crowberry tales

After False Pass, Bob went ...

2008-11-26T08:59:00.000-08:00

...to live with the seabirds in Buldir World. Actually I was with four other humans and our job was to collect data on 14 of the 32 species of breeding seabirds on the isolated western Aleutian island known as Buldir. We worked practically every day since, well, it was the most interesting thing to do there. The observations were scattered around the island so we were required to dawn boots and rain gear daily in the damp summer climate and make our way through the shoulder-high herbaceous layer, up valleys, through tundra covered saddles, across broad basins, along boulder laden beaches and up fern covered and block talus slopes. The different species we monitored nest in earthen hillside burrows, on cliff faces, open beaches and high tundra, or within the blocks and rocks of massive talus fields. We'd travel to their locations to count them, to track the stages in their breeding processes ("chronology" ie. the timing of egg lay date to hatch date to fledge date, and whether or not pairs are successful or not in producing fledglings), to map the burrows in existing plots to see how many persist and what changes are made from year to year, and later, see how many of them are occupied; to catch adults to see what prey they've collected to feed their young, to measure and weigh chicks to track growth rates, and to float eggs to determine the stage of embryo development. Also trapped fish as part of a colonization study and collected insects.

Above are two glaucous-winged gull chicks, 2-3 days old in their beach nest. As cute as they were, you can't sit around and watch. The adults are very defensive and their constant calls irritate, their group diving behavior confuses, and they will (and did) make contact with your head.

This is an adult Leaches storm-petrel just led out from it's burrow. Patrick has a solid hold in the bird for if it flies the chances are high that it will be killed. Storm-petrels feed at sea in the day but during breeding, which only occurs on land in the summer, they maintain a nocturnal life. It is their strategy for avoiding predation from gulls and falcons.

A wandering tattler.

Crested Auklets

A horned puffin. Like most birds, Puffins replace their feathers after the breeding season. Puffins also shed the outer mantle of their bill when the breeding season ends. Puffins are fairly heavy and their skeletons are surprisingly compressible. I held puffins a few times, to remove them from a net after we trapped it, and to apparently rescue them when they were lost in the thick vegetation tens of meters from the nearest take-off point (cliff top). We regularly found dead puffins and murres in the heavy vegetation, having starved because they were unable to get flight and find the ocean.

In August, we set up the mist nets at night and used a bright lamp to attract fork-tailed and Leaches storm-petrels. At night is when they return from their day-time oceanic foraging to bring the partially digested krill back to their developing chicks. It's been found that storm-petrels approach lights at night. Ships at sea often find that their decks are littered with stunned birds at first morning light. The yellow streak is a storm-petrel Kevin is attempting to draw into the net.

A peregrine, chief of the bird hunters on Buldir. Far less numerous then the gulls (the other bird hunter), it was a joy to watch these masters of flight soar, dive, and play. And thrilling to watch the occasional take.

A mixed flock of Least and Crested auklets. Flocking is at least partly, maybe mostly, a defensive behavior. Crested auklets especially give off a unique musky citrus odor. Motoring though flocks in our skiff the smell was strong, and we found it difficult to describe. Within weeks of this photograph, the Least auklets followed by the Crested auklets left Buldir, their chicks having fledged or perished, their responsibilities on land thus concluded for the year. Auklets spend the rest of the year in large groups in the waters north and south of the Aleutian chain. Buldir, unlike most other Aleutian Islands lacks a sea shelf, the waters deepening rapidly around the island. This allows several populations of seabirds to remain unusually close to land while still finding 'oceanic' prey.

A pair of least auklet adults socializing while their developing chicks mature amidst the rocks below them. The need to socialize must be important since by "hanging out" these birds are risking predation. They are constantly on the alert for gulls and falcons. They do have one inherent trait on their side: their small size makes them less attractive as a meal. From our observations, gulls have a distinct preference for the meatier Crested auklets.

And Jen went...

2008-11-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

...to Palmer, a small town about 45 minutes north of Anchorage. I went to intern on a newly developing organic farm called Spring Creek Farm, located in the Matanuska Valley. SCF was originally a dairy started by a woman in 1948. As other farmers failed in the valley she bought up their land eventually increasing the size of the farm to 700 acres. She placed her farm into a trust with Alaska Pacific University and when she passed away in 2001, the school gained ownership. There are many activities taking place on the farm. During the school season it is the satellite campus for APU's Master's of Outdoor Education. There is also numerous camps run for children year-round. The majority of the acreage is leased to a local hay farmer.
Last year a new project began--a small Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. The CSA concept originated in the 1960s in Switzerland and Japan, where consumers interested in safe food and farmers seeking stable markets for their crops joined together in economic partnerships. Today, CSA farms in the U.S., known as CSAs, currently number more than 400.
I was going to join on for SCF's second year of being a CSA. They increased there members from 7 the first year to about 30 this year. In addition there were numerous building projects-a harvest shed, composting toilet, children's garden and 4-season greenhouse.

The picture above is how most of the hay fields looked in early May, very water-logged.

The view from the Davis house, where I cooked and cleaned up. The center mountain is Pioneer Peak, the largest in the valley at 6500 ft.

Beginning the new raised beds for the garden's expansion. Bob was with me for the first week before he headed off for training with Fish and Wildlife. These first three pictures are from him.

My wall tent. Where I stayed for almost four months. It was really quite comfortable and Inde enjoyed it as well. We were situated at the back of the farm looking out towards the fields and Pioneer Peak.

Two of my favorites from the summer. Fresh rainbow chard and Mimi Rooney. Mimi is from Vermont and worked full-time at SCF as the farm assistant. We were inseparable.

Inde and Taz, otherwise known as "the girls". Of the 8-11 dogs on the farm these two were my favorites. Inde of course. Taz is Bud the hay farmer's dog and she liked to walk with Inde and I even though her and Inde never became that friendly. She did teach Inde a lot about hunting mice in the hay fields which eventually lead to Inde killing a ground squirrel in the wilderness...not good.

Watching crops grow in Alaska was really amazing. With all the sunlight, plants literally shot up overnight. Because of this fast growth you can grow many things, especially with greenhouses.

Because my internship was only part time I also got a job at the Musk Ox Farm. Only about a mile from SCF and with Musk Oxen! An ideal place to work! The MOF is a private non-profit organization dedicated to the development and domestication of the musk ox, Ovibos moschatus, for the purpose of providing additional subsistence income opportunities for Alaska’s native people. The soft under-wool of the musk ox, qiviut, is harvested once a year and delivered to Oomingmak, an Alaskan native knitter's co-operative. I gave tours of the farm, a brief history and a walk through the farm to see and learn about the animals. From time to time I was able to help more closely with animals.

Here are two of the bulls. Bulls can get up around 1000 pounds. Notice their large horns, these are used for head bashing during the dominance displays in the rut season. Musk Oxen look very similar to bison but they are actually most closely related to goats! The bull the front is heavily shedding his qiviut under layer. The farm will comb the animals to collect the majority when they shed it in the spring. Also it is gathered off the ground as it was traditionally by native people.

This is Safety. She was taken from her mother at birth b/c she was pretty sick and needed to be looked after closely. She did recover but mother musk oxen will quickly forget their young once separated. So Safety had to be bottle fed until she was reintroduced to the other weaning babies in late July. Her name comes from a theme that is selected every year by local school children. The theme for 2008 was stopping points on the Iditarod Trail. Safety is the name of one of the villages on the trail.

In the MOF gift shop with our fine qiviut products. This is Hannah. A Palmer local and at 16 she is not only the best tour guide ever, she's also a master knitter and helped me tremendously with my knitting skills.

My first sighting of Humpback whales in Prince William Sound. Michelle came up for a visit in late July. We went of a whale watching cruise and were rewarded with this mother and calf who breached over 20 times!

Raven Glacier. A beautiful hike just outside of Girdwood, AK.

Michelle and Inde hiking back down from the glacier.

The week before I left Alaska, Mimi and I hitch-hiked up to Denali National Park. It took us 6 rides and 7 hours to get the mere 150 miles. But the way back was easy. One lift took us from the park to our front door.

Looking down the river bed of the Teklanika. We spent most nights camping on the river beds. They provide level ground but more importantly good visibility, so that we could see the bears coming.

Crossing the tundra.

Bear sighting. We had a few of these. The bears are surprisingly disinterested in people. The Park does an amazing job of managing the wildlife and human impact. In order to camp in the back-country areas you must register, watch a safety video and use bear canisters for your food. For this reason bears do not really associate humans with food. There are only a set amount of people allowed to camp in all of the designated units. Which also means you are not likely to encounter any other campers.

Caribou! This was an amazing moment. Ten male caribou came down from the hillside where we had been watching them with a herd of about 25 or 30. They trotted right towards us, so close that we began to worry that perhaps they were feeling a bit aggressive. Turns out they were more curious. They approached to about 25 yards and then pranced around us in a circle. After about 10 minutes or so they headed back to there group. Mimi and I were speechless!

We were told it is only about 10 days in every summer that Denali (or Mt McKinley) is visible. This year there were even less as the season was a record-making cold and wet one. We felt extremely lucky to have spectacular views from our final night right through to this sunrise shot on the hike out.

The last days (part 2)

2008-05-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

On our last walk up to the tundra we found a nice pocket out of the wind and were able to sit and watch the beautiful world around us. How lucky we feel to have had the chance to interact with this spot on earth.

Signs of Spring

Radish sprouts in the greenhouse

The 7th bear in two weeks! This is on the beach just north of the house, almost to Stonewall point.

