Snow FUN & Bald Eagles

Sunday, November 13th

Well, we survived our first BIG storm of the winter this past week. It was not exactly the "Epic" storm that you may have seen on the news. That storm was about 1,000 miles to the northwest of us (yes, Alaska is a HUGE state) but it was the leftovers from that storm and was "Epic" for us desert dogs. 

It started snowing late Friday afternoon and by morning we had 12"-16" of powdery snow and a winter wonderland.

Luckily, Lori had the day off so we got geared up and shoveled our way out the door and down the driveway.

While we were shoveling, we watched a shuttle bus from the Captain's Choice Motel next door slide past our drive.

 All 4 tires with no chains on were locked as he slid backwards down the steep hill in slow motion, drivers and passengers eyes all wide open with the look of...Oh S*%#. They stopped about 3/4 of the way down when the back end hit the snowbank on the roadside. Lori, myself and the scared passengers pushed the front end around until it was pointed downhill where the driver safely drove it the rest way of the way. The passengers were tourists who were here for the Bald Eagle Festival (more on that later) and had themselves an Alaska Adventure to take home.

There seems to be something about snow...a fountain of youth kind of thing...that makes people feel and act like kids. You can't help but want to lay down and make snow angels, have a snowball fight, build a snow man (or a manman as our little nephew Parker would say), and sled. 

Since we were all feeling like kids we took a walk to Spaz's favorite place, the city park.

This time of year you don't go for a walk without having your crampons on your boots or you will surely end up on your butt ...unless you are Lori...who will end up there at least once each walk anyway.

Actually (I don't mean to be a bummer here) it's not a joking matter. So many people get seriously injured, even killed, slipping on the ice that the Haines Fire Department gets state funding to offer a rebate towards the purchase of crampons as a preventive cost saver of money and lives.

The bad part is you have to take them off when you go inside anywhere and put them on when you come out. Also, eventually one of them will come off and you will lose it and not know it.

Took this shot at 5:30 pm

Moonlight shimmering at 8:30 pm

The storm moved out and we were treated to a spectacular full moon rising above the mountains across the bay.

The days are getting very noticeably shorter. The sun rises around 7:45 am and sets by 4:30 pm. The daylight seems even less than that because the sun never rises very high in the sky. It pokes in & out between the tall mountains surrounding town and never gets anywhere close to overhead. 

This is what the scared tourists in the sliding bus had come here to see, the   "Bald Eagle Festival".

Out the Haines Highway, 18 miles from town, there is a wildlife preserve set aside for our national symbol. The "Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve" is 48,000 acres set aside to protect the habitat where the largest gathering in the world of these majestic raptors occurs this time of year. They come to feed on the late run of salmon and socialize. 

If you want to check out the state park preserve, click on this link:

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/southeast/chilkatbep.htm

Over 3,000 bald eagles come here every year and it is amazing to see.

Haines has a Bald Eagle Foundation which is like a zoo and a museum dedicated to these birds. Every year they hold the "Bald Eagle Festival" which attracts people from all over the world. A lot of professional photographers come packing these HUGE lens (yes...I get lens envy) to shoot the action. 

Here is a link to visit if you want to know more about the foundation or the festival

http://baldeagles.org/festival 

There is lots of action, although the eagles spend something like 70% of their time just sitting in the trees hanging out.

There seems to be a lot of disputes between the eagles over something...food?...girls?

They are also very vocal and make some really cool sounds, a kind of very distinct whistle that you have to hear to believe.

They also have to constantly fend off ravens and seagulls who hang around trying to steal their fish

In addition to all that at the preserve, you get a few miles of trails alongside the Chilkat river with stunning views like this.

Somewhere along one of these trails, someone will find a crampon that I told you we would lose without knowing it, maybe not until next spring..but sometime.

We all had a lot of fun in the first big snow of winter and look forward to having more. Even Spaz seems to feel younger and act like a puppy, bounding through the snow even when it is belly deep, chasing her frisbee and trying not to lose it.

Maybe you will have fun watching her too.