...a walk in the woods

We made a brief stop on our way to the trailhead for a photo at Skilak Overlook.

At the trailhead and ready to go. GPS coordinates: N 60 26.299

W 150 19.194

The trail goes up--a long way up!

It was just a bit windy. Skilak Lake is in the background.

We took a fairly substantial hike this afternoon on the Vista Trail. The trailhead is located in the Upper Skilak Lake Campground and makes a rapid ascent to a series of magnificent views of the Kenai mountains and Skilak Lake. Along the way we saw some Sitka roses and lupine in full bloom. We also made frequent stops to take in the surroundings which were utterly beautiful. After hiking a mile and climbing 645 feet in elevation we decided it was time to turn back and head for the truck. We weren't in any hurry and we took our time on the way back down because we wanted to enjoy every last minute of our...walk in the woods.

...Sandhill Crane

Most of you know of my penchant for driving around early in the morning looking for wildlife. This morning I went out looking for baby moose. I have seen several in the past few days but haven't been able to get photos of them. I didn't have any luck with the moose but I did get very close to a Sandhill Crane on the Kenai River Flats near the Kenai City Boat Dock. The crane wasn't far from the road and I took the above photo from the driver's seat of my truck. This particular crane was alone although several flocks could be seen in the distance.

So, no baby moose pictures yet, but I'm happy with a...Sandhill Crane.

...Mrs. Hufford, aka: Retired Teacher!

Mrs. Hufford poses with her Retirement Gold Pan in front of the school sign.

At 11:30 AM, on May 26, 2009, Mrs. Hufford turned in her keys to the school secretary and principal for the last time.

Mrs. Hufford waves goodbye to her classroom.

After 24 years of teaching Mrs. Hufford is retired! It took a few extra days beyond the end of the school year to sort, purge, and organize all those years of teaching materials, but she walked out the door at 11:30 AM, on Tuesday, May 26, 2009, as a retired teacher. She will have plenty of time now for skiing, skating, piano playing, and hiking.

So, congratulations Mrs. Hufford! Over the years you have had a significant impact on hundreds of students and taught them well. They will never forget you. Now its time to move into the next phase of your life. Its the phase where you are known as...Mrs. Hufford, aka; Retired Teacher!

...campground bears

As we pulled into Discovery Campground in Captain Cook State Park this evening we saw two small brown bears ambling down the road. They were most assuredly the same bears we saw on Thursday night along the Swanson River. They didn't seem to be interested in the campers but this is definitely not a good situation. Campers and bears don't mix well. In addition there was a frantic cow moose that had given birth to a calf in the campground two days ago. She was charging everything including bears, people, and motorcycle riders. The moose was doing everything she could to keep the bears a good distance from her calf. She was doing a good job because the bears seemed unaware of the calf.

It wasn't long before the Alaska State Troopers arrived and attempted to take control of the situation. We left before things were totally under control but we know the campground hosts well so I'm sure they will fill us in the next time we are there. We just hope everything turns out well for all involved including the people, moose, and...campground bears.

...geocaching

The group with their first geocache find. It was a Folgers coffee container with a log book and some trinkets inside.

Geocache find #2. See the tube bolted to the pole? That's the geocache. Very clever.

Geocache find #3. The group sorts through the goodies.

We met an expert geocacher on the trail. He has found over 1850 geocaches!

Suppose you have a GPS and a group of kids you want to keep busy for the afternoon. Someone says they've heard about geocaching and thinks it would be fun to give it a try. You go to the computer and download coordinates into the GPS from a website called geocaching.com. Pile into several vehicles and follow the arrow on the GPS screen until you get relatively close to the geocache. After you park the truck hand the GPS to one of the kids and let them run through the woods until they find a small red container under some brush and tree roots. You will have made your first geocache discovery. It's very exciting for kids, and adults.