Cleaning up the tools

Lipstick cladonia (my favorite lichen) flowering on Ikatan peninsula

Bob has to scare off another bear at the house. This one had disconnected our water line.

Final burn pile

Reconnecting the greenhouse drip irrigation

The last days

2008-05-07T23:50:00.000-07:00

A pod of about 5 Orcas was swimming close to the house. We don't think we've seen this this pod because the largest female has a deformed dorsal fin.

We've been watching this nest, perched between Stonewall Place and Lonesome Inar's cabin. They began sitting on the nest around April 20th. The winds have been fierce this week and it is amazing to see how determined the eagles are in the reproductive efforts. About a mile north on the beach is another nest. Apparently the eagles have been nesting in that sight for 20 years or more!

Ahh, springtime arrives and the garden beds are revealed after the snow melt. The ground remains frozen but most of the inside of the greenhouse is planted.

Rhubarb leaves unravel.

Last Trip to Ikatan

2008-05-07T23:31:00.000-07:00

About a week before we were due to leave the Aleutians we had a wonderfully clear day thrown into the mix of windy cold days we had been having. We knew that we had to take advantage! Both of us agreed that we wanted to head to Ikatan and re-explore the old village and then walk over to Otter Cove and the Pacific.

This tufted puffin was actually spotted on the ride home. The first of the year and according to records it was about a week or so early. No other puffins were in sight. We felt extremely lucky to have been able to see another one before we left.

Another Ancient murrellet. They have been in large groups in the pass for a few weeks now.

Pictures from the village.

The changing face of Sentinal Peak as the snow melts.

work boats

2008-05-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

The mountains of Isanotski Strait

2008-04-30T02:03:00.000-07:00

gitnit dun

2008-04-30T01:45:00.000-07:00

Birds pt.8

2008-04-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

Rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus)

There are both willow and rock ptarmigan in this area. Only the male rock ptarmigan has this distinct black eye patch. Normally rock ptarmigan gather in large flocks during the winter months.

We spotted these ptarmigan in the tundra behind the house. Originally it was a flock of about 15, only these three males were not scared away. We had been trying to get a closer look at these birds for some time. When we saw them we were able to watch them for some time, gradually getting closer and closer before we eventually scared them off.

Pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba)

The pigeon guillemot has just begun to change from its grayish winter plumage to this sleek black. Many in the pass are in various stages of molting.

Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus)

Ancient murrelets spend their lives at sea and come to land only to breed. They are active at night at their colonies. This adaptation for avoiding daytime predation by gulls and raptors makes them hard to observe on land. They can be identified by the distinctive nighttime vocalizations they use for sexual display and individual recognition.

On the 14th of April we headed in to town and noticed quite a change on the pass. All winter the water has been full with thousands of Oldsquaws or Long-tailed ducks. Their calls normally fill the air. On this day there was no sight or sound of them. In their place suddenly there were hundreds of Ancient murrelets. We hadn't seen any of these seabirds since fall. They dotted Isanotski Strait in flocks of 5 to 50. Two weeks later they are still out there in large numbers.

Eagles pt 2

2008-04-23T01:37:00.000-07:00

The Awakening

2008-04-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Last night around 8 pm: Bob says that he hears some noises coming from the laundry area. Our thought is that perhaps an ermine has found its way into the house through a pipe. We are carefully looking around and then suddenly Inde starts barking (Inde never barks) and Bob turns to look out the side door window into the face of a big brown bear! It was scratching at the door and then stuck its head into the dog door. We make a mad dash for the guns and some bullets. At this point the bear came around to the porch and started pawing and slobbering on the windows. Inde was able to get a look at the nature of the commotion and boy was she scared! Bob went upstairs to shoot the gun out the back door but it had little effect. The bear came back to the side door and stood up and began to push and shake the door (which we had just locked for the first time). After a few more shots the bear actually headed to the back door towards Bob. At this point we noticed there was another smaller bear in front of the house too. This one was scared away by the gunshots. Bob and I switched places and he shot from the side door while I monitored the bears actions from the upstairs door. The bear was scratching the window and trying to chew on the window sill. It was amazing to see the bear inches away from my face! Then it headed away from the house to the chicken coop and began to try and tear down the fencing to the outdoor run. I yelled to Bob, who came running upstairs and shot the gun towards the bear. No matter, he proceeded to collapse the side of the chicken run. Bob now had to take real aim at the bear and struck it in the backside with bird shot. It jumped up and took off running.

We went outside and down to the beach to do a full reconnaissance. No other damage. According to their tracks the bears headed away on the beach in opposite directions. We came back to the house and let Inde out. She had to do a full inspection as well and did not want to come back inside. She wouldn't eat dinner and all day today she has been on edge and is currently on guard out on the porch. I don't think I have ever seen her so protective, I wasn't sure she had it in her!

Eagles

2008-04-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, indeed. That is excrement leaving the backside of the adult eagle.

"The immature Bald Eagle has a prolonged period of exploration lasting for four years. Some young from Florida have wandered north to Michigan, and birds from California have reached Alaska."

Immature eagles are variably patterned with dark brown and white. It takes five years to acquire full adult plumage. Their white markings are not restricted to well defined areas, but appear scattered throughout body, usually with brown mottling in same area. White in the wings is primarily in linings and not flight feathers.

Falconidae vs. Corvidae

2008-04-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

On a recent excursion to the cliffs of the Palisades we spotted ravens guarding what turned out to be a nest, in a chamber high on the rock face. They were flying back and forth and crying out, quite disturbed by our presence. As we started heading on a pair of peregrine falcons entered the territory and the fight was on! At one point a peregrine made a dash towards the raven's nest and one of the ravens flew like a bullet into the chamber to guard the nest while the other made a fierce attack on the guilty peregrine. Our friend Jacobus was visiting at this time and had brought his spotting scope. We had an awesome view. These antics went on for 10 minutes!

The view from up north

2008-04-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

Overlooking Bechevin Bay and the Bering Sea. Traders Cove is to the right or east.

Back south, a view of Isanotski Strait, Ikatan Peninsula and then the Pacific Ocean.

This is a hike we did over a month ago. When we got up to the peak we could see out to the Bering Sea and down to Bechevin Bay and east to Traders Cove (a favorite bird watching spot). An amazing view that lasted about 2 minutes before an intense cloud of warm fog overcame us. That too was pretty wonderful to see (and feel) but eliminated all chances of Bob getting a full shot of the view. The fog came in waves leaving a hazy view every few minutes. By the time we headed down off the mountain the fog was even thicker and the wind had picked up, practically blowing us all the way home.

The Coast

2008-04-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

Water mammals

2008-04-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

This the sixth sighting of Orca's since September. We wonder how many we've missed. Check out the article link in the right margin about Orca hunting behavior here in the pass.

The river otters live near us and we see them often. This one was either trying to communicate something to us or needed to swim in very shallow water with this heavy catch (a Red Irish lord?) for as soon as we were seen, s/he swam directly towards and to within 15 feet of us, and Inde - not a common behavior.

The endangered Stellar's sea lion, a predator of high standing, is just below the Orca in the local predator-prey hierarchy.

Starting the garden

2008-04-12T16:35:00.000-07:00

Way back in February we were sent this brand new florescent light to start the greenhouse veggies. In early March we planted the tomato seeds and began to watch and wait. A little heating pad helps speed up germination as it was cold indoors and hydro-power low at the time. The bright lights also served to increase our own vitamin D intake. A doubly beneficial set-up. As you can see we are pasty-white folks.

After a few weeks of growth seedlings are looking good.

An evening transplanting session.

Currently our little vegetables are happy and healthy with the exception of the basil which all dampened off, darn! (we've started a new batch). What do we have growing? Spinach, lettuces, kohlrabi, rutabaga, cabbage, kale, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, chives and parsley. A few flowers. In another week or so these guys will make it to their new home in the greenhouse to feed the Laukitis family this summer. At that point we will be direct sowing radishes, carrots, beets and more greens and starting a whole new batch indoors. In March we planted snap peas into the ground, they have just sprouted this week. It is a shame that we will not be eating any of these goodies!

Inde and I, however, will be heading to a farm in Palmer, AK where we can partake in the growing AND eating of veggies. Inde is more looking forward to meeting the other 7 dogs that live there and finding new smelly things to rub her body in. The farm is called Spring Creek Farm and is a 2nd year CSA that also designing and developing an educational/demo garden.

Bob will be heading even farther west in the Aleutians to the island of Buldir. He has an amazing opportunity to live on the most remote island in the chain with one of the most diverse breeding colonies of seabirds. He will be monitoring them and other birds with a group of 4 others.

We are looking forward to these next adventures and at the same time beginning to realize how little time we have left here at Stonewall. Seven months went by a pretty fast and this last month is flying by. We are spending our days trying to soak in all the wonderful realities of this place. Spring has just begun to show its face and it is not hard to imagine all the beauty that will come in the summer months.

Habitat for avianity

2008-04-05T01:09:00.000-07:00

The wood shop has lots of cool tools and wood and everything you might need for any number of projects. Besides fixing a few things around the homestead we hadn't really spent too much time there. We decided we needed a project. So we headed down there with some measurements and an idea.

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At this time our hydro-power was really low and to avoid the big pull of power tools we tried out some of the old-fashioned kind like this hand drill.

And the finished product--our birdhouse masterpiece!

"Bob, we have a problem."

