we went to Montana Mountain and saw that moose in the previous post. Yesterday after work we went back to pick up the fabric Peggie was rusting. On the way, we saw a wolf! He was that dark brown color we see on a lot of bears. At first we thought is was a bear, until we got closer. He was into the woods before we could get the cameras out.


Comment on Casey's efficient apartment manager: It is obvious she doesn't live in Skagway.


I have to apologize to Neptune. I forgot to post Happy Birthday on Tuesday. As I am sure you all know, Neptune has completed it's first orbit of the sun since its discovery 165 Earth years ago. So in Neptunian time it is one year old. We don't count the first four and a half billion years because we didn't witness all of them. The USPS, UPS, FedEx, and DHL all refuse to deliver cards or gifts.

Best moose sighting, yet!

This is a beaver pond on the north side of Montana Mountain. Don may recognize it from his jeep adventure tours.
We had gone there to rust-dye some fabric on that old compressor's engine parts that are lying all about. (see previous post) We had been there last year, but never got back to do the rust-dying. I knew about the pond, so I walked over there as Peggie was laying fabric. Even though I was hoping for a wildlife sighting, I neglected to take my camera. When I saw this young fellow, I had to go back to the jeep. Peggie was ready to come look, also. We were able to watch him eating for over twenty minutes. He was unaware of us. A couple of beavers were busy in the pond, and several ducks were also around. Our original view point was 100 yards away, but we were able to move around and get within 50 yards. His antlers are less than a foot long, and felted. He was eating from the bottom of the pond, completely submerging his head. While he had his head in the water, we felt safe to move around. Finally, he moved into the forest.

How's this for an idyllic vacation spot?

We had a great time. We'll tell you more soon.