Winter Blues

Here's a little snippet from pretty much every weather forecast for the last...forever, it feels like:  "Rain for Kodiak today.  Rain tonight, and rain tomorrow.  Rain to continue for the rest of the week and through the weekend."  Uuuugggh.

Case in point - This is next week's forecast.  Which is about what it's been for the last...I don't know...3 weeks?  Not super cold, but just aaallll the rain, gloomy, gray, misty overcast crap anyone can take for so long:

So, to say we appreciated the sunny Saturday we just had is an understatement.  We're talking zippity-doo-dah appreciation.  Because as I've said many times before, Kodiak is stunningly beautiful...when the sun shines.  It's just a damn shame it doesn't happen more often!

As we get closer to leaving, I'm hyper aware of the things I'll truly miss.  Alaska does nature like no where else.

A crisp, sunny winter day is one of my favorites.  It's like the sky is so blue you can hear it.

Cormorants & Oystercatchers enjoying the sunshine - along with everyone else!

Air so cool, clear and oxygen-heavy that it's like breathing endorphins?  Yeah.  I'll miss that.

But along with all the things I'll miss, is also a palpable anticipation of our next move in a few short months.

We have an idea of where we'll be heading, but as anyone with military ties knows, nothing's official until orders are issued.

So the waiting game continues.  In the meantime, I'll be out enjoying this - and saying goodbye - every chance I get...

As long the sun cooperates, anyway.  But, I've lived here just long enough to know - Don't hold my breath!

Ta-ta for now.

High Time for a Stroll

I didn't know how much I needed a walk in the woods until I was immersed in the crisp, wintry air, peering up at the slits of blue sky through mossy, towering Sitka spruce trees.  Let's just say I was starting to grow roots out of my ass.  And they were attached to the couch.

It's not as easy to motivate for hikes when the temperatures dip below 35 or so.  At least in my case.

But, I managed to peel myself from the cozy confines of my living room and get out with the hubby and pooch to take a walk.  It was a little chilly, but once we got moving it wasn't uncomfortable.

Lake Gertrude

It was exactly what I needed!  A couple of long deep breaths of that brisk, clear air is nothing but invigorating.  My day was just about made when we came upon this magnificence hanging out in Lake Gertrude:

If you look closely, you can see that there's a noticeable amount of blood on his right talon.  I prefer to think that he just finished a tasty snack and didn't wipe his claws, but the reality is that he was probably injured.

We saw him at the beginning of our hike, and when we looped back around about an hour and half or so later, he was still there.  Bald Eagles tend to hang out for a while once they land, but an hour and half is a little out of the ordinary for any bird to stay in one spot.  Hopefully his injury wasn't too debilitating or life-threatening.

It really did make my day to get some pictures of him.  I love that when I zoom in with my camera, it's like I'm sitting on the branch right next to him.  They're so damn regal looking.

Cheety had a good old time rampaging around, too.  I think he likes napping and hiking equally.  Not unlike his owner.

So, I guess my goal for this last Alaskan winter will be to get myself outside and hiking on the weekends more often than I find myself growing roots into the couch.  We all need goals, right?

Ta-ta for now.

His highness at his post on the couch.  I think I see a nap coming on.

Finally!

Hallelujah!  Two things I've been impatiently waiting for & looking forward to for as long as we've lived here finally happened.  First, we had our first (and probably only) visitors.  And not just any visitors.  We're talking top-notch, bang-up visitors.  Hey, don't be jealous cause I have an exceptional family. 

My brother and one of my sisters were on the short list of people I  thought would actually come and see us.  I've been eagerly anticipating their arrival & was beyond thrilled that two of my favorites took the leap and traveled the not exactly short or easy trip to Kodiak from New York.  What a great week we had together.

See, here's the thing.  When the word on the street was that we would be living in Alaska for a few years, we heard lots of folks chime in that they'd love to come and visit.  But the reality is that nobody ever pulled the trigger. Which I totally get.  Alaska is far away, not easy to get to, and expensive.

But my brother and sister made it happen.  Which made me happier than they probably realize!  I joked that I'd believe they would visit when they were standing in my living room.  They proved my skepticism wrong...well, when they were standing in my living room.

So, kudos to them for staying true to their word.  I'm so glad they came to see us, and we had such a fun week showing them some of the unique and memorable things Kodiak has to offer.