2008-04-05T00:47:00.000-07:00

Yep, that black pipe is our water line. We woke up one day last week to find that our faucets were dry. First thing to do was to make sure our situation did not deteriorate- so after a consultation with Buck, we marched up stream to see if we could locate the spring box (under 4 feet of snow) and/or see if there were any sections of pipe that were yet unfrozen. Fortunately the uppermost section was still flowing. So we disconnected the lower sections to wait for them to melt out.

Life in the interim (of working plumbing) was mellow. The homestead has a second water system fed by another spring. It supplies water to the greenhouse and the fish cleaning table, from which we filled and hauled about 20 gallons a day, enough to cook, wash, and flush with, and nourish the chickens.

Finally, after seven days, the temperatures rose and with a little assistance from us bending and blowing, the ice tubes began oozing out, then shooting out. We reattached the sections and were...quite pleased.

Ice seeps

2008-04-03T01:16:00.000-07:00

The Aleutian Sky

2008-04-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

Birds & Fox pt. 7

2008-03-31T21:24:00.000-07:00

Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)

Coming back to the house from a hike along the ridge, Bob spotted these little red polls by the north dam. Good eyes. We came up to them slowly anxious to get a good look. We were able to get right up next to them as they were completely consumed by the small area of dead grass that wasn't covered in snow!

Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)

Emperor Goose (Chen canagica)

Emperor Geese with Black Oystercatchers on Sankin Island

Our first attempt at landing on Sankin Island was unsuccessful. The only beach is made up of large cobbles and has a very steep incline. We stayed on the beach about one minute as the waves were crashing into the back of the boat. We threw Inde back in the skiff and decided it was probably smarter to just cruise around the island. Then we spotted these birds on the rocks along the opposite shore. To see a full photo of Sankin Island check out the posting titled Rounding Sentinel 2.

A juvenile male King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)

Trader's Cove

2008-03-28T00:20:00.000-07:00

Fun Treats

2008-03-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Books, Birds, Flora and Fauna (lists)

2008-03-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

BOOK LIST (Sept-March)

River Notes, Of Wolves and Men, Arctic Dreams and Winter Count by Barry Lopez
Steller's Island by Dean Littlepage
Walt Whitman, A life by Justin Kaplan
The Sea Runner's and Winter Brothers by Ivan Doig
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
Singing to the Sound by Brenda Peterson
Unmak edited by Tyler Schlung
River of the West by Robert Clark
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Rains all the Time by David Laskin
The River Why by David James Duncan
Coal by Barbara Freese
The Gospel of Nature by John Burroughs
Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
Beyond the Hundredth Meridian and The Gathering of Zion by Wallace Stegner
1491 by Charles Mann
Good News, Black Sun and Freedom and Wilderness by Edward Abbey
Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams
Wild to the Heart and the Ninemile Wolves by Rick Bass
The Unknown Islands by Henry Swanson
Land of Giants by David Lavender
Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie
Green Alaska by Nancy Lord
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Robbing the Bees by Holley Bishop
The Poisonwood Bible, Small Wonder and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
Bailey's Cafe by Gloria Naylor
The Living by Annie Dillard
Under the Sea Wind by Rachel Carson
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee by Lee Brown
A Continuous Harmony, Recollected Essays (1965-1980) by Wendell Berry
Two in the Far North by Margaret Murie
Cunt by Inga Muscio
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Permaculture Garden by Graham Bell
The Natural Alien by Neil Evernden
Pacifism as Pathology by Ward Churchill
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Ellinore Pruitt Stewart

REFERENCE BOOKS

Birds of the West and Bird Life and Behavior by David Allen Sibley
Ethnography of the Aleutians Edited by Lydia Black
The Sea Vegetable Book by Judith Madlener
Alaska's Animals and Fishes by Frank Dufresne
Between Pacific Tides by Edward Rickets and Jack Calvin
Flora of the Alaska by Eric Hulten
A Field Guide to the Mammals by William Henry Burt
The Alaskan Mushroom Hunter's Guide by Ben Guild
Discovery Wild Plants by Janice Schofield
A Field Guide to Animal Tracks by Olaus Murie
Plants of Alaska by The University of Alaska
Tanaina Plantlore by Priscilla Russell Kari
Plants of the Pacific Northwest by Pojar and Mackinnon
Pacific Seashores by Thomas Carefoot
Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon
Birds of Alaska by Robert Armstrong
The Seed Starter's Handbook by Nancy Bubel
Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening by Rodale Press
Homebrewing without Failures by H.E. Bravery
Alaska Backyard Wines by Jan O'Meara
How to Knit by Debbie Bliss
Fisherman's Knots and Nets by Graumont and Wenstrom

BIRDS

Horned and Tufted puffins (summer)
Rhinocerus auklet (summer)
Golden-crowned sparrow (summer)
Black-legged kittiwake (summer)
Semipalmated plover (summer)
Peregrin falcon
Bald eagle
Pelagic cormorant
Black-billed magpie
Black raven
Willow ptarmigan
Harlequin duck
Thick-billed and Common murre
Song sparrow
Crested and Least auklets
Bufflehead
Emperor goose
Horned grebe
Common and Yellow-billed Loon
Pigeon guillemot
Marbled, Kittlitz's and Ancient murrelets
Rock sandpiper
Gyrfalcon
Tundra swan
Canada goose
Mallard
Belted kingfisher
White-winged, surf and black scoters
King and Steller's Eiders
Red-breasted merganser
Snow bunting
Red poll
Black oystercatcher
Gray-crowned rosy finch
American dipper
Common goldeneye
Brandt
Gulls:
Bonaparte's and Mew (summer)
Herring, Glaucous and Glaucous-winged

FLORA

Crowberry
Cow Parsnip or Putschki
Salmonberry
Blueberry (highbush and lowbush)
Boletus mushrooms
Fireweed
Swedish Dwarf Cornel
Lady fern
Fragile fern
Bracken fern
Sitka Alder
Monkshood
Wintergreen
Cranberry
Beach Strawberry
Cloudberry
Wormwood
White Paintbrush
Coltsfoot
Willow
Yarrow
Dock
Watermelon berry
Fringe Cup
Pacific Silverweed
Violet
Cotton grass
Blue bells
Heather
Sea Purslane
Dune Grass
Arctic Lupine
Roseroot
Horsetail
Bedstraw
Monkey Flower
Pearly Everlasting
Large-leaved Avens
Angelica
Black Lily
Lambs Quarter
Chocolate Lily
Bladderwrack
Dulce
Giant Kelp
Sea Lettuce
Spring Beauty (claytonia)

FAUNA

Ground squirrel
Red fox
Brown bear
Sea otter
River otter
Harbor seal
Barren-ground Caribou
Masked shrew
Steller's Sea lion
Orca or Killer whale
Minke whale

Gray wolf (tracks only)
Wolverine (tracks only)

Pacific halibut
Yellowfin sole
Pacific cod
Red Irish Lord fish
King crab
California mussels
urchins
sea anemones
chitons (lined, leatherbacks and gumboots)
Purple starfish
Sunflower starfish
Thatched barnacles
other barnacle
Jellys
Purple encrusting sponge
Sand dollar
Clam shells
Scallop shells
Cockle shells
Minute neopolitan snail
Calcarious tube warm

Rounding Sentinel 1

2008-03-19T01:05:00.000-07:00

We had been planning on this hike to circumnavigate Sentinal Peak for some time. The weather promised to be sunny and the winds reasonable so we headed out early afternoon. Our days are much longer now and we have light until after 9 pm.

Heading up from the house was easier than usual as the snow has firmed over from the sunny days and cold nights. It was our quickest hike up so far. We'd like to think it was fast due to our increased stamina but we know that is not the case.

Looking west at Unimak Island from near the ridge top

Entering the Sankin watershed

Looking down and out to Sankin Beach. After crossing the ridge on the north side of Sentinal we headed down into this valley and followed the stream towards the beach. It was really beautiful, quiet and peaceful, and out of the persistent winds of the open tundra.

The stream is followed by alder thickets all the way out. There were signs of huge numbers of ptarmigan (accompanied by fox tracks) but no sight or sound of them.

Rounding Sentinel 2

2008-03-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

After about two hours of relatively easy walking we arrived at Sankin Beach. A few days prior we had tried to land the skiff on the beach to do some beachcombing but the waves were too rough. Today however the shore was peaceful. We scared away a large raft of harlequins and black scoters and then found ourselves quite alone. We had hoped to see some of the caribou that we imagine must live around the protected valley but there was no sign of them.

Sankin Island

After a short rest, the clouds began to quickly descend from the north so we headed down the beach for some speedy beachcombing as the snow started to fall.

We had a truly fabulous beachcombing experience. I have been searching the beaches for signs of the Japanese glass floats and on this day there it was, right on the edge of the rocks piled high from the tide. Happy Day! Amongst the plethora of whale bones we also found a piece of petrified wood and a large (whale?) tooth. Not to mention some great driftwood slabs which I have been using as canvas for painting.

Heading up to the Palisades with Sankin Beach already far behind us.

Rounding Sentinel 3

2008-03-19T00:55:00.000-07:00

Looking north, Sentinel Peak on the left, Sankin Beach and the continent/peninsula to the right

The second half of our route is a skirting of the southern flank of Sentinel, westward along the edge of the Palisades, a three mile row of cliff faces hundreds of feet high. To our south (and below us) lay Ikatan Bay, a busy fishing area in the summer and the entrance to False Pass.

