Welcome back to Alaska

Well following a seven month Hiatus from the land of the last frontier, and a great winter traveling in Guatemala and Mexico, then California and Washington for a couple of months, I find myself in the land of Deja Vu. It seems as though I never left Alaska last summer and I find myself back here in Seward once again. A week ago we touched down at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage to a rare and glorious sunny day. Skies that shined of cobalt blue and a sprinkle of dusty snow left on the ground, not the same Anchorage I left last September. Apparently they experienced a fairly mild winter and there was hardly any snow on the ground. I have returned for another summer season of work for the same company, although a different position and a different location. Right now I am training in Seward where I have been since last Monday. This year I will be a Marine Science Explorer workshop instructor at the Prince William Sound Location. I am stretching myself and going out of my comfort zone quite a bit. In the early spring for the first few weeks school groups come out for workshops in Marine Science on the boats, each location has different topics and you would of thought I would of wanted Seward again for Marine Mammals, however after conversing with the one of the instructors last year before I left she talked me into trying the Whittier program I will be teaching Geology and Glaciology which are not my strong points, however I am learning as well and how to teach it to mostly 4th and 5th graders. The workshops are 25 minutes and we have to cover a lot in that short a period of time, so on top of learning all the information, then having to put it together in a way that flows and that 4th and 5th graders can understand. I have taught workshops before, however it was art expression, so this is all new. I like the challenge and I am learning as well,although it takes my brain longer now that I have grown into an older and wiser, yet retaining new information is taking longer. I have attempted a couple of rehearsals and have stumbled a bit, yet I am hoping with practice that is will flow together. Fortunately there are two returning instructors on top of new newbies, both who know a lot and have done it for awhile... I now know that I can take on new info, it is just a matter of putting the words and my mouth together. In addition we we also have four short 10 minute workshops that are optional which are Salinity Analysis, Plankton Analysis, a short talk on the Kittiwake Rookery and one more... anyway, wish me luck. Next year, granted I enjoy it and all goes with flying colors I would prefer to be here for Marine Mammals, the one main plus of Prince William Sound is the water is protected and there are very few barf bags to pass out, LOL. Anyway, a new challenge, and trusting there will not be too much babysitting or disciplinary action to take.

Outside of my brain feeling a bit overwhelmed I have mainly been coming home and passing out. The first day we did go out on a boat to observe the staff here in Seward, and we had a lot of animals on the trip that day. As soon as we departed out of the Harbor a playful Sea otter joined us. We watched an observe him cleaning himself and Sea Otters are always a welcome treat for everyone on the boat. Before we pulled into Thumb cove for the first class we had a bald Eagle perched on an island in the middle of the bay and I never tire of them. It helped to watch the classes here, altough the subject matter is different, yet it did give me an idea of how to conduct my workshop. Anyway, after the classes were done, we headed out to Cape Resurrection for a look at the Steller Sea Lion Rookeries and the Kittiwakes who have arrived for breeding season.

We were also lucky to have seas of glass and very little wind, so that made for a pleasant trip. Once we began our way back into Resurrection Bay we got word that a pod of Orcas were up there, so of course I was elated that my spirit friends decided to join us. As we got closer they were a fair ways away, yet it is always exciting to see them no matter what. Captain Mark had thought they might be transients, yet there was no confirmation as to whether they were or not. Anyway, that made for a great day out out on the boat and I felt as though I never even left last summer.

Wish me good luck with my new adventure and I hope to keep everyone posted of all the wonderul sightings I have this summer.

