Cruising 7/6/2015

2015 Boating Season

Cruising 7/6/15

We are back in Petersburg and are going to start our cruise south for home. We left early on July 3^rd and cruised down the Wrangell Narrows turning east into Sumner Strait, spotting four whales, and down Eastern Passage to Berg Bay for the night. There we met a couple from Austria, kayaking Southeast Alaska. They were staying in the park cabin for two nights. Since they had a kayak and kept it on the shore, they let us use their dock for the night. We had a very nice hike that afternoon.

Berg Bay

Nice Hike

Park Cabin

Wood plank hiking path

Happy July 4^th and Happy Birthday Jacob, our grandson who turned fourteen today.

This morning is very nice and as we cruise down Blake Channel we wondered if we could get into The Anan Bear and Wildlife Observatory in Bradfield Canal on mainland Alaska. This is overlooked by the United States Forest Service and they are there to educate and guide the tour. It was our lucky day!! The Rangers said it was a perfect day to come on shore and watch the bears. After July 5^th you need a special permit and only 60 people a day are permitted to enter. We tried to get a permit two years ago and they are gone quick. Tour guides in Ketchikan get the permits and charge $600.00 per person or more to take people to Anan Bay. Then you only get thirty minutes to hike a half mile and view the bears.

Anan Bay

The Rangers gave a short talk on safety and staying together on the trail and said we could stay as long as we liked. They said the salmon just started up Anan Creek June 27^th and the bears are just starting to show up. What a once in a life time chance to see grizzly and black bear feeding together. There is no other place in the world where that happens. We took movies and will put a “bear movie” together when we get home.

Park Cabin and Trail

Anan Creek

Who's looking at who?

Young Grizzly

Salmon swimming up the creek to spawn

Young Grizzly Cub

Mommy Grizzly

GRIZZLY WITH THREE CUBS

Anan Lagoon

Just being there and watching the bears was breathtaking!!

As we left the bay and headed south to Ketchikan, we saw our friends, Herb and Willie Stark, on their 31ft Ranger Tug, as they were headed north with a buddy boat, Nudibranch.  We encouraged them to take a side trip into Anan Bay and see the bears.  It's always nice to see friends when your far from home. 

Willies Tug

For now we are spending three to four days in Ketchikan waiting for good weather to cross back into Canada. Good time to do laundry, groceries, and boat maintenance. Alaska is always an exciting adventure for us and we hope to come back next year. 

Here are some amazing Alaska facts:

*The name “Alaska” comes from the Aleut word “Alyeska” meaning “great land”.

*With 570,374 square miles, Alaska is twice the size of Texas.

*Alaska is one of the least populated states in America. There are approximately 710,000 inhabitants, half live in Anchorage and the surrounding areas. 15 percent of the population is Alaska Native or Native American.

*Alaska has 100,000 glaciers, 1,800 named Islands, and 13 major volcanoes, mostly on the Aleutian Chain.

*Alaska has the largest concentration of bald eagles in the world.

*Alaska has the longest salmon run in the world.