The smooth tundra slopes that fall from the mountains are often interrupted by deep ravines. Crossing them usually presents us with a challenge. Here though, Jen is brushing up on her high alpine raiding and defensive skills. Looks like I'll be in good hands.

Looking east, the peninsula runs back towards the rest of Alaska. The waters to the right lead immediately out to the Pacific.

Rounding Sentinel 4

2008-03-19T00:50:00.000-07:00

Back to our temporary home, Isanotski Strait/False Pass, Stonewall Place, the most exciting home site for a long ways.

Birds pt. 6

2008-03-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella) above and below. "Auks seek out areas where their pray is concentrated by strong currents flowing over shoals and banks in passes between islands...where water masses of different density and temperature meet to form an underwater wall against which prey items are trapped...The violent upwellings and strong currents in passes among the Aleutian Islands provide rich feeding grounds for auks. This resource is shared by four auklet species, each exploiting a different food source. Recent field work has shown that the Crested Auklet, the most powerful diver among this group, probes the depths on the upstream side of a pass to intercept helpless krill driven towards the surface by vertical water flow." -The Sibley Guide.

Crested Auklets are known for their "crest" or facial plumes. Interestingly, these plumes smell like citrus and we've read that birders can detect the odor when near large flocks. It's perfume.

Common Loon (Gavia immer). Loons eat mainly fish. While swimming they peer beneath the surface keeping a look out for prey. During the dive they hold their necks coiled back (think snake) ready to strike their victims.

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). A Perigrine, probably this one has been here our entire stay. We see it racing through the sky, wings beating quickly, often harassing the eagles. They nest on cliffs (and now skyscapers) and hunt from high in the air. They feed mainly on birds, catching them alive.

Most if not all birds can see in the near UV and UV range. At least one species has plumage decorated with UV patterns, visible to other birds but not to us. Falcons and other raptors use their UV sensitivity to track the urine markings of rodents. Soaring overhead, they can see the paths their prey routinely follow, including the marked rodent dens, and focus their prey-scouting along these trails.

Surf Scoter (Melanittta perspicillata)!

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). These birds, three males pictured here, have been our longest and closest companions. They tend to cluster in groups and prefer the shallower water near the shore, thus we see them most often. Their call sounds like the squeak of a rubber ducky.

Birds pt. 5: the hungry months

2008-03-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

March in the millenial-old Unangan language is "Qisagunix" or, "month when people shiver from cold and are hungry." The people do fine now, but the weather that brought about the name still grips the land and many of the other locals (though not all) still struggle with the dirth.

Here a magpie has found food, what I couldn't tell. First one eagle takes notice and command.

In comes another. This second eagle has a brown brow and patchy-brown crown which may indicate a recent molting from 4-yr old juvenile into the pure white adult. If you follow the brown brow, you'll see that the first eagle retains it's find and is the one who flies off with it.

(as with all the pictures, you can click on these to see them closer)

The hills are alive (with the sound of wind)

2008-03-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Sitka Alder, also called "slide alder," and the largest plant out here, is known to make it's stand in areas of disturbance.

Evidence of the Willow ptarmigan

Fox and wind. These are fox tracks embossed - the vulpine's paw pressure compacted the snow and wind has swept the surroundings away.

Burning

2008-03-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

We had a rather large paper pile accumulating over the entire time we have been here. We figured it might be time to burn it all up. Nothing like a cold winter day to set things on fire.

Frozen comfort food. Yes we did and yes it was pretty good.

Here is a glimpse of our pantry. So much food. It has been interesting to think of how much food we thought we would eat in 8 months and now to see how much we have actually eaten. As usual our eyes were way bigger than our stomachs. I think it had something to do with cutting out lunch for most of the winter. We just weren't active enough during those shorter days. Now the days are about 12 hours long and we are back to three or more meals a day!

...and more snow

2008-03-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

And here they are: the hermits on the tundra

So just a refresher: Beyond the strait (we are looking southwest here) is the first and largest of the Aleutian chain, Unimak Island- close enough to the continent to have brown bear, caribou, wolf. These and the other larger land mammals cannot (so far) make the swim to the further islands. During the last ice age, when ocean levels were lower, 'The Pass' was exposed. In this view the sea floor is 24 fathoms (24X6=144 ft) down. I like looking out and imagining the valley down there, more like a mountain saddle or the other sort of 'pass'.

Over the shoulder to the east. This is the direction we'd walk if we had to get back to the U.S. Oh wait, this is the U.S. The Alaska Peninsula is about 500 miles long, with Cold Bay the next town at 50 miles.

Northwest to Unimak. False Pass Village is lightly spread across the flood plain. The Pass becomes shallow to the north and this is why the area is called 'False Pass'. Boats making their way into Bristol Bay and the Bering have to pick their way though shallows of 2.25 fathoms at mean high tide. It must be tricky especially at lower tides. The State Ferry enters from the south, ties up at the City dock, then exits south. Killer whales herd gray whales into the pass because the relative shallows of the northern pass limit the gray whale's options for escape. (A couple people we've talked to have seen hundreds of Orca's at a time in here in recent springs.)

False Pass. If you click on this one, you'll be able to make out the old cannery dock in the center and the new City dock to the right. The old cannery burned in 1981 and False Pass has been without one since then. APICDA is set to open a new one this month. There are web-links to APICDA, the Isanotski Corporation, the city, and the Orca's to the right. Instead of counties and the tribal council-reservation system, Alaska has 'boroughs' and native corporations. APICDA is a community development association funded by a take on the local pollack, crab, halibut, and other groundfish fisheries.

A flashback to the green vale of yore

2008-03-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the snow we've mostly been looking at for the past three months or just the thought that we never really wrote about the plants that grow out here - those that make the tundra...either way or both, it is nice to think back to the shapes and colors, the textures, and the different ways each reacted to the wind and changed from summer into fall. So here are a few of the vegetative structures, whose roots and seeds are hanging on up there under the frozen white, waiting (for a brighter day).

Ah yes, the great treeless Aleutian landscape! Naturally void of standing trees and volcanically sloped like the Hawaiian Islands due south. In the summer it's lush, thick, spongy, and the great mass of growing tissue creates and traps heat-a tad different story than winter.

Wow! Giant buttercups. These are buttercups, but not the familiar ones all over Seattle, the Ranunculus sp. These are Narcissus anemone (Anemone narcissiflora villosissima). Italian speakers should have fun with that one. The species is broken up into several subspecies, but taken whole, it can be found south to the Queen Charlottes except for one area on Vancouver Island. Also present are the dark green crowberry, and the taller, reddened Dock (Rumex fenestratus).

This is Cloudberry, or wineberry, or Baked appleberry, Knottberry, even Salmonberry. So, Rubus chameomorus! Surrounded by crowberry. Cloudberries are good sources of vitamin C and were/are eaten by native peoples from the Arctic south to central Vancouver Island. The most common name, Cloudberry comes from Old English 'clud' which meant 'rocky hill.' Traditional stories are that the berry grew on two of England's highest mountians, where the clouds sit all winter.

'Fresh healthy erosion' can sound like 'good welcome flooding' in the city where each get a bad rap, and arguably, where sources of new soil are cut down, paved upon, paved around, and power-blown away, this is right. It can be an enjoyable exercise though to discuss the implications of artificially limiting nature's responses (controlling erosion) because of artificially induced problems. But we do like stability. Anyway, here is one of nature's favorite regulators: roots! These Dune grass roots haven't stopped the process, but they limit it, and seem to like it. (Above is a very active feeder bluff).

Mountain harebell (Campanula lasiocarpa) with crowberry, arctic willow, and a carex species.

Fireweed, highbush cranberry...

The Aleutian forests are Sitka alder thickets - a favorite hangout for the willow ptarmigan and a nice place to get away from it all.

Arctostaphylos alpina, or Alpine bearberry, or raven berry, or gray jay's eye. These red fall leaves- when dried, ground to powder and mixed with lard- were used as a cosmetic face powder. Unfortunately, we just found this out.

This is one of the two coltsfoot species here (Petasites frigidus)

Caribou food - lichen growth on an alder branch.

This complex features Swedish dwarf cornel (Cornus suecica) a close relative of the more common bunchberry or dwarf dogwood, with its red berries and cross-shaped leaf pattern. Also present are the spreading carex sedges, fireweed, a couple of cloudberries, and a mat of crowberry.

This patch of tundra is dominated by the familiar Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolia).

Dunegrass or Lyme grass (Elymus mollis)

February snows

2008-03-01T23:38:00.000-08:00

On days when the wind is bearable we try to get outside and roam around. It is strange for us. Despite the awesome views from the house, we sometimes have to remind ourselves that we are staying in a wildlife refuge. That would be unheard of elsewhere. We are currently on the lookout for grey wolves, caribou (often the wolves are following the caribou), and whales. Even though the land looks like this - white, hard, and cold - we think we can feel spring in the air and we have read that spring brings massive numbers of whales and plenty of bears.

Virtually every walk out the door is partly occupied by sightings of sea ducks and gulls feeding, eagles and ravens soaring, and seals watching us. River otters, a Peregrine falcon, the foxes, song birds, shore birds and sea otters are seen regularly. And rarely do we see an orca, sea lions, or caribou.

The Palisades (at low tide)

2008-02-29T22:20:00.000-08:00

The Palisades are about a mile south of us. We got there walking along the beach from the house. These cliffs face out to Ikatan Bay and rest at the foot of Sentinel Peak. As boats enter Isanotski Strait they are greeted by these towering rock faces. We speculate they were formed by the movement of ice and or water and now continue to be altered by wind.

