Kodiak—July 5-10

To say the least, I have been remiss in keeping up with my blog, however, I plead family as my only defense.  On Tuesday, July 5, Dulce (her maiden voyage in an airplane) and I boarded an Alaska Airlines flight to Kodiak.  The flight was totally booked because many of the passengers had made this same flight over to the island this morning only to have to fly back because they could not land due to inclement conditions.  This is not an unusual situation when flying to many places in Alaska.  The afternoon light was able to make the landing and Brian (my son-in-law), Colton (grandson) and two of their friends, Steven and Betsy Post, were there to greet me.  Stephen and Betsy were scheduled to leave on a later flight.  We then drove up a local mountain for a majestic view of Kodiak harbor down below.  The weather was overcast and fog lingered in the distance.  This was an incredible view and it was made even more dramatic by the light drizzle which is very characteristic of daily life on Kodiak.  After a quick stop for dinner, we returned to the airport and said good-bye to Stephen and Betsy. We then departed for the 45-minute drive out to the Still cabin on Pasashak Bay. Brian’s parents, Barry and Karen, were there to greet me.  I had come a couple of days early at their request to have a chance to see them as they would be leaving on the morning of the 7^th.  Barry had a building project going.  They were adding a shed to one that already existed to house his newly acquired Yamaha Ranger and to provide additional space to store two more 4 wheelers that Brian is planning to get for there.  At this remote cove, the small community is nestled in a large valley surrounded by some rugged mountains.  From the cabin windows I was able to observe black-tailed deer high above and I believe a grizzly bear although I did not confirm that sighting.  From the deck I did observe all three scoters—black, surf and white-winged.  I also had two gulls—glaucous and mew, Harlequin Ducks, and Pigeon Guillemot.  The area has many Bald Eagles, which were a concern of mine for Dulce’s safety, several Northwestern Crow, and the predominate bird species was Savannah Sparrows which were singing everywhere.  I also observed several Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, lots of America Robin, a single Solitary Sandpiper and several Least Sandpiper.  This was about the extent of the bird life I found in the area around the cabin.

Brian and his dad were anxious to get their project completed before they left, so they worked on it while Karen, his sister Elizabeth and I entertained Colton and Carter.  Carter was easy to take care of by letting him play in the Ranger or on a 4 wheeler and it became standard practice for me to take him for a ride in the Ranger to put him to sleep.  If I got him in the Ranger, rolled up the windows and let it get warm while I drove slowly he would soon be out.  This became a daily practice while I was there.  Colton on the other hand was entertained by Elizabeth and Karen while she was there playing board games or chicken foot.  He never wanted to quit.  The weather was overcast and rainy for the first and second day and then we had two very warm, sunny days, followed by another rainy day, and the final day there was another beautiful sunny day.  After Barry left, Brian continued to work on the shed and by the time I left he had completely weathered it in.  This was important because Barry would not be back to the cabin until sometime in September and they wanted to have protection for their equipment form the severe weather which I am told can have winds up to 130 miles per hour in gust. 

On the final day I was there Brian, myself and the boys drove the only other road on the island to the end of it.  This was the road I had driven back in 1998 when Ermine and I had taken the ferry from Homer to Kodiak and returned the following night.  While there on that visit, Ermine took a flight over to the mainland where she was able to view the Kodiak Bears feeding on Salmon and I rented a car and drove the roads of the island.  On that drive I came upon a bay that was filled with an estimated 2000 Harlequin Ducks, all male, who gather to migrate together.  This time they were not present but we did find American Robin, Bald Eagle, Yellow and Wilson’s Warbler, and a singing Golden-crowned Sparrow.  On our way home we gathered and ate many ripening Salmon Berries, a local tradition.  Later that afternoon Dulce and I caught our flight back to the mainland.  Kodiak is a very lush and beautiful island covered in magnificent Sitka Spruce, various popular species and alder bush.   Locals call it the Emerald Island and I can certainly see why.  I have visited Adak way out the Aleutian Chain and Saint Lawrence Island just 50 miles from Siberia and I can say they are devoid of trees and are primarily tundra and alder landscape.