Denali Road Lottery

Our day for the Road Lottery had finally arrived.   Sunrise wasn't until 8:20am so we waited until 7am to leave the hotel.  We checked all of our gear one more time before we left.  Laden with binoculars, cameras, lenses, spare batteries, extra memory cards, extra warm clothing,  and snack and lunch items we headed out, stopping at Starbucks for large coffees on the way out of the hotel.

We drove slowly along the road hoping for wildlife.  Grouse and ptarmigan were all we saw for  a while. We stopped for photos of the incredible scenery along the way.   Then our first bear!  Up on the mountain side and looking fat and happy.  We were approaching the highest point on the park road and the mountains near us were already covered with snow.  The small bear jam broke up and we proceeded along the road, trying to distance ourselves from the other cars.

We traveled a bit further and saw a lone car pulled over and an excited photographer on the side of the road.  She had found a porcupine and was taking photos.  Her companion translated to explain about the porcupine and after a few shots she signed asking about the lenses we were using.  We had a great conversation about lens size and the relative merits of Nikon and Canon cameras.  We were to see the two several more times along the way.

After another bear a bit further along the way we saw the first caribou.  He was really magnificent and close enough for a decent photo.

After frequent stops to enjoy the beauty around us we reached Wonder Lake and then the town of Kantanisha.  The Mountain was not out and the views at Reflection Lake were much but it was exciting to reach the end of the road so deep in Denali.

The ride back was much colder and windier.  Winds reached 70mph that day.  There were more bears and another caribou.  Right before Teklanika I told Breland it would be really nice to see a caribou along the road.  He agreed and then said "Whoa!"  A very large moose stepped out of the roadside brush right into our path!  My first few photos through the windshield weren't much.  The moose approached us, making disgruntled sounds.  I rolled my window down and opened my door and took several shots as he stood there for a bit, then decided we were no threat and turned to walk up the side of the mountain.  We followed him a bit in the car and lost him in the trees.  A few hundred feet later there was another large bull moose.  

After stopping to shoot the ptarmigan again we headed back to the hotel, with lots of memories and full memory cards, feeling so lucky to have had these adventures.

A Drive on the Park Road

We arrived at our hotel, the Mckinley Chalet Resort, chosen because it was near the Denali entrance and because it offered an $89 a night Road Lottery special. I thought it might be a little empty and really need extra guests but I was wrong!  The huge lobby was filled with noisy, excited people, all rushing to tours or returning from them.  Three cruise tours were there, about 1600 people.

Our room was comfortable and fortunately was on the ground floor right outside of the main building.  We rolled all of our camera equipment and luggage in and took a property bus down for lunch.  $22 hamburgers and $12 bowls of soup!  We were glad that we stopped at a grocery store on the way up to buy snacks and sandwich makings for future meals.

There was still plenty of daylight so we set out to explore the open 13 miles of the Park Highway.  Our first stop was at the Park Headquarters pick up our Road Lottery pass.  The rangers made that fun, smiling and congratulating us on our good fortune.

In previous trips to the turn around point at Teklanika we have seen bears or moose.  On the ride there we enjoyed the scenery but saw only a grouse.  An exciting find was at the Teklanika rest stop.  A large flock of ptarmigan in their fall plumage were gathered there.  I sat on the ground and did my best to photograph the fast little birds.

On the way back we did see several moose, I jumped out of the car to follow one very large moose but he never came out of the brush so all I was able to photograph was his big head and huge antlers.

We headed back to the hotel to charge camera batteries and get some sleep before our exciting day tomorrow.

Drive to Denali

I stayed up late to download and back up photos even though we needed to get an early start to get to Denali to pick up our pass for the Road Trip.   It was hard not to stop for photos at every turn.  The fall color in the mountains was breathtaking.

Brooks Falls 2nd Afternoon and Return to Anchorage

I had such a good time shooting at the falls that we almost missed lunch.  The lodge was closing for the season at 1pm that day and if we didn't eat we would not be able to get a meal until we returned to Anchorage at ten that night.

The bears really performed that morning.  The sun was out, the mountains were covered in gold, and a few silver salmon were jumping in the falls.  I saw a total of ten bears, six at the falls and the others further down the river skirting the fishermen.

I have heard how very crowded the platforms could be, especially in July at the peak of the salmon run.   Even when the largest number of photographers were there at this point in September there was still lots of room to move around.  Fewer bears and the last days of the lodge being opened made for a very pleasant experience.

I hurried back through the woods to meet Breland for lunch, sometimes alone, sometimes joined briefly by others heading back.  The bridge was open and we were able to get across quickly.

After lunch it was startling how quickly the lodge was closed.  Sheets of plywood were set in place under cabin, dining hall and office windows and were nailed into place as soon as people vacated each area.  Lunch entertainment was watching all of the canoes and other outdoor items carried to storage.  We still had five more hours at Brooks and all but the tiny office and one restroom were boarded up!

After another long wait because of a bear jam, we crossed over to the Lower River platform and watched mother bears and cubs for a while.  The mom call 274 and her cub, nicknamed Velcro, tussled for hours near the bridge and blocked everyone again.  Once the bridge was finally cleared we went back across to wait for the float plane.

