August 23, 2009 – The Bears at Haines

We left this morning and continued around Kluane Lake – what a difference from April.

This is from April:

Now:

April:

Now:

The road around the lake:

This monument is at the junction of the Alaskan and Haines Highways:

And we made the turn to go to Haines.  Some scenes along the way:

This is the top of Chilkat Pass.  The scenery is supposed to be incredible but this is what we saw until we came out of the pass – LOL!  (Maybe on the way back – :-))

We went thru US Customs with no problems and came down into the Chilkat River Valley – this is also a glacial stream.

The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is on this river.  In Oct/Nov, thousands of Bald Eagles migrate here.  There is a late run of salmon plus this river does not freeze early.  We were told they gather here during those months and then usually move further south when the river freezes.  Hopefully we will get to see some while we are here.

Haines is a small town that is situated on a Fjord surrounded by the Chilkat River, the Chilkoot River and Lake and the Lynn Canal.  We decided on the Chilkoot River State Campground.  Once we set up, we went to town to the visitor center (Closed) and to find information on some of the tours we want to do.  I was able to pick up some brochures so stay tuned.

On our way back, how about this:

 

He was having a good time catching and eating the salmon.

This is the fish counter fence on the Chilkoot River – about 3/10 of a mile from where we are camped.  They considered this area a “Bear Zone” – bears can feed comfortably without humans bothering them – so this was taken by car as we drove past.  And the fish are jumping!

Another grizzly enjoying his dinner:

 

 

What a blessing to see these incredible creatures!

Stats:

Miles Traveled: 212 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Yukon:  PH-1 (Alaska Highway); PH-3 (Haines Road)

British Columbia: PH-4 (Haines Road

Alaska: AK-7 (Haines Highway); Lutak Road