Mouth of the River and Our First Official Hike (August 21-23, 2009)

August 21: After a week of district trainings and workshops we couldn't believe that we'd be starting a new school year in three days. The kids were coming! We took advantage of our last "free" weekend to explore the mouth of the Kenai River. The Kenai River is heavily populated in the summer time with people (and bear) fishing for salmon. The mouth of the Kenai River is an estuary, spilling into the Cook Inlet next to the beach in Kenai. From the beach you can visibly see three active volcanoes: Redoubt, Spur, and Illiamna. Redoubt just errupted last May. The area, or I should say, all of Alaska, is covered in the wildflower known as fireweed, a stunning pink flower that has recently gone to seed. During our visit to the beach we also spotted and spied on a bird of prey, which we believe to be a Golden Eagle. Although there really wasn't much spying, the raptor was looking directly at us from its perch.

August 23: Our first true Alaskan hike! After buying a supply of bear spray, we decided to start simple, a hike through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Beautiful trails, beautiful scenery, but a different experience compared to Minnesota. Growing up in Minnesota you are taught to be quiet so that you can see and hear wildlife. In Alaska, you are taught to be as noisy as you can. Unlike Minnesota, there is some wildlife that you don't want to see up close and personal. With the brown bear population being fairly high on the Kenai Peninsula, hikers are told to talk, sing, and wear bear bells on trail. Giving brown bears as much warning as possible that you may be heading in their direction is a good thing. Many hikers carry bear spray while others choose to carry a pistol. It's not uncommon to see people packing the heat on a Sunday morning hike. Neither of us have ever talked so much on a hike, something our vocal chords were not use to. No bear sightings, but we were definitely on the look out.

Homer Spit (August 15, 2009)

The Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska was our first venture outside of Kenai. Immediately we were reminded of Duluth. Big hills, a lot of water (with the exception that it's salty...blah), and the spit, which holds similarities to Minnesota Point. This was also our first opportunity to see some true marine life. George, Kathy, and Jake were able to join us on our first venture. We started at the end of the spit where we watched people catch fish one after another right from the shore. The sea otters and sea lions were very curious, watching the people on the beach and doing some fishing themselves.

We have already taken advantage of the delicious seafood in the area: halibut, salmon, and crab! The Homer Spit provided us our first experience of this fabulous grub! Thank you to the fish for sacrificing their lives.

Wildlife Encounters on Our Journey North!

Dall Sheep lamb, Northern Rockies, Brittish Columbia

Bull Moose, Yukon Territory

Woodland Bison, Northern Rockies, Brittish Columbia

Caribou, Northern Rockies, Brittish Columbia

Our New Home

After seven weeks (already!) of roaming the land and breathing the air of Alaska, we have found ourselves settling into our new home. With arriving on August 11 and starting new teacher training on August 12, there wasn't much time for unpacking. It was a slow process, but we are finally settling into our cozy abode. We are living on the quiet street of Fireweed Lane right off the spur highway just west of the "city" of Kenai. The population is about 8,000 and the town meets our basic needs and more: three grocery stores, plenty of tucked away cafes and diners, locally processed fish and meats, hardware stores (both Home Depot and Lowe's!), and plenty of places to walk, bike, and run.

Our home is situated among many beautiful quaking aspens, paper birch, and black spruce trees. We often see magpies, chickadees, and gray jays flying in and out of them. A nicely paved biking trail lies just between our home and the highway. The place is just what we need, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen, living room, and washer and dryer. What more can we ask for? A beautiful landscape, plenty of outdoor activities, and a place to call home!

Thank you to George, Kathy, and Jake for joining us on our journey; the driving, the packing, the unpacking, and the exploring during our first week in Alaska!