The same pilot took us back to King Salmon that had brought us over.  The flight was quite different.  It was the last flight of the season and he was exuberant.  The plane dipped and made sharp turns all the way back.

A perfect two days, even more wonderful than I expected.

Brooks Falls Day 2

We started the day with breakfast at the lodge.  I was anxious to get back out to the falls but it was foggy and I didn't relish walking through the woods and not being able to see the path clearly.  We didn't have to leave the dining room to see bears though.  A mom and her large cub ran right under the window and roamed around through the woods.  A range came and watched the bear to make sure it wouldn't go to any of the cabins.  Of course that is exactly what the bears did.  They walked to the cabins and between them.  The ranger took off her jacket and swung it around to harass the bears to move on. They ignored her,  Another ranger showed up, this time with a gun that shot rubber bullets in case it was needed.  That ranger was hurrying too much and slid down the wet, grassy slope. The bears finally conceded and moved on to block the bridge.

We gathered our gear and waited with the others until the bridge was reopened.  There was a lot to watch whle we waited.  Besides the mother and cub near the bridge there was another mother bear with two cubs further upriver, an older female resting on the spit, and float planes arriving with day trippers.  

After crossing the bridge we watched bears from the Lower River platform a bit. Breland decided to stay there and I went on to the falls,...ALONE!!  Fortunately I caught up to a lively group of young photographers and walked with them about halfway.  The girls in the group asked for a halt about half way so that they could use the restrooms.  I wanted to get to the falls and went on.  I caught up to another hiker and went on with her.  Fortunately we did not encounter any bears until we were on the raised walkway and could see them below. 

The morning at the falls was just perfect...sunny with just enough clouds to soften the light.  The bears were constantly fishing.  It was interesting to watch the ongoing struggle for dominance.  Here's a photo of an argument between two bears over a prime fishing spot.  They roared at each other and postured threateningly.  Finally the larger of the two won and the other bear meekly walked away.

Shooting in the Rain

Breland reminded me that I should mention that we did most of the mile and a half walk from our cabin to the falls in a downpour.  It was an effort to keep our cameras and lenses dry and not get soaked ourselves. The lure of the falls drove us on, though.  We sheltered under a pavilion for a bit then went back out to shoot some more.  The bears were great subjects, splashing and fishing and growling at each other.

After several hours at the falls we began the walk back to the lodge, singing the entire way or calling "Hey bear".  Fortunately none of the bears responded.  We stopped at the lower river platform to admire the rainbow and the bear sleeping at the end of the rainbow. There really weren't too many options.   A mother bear and cub were at the other end of the bridge back to the lodge and had many people trapped on each side of the river.

 Meals at Brooks Camp are served buffet style.  Each meal features wonderful homemade soups, salads, vegetables, a salmon dish and one or more meat dishes, a vegetarian option and several delicious desserts. We ate dinner with the young couple from Taiwan and another couple from Cincinatti and spent a very pleasant evening.  With no wifi or television to keep us awake we went to sleep quickly to get up early for another day of adventure.

First Day at Brooks Camp

Such an incredible, exciting day!  We arrived at the airport at 6am to catch our flight to King Salmon.  It was so unusual to board a plane without going through TSA.  The plane was small but the flight attendant was terrific and made sure that everyone had snacks and drinks and was made to feel welcome.

We didn't know what to expect in King Salmon.  We boarded a small van and were brought to the Katmailand "airport".  The small, hot, smoky room held everyone who was going on to one of the Katmailand properties.  A couple of float planes took off and then it was our turn.  I scrambled up the ladder to the plane.  Breland and I were among the seven passengers.  The twenty minute flight to Brooks Falls was beautiful.  We flew around mountains and over waterways. My concern that we were not going to see bears was put to rest as we taxied in.  A huge mother grizzly and her very large cubs ran from the approaching plane, splashing along the beach.

We were led to "Bear School" and watched a short video and listened to a brief lecture about how to behave around the bears at Brooks.  After checking in at the tiny office we were led to our room. The room was small and cozy. The best part was the smell.  The building was made of cedar and the wonderful woodsy smell permeated the room.  It had four bunk beds and a couple of hooks on the wall.  A curtain pulled across the back area for the shower. There was a note in the bathroom asking us not to flush at night because the noise would wake everyone up. The walls between rooms were very thin.  Some of the people who were on the plane with us were camping.  The only barrier between the bears and campers was a single strand on electrical fence!

We were then on our own to walk to the falls.   THAT was a little frightening.  We could see bears near the bridge and on the spit.  We crossed the bridge and headed through the woods with a young couple from Taiwan.  The young man spoke English well, his girlfriend had limited English but clapped loudly for the mile and a half walk through the woods.  We stepped around large piles of bear scat and hoped the bears that left the deposit was not too near.  Then, finally, with all of our camera gear, we reached the first platform.  The sight took my breath away.  There were four large bears in the fabled falls, each shining in the beautiful sunlight.  After a quick look there we moved onto the falls platform and started taking photos. I can't begin to describe my excitement to see the bears that I knew by name and number from watching the Brooks Falls webcams.!