Numerous waterfalls fall to the beach on the walk from Stonewall to the Palisades.

As we were about to turn around a snow storm came upon us. We had to walk back with our heads down to avoid the strong winds.

California Mussels Mytilus californianus

Much of the shoreline, including Stonewall reef, is covered in mussels. We attempted to have some one night. Fearing Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) we had only the tiniest piece. I think the possibility of getting sick made me paranoid and I felt the tell-tale signs of tingling tongue. Whether or not I really did we stopped right there and haven't tried any since.
We later learned that Kodiak Island (about 500 miles away) is the PSP capital of the world! Yikes!

Otter Cove & Ikatan Village

2008-02-18T01:22:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago the temperatures warmed up to around 40 degrees and melted all the snow. Winds were mild and we had the opportunity to get out and explore a lot. On one day we skiffed over to Ikatan Peninsula again. Our goal was to walk across the narrow isthmus and get to the Pacific. It was such a beautiful day! When we landed the skiff we found two sets of wolf tracks walking down the beach side by side. Unfortunately no wolves were seen, but those are two eagles resting on the roof.

Looking back towards Ikatan village.

Otter Cove...The Pacific Ocean

Emperor Geese (Chen canagica)

These geese are looking true to their name. Nearly all emperors winter under harsh conditions in the Aleutian Islands, on the western and south side of the Alaska Peninsula, and on Kodiak Island. So we regularly see them in the coves and flying past the Stonewall bight. Emperor geese are sometimes called “beach geese.” As the name implies, they are rarely found far from marine waters. In late fall and winter emperors feed heavily on seaweeds and animal matter, such as clams and snails. The emperor goose population declined from an estimated 140,000 in 1964 to 42,000 in 1986. Low first-year survival of young, periods of high nest predation and out-dated levels of harvest contributed to the decline. An intensive research and conservation program begun in 1984 has promoted an increase in population to over 71,000 in 1993.

Perhaps a victim of the wolves? or fox?

Laminaria and fucus in the soil...w/Jen!

2008-02-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

One of our jobs here is caring for the greenhouse. We have been gathering and distributing seaweed on the beds since fall. The seaweed washes up in large amounts every few weeks or so. With buckets or tarps we haul it to the beds. We have been either leaving it out to let the rain rinse the salt off or washing it off ourselves. The salt is not good for the soil.

Then we spread it all over the beds inside the greenhouse and out and dig it in. There are many kinds of seaweed. The most important are the laminaria, also called driftweed or kelp. These are high in potash-especially the stems. Another is fucus or bladder wrack. It's potash content is low but grows well in sheltered waters where it is harder to find lamenaria. A third seaweed is ulva or sea lettuce. This weed is very rich in nitrates.

Seaweed in general contains approximately 7 pounds of nitrogen compounds, 2 pounds of phosphoric acid, 22 pounds of potassium, 36 pounds of sodium chloride and about 400 pounds of organic matter--per ton.

This photo was taken in the early fall and is a good example of how much seaweed washes up on shore.

Yum Yum

2008-02-11T22:13:00.000-08:00

Many of our family and friends have asked, "so what are you eating up there?" This posting is an attempt to show you some of the variety. Meal production requires a bit more improvising when the Whole Foods isn't 4 blocks away. But we're getting really good at it. Besides all the dry and canned goods already here, we have had bounty from the tundra, the greenhouse and outside beds, fresh eggs, a shipment on Coastal Transport from Seattle and various snacks from family and friends. The small store in False Pass is keeping us stocked on onions which I just hate to go without.

Barley for barley malt, step one in beer making.

Siphoning finished beer into bottles for our drinking pleasure.

Our beer making adventure (well mainly Bob's--I just drink the stuff) went well. We ended up with about five gallons of mighty-fine Broken Bushrat Amber.

Beer, chili and rhubarb cinnamon rolls make for a fine winter lunch. The garden was overflowing with rhubarb in the fall and the thought of letting it go to waste seemed ridiculous. We gathered it all up and froze it. And now we can enjoy such wonders as rhubarb rolls and rhubarb pie (below) any day of the week!

My first attempt at sourdough. I was thoroughly inspired after reading Margaret Murie's "Two in the Far North"-where she made sourdough every other day in the wildest of conditions. And yes it really wasn't hard at all. Why did I think it was for so long? Perhaps it had something to do with letting it "fester" for 5 days...Well the end result was quite good and now we have sourdough starter, forever (if we want it that long).

Spaghetti and Neatballs-yes I said NEATballs. That's when instead of using meat you throw in any old thing that sticks together and bake them.

Not the purttiest carrots but they tasted great!

Our friend the Peter Pan watchman, otherwise known as John, gave us some of last years King crab catch. The thought never crossed our minds to save some for later hence there was some pain afterwards. But my were they delicious!

Full Moon on the Creek

2008-02-05T22:49:00.000-08:00

Low tide at stonewall

2008-01-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

Bob took some shots of me walking along the Stonewall reef with my flashlight. The minus 2.1 tide was at around 12:30 am so it was rather hard to see. The light in the top left corner is a boat heading into False Pass.
Because it was so dark, it was hard to get pictures that could show just how far the reef was exposed. There is another extremely low tide in April that will be during daylight hours.

As we approached Stonewall in the light of the full moon (this yellow light is from the boat), we flushed eleven bald eagles from near the top. The thoughts that flashed in our minds were: "Bats - big bats! wait - no bats live here." They were calling out and flying around in all directions. We'd noticed a population rise of eagles over the last few days and thought perhaps it had something to do with the low tides. A few weeks later and they are still here. So we think that it's more likely they are gathered for mating displays and to establish territories. They have been very active, flying in pairs and small groups, attacking individuals in exciting aerial displays. Yesterday I watched one fly backward, head and body angled down as in a dive, up and over a cliff, and moments later could hear the knock of talons locking from a pair of birds over the pass. It sounded like the horn-tangling of big game.

With lights we were able to find a good variety of little creatures-anemones, chitons (leather and lined), purple-ochre sea stars, a sunflower star, calcarious tube worms and spiny urchins. Not to mention thousands of mussels, barnacles, encrusting sponges and seaweeds (rockweed and ribbon kelp).

As the boat was passing by.

Birds pt 4

2008-01-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) female and first year male

Notice that the male's bill is beginning to swell on top, as he is transforming into his more spectacular adult plumage.

Females and juveniles are almost indistinguishable among King eiders

King Eider breeding male

King Eiders are often found in flocks with Common Eiders and or/scoters. The breeding male is most distinctive and we have seen them much less frequently than the females and juveniles.

Eiders are of the family Anatidae and are further distinguished as diving (rather than dabbling) ducks. Diving ducks have legs placed far back on the body, a feature that helps to propel them when swimming and diving. They walk with difficulty, most require a running start to take off from the water.

Stellar's Eider (Polysticta stelleri)

The smallest eider, the Steller's Eider is restricted to northern latitudes where it breeds in freshwater tundra ponds. It spends the rest of the year in shallow marine waters. Birders rarely see it outside of Alaskan waters. They are usually seen in small flocks, diving synchronously for food. They rarely mix with other eiders. Currently their populations are declining and they are considered threatened in the United States.

Their wings make a whistling sound in flight and when we saw them last we were able to hear it!

Common Loon (Gavia immer)

Loons hunt primarily by sight and can dive to depths of 250 feet to catch their prey. During breeding season a family of loons can consume up to 2,000 lbs. of fish! Loons also have feet placed far back on their bodies and are especially cumbersome on land. For larger loons, such as this Common Loon (35 inches long), walking on land is nearly impossible and they push themselves along on their breasts when they have to breed.

"Migrating Common Loons occasionally land on wet highways or parking lots, mistaking them for rivers and lakes. They become stranded without a considerable amount of open water for a long takeoff. A loon may also get stranded on a pond that is too small."

They will molt into their more commonly thought of colors (white and black) starting in March.

Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)

Glaucous-winged gulls hybridize frequently with other gulls where their ranges overlap. In the Aleutians they overlap with Glaucous and Herring gulls. In more southern regions they hybridize quite often with Western gulls and in Washington the Western/Glaucous-winged hybrids are the most commonly found. This photograph, however, most closely resembles the Glaucous-winged Gull. We believe the darker gull is a juvenile.

The scene here is an example of kleptoparasitism or the stealing of food (particularly from flight). This is a common practice in food procurement. We frequently see gulls gathered around sea lions (above), harbor seals, land otters, and other birds trying to permanently borrow a piece of food.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

We have seen these very cool looking birds a few times in the past two weeks. Once at Stonewall and then farther south. Both times they were in groups of about 10-20 birds. They are found on rocky shores where they forage for mollusks, worms, crabs, barnacles, and echinoderms (sea stars, urchins, cucumbers...). Their brightly colored bills are used to pry, probe, hammer or stab their food. Males and females have differences in bill structure (females have longer bills) and individual oystercatchers can specialize as either hammerers or stabbers. Juvenile oystercatchers, such as the middle bird in this picture, have a dusky tipped bill.

Ice in The Pass

2008-01-27T23:35:00.000-08:00

During the last cold snap, which lasted three weeks, ice began to move through the Pass. We think that it is drifting down from the Bering Sea. Or maybe it's forming closer, in the shallow 1-2 feet waters at the northern end of Isanotski Strait. Either way, for a week or so we had progressively larger masses of ice floating past the house. One morning we caught the otter testing out the free ride.