From Homer to Seldovia, part 2 of an Alaskan Adventure

For many Alaska is only but a dream. I have been very fortunate to have experienced in more depth and fully taking advantage of all the opportunities at hand. For me Alaska is raw beauty, from the moist wet Temperate rainforest's of the South Central and Southeast, to the more dry and vast tundra of the far north. In other words Alaska is huge, far too big to experience in a week or even two. So compared to those who only come for a week or two, I have been blessed with being able to take advantage of wonderful opportunities to experience nature, raw and rugged, steeped in myth and legend, from Ice carved glacial valleys to remote beaches and parks. Recently as mentioned in my previous post I went to Katmai National Park in Southwest Alaska where I got up close an personal with the largest Carnivore or actually Omnivore as Brown Bears feast on a variety of foods. That in in itself was a major thrill and I will hold that in my heart for a long time. The following day after the Katmai adventure I took a Boat trip over to Seldovia. Seldovia is a very well preserved Village on the peninsula down from Homer, yet only accessible by boat or plane. Charming boardwalks and colorful houses predominated the scene here in Seldovia. Well preserved from earlier times this really felt like true Alaska to me even rather quarky with amusing signs throughout town. When we docked I took part of the walking tour that follows the creek and past some beautiful gardens being maintained by a local woman who has taken care of the towns gardens for many years. I admired all the beautiful flowers that managed to thrive despite a short growing season. I noticed the strong fall scent in the air and the grasses in the wetlands were illuminating a glowing shade of gold. This far north fall comes early sometimes in August. When the fireweed goes to seed you know winter is just around the next corner. I was very blessed with sunny skies this whole trip. The day trip over to Seldovia was gorgeous and I couldn't of asked for more. If you want to experience a traditional Alaskan Fishing village Seldovia is definitely worth the trip. Still maintaining a traditional small village feel and friendly locals to boot. Upon returning back over to Homer we docked in the slip in the Homer Harbor. The Harbor sits out on the spit and I began to wonder, here is this long strip of sand spanning around six miles. Small galleries and Tourist operators line up and down the spit. What is a huge wave was to come and literally wipe it all out. It seemed so vulnerable to me yet also quite fascinating. Homer is much bigger than Seward and a completely different feel. Much more spread out and the Mountains further back with Cook Inlet as it's Seaport. Even though Seward is much more scenic I liked Homer, it seemed pretty hip for a town that boots probably some of the best fishing in the world. Well as my 2Nd day was coming to a closure I watched a beautiful sunset beginning and casting a spell of gold and orange of the wetlands. Sandpipers and other birds were busily feeding in the small ponds and I just felt a sense of deep appreciation for the relaxed beauty and raw nature that is something so near and dear to my heart and soul. Stay tuned for more in part 3.

Rollover Beartoven, adventures in Katmai National Park and beyond

I am not one of those who is usually at a loss for words, however this week I got to experience something that truly put me at a loss for words. I took a couple of extra days off from work to travel to the more western side of the Kenai Peninsula visiting Homer and Seldovia. I was extremely lucky to be able to get to go on something that everyone who travels to Alaska should experience, a flight adventure over to Katmai National Park to see the Great Alaskan Brown Bears. In other places they are known as Grizzly Bears or even Kodiak Bears and here in these part they are simply called Alaskan Brown Bears. Katmai has one of the highest concentrations of Brown Bears in the state, and during the last couple of months of summer they are busy fishing for the salmon running in the rivers. I was ever so grateful for securing a nice discount on this adventure as these trips can be quite costly. After the day was over I understood why. The amazing skill of the pilot landing on a long narrow Beach in a remote part of Katmai beside the Halo Glacier was a feat in itself. The outfitter known as Alaska Bear Adventures and K-Bay air fitted us with waders so we could cross the river safely and free of getting soaked for our adventure. Flying over the Alaskan Maritime Wildlife Refuge and over the Volcanoes they refer to as the Ring of Fire was amazing. The views breathtaking everywhere you looked from high mountains to braided rivers over Kodiak Island, Mt. Illiama, St.Augustine and Mt. Redoubt we made our way to the Northern Coast of Katmai National Park. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and as soon as we started to descend to the beach I could see the Bears and immediately overtaken with emotion. Wow it was unreal. We circled a few times as he manoeuvred the landing gear and then safely landed on the beach. We didn't have to walk too far to cross the river to where several Bears were fishing. Mike, the guide and Naturalist knows these Bears well as he has been doing this for a very long time. He understands their behavior and we were all very respectful as the 10 of us on the trip huddled close together on a log and sat and watched these bears only a few feet away fishing. I have had many fun adventures, yet this experience was in my heart and soul as one of the most incredible adventures I have ever had. I couldn't believe we were in this wildly primitive and beautiful place watching Bears in there natural habitat living their daily lives. What a gift and I feel truly blessed. All together we spent around 3.5 hours observing them, feeding, splashing, playing, resting, sleeping and a few bouts of aggression between alphas and young ones, yet this felt so real and so raw, why would anyone call Reality Shows today reality when they are not. Nature is reality and this was truly magical. I will long remember this experience. As the day began drawing to a close we observed an older cub that the crew call Stix whose Mom they call Melissa. Poor little Stix I guess had been messing around with a Porcupine and got a quill in his paw and was struggling to set himself free of that quill. Watching him limp and try to keep up with Mom on three legs was heart breaking to watch, yet this is nature. Mike the guide told us that the quill would work it's way out, so hopefully Stix will be free of that pain in his foot soon. We left the park and I was filled with joy and love for all this raw beauty. As we ascended over the snow capped glaciers and river valley's I felt such a sense of peace truly a magical day that captured my heart and spirit.

All Photos I took and are soley the property of Dawna Raven Sky 2010.

Stay tune for blog part 2 when I share my day in Seldovia, a Historic Alaskan Village untouched by modern things.