10 July. Anchor Point, AK. Running Roy Pool's dogs.

As mentioned previously, at low tide it is possible to drive on the beach.  Most of our days at Anchor Point we got out to run Roy's dogs along with Bean and Dory.  I should know their names, but sadly I cannot remember. I do, however, remember the fun we had with them on the beach.

Bald eagles abound. Seriously they are nearly as numerous as crows or gulls.

John is always on the lookout for a daily Instagram post that summarizes the day.  I am not sure if he posted this one.  

The dogs ran miles and miles just trying to get a bird to sit still.

Bean and Dory were in heaven. 

As were Roy's English Setters.

Pam and Roy.  I cannot overstate the majesty.  Look at the mountains on the horizon--just amazing.

9 July, Peterson Bay John, Richard, Mary and Bean

While Roy and Pam were out fishing (they had a 5:30AM start) Mary, Richard, John, and Bean took a nature tour of the area around Peterson Bay across the Katchemac Bay from Homer.  It was a great day.

Once again, Bald Eagles were simply "all over the place."  This one was posted as a sentry on "Otter Rock."  He probably prevented me from getting a really good look at a Surfbird, something I had been looking for.

Glaucous-winged Gull -- Bald Eagle.  Coexistence.  Why can't we all get along?

On the way to Peterson Bay (by boat from Homer) we saw a Humpback Whale.  It had breached (come shooting out of the water vertically like that insurance commercial), but we missed that for a photo shot.  Our guide Katy said it was the best breach she had ever seen.  The whale came up, spun and landed on his back.  Huge. Impressive.  This was the first whale John had ever seen.  What a great first viewing.  Later, our tour guide took us out out to Otter Rock at low tide and, there again, was the Humpback Whale right near the beach.  

Our guide Katy, working on Master's Degree in Science Education from University of Washington.  She has lived in Homer all her 29 years and had "never once seen a whale from the beach."  Our amazing luck once again.  You can just see the whale in the water over John's right shoulder.  It was just feet from the beach seeking out krill.

A signature geographic point is Mount Poot.  

Bean was exhausted by the time the boat ride (his first ever), tour and hike were over.  He loves his Uncle John.

On the way back to Homer we stopped by Gull Island to see thousands of nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes and Glaucous-winged Gulls.  We got a look at some 4,000 Common Murres floating as "rafts" on the water. Mixed in were a few Tufted Puffins and Horned Puffins. It was a superior experience.

9 July. Pam and Roy -- Deep Sea Fishing

Pam had the opportunity to spend some time with her brother Roy. One dream was to go deep-sea fishing off the Kenai Peninsula.  They got the chance.  25 miles off shore, Pam and Roy hooked their limit of Halibut (2 each).  The task was so tiring, that Pam, who hooked the first three fish on all the boat, had to had her rod and reel off to someone else.  Their fish ranged from 20 to 50 pounds. After completing the arduous, but satisfying task of pulling them aboard the boat, everyone wondered how it is that some can haul in a 400 pounder.  Alaska runs an annual derby.  Every fisherman contributes a few dollars to a pool.  At the end of the season the person with the largest catch gets all the money.  The record was set in 1996 with a 459-pounder.  Amazing.

A bucket list item for Pam. She proudly displays her first halibut.

Pam and Roy got lucky. Their boat only had 5 fisherman, so there was plenty of room for everyone.  All five took their 2-fish limit. Here are Pam and Roy showing off the 10 halibut.

8 July. Running Roy's Dogs on the Beach.

Roy Pool is Pam's brother.  He drove his RV from near Phoenix, Arizona pulling a Toyota Tacoma on a trailer behind him. He arrived on "The Kenai" over three weeks ahead of us. He's a outdoors-man, fisherman, and bird hunter, so had some motives for the trip.  He brought along is 8 hunting dogs and a mutt named "Boo."  The dogs need daily exercise.  He runs them on the beach, where, in Alaska, there are few rules, the least of which is a rule about dogs on the beach. It's sight to behold. his dogs run three times our distance, but the amazing fact is they are sometimes so far ahead, he can't even see them.  They certainly have a bead on Roy, so he doesn't worry.