A sentinel, a table, and a fox

2008-01-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

If you look very closely you will see the homestead - to the right of Stonewall, at the bottom of the ravine. This picture makes us very proud of our part amble-part climb to Sentinel's summit!

During freezing temperatures we keep all the outdoor faucets running so that their lines don't freeze. There's one in the greenhouse, one on the fish-cleaning table, and one for the guest cabin that's hidden in the root cellar. The spigot at the table leaks and an icy claw builds up quickly. Living here is great for many reasons, like having it dawn on you that you'd better axe the ice off the table or lose it. We hacked it away after this picture! The table is fine.

Brrrr!!

2008-01-25T00:31:00.000-08:00

From late December until about a week ago we had snow, snow and snow! And wind. It stayed below freezing for three weeks, averaging about 20 degrees. I know a lot of you are probably thinking, "well isn't it like 50 below all the time there?" and "doesn't it snow all winter long?" Actually, no it doesn't. We have heard that three weeks of below freezing is actually pretty cold for this time of year! We are after all relatively far south. Currently we are back to the browns and faded greens of bare ground. But the snow should be back any day now.

After a month of molting and no egg production (that was back in October) the chickens came back in full force. We are averaging about 2-3 eggs a day. Which is pretty great considering we lost one chicken to unknown causes and we are fairly positive that another is now longer laying. We sure do love fresh eggs.

Some drifts were past our knees. And all the doorways had to be dug out on a regular basis.

Inde loves the snow.

Night

2008-01-18T02:41:00.000-08:00

The raucous neighbors

2008-01-16T21:31:00.000-08:00

This is the spot for our fox friend. On any given day, that brings sunshine, we can find the fox lying here.

Looking down on the river otters from the top of Stonewall.

So far this has been the one and only caribou we have had the pleasure of seeing. He was just above the house to the south. We must have been down wind of him because we certainly took him by surprise. I was able to keep Inde beside me and Bob and I were afforded a few minutes to watch the caribou prance back and forth, seemingly unsure of where to go next. By the time that Bob tried to make his way closer for a better picture, he headed out of sight. Less than a minute later we spotted him across the tundra almost a mile away! Boy, they can move fast! We have high hopes for finding some more. There are plenty of tracks to prove that they are all around us.

Often years the eagles build their nest upon this rock pillar. On this day the eagle had snagged a bite of something from the Strait and flew here to dig in. The magpie just would not give up his quest to get in on the action.

The cliffs pouring forth

2008-01-04T01:41:00.000-08:00

Birds pt 3

2007-12-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

A male Long-tailed Duck, or Oldsquaw (Clangula hyemalis) in non-breeding plumage

Most ducks (most birds too) undergo a plumage change, or molt, twice per year alternating between a breeding and a non-breeding phase. Long-tailed ducks are different. Each full molt is interrupted by a partial molt thus giving the long-tail four plumages per year.

A Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) in it's non-breeding plumage. Pigeon guillemots dive to 150 feet to forage for mollusks, crustaceans and small fish. Unlike other Alcids (murres, murrelets, puffins, auklets etc) who use their wings to swim underwater, pigeon guillemots also use their feet.

In open water, alcids fly in flocks close to the surface in search of places where prey fish are concentrated up to 100 times their average densities. Closer to shore, they use areas where prey is concentrated by strong currents flowing over shoals and banks and in passes between islands (!). They are able to locate oceanic "fronts" where water masses of different densities and temperatures collide forming underwater "walls" against which prey get trapped.

Tufted Puffin (last seen in October)

The White-winged Scoter (Melanitta fusca) is the largest of all scoters. It dives for clams and other shellfish

Long-tails, a female here, spend their winters at sea over sandy substrates (most of the West Coast population winters in the Bering Sea) They eat mostly mollusks and crustaceans and do most of their foraging within 30 feet of the water surface.

A Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus). Cormorants mostly eat small fish, the pelagic species forages around submerged rocks.

Pretty no? Smelly too. This work began to appear in November as the cormorants took up positions on the cliff to our south.

Larger flocks have been flying overhead during the past three or so weeks. We don't know what kind of birds these are but we have seen King Eiders moving south and yesterday saw Steller's Eiders eating with the White-winged Scoters, three pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, a female bufflehead, and a Crested Auklet: our new neighbors for the winter.

Festivus maximus

2007-12-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

We discovered that we are not too old for sledding and have had some great runs on the hill behind the house. After awhile the climb up the hill wore us right out. Inde decided that the sleds were not to be messed with and watched from a safe distance.

Cookie decorating, a necessary activity. Then play games with your cookies before eating them. Notice Bob is wearing a red cape to do his decorating.

Thanks to Amelia for this life-like rendition of Bob and Jen in Alaska.

Some Christmas day highlights...Above Bob's Grog: A mixture of red wine, raisins and mulling spices splashed with liquor.
Below, the last of our greenhouse goods. After a over a week of freezing temperatures the greenhouse has succumbed to frost. We gathered the last of the kale and steamed and froze it. The remaining beets, rhutabagas and carrots were Christmas dinner.

Umm, Bob and I thought that we remembered how to make snowflakes from elementary school. Turns out our attempts more closely resembled cut-up squares of paper. We had fun trying.

So, we had the idea to try and hunt a ptarmigan for Christmas dinner. We made all the necessary preperations. Did a little reading, cleaned the gun, gathered a knife and some string and headed up to the alder thickets. There was lots of fresh snow and the winds were mild. Perfect hunting weather. One problem. No ptarmigans. Lots of tracks and signs of their resting spots but no birds were spotted. Inde had a fairly good show of searching them out and left us to wonder if she might have some real skill. We decided that we actually liked this kind of hunting: searching without killing.

I'm not sure what is going on in the North Pole this year. This guy showed up on Christmas, calling himself "Santa" and demanded all of our bling.

O Geweihbaum

2007-12-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

So this is our christmas "tree" - I was contemplating cutting sitka alder branches from the ravine and arranging them, but Jen had a better idea: an arrangement of three caribou antlers, tied, wrapped, and adorned. We collected false jingles from the beach and Japanese glass floats from the shelves...Hope everyone has/had/is having (a) fun celebration!

The day we climbed Sentinal

2007-12-17T22:44:00.000-08:00

Sankin Bay

Sentinal Peak in the distance

Plain and lakes on Unimak Island

Roundtop, Unimak and the beginning of the Aleutian Islands

Sentinal's summit, Ikatan Peninsula, and in the distance the Pacific

We have been looking for the opportunity to hike to the top of Sentinal Peak since we got here. The first months we were distracted by the over-abundance of new sights and activities. Then one day we made a deal to head for the mountain the next time we awoke to clear skies. That morning came the very next day. It was sunny, crisp and the hills were covered with fresh snowfall. Perfect. No reason to delay, so off we went.

It was slow going at times in the foot or so of snow. The sun was melting the snow's surface and producing a crunchy layer for us to stomp through. Being our first substantial snow, the land seemed quite changed to us, in it's new white cover. Inde was, as you might suspect, beside herself. Snow just may be her favorite thing and she lost little momentum even when swallowed whole by the drifts.

The last 200 feet or so were a bit hairy, at least for me. Bob practically skipped to the top, while I on the other hand slowly clawed my way up. It was pretty steep at this point and the combination of rock skree and ice gave me little sense of security. Eventually I hauled myself up and was able to see over the peak, what a view! I was looking down at Sankin Bay, over Ikatan Peninsula to the Pacific, across to Roundtop and down a great portion of Isanotski Strait, heading to the Bering Sea. The winds were biting and Inde and I were cuddled together, more for fear of slipping off the mountain than for warmth. Bob was snapping photos left and right, making me a nervous wreck. And now it was time to climb down, oh--I hadn't even thought of that yet. Well, I will say this: It was much slower on the way down. Part of the problem, I feel I must explain, is that I was wearing the most ridiculous boots imaginable. Somewhere, someone invented snowboots that zip up instead of tying and I happened to come across a pair. Those zippers are senseless and I do not recommend them for hiking! Once down those icy 200 feet, it was easy going, sliding down a great portion of the way on our bottoms.

Headed back home.

Digging for gold

2007-12-10T21:58:00.001-08:00

Thanks to the Laukitis family we harvested an estimated 25 pounds of potatoes! So far gardening has been pretty easy, we just gather and eat. Well, we have been composting seaweed and chicken manure on the beds. Just today (12-17) we lost the majority of our remaining greens to frost. Sad. Time to start cracking open the canned green beans.

The Others

2007-12-05T22:28:00.000-08:00

An extremely close landing to Bob as he watched another eagle below, feasting on fish scavenged from the Orcas passing by.

River Otter (Lutra canadensis)

"About half of a river otter's time is spent sleeping. Both young and adults are fond of play. They manipulate rocks or sticks, play tag and hide-and-seek, dunk each other, wrestle, and slide on mud or snow.
River otters are often found in groups. A family unit is made up of a female and her pups, with or without an adult male. The family usually travels over an area of only a few square miles. The female appears to dominate the rest and may drive other animals away from a small area around the den where her pups are living.
River otters produce a variety of noises. They growl, caterwaul, and whine. When alarmed, individuals emit an explosive “hah!” When two or more are together, they often produce a mumbling noise that seems to be a form of conversation. A good imitation of this is made by closing the lips and rapidly uttering “hm” several times in a deep voice. A bird-like chirp apparently expresses anxiety and is most often heard when members of a group become separated."