Mossy Sitka Spruce

Only-in-Kodiak craft beers at Kodiak Island Brewery

Spectacular mountains at Fort Abercrombie State Park

Which brings me to my second reason for calling this post "Finally!"  After two damn years, I finally went salmon fishing.  I've wanted to go for as long as we've been here, but since I know just about zero about fishing and even less about how to catch salmon, I needed someone to go with who had more of a clue than I did. Enter the hubby.

Gotta love the waders

Turned out to be super fun!  We headed out the road to the Olds River for the day.  I caught one, but we had to throw it back because I inadvertently hooked it in the eye.  I guess the big shots at Alaska Fish & Game frown upon hooking them anywhere that isn't the mouth, so we had to throw him back.  Apparently it's called snagging.

See what I mean?  I had no idea that was a rule. - I would have happily trotted away with my illegal catch had I been on my own!  Or perhaps I would have done a little research to educate myself before going.  Let's go with that.

Between the three of us, we managed to catch exactly zero salmon.  And no, it wasn't because of the beers.  Ha.  We all had a few throw backs, (again - talking about the salmon, not the beer) and we each hooked more than a few that got away, but we still had a fun day.

Thankfully, the hubby managed to catch one, and we were able to grill it up for dinner that night.  I was hoping they would get to experience catching one in the morning and eating it the same night.  Because that really is the best it gets.

Get it, Mick!

Some of the die-hard Alaskans turn their noses up at even eating pinks, which is what we were fishing for that day.  But it was a damn good meal.

Apparently pinks are on the smaller side, and are mostly used for canning or smoking.  They sort of have a bad rep.  As far as I'm concerned, as long as it's fresh - and you can't do better than swimming in the river a few hours before grilling - it's going to be a good meal.  

Our favorite way to grill salmon is on a cedar plank with a mustard ginger glaze.  It's first rate.  Even if it was a pink.  Salmon snobs be damned!

I'm curious if a king salmon really tastes remarkably better than a pink.  Hopefully I'll get to catch and try a king before we leave!  Says the lady who couldn't even hook one of the smallest species.

When we first got here, keeping track of the five different species of Pacific Salmon was confusing at best because they all have nicknames.  King salmon is also chinook and coho is known as silver and a pink is also a humpy...it goes on and on.

This little info page should help if anyone's interested, and this article in Smithsonian Magazine goes into it a little more.  I've got it down now!

Pinks are running now, and come September it'll be silvers, AKA Coho.  I'm looking forward to getting back out there to see if I can muscle one in - they're stronger than you think!

Strong little muthers!

Humpies.  Pinks.  Silvers.  Chinook.  I'll just call them all good eats.  I'm glad I was able to knock off an "Alaskan first" with some of my family.  Bang-up family for sure!  And that comes with a legit double thumbs up and a wink.  Wish it could have been all of us.

Ta-ta for now.

My Favorite Place in Kodiak

Full speed ahead for the Pugbull

We've hiked in this area a bunch of times, and it's most definitely my favorite place in Kodiak.  That would be Fort Abercrombie.  I've blogged about it before, but it's so diverse and beautiful, why not share a little more about it?  Plus - truth be told, I was kind of flailing around for something to write about this week.

I was planning to write about the St. Patrick's Day wreath I was working on, but I wasn't happy with how it came out once I finished.  It's cute - and I hung it on the door - but I didn't think it was blog worthy.  Why share something when the end result turns out just eh?  It's like, "Hey check out this mediocre project I did!"  So instead, another hike is what you get this week!  Hope you're not tired of hiking posts yet.  We're getting to the point where I should rename the blog Adventures in Hiking and Crab Eating.

One of the reasons why I love Fort Abercrombie (besides how beautiful it is) is because I can always count on seeing all kinds of bird species whenever we go exploring.  During this visit, I saw a ton of different species of Ducks, - too many to even begin to identify - Cormorants, Bald Eagles, Black-capped Chickadees, and so many others.  (birding nerd alert!)

So far every time we've hiked here, we've found new trails to check out.  I'm sure eventually we'll hit all the trails the park has to offer, but we haven't gotten to that point yet.  Some of the trails are in the forest, with enormous Sitka Spruce trees towering above you, and others wind around along the cliff side. The view is always spectacular, but a little less so on those oh so common overcast days. - Which not surprisingly, this one happened to be.

I've been thinking about upgrading to a camera with stronger zoom capabilities, because I'm constantly trying to get shots of birds that are just too far away for me to capture.  Can you even see him here?:

Can you see him?