Chris and I birded at The Carl Wynn Nature Center early in the morning.  Our plan was to meet with everyone else at 11AM to run the dogs.  We got a great look a a dozen or so species, including this Varied Thrush calling in full sun. The day prior, this had been a "life bird" for Chris, so it was good to get this amazing view.

At low tide you can walk miles on this beach, but one has to be mindful of when the tide is coming back in. On this spot, the high-tide water would be 15 feet over our heads.  The mountains on the other side of Cook Inlet mark the beginning of the Aleutian Chain and the Island.  Most are active, or recently-active volcanoes.  Mount Iliamna (left) rises to 10,000+ feet right from the ocean. Mt Redoubt (right) erupted in 2009 with a plume that rose 50,000 feet.

The cold ocean water brings fog in under clear skies. Mary and Pam emerge from it.

Mary and Pam with Mt Iliamna in the background.

The Kenai range punctuates Roy's and Pam's walk with a a couple of Roy's dogs.  When we arrived on the beach, one of Roy's dogs ran down a Bald Eagle who was sitting peacefully on a sandbar.  The dogs were used to gulls and shorebirds that scattered immediately. But Roy saw his dog face off this Bald Eagle who simply raised his wings and dared the dog to come any closer.  The birds are huge.  We all agreed they could take the dog out without much problem.  His dog backed off and perhaps learned a lesson about these dark ones with the white heads.  

There is not much Bean likes more than the chance to run free.

This marked Chris' final steps on this trip to Alaska. He had few hours to get back to the airport at Anchorage.  We said our farewells.

7 July, Anchor Point, Alaska

The furthest west paved road in North America runs through a little fishing village called "Anchor Point."  We were camped about 500 feet from its terminus very near the beach.

I had heard about the presence of Bald Eagles on the beaches of Alaska.  But I was not prepared for the numbers.  At one point we counted nearly 40 Eagles from one spot on the beach. They are nearly as plentiful as the Herring Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls, and Mew Gulls.

At low tide, the beach is driveable. No sweat. Chris and I drove about a mile and a half north to the mouth of the Anchor River to do some birding.  

The photo looks fake, but this is a real picture of a Glaucous-winged gull on a roof top. I took it.

We found Homer's best brew pub and imbibed.

Pam's brother Roy had been camping with his RV, truck, and 9 dogs (8 are English Setter hunting dogs) nearby.  We had planned to meet him from the beginning. Roy had been in Alaska for a month. Tonight was his first visit to a restaurant.  

We had to get a photo with the Party Bear at Homer Brewing.

6 July, Homer AK

We made a quick pass through Anchorage, mostly to get organized and to do laundry after several rainy days got everything we had dirty.  We had some great stops in brew pubs. Chris found an amazing place for breakfast a the Snow City Cafe.  But the real treat was the drive to the Kenai (pronounced Keen Eye) peninsula, Anchor Point and Homer Alaska. This is a place you need to add to your bucket list.  It is impossible to describe its majesty.

The drive into Homer made me think of Colorado's Collegiate Range placed into water.  The Kenai Range came out the water in full beauty.  A fjord of sorts, the daily tidal range is over 20 feet.  The low tides are really low. The high tides are really high.

2 July. Hiking in Denali National Park

It would be a crime to visit Denali, even for a short time without taking a hike.  John had read about the Triple Lakes trail.  At 9 miles each way, we knew we couldn't do the whole thing, but we did manage a 6-mile trip.

We took off on Riley Creek in a wondrous spruce forest.  Bears are always a concern in the Park.  We had our bear spray at the ready.  Mary is pictured here.

We found a beautiful photo op before going vertical on the trail.

Just an amazing place.

Riley creek was swelling with recent rain.