There is a family of otters, living near Stonewall, that quite often we interrupt while roaming along the beach.

A funny story: Yesterday, Inde and I were walking the beach. As we passed Stonewall Inde caught sight of three otters and gave chase. They quickly escaped to the water and swam away. As we were passing Stonewall again, an hour or so later, one otter had returned to the point. This time it did not seem so ready to give up it's territory. The otter swam around the point making its throaty noises, swimming in close and then backing away. Inde was beside herself, transfixed by this newly discovered creature. The two continued this act for around 20 minutes. Twice the otter climbed upon a large rock five feet from shore and taunted Inde, who could not find the courage to enter the water. With great effort Inde finally pulled herself away from her fascination to follow me home. The otter however had not had enough and continued to pursue us along the shoreline until we headed off the beach.

Don't know who this little guy is, but there were lots of them along a lake on Unimak Island, where we saw these bear prints.

We haven't seen any bears lately, but the pictures remind us that they are here...somewhere.

Logging in the Aleutians

2007-12-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

As is apparent from all our landscape photos, there are no trees here (we have seen a few random Sitka Spruce in False Pass, brought by villagers no doubt). So in order to have wood to warm us in the cold and more importantly to fuel the sauna and hot tub, we gather driftwood. There is quite a bit around, although none near the house. On this mission we headed southeast around the peninsula to Sanak Bay, where the logs are plentiful.

We were happy to show off (to each other) our peavy skills. As usual there are no pictures to confirm Bob's presence, but he did work too (once he put his camera down).

Turkey and Thanks Day

2007-11-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

Ikatan Village: 1917- early 1960's

2007-11-21T22:32:00.000-08:00

Prior to the 19th century Ikatan Peninsula was still an island. At low tide people could walk from the there to Unimak. "The neck or strait was estimated to be no more than 1400 feet wide. In the 18th century, walrus hauled out there and puffins were abundant."

About a month ago Bob and I anchored the skiff on the shore of Ikatan Peninsula to explore the village. To get a better idea of where we were, look back to "The First Few Days..." post and find the map. You will see abandoned cannery written near the shoreline of the southern peninsula. This is the village of Ikatan. We toured around the structures in various stages of collapse. Later we read more about the village's history.

We did not find any writings about Ikatan prior to the establishment of it's canneries in 1917. So whether people were living there before the cannery, we do not know. The canneries where relatively large-scale. "One cannery occupied 160 acres near the flats linking the Ikatan Peninsula to Unimak Island. It processed cod as well as salmon and included a by-products plant manufacturing fish oil and meal." For reasons, we have not yet found, the Ikatan canneries closed down between 1931-1935. When the canneries shut their doors some people relocated to False Pass, where another cannery was still in operation. Many residents of Ikatan village stayed on the peninsula. From 1949 until 1956 a Territorial school was open, but by the early 1960's the community had dissolved. People had relocated to neighboring villages in search of economic opportunity.

A section of the canneries

El Zorro

2007-11-09T00:54:00.000-08:00

Vulpes vulpes

The red fox is native to a few islands within the Aleutians, mainly in the eastern part. In 1759, Russians found them on Unmak Island (not Unimak) and began introducing them to other islands, keeping red, silver, and cross phases seperate. The Russians enjoyed a successful fox fur trapping industry, to go along with their otter fur harvests. After the Americans took control of Alaska in 1867, the farming and trapping of fox declined, due mainly to a lack of interest, that is until they decimated the sea otter populations (1880's) and otters became practically impossible to find. So what to do? Start hunting fox again (and add fox farming). For several reasons, the hunting, trapping and farming of fox died out in the 1930's. Then came the interruption of WWII, the Japanese invasion, and the forced evacuation then re-settlement of the Aleut people. The industry did not pick up. Many of the relocated fox died leaving some islands naturally devoid of them. Others hung by on eating ground mammals and birds. Several bird species have subsequently gained protected status and USFWS has taken lethal steps to protect these birds from the fox. Comments anyone? The fox population on Unimak Island, across from us, was hit hard in 1992 after a rabies epidemic contracted initially by land (river) otters. We aren't sure if foxes on this side of the pass were affected, but since land otter's carried the virus, and they like to swim, it seems likely.

"The red fox has several natural enemies: man (principally as trappers), wolves, coyotes, lynx, wolverines, and perhaps bears. Eagles are the major predators of young foxes in some areas. Sometimes foxes dig their own dens. More often, though, they appropriate and enlarge the homesites of small burrowing animals, such as marmots. They also will use abandoned wolf dens. Conversely, wolves may enlarge and use a fox's den.Foxes cache excess food when the hunting is good. They return to these storage sites and have been observed digging up a cache, inspecting it, and reburying it in the same spot. Apparently, they want to be sure that their food is still there." - AK Department of Fish and Game

This fox, and we've only seen one, lives somewhere nearby. We've seen him (a dog) or her (a vixen) a few times, up in the tundra, down on the beach, streaking past the windows at dusk. This feller could have rabies. It usually caries itself with its jaw dropped at a 90 degree angle, very strange looking. It could be a sign of heavy panting.

Big River

2007-11-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

Birds pt 2

2007-11-03T01:01:00.000-07:00

Rock sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis). The northernmost of sandpipers.

Rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus).

Harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus). These birds are in front of the homestead every day and can spend the whole year in the Aleutians. They feed mainly on crustaceans and shellfish.

Birds pt 1

2007-11-03T00:42:00.000-07:00

Horned puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) flying over the pass in late September.

A common murre (Uria aalge) in Ikatan Bay. The murre and many other alcids lives here year-round.

Song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) are also a year round residents. They are usually alone and spend their time on the beach near rocks and along the tundra in thickets. Those born in the Aleutians are 25% larger than their brethren.

Like other alcids, the horned puffin uses it's wings to swim underwater. These guys chase down or intercept fish for the majority of their caloric intake. We last saw them 3-4 weeks ago. They head offshore for the winter.

Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). I like the description we read of their wings: "plank-like." These are 'immature' birds, atleast they don't yet have the dark body and white head feathers of 'adults.' Because these have yellow beaks, we know they're at least two-year olds. During their forth year molting occurs. Their mottled-look, white and brown feathers growing amongst each other, is replaced by the more familiar two-toned look.

There are more bald eagles in Alaska than in the rest of the U.S. The diet of those in the Aleutians consists predominantly of seabird, unlike in other locations, where fish make up the dominant chow.

A day in the life of Inde...

2007-11-02T01:31:00.000-07:00

Inde is our constant companion. She believes, I see it in her eyes, that she is one of us.

The greenhouse makes her slightly uncomfortable. She will only enter briefly to check in on us and inspect our progress. She has a soft heart, perhaps the killing of slugs is too much for her.

Typical. Inde has no mind for small tasks. She does however, love the feel of the tundra beneath her.

That is one blissful dog.

This is the spot where Inde spies her "tag you're it" friend the fox. I think she is on the lookout. He hasn't come around much since he made the mistake of visiting during Inde's meal time. She has no patience for that and told him so.

Those of you who know Inde, know this pose only too well. It usually follows any slight touch.

The kitchen is her boundary in the house. She has tried to push this but we remain firm even when she gives us those eyes.

Inde is having a blast here in Alaska. Besides encountering the fox, she has met all kinds of new animals. Last week a caribou, from a distance. Yesterday on a walk she was heading out in the water to chase birds, and a seal popped half way out of the water a few feet from her. The seal was looking for some play perhaps but Inde was too focused on those harlequin ducks to pay the seal any mind. This interest in birds is newly found. Previously, Inde would only concern herself with squirrels, rabbits and the like. About a week ago she "discovered" the birds and now she has a new obsession.

Landscape I

2007-11-02T00:09:00.000-07:00

Landscape II

2007-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

A walk up to the to the ridge

2007-11-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

The Map and the Slug

2007-11-01T22:34:00.000-07:00

The village of False Pass, a 2nd class American city, and the pass in general sit at the cross of fifty four degrees fifty five minutes north latitude and one hundred sixty three degrees thirty minutes west longitude. Due south is the northern Hawaiian island of Nihoa. Due north, Bristol Bay, Norton Sound, and Kotzebue Sound of the eastern Chukchi Sea. Also just south of the fifty fifth is Londonderry, N. Ireland, Newcastle, England , central Denmark, and a line through the Baltic Sea landing in Estonia.

We presume this slug is native (unlike those surrounding Puget Sound). I've seen it beneath the fall time salmonberry twigs and cowparsnip canes. It looks content and full. It also likes the greenhouse, or rather all that's in it. Pea pods, radishes and carrot tops, the fallen leaves of romaine, and finally the budweiser death trap in a cup (photo to be posted later.)

False Pass

2007-10-25T18:11:00.001-07:00

The Pier

We pull the skiff in here when visiting town.

False Pass is a village of about 30 people. We have met (we just counted) 7 people not including a few cars that have passed us and one boy playing in the mud puddles. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Even the boy gave us a wave. Bob has noticed some changes in since his last stay. There is a new post office, a grocery and a liquor store. They are building a harbor and a processing plant on the north end. He seems to think that town has spread out a bit. People are hopeful that the new additions will bring more opportunity and new people to village.

Harbor construction

It's just a ten minute walk to the post office, usually our reason for coming across the water. We are always greeted and chaperoned by this dog, whose name we cannot remember. He likes to attack Bob's boots. The farther one, is very alpha, and did not like Inde at all. For this reason we leave Inde at home.

