Week Seven was a bit of a transitional stage for me. I knew my dad would be coming in on Friday to spend a week here as a Father’s Day present, and I was feeling very eager to get him out here. Because of this, the week seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.
In the beginning of the week, we had a couple quite entertaining bear sightings on two of our photo tours. On Monday, I witnessed my first experience of a bear eating dandelions. I’ve heard about this happening quite a bit, but had yet to see it. It was such a treat, watching as a young brown bear munched happily on them by the road. It was one of the moments in which you almost forget how powerful and dangerous these animals can be, because really – they just look so darn cute eating big yellow dandelions. Luckily, the bear hung around for a good couple of minutes, and everyone on the tour was able to get some pretty fantastic shots.
A couple days later, we had another sighting. It was one of the hottest days yet this summer, and as we were heading back from the Chilkoot Lake, we saw a bear loungin’ in the shade. We pulled off, and all had a giggle as we watched this bear sprawled out in a shallow puddle, both front and hind legs spread out like a dog. It was pretty humorous, as many of our locals had been anticipating the end of the unexpected heat wave we were having, and the bear seemed to be displaying similar vibes.
On Wednesday morning, I woke up to a strange sound. It almost sounded as if there was a very loud fan running at my cabin. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but when I went outside to use my outhouse, I noticed water spraying out of one end of the pipes that are supposed to provide running water to my cabin. My heart leapt – could it be?! I ran into the cabin, turned the knob on the faucet and BAM! Water came rushing out! I was so excited, I had done it! I dug out a creek to provide myself with running water in my little off the grid cabin. It must have taken a couple days for the water to clear out and create enough pressure to make it down the hill to my cabin. Needless to say, I was a happy woman!
Every Thursday here in Haines, there is a gathering of local musicians and the like down by the beach. There is usually great food, a huge bonfire, and good vibes as people jam out, mostly to folk music. This week I had a great time enjoying this experience for the first time. A fantastic group of people turned up, and a couple locals here had just returned from a fishing trip, so there was fresh grilled white king salmon. Delicious would be an understatement.
Friday morning I was elated to pick up my father from the ferry just before noon. He got off, gave me a hug, and said right away “I’m not kiddin’ I’m sellin’ the house, collectin’ my retirement, and moving here! I can see why you love it so much!” He told me he had seen whales, porpoises, and seals on the way over, and then talked to me about how awestruck he was with the snowy, white-capped mountains. It was nice to have such a fresh and excited perspective, as I was just starting to get used to the incredible views in this incredible place. I took him directly to the Chilkoot Lake, where we sat for a half hour, laughing as we watched two eagles trying to steal the fresh catches of nearby fishermen. Anytime they would hook something and begin to reel it in, the eagles would swoop down, skim the water, and attempt to steal the fish from the line. Eventually, the fishermen gave up and moved up the lake more. On the way back into town for lunch, we ran into the same bear we had been spotting all week, and my dad got his first up close view of a bear. After a great lunch at Mosey’s Cantina, we checked in to The Captains Choice motel and enjoyed a sunny evening playing yahtzee and enjoying the view from their fantastic sun deck.
Saturday we walked around town, exploring the little gift shops. It was an interesting new perspective to me, as I had yet to see the town from a tourist’s point of view. It was nice to acquaint myself with town in this manner, as I often get inquiries as to which gift shops are the best, or what to do in town for a day. We also made a trip out to the Chilkat State Park so I could show my dad the spectacular views of the Rainbow and Davidson Glaciers. On our way back, we stopped at an observation deck where we were lucky enough to see a mama moose there with one of the youngest calves I’ve ever seen. The little guy must have been about two weeks old, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching as he wobbled around on legs too long, and ate little leaves in the field. Later that night, we attended the king salmon cook out in Dalton City. I was really excited that my dad was able to participate in one of the many community events that take place here. He met a lot of people I have become quite fond of from town, and he thought being on the set of an old Disney movie was particularly neat.
Sunday was Father’s Day – so I treated the old man to a good breakfast at the 33 Mile Restaurant up the Haines Highway. It was also my first time there, and I have to say, it was incredible! I definitely recommend a stop there for anyone interested in traveling up the highway. We then headed back to the cabin where we staying at Mosquito Lake, where my boss, Joe, rents out a fantastic little cabin overlooking the lake. We were hosting an open house chili feed for people returning from the bike race, and so we spent the day helping out with that, enjoying good company and great chili.
In a perfect ending to the week, as we are wrapping up the day, my dad spotted a moose at the far end of the lake, swimming around and feeding off the bottom. We watched the moose for a good half hour before turning in to bed, completing another great week here in Alaska.
Here’s a shot of that bear, sprawled out and trying to stay cool during our heat wave!
© Brooke Foorman 2013
-Brooke