Our first geocache was hidden at the base of a large spruce tree and covered with branches. We couldn't see it and the only way we knew it was there was because the GPS said so. Once we found the red Folgers coffee container we removed the lid to discover a log book and a number of small trinkets. The idea is you can take one of the trinkets if you replace it with another. We brought some decks of cards and small tape measures to trade. Then it was off to find our second geocache.

We set our GPS unit to the next set of coordinates and took off down the road in the direction of the pointing arrow. As we neared the next geocache we parked and followed the kids as they made a mad dash to be the first to find the next container. It was cleverly bolted to a sign post. We signed the log book and traded trinkets, and it was off to the next geocache.

The third geocache was in a campground. We had difficulty locating it because it was stuffed in the center of a hollow tree that had fallen long ago. It was well out of view and took some looking around. But, once we found it the kids knew the routine, so they signed the log book and made the trinket trade.

We had no luck finding our fourth geocache and after searching for a good 30 minutes we gave up. We didn't have any more coordinates in our GPS so we decided to take the group for a hike on the Resurrection Trail in Cooper Landing. Little did we know that we would make one more find.

As we were walking along we stopped to chat with a fellow hiker. He had a GPS in his shirt pocket and one of us mentioned that we had been geocaching for the first time earlier in the day. The hiker asked if we were going to the geocache about a tenth of a mile up the trail. We said we didn't know about it and wondered if he could give us the coordinates to enter in our GPS. He did and we all marched to our unexpected fourth geocache discovery of the day. It was a good one, too. It had the usual array of trinkets as well as some Cold Stone Creamery gift cards! After making the trinket trade we stood on the side of the trail visiting with our new geocaching friend. He obviously knew a lot about geocaching and someone finally asked how many he had found. We were all amazed when he said 1850! One of the kids did the math and pointed out our group only had 1846 to go. We were with a smart group of kids alright.

At the end of the day the kids were tired and their backpacks full of geocache goodies. We stopped for pizza on the way home and we recounted the day's events as we ate. Then, of course, we drove to Cold Stone Creamery to use the gift card we found for dessert. Since we all knew where it was no coordinates were required. Unlike a geocache it's plenty obvious.

So, if you ever need some good fun (or an ice cream cone) and you have a GPS, set some coordinates and go...geocaching.

...bear!

My daughter and I took a drive out to Captain Cook State Park this evening in hopes of seeing a bear or a baby moose. We were very lucky! As we crossed the bridge over the Swanson River we saw two brown bear along the edge of the water. We got out for pictures in the fading light (it was after 11:00 PM) and snapped away as the Jackson family pulled up behind us. We all watched the bears as they grazed their way down the river. I am assuming they are the cubs that were hanging around the same area last year. They are the first bears I've seen this summer. I'm glad to see they survived the winter and even happier that I have finally seen the season's first...bear!

...backyard moose

We were watching television this evening when Mrs. Hufford said, "There's a moose in our backyard." I scrambled to get my camera and asked Mrs. Hufford to sit on our treadmill, which, by the way, is the first time we've used it for something besides drying clothes in a long time, and took a photo of her with the moose. Mrs. Hufford and the moose were probably 10 feet apart and separated by the wall of our house. Both of them seemed to be in a retiring frame of mind. The moose looked relaxed and had its eyes partially closed. Mrs. Hufford just looked retired--almost. Today was her last day in front of students. She retires following a work day tomorrow at 3:30 PM, after 24 years of teaching. YEEHAW! Congratulations Mrs. Hufford! And what a great way to celebrate, with a...backyard moose.

...first caribou

Look closely at these photos (or enlarge them on your computer) and you will see the first caribou I have spotted this spring. They were on Marathon Road just north of Kenai at 8:00 this evening. The only camera I had with me was on my cell phone. Yes, I'm kicking myself for not taking a better camera. They were probably ten feet away from me at times and would have been very photogenic with a more powerful lens. I'll try not to make that mistake again. But, for now I'm just happy I've seen the...first caribou.

