Sasquatch called again.  The morning flight had to turn back because the landing location was fogged in so the afternoon flight is cancelled.  They don’t have any more openings for at least two weeks.  That takes it off of even our pretty flexible schedule.  I am very bummed.  We are moving on.

Up at 5:30 AM with a breakfast of coffee and untoasted bagels (it is too early for generator hours).  Dressed.  Took my Dramamine.  Gathered all the essential take alongs: bug spray, sun tan lotion, winter hats, gloves, shade hats, bug nets, rain suits, fleece…hard to image anyone could need all those thing in one day isn’t it?   We are ready for anything and just heading out the door.  My phone rings, Sasquatch cancelled our bear viewing flight for today.  Bummers.  We rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon.  The forecast is a bit better for tomorrow.  Here’s hoping!

A visit to The Islands and Seas Center including a stroll along the marshwalk and beach followed by a stop at the bakery we found 5 years ago, Two Sisters Bakery.  Fantastic.

A stroll through the farmers market revealed stands piled high with lots of cool climate veggies: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, kale of several kinds, herbs, beautiful mixed salad greens, cabbage and head lettuce and more.  Lots of local berry jellies too.

Hillsides are carpeted with the glorious purple/pink of fireweed.

Bear Creek Winery.  I couldn’t pass up the blueberry wine.  My plan is to save it for our anniversary.  We’ll see.

Out after a morning of rain

The fishing lagoon on the spit as the tide came in, just a bit crazy.  People line the rocky banks nearly elbow to elbow all randomly casting, jerking, and cranking.  If they are successful, it all culminates with clubbing the unfortunate salmon.  It is quite the sight.

Boardwalk fish and chips…listed as the best in town.  The salmon was delicious but the local halibut was fantastic.

Added a few new birds to the life list.  There are a number of species that spend near all their lives at sea that come to this area to rear their young so it’s a rare treat to see them.

We started out optimistic but ultimately didn’t have much luck fishing today either.  We saw a few very big salmon in the river and a number of them on other peoples’ stringers and at the cleaning table.  We made it all the way out to the confluence of the Kenai and the Russian Rivers.  Fishermen were not shoulder to shoulder but they were close enough together to have to coordinate casting.  We stayed on the fringes.  I mostly watched.

We were hampered somewhat since we only have boots not chest waders.  To protect the river banks and spawning cover the actual banks are closed.  There are designated walkways into the river and fishing is actually done standing in the water.  Waders let fishermen get to more places in the river….all the places where the fish are of course.

We are probably too timid too.  One has to be pretty aggressive to get a spot in the prime area at the confluence.  We will have plenty more opportunities to fish but there is a fair chance that we will be having our fresh Alaskan salmon at a restaurant!

Catching something would have made it a better day but it is hard to complain about bright, sunny, and 73F.  The people watching kept it interesting.

Elbows sharpened for “combat fishing” and the just right lure in hand we are ready.  Our campsite is only a couple hundred yards from the “World Class salmon fishing”.  We make a preliminary scouting trip to the river.   Really?  Nothing?  Fishermen are wandering up and down the middle of the river in their fancy chest waders looking for fish.  Yes that’s right.  They don’t even have their line in the water most of the time.  They wait until they spot one then waggle their special fly in its face.  Not many fish on stringers either.  No fishers wearing fur(bears) anywhere. This is not what we expected at all.

Still, we are here…..poles in hand we wade and look and cast.  I managed to snag and loose my fly within the first 20 minutes.  Something I predicted by the way.  Not so much as a sighting let alone bite.  We will head out again in the morning.  It’s what one does after all.  The official fishing report reads like nearly every other one I have seen; spotty today, should get better in the next few days.  We shall see.

Light wisps of snow white clouds dot the brilliant blue sky.  A rainbow arcs across the living room wall as the sun streams through the suncatcher in the window.  This is a beautiful morning. Denali will be out, no doubt.

From the War Memorial stop, yep we see it.  From the south viewing area, yep we see it here too.  The snowy peak keeps us company all along Parks Highway.

First order of business in Wasilla, coach batteries.  We have been running the generator twice a day for a week or longer now.  The batteries don’t hold a charge. Kent picked out two new ones, installed them and we are charging them up as we hang out a couple days.  There are a few things to check out here any way and I need to do some online research for the next month or so of our journey.

Sooo cute

Weeks old sled dog puppies.  They are so tiny and snuggly.

We stopped in at the Iditarod Headquarters.  These folks take their racing and their dogs very seriously.  It is a fun stop.

We take down the kayaks and head out onto Byers Lake.  It is a small kettle pond about 1×2 miles across in Denali State Park.  There is a bit of breeze but its very pleasant and not too much work to paddle.

A mama Merganser is teaching 9 young ones the fine art of fishing.  Usually they are graceful divers but today the whole bunch of them are a splashing tumbling mess as they run along the top of the water and scoop up salmon smolt.

A Loon surfaced just a couple feet in front of my kayak.  I sat motionless.  He looked at me then at Kent and in just a few seconds he slipped silently down into the crystal clear water.  I could see him swimming about 5 feet down.  Very cool.

The inlet stream is icy cold.  We can see the snow fields that are its source.  My feet got cold right through the hull of the kayak as we paddled upstream.  The float back to the lake was unbelievably silent without even a paddle slap to disturb the senses.

Campfire and smores, Yum!