Winter Caribou

If you are regular winter reader of this blog I would normally be talking about all the great people we met at various sport shows. Since we chose not to attend any sport shows this winter my subject matter is limited to two things: winter in Alaska, and posts about the previous fishing season.

I figure these photos are worthy of sharing.  As Jane and I were driving, this bull caribou just happened to be walking along side the road.  Although not the caribou we've dubbed "Elvis" (he's the king), a healthy specimen nonetheless.

Not much later we found this girl hitchhiking down the road.  Not sure if she was trying to catch up with the bull or trying to get away.

It's definitely been a mild winter here which has lead to quite a few animals out and about (thankfully, bears are hibernating).  If I get any good moose photos I'll be sure to share those with you as well.




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Wake Up Call

At 1:30am this morning, Jane and I were rudely awaken to a 7.1 magnitude earthquake.  The United States Geological Service says that this quake was the strongest recorded in Cook Inlet (the 9.2 earthquake in 1964 was centered in Prince William Sound). The epicenter was less than a 100 miles away, and luckily, the overall damage in the area was minimal.  There's been a few homes that have caught on fire (gas leak), my neighbor's water line was severed, and there's a deep crack on Kalifornsky Beach road. Collectively, everyone feels it could have been much, much worse.

Officials said the quake lasted for two minutes but it seemed to me like it was two hours.  Shower doors were clanging, lights were swaying, drawers were open, and stuff fell on the floor.  At one point it felt like our house had been lifted up five feet and dropped.  I've been around a lot of quakes and tremors in my life, but this was the first time I felt like I should get out of the house.  Fortunately, as I came to this conclusion it was all over.  Thankfully.

So, to our friends and family.....no worries, we're doing great.

Update 12:00pm:  3 houses in Kenai have been destroyed by fire/explosions.  No injuries.  

Update 2:30pm:  4 houses in Kenai have been destroyed by fire/explosions.  No injuries. 

Oops

This has been an annual event on Beaver Creek.  It's not a matter of if, but when. At this point you'd think I'd put together a betting pool for when it will happen next.  I think it's got potential to be bigger than the Nenana Ice Classic....

This year my money is on the largest tide in July....



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Kids and Dogs.

Two of my favorite things in the world are kids and dogs. 2015 was a great year for both.

Who needs a GPS when you've got Buddy on board.

Firearm or pepper spray for bears?  Not when you've got Buddy to keep an eye on things.

I couldn't help but add this photo, which is a couple of years old. This is Jane and the late, great Indiana Freddy Bob Jones, Jr.  We sure miss you Freddy!

Here's a few highlights of the kids from 2015.  Do you think Ross is happy to be on the water?

Kayla had everyone's attention when she hooked and reeled in this silver all by herself.

I could tell that Jacob was an old pro when we first met.  He certainly showed his fishing skills off in and out of my boat.

Eric had never caught a fish before and it was almost impossible to convince him to place this fish in the holding box.  Every five minutes he would look at it in the box and say "I know what I'm having for dinner!"

A nice father and son moment on the Kenai.

And, here's a nostalgic look back for me of my son Mac with his grandpa, and my dad, Bert. Holy cow, 20 years seems like yesterday.




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Looking Back/Moving Forward

I think it is appropriate symbolism to use Kenai sunrises when the title of this post is "Looking Back/Moving Forward."  If I'm going to say hello to 2016, I have to properly say goodbye to 2015.

First off, the good in 2015. The Kenai River made all of the escapement goals set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The future looks bright for our salmon.

Now, the not so good in 2015. The Kenai River was closed to king salmon fishing in May and June. Although not good for business, these measures allowed escapement goals to be met.  Fish have to come first if we want to have a tomorrow.

Jane and I would like to thank our guests, friends, and family for choosing to spend part of their summer with us. We feel very fortunate to count so many of our guests as true friends.

We can't wait to jump into 2016.




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