Looking down the main boardwalk on the Peter Pan Seafoods grounds. Upon it's establishment in 1920, locals from nearby villages, now abandoned, began relocating to False Pass. Cannery buildings from Morzhovoe Village, on the peninsula, were towed to False Pass. For the next 61 years the cannery was the primary economic driver in the village, that is until March 6th, 1981 when it burned to the ground. It still provides indoor storage space, fuels, loading, a mess hall, and lodging.

I must admit this was an exceptional day for mail. Packages are so much fun, even if they are just computer stuff for Bob.

Working for food security

2007-10-24T23:10:00.001-07:00

The Greenhouse

Outside, The Laukitis family left us with lots of greens, rhubarb, beets and potatoes.
Inside, there is more greens, beets, carrots, peas and rutabagas. We are hoping to make these last as long as possible!

We needed to reinforce the seal of the greenhouse. The structure is aging quickly from winds and rain.

The Chickens & "What is a crowberry?"

2007-10-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

Here they are: Suzie, Janice, Ruth(less), Carol-Anne (tail), and Natasha.

Egg production from the five resident chickens has slowed with the waning daylight, but they still love handfulls of grass thrown their way. We think it helps produce the tastiest eggs we've ever had.

Once in awhile we have to clean out the coop - the straw and manure "litter" gets mixed with washed kelp and discarded vegetable stems for the garden compost. We've learned that this "litter" is pretty good for chickens, providing vitamins A & D as well as live food-so we don't clean it too often. "6-8 inches deep, it gets better with age."

Crowberry or Mossberry (Empitrum nigrum): by far the most common plant in the tundra. You usually can't walk a step without it under your boot.

Looking out from the shop

2007-10-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Harvesting The Bolete

2007-10-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

Boletus vs. Leccinum?
Our friend was able to help us realize that we have not been harvesting The King Bolete. However, we are not able to positivly id our mushroom with the books here and online sources. Any ideas?

An afternoon's partial find

Now comes the hard part

Upon further reading..."The King bolete is one of the most desirable of the boletes and highly prized any place in the world it can be gathered. Consistency is like that of a raw potato and the flavor is excellent."
Lucky us.

I think mushroom hunting might be my passion. Really. It is the most entertaining of walks, to be in search of this delicious treat. Somewhere between a scavenger hunt and hide and seek. Once I get started I cannot stop and often I have collected more than I can reasonably carry. And given Bob and I, a lot of cleaning work to do later. It is all worth it when dinner time comes. There are other shrooms around, but it is hardly as exciting if you don't get to eat your find.

The Stonewall Den

2007-10-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

The house's power comes from the water sources along the two ravines branching up behind the house. Water and gravity.

The last days of summer

The Regulator (and our main source of heat)

The stove elements are the primary "loads" we can throw onto the constantly charging (floating charge) battery to keep it's voltage just where it likes it. Two appliances run on thermostats, the freezer, down in the rootcellar at the beach, and the water heater up here in the house. Other than them, the loads are predictable and directly controlled by us. The other variable is that floating charge. Specifically, how many amps is the battery getting from the waterwheel? If it's less than normal, we've got to figure out why and make adjustments. The reasons are elemental: Not enough water due to freezing temperatures, drought, air in the penstock, fall litter plugging the screens...these would be common. Broken belt, rock in the penstock, a broken dam...these we don't want. Other possibilities somewhere in between the common and the fretful exist too. We maintain the charging system and regulate its output. Looking for a healthy dynamism, all around!

Looking from kitchen...

...and the usual eatin' spot.

The larger scene

2007-10-02T00:49:00.000-07:00

Sourdough Flats, Unimak Island

Isanotski Peak aka Raggedy Jack

The continent, the strait, the island

Unimak Ridges

Sentinal Peak

Ridge shadow in clouds

Putting up winter's wood

2007-10-01T23:43:00.001-07:00

A Moonbow?

2007-10-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Walking down to the beach last night to turn off the freezer, I noticed, through the mist, darkness, and lashing wind a faint light angling upward from the shore on the opposite side of the strait. Was it a reflection? The only light was the rising moon behind me, still blocked from my view by clouds. The only other source of light I could imagine might be from far up the valley behind False Pass, and this light would have to be situated further to the right for it to be coming from there. Imagining that it might be coming from the moon, I either saw or willed the sight of colors. The picture shows the colors better since it was a 13 sec shot. Anyway, this is a "moonbow." Not often seen but basically the same thing as a rainbow. Last night we had sustained winds of 50mph, almost all night long.

Lonesome Einar's and blueberry pickin'

2007-09-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Einar, a trapper from Norway, passed on in the 1950's (I think.) His other cabin was a 50 mile walk back up the peninsula.

Here's the legend: one day, near his trapping cabin, the one 50 miles yonder, he beheld the sight of a choice driftwood log, and a great one it must have been. Knowing that his axe was here at the cabin, he jogged the 50 miles, grabbed the tool, then retraced his steps to chop and split the find. What he did with it then we can only happily ponder.

As the rest of the pictures show, the Aleutian Isles (and the peninsula) are practically treeless. We did see a sitka spruce in False Pass last week in the lee of the mess hall, but otherwise its all dwarf willows and sitka alders - shrubs and small shrubs. Wind's the cause for the open slopes. These days, the locals get wood, still a useful fuel, by scanning the shores from skiffs usually, peaveying the logs down to the surf, driving into it an iron staple, roping it up and towing the wood back home. We nabbed on the first day here with Buck. I felt better about skipping out in the middle of the Seattle stream season digging that peavey in and prying as hard as I could. we are waiting for another calm day to go fetch another one.

Jen is now a shotgun toting berry harvester. Possibly not news for those who know her well. So far the gun's remained silent, except for basic training purposes - not Inde's favorite sound.

Oval-leaved blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium)

Upon our arrival and for about three more weeks, we were blessed with an abundance of blueberries. Stonewall Place is home to two species. The above mentioned and the low-lying blueberry, or bilberry (Vaccinium uliginsum). The sweeter, tastier one being the shrub-like Oval-leaved blueberry, although we happily devour either. We have gathered these delicious fruits numerous times to the north of Einer's cabin and just north of the house. We were sad to see them disappear last week. In order to hold on to their pleasure throughout the winter, we have bagged and frozen 13 quarts and made a gallon of wine.

Oh yeah, since we are surrounded by the Izembeck National Wildlife Refuge its only appropriate to wish everyone a very happy National Public Lands Day!

...Will the fish gods cooperate?

2007-09-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Poor anemone, not funny. Not even a little.

Parker reelin' em home!

The look north through the pass.

Bob gets dissection duty this time. Jen thinks he did pretty good given his vegie background.

Fall is quick in Alaska, thus winter nigh. Word on the dock is last March was a bad one. Will it happen back to back?

Catching the end of Summer...the salmon berries

2007-09-27T19:13:00.001-07:00

The first few days of the next eight months!

2007-09-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Windy view from the back path looking West across the straight at Unimak, the first Aleutian Island (99% wilderness, 100% wild.)

The Fort

The house is really just as I anticipated. I guess pictures really do help you to conceive of a place. That is not to say I was not happy with what I beheld. All the buildings along the beach…the guest cabin, smokehouse, outhouse, workshop, sauna/mudroom, water-wheel house, battery house and greenhouse. Then it’s a relatively steep climb up to the main house. The front door opens to a mud room and a small cold room, our refrigerator, the laundry and the pantry (which is fully stocked!) off to the left. To the right you walk into the kitchen, to my delight it is painted purple, then the living room. Both of these rooms face out looking over Isonotski Strait and Unimak Island. Behind the living room is the office and bathroom and then stairs up to the loft bedroom (also with a view).

Open this up to view the western tip of the peninsula and the eastern shore of Unimak Island. We are in the center, where the "pass" is narrowest, on the east bank (Stonewall), where the currents gets squeezed.

Stonewall (and the premises of the rest of the stories)

Our Heralded arrival in Alaska

2007-09-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

Anchorage International, the 3-8am shift. We found a cozy place to hole up.

Looking out across the airport parking lot in Cold Bay, a place that we would become familiar with.

We were stuck in Cold Bay for two days due to high winds, which is very common out here. They were two slow days spent walking the few gravel streets and the stretch of beach, eating microwaved meals and watching too much TV from too high on the wall. We stayed at The Bear Foot Inn Alaska (I love the name!). Some highlights include walking the beach along the bay, seeing our fist fox, fighting strong winds and hanging at the bar... alone without patrons or a bartender.

Metro Cold Bay, Wind a blowin.

Wind-broken Baranov St. sign. He'd somehow be satisfied.

Disgarded iron works along the beach, part of a larger cemetery of no longer needed devices.

Crossing over to the wild side

The Bear Foot Inn

Center-pivot plowing

Three days later, take-off!

Wednesday morning we took off early aboard a four-seater full of our belongings and the mail, with a pilot from Kansas City. The flight was breathtaking! Miles of green marshy tundra, spotted with pools of water. The ocean. The clouds. We saw two brown bears walking out to the water! My first. The pilot said at lower tides you can usually see 15 to 20 on the flight. I was quite happy with two. I was holding Inde’s paw through the kennel behind me, what a champ she was through all the flying. Buck Laukitis, owner of Stonewall Place, picked us up when the plane landed on a strip of gravel and dirt. After loading all our gear and our pallet from Coastal Transport, we crossed the water.

Aerial entre veu, the village of False Pass

Final bank south, approaching Fasle Pass field

2007-09-18T18:15:00.000-07:00