He swooped down and landed on the cliff, and had a few of his buddies in the trees and on some of the other rock outcroppings.  What I've noticed is that once an Eagle lands somewhere, he usually hangs out for a while.  They're not the kind of birds that flit all over and move from here to there like so many other types of birds.  So if you catch one landing, you have a pretty good opportunity to get a picture since he probably won't be going anywhere for a while.  I'm sure it takes a lot of energy to haul 15 lbs of Bald Eagle grandeur into the air! 

That Puggy Boy cracks me up. - He's like a damn Admiral with his posture!  I bet if he could salute, he would.

We hiked along the boulders on the shore line until we got to a dead end, where as you can see in the picture above we climbed up the rocky side of the cliff.  I thought it looked too steep when I first saw it, but it wasn't bad at all.  Adventure dog hopped right on up as usual.  I managed to not sprain an ankle.  I love hiking, but I'm also perpetually clumsy - so I find myself being overly cautious most of the time.  If anyone in this little trio is going to have an accident, it'll be me!

View of beautiful, but overcast Monashka Bay off of Fort Abercrombie

Sometimes when I look out at the horizon and contemplate how truly vast it is, it's almost impossible not to think about how really far away we are.  Time to cue the Carole King again.  ♪ ♫ "We're so faaaaar awaaay..."  ♫ ♪  But hey, if we weren't remote like this, the birding wouldn't be anywhere near as diverse as it is on this enormous, bear-filled island in the middle of the northern Pacific.  It's still a little surreal that this is where I call home these days.

Ta ta for now.

"Like a God Damn Postcard..."

I can't tell you how many times those words have come out of the hubby's mouth since we've ventured into the great white north.  Although, it's pretty green here these days.  I've been meaning to share the hike we took on my birthday a few weeks ago. - It might be the most scenic one we've been on yet.  (And I think my favorite so far)

Peeking out from one of the trails - It almost looks fake

The birthday hike of choice was at Fort Abercrombie, which is part of the Alaska State Parks system, and is also on the National Register of Historic Places.  It has 182 acres of land with some of the most well-developed trails in Kodiak.  Not to mention stunning views.  Oh yeah, it also has the historic ruins of a WWII coastal defense installation, but that part isn't nearly as beautiful or interesting to me.  Sorry, history buffs. 

Guns and the Hubby & Pug dog at Miller Point

 We only stayed for a few hours, so we didn't even make a dent in exploring all the trails the park has to offer. - But we did get a chance to stroll around Miller Point, which overlooks the northern Pacific.  It was such a clear day, so the view didn't disappoint.   We also hiked along two of the trails:  Moss Trail, and the Lake Gertrude Trail.  I would definitely do both again.  

Moss trail was...mossy.  Aptly named, apparently.  It's unbelievable how the moss coats the entire floor of the forest, and then crawls its way up the trees, covering almost everything in its path.  Anything that falls on the ground is completely overtaken by the moss, and then over time is transformed into some sort of hybrid moss/tree/natural specimen that you just can't help standing in front of, gawking at.  Magical is a little much, but I'm telling you...magical!

Moss Trail

I read that there are over 110 different varieties of moss in Kodiak.  Just based on the diversity in color, I believe it!  So many shades of green. - And the way it feels under your shoes;  so spongy and soft.

 

Part of the Lake Gertrude Trail

For about four seconds, I thought about taking off my socks and trusty New Balance to see how it felt on my bare feet.  And my immediate next thought was eww, bugs.  Followed by hmmm, it's a little chilly for no shoes.  Still though - that springy, soft texture just begs you to give it a try.  Maybe next time.



The Lake Gertrude trail was a memorable one.  Fort Abercrombie is described as diverse, and I can't say I disagree.  So much beauty.  We saw vibrant, flowering green lily pads in the lake, towering Sitka Spruce trees, and a gorgeous beach with beautiful mountain views.

Cheety's second-ever Alaskan swim.

It was so peaceful

I had to add Fort Abercrombie to my list of places to share with any brave visitors who make the trek all the way up here to come and see us.  No doubt one of the must-do's in Kodiak.  Since we only just got here, I know we'll be adding a lot more to that list.  Don't worry, I'll keep you in the loop. - Even when the green is no more and it really becomes the great white north...and I possibly start buying hot cocoa and Baileys in bulk.

Ta-ta for now.