...Mother's Day Trail People

It's become a family tradition of ours to hike to the Russian River Falls on Mother's Day. This year was no different. The weather was beautiful and we met all sorts of people as we walked, most of whom we knew, which resulted in some good trailside chats. We also enjoyed the antics of some teenage boys and their sister as they rode their bikes across Rendezvous Creek a number of times. Sometimes they made it without falling in and other times they didn't. They all rode back to the trailhead soaking wet.

It was a great hike and we thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the...Mother's Day Trail People.

...Greater Yellowlegs

I went on bear patrol for a couple of hours this morning. I did my best but came up empty handed. No bears were to be seen. But, I did find a Greater Yellowlegs at the end of the Stormy Lake boat ramp. There were some gulls and loons around as well, but they were too far away for my camera.

So, no bears today. I will keep trying. And, for now, I'm more than happy to settle for a...Greater Yellowlegs.

...flipping crepes

Enjoying the evening sunshine.

Crepe cooks at work.

Flipping the crepe.

Almost done.

The secret ingredient.

Following one of the finest days of weather we have had yet here in Southcentral Alaska we topped the day off by having dinner with our good friends Tom and Maria. We started with chips and dip on their back deck while we watched the pine siskens, nuthatches, and black capped chickadees swoop in on their bird feeders. Then we moved inside for the entree of barbecued chicken, salad, and corn bread. It was all delicious and topped off with a dessert of crepes fried in a pan.

Making crepes is serious work and it took three cooks to get the job done. First, the batter is poured into the pan where it cooks until solid. Then it has to be flipped so it can brown on the opposite side. And, the flipping part isn't easy. The crepe must be tossed into the air and make a flat landing so it cooks evenly. It's best to do this over a sink just in case the crepe happens to miss the pan on its way back down. Then the secret ingredient is added: Nutella. Just use a butter knife to slather Nutella on the top side of the crepe, fold it over on itself and enjoy. You will want more than one. So, while you're eating keep the crepe crew busy...flipping crepes.

...in search of bear

Okay. I know. Theses are not pictures of a bear. Not even close. But, they were the best I could do this morning.

And, what, you might ask, is wrong with a moose and a swan? Nothing. They are worthy in their own ways. But, I was looking for a bear. Other people have seen them and the vegetation is still sparse so it's easy to see into the woods where they might be. Perfect bear sighting conditions.

So, I wake up early. Get into my truck. Turn the key. And go for a drive. All the way to Captain Cook State Park.

Along the way I spot a varied thrush, a spruce grouse, and even a robin (first of the year). It's a good morning already. Then I pull into the boat ramp at Stormy Lake and things get better. There's a swan floating in the open water about 35 yards from the parking lot. I don't even get out of the driver's seat to take photos. A right cooperative swan for certain. But, it's not a bear.

Continuing my tour I make my way to the campground gate which is still padlocked shut forcing campers to set up makeshift campsites in the parking area. Three tents shelter sleeping occupants. I recognize the vehicles. I know the campers and wonder if I should wake them to ask if they have seen any bears. Probably not. It's not even 6:00 AM. I press the accelerator and away I go.

Back on the road I spy a yearling moose biting at the dried grass in the ditch. Clearly worn from the long winter this moose is waiting for the succulent willow twigs which are bursting forth with each passing day. Things are looking better. But, this moose is not a bear and the morning is passing.

Then my cell phone rings. It's my oldest daughter. She's awake and wants me to pick up some beef jerky at the store on my way home. It's time for me to go. And, still no bear.

That's okay. If this summer is like the rest we will see plenty of them. Probably 15-20 of them. Mostly they will be far off in the distance, or shuffling down the edge of the road, or climbing a tree. Some of them will be eating salmon on the edge of a river and others will be scurrying to get away from us as quickly as possible. One of them might even lean against the side of our camper and give it a good rocking in the middle of the night, like last year at Williwaw campground.

No rush. There's plenty of time and plenty of bears. It will happen if I get out there and keep my eyes open. I'm just anxious to see the first one of the season. So I'll keep at it. For now, I remain...in search of bear.