Jack-

Here is my list of the top 101 things I miss about Colorado (not necessarily in this order):

1. Mom
2. My family
3. Joy
4. Privacy
5. My friends
6. High speed internet
7. Our house
8. Our hot tub
9. A real bed
10. Television
11. Running water
12. Electricity on demand
13. Warm water
14. Sprite (my fish)
15. Having more than one room in a house
16. Dry air
17. Sunshine
18. Sunsets
19. Bowling
20. The darkness of night that lasts longer than two hours.
21. Happiness (just kidding) ....  Mrs. Holt and her dog Panda
22. Woodies Pizza
23. Denver
24. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science
25. The Tattered Cover bookstore
26. 16th Street Mall
27. Big box stores like Walmart, Target, and Safeway
28. The rocks near our house
29. Foxes
30. Elk
31. Red Rocks Amphitheater
32. Bluebirds
33. Hummingbirds
34. The horses on Jackpine
35. Alderfer/3-Sisters Park
36. Johns Manville Plaza
37. Light Rail
38. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts
39. Blue Sky
40. The smell after rain (something we don't smell here because it's always raining)
41. Being far from the ocean
42. Being safe from Brown Bear maulings
43. Not having to carry a gun when hiking
44. Not having to carry military grade bear spray when walking to an outhouse
45. A heater that my father isn't stingy about
46. Not having a job
47. Not having to socialize with strangers that pull up to your house
48. Not having a house with the name "Dimples"
49. Not having to dump grey water every few days
50. My swim team
51. Our Turkish rug
52. The dartboard
53. The piano
54. The pool table
55. The foosball table
56. The climbing wall
57. Our own shower
58. Plumbing
59. A Dishwasher
60. Cotton towels
61. A microwave that doesn't shoot sparks every time you use it
62. Not grilling every night of the week
63. Being able to see the stars
64. Being able to see the moon
65. Not having to wear boots every day
66. The mountains
67. The foothills
68. The plains
69. Evergreen Lake
70. The Lakehouse
71. Ice skating
72. Skiing
73. Sledding
74. Netflix
75. Anonymity
76. The lack of biting bugs
77. Bathtub
78. Not having to haul water
79. Costco
80. REI
81. The Apple Store
82. Being able to sleep in
83. More clothes to choose from
84. Pizza
85. Having a wider variety of food
86. Knowing about world events
87. Not having to go to the library for internet
88. Restaurants other than the Stikine Inn and the Diamond C
89. Haircuts
90. Highways
91. Not being surrounded by ocean
92. Not having to host potlucks every Friday
93. Golden
94. The Boulder Tea House
95. Starbucks
96. Chicken Tikka
97. Having an oven and baking with it
98. Having something to do
99. Dying grass
100. Thunder and lightening
101. Our fireplace and woodstove

Here are a couple of photos that I took last night.

Gillnetters on Zimovia Strait

Gillnetters on Zimovia Strait

Greg -

Yesterday was cool and rainy - absolutely perfect running weather.   Jack and I arrived about fifteen minutes before the start.  I'd estimate that there were roughly five people running the full marathon and maybe ten to fifteen running the half marathon.  The remaining twenty ran the 5K, Jack being one of them.  

Jack's final time was 34:35 for the 5K - not bad considering that he's only run farther than a mile three times in his life.   The marathon course included a two mile trail section that wound its way through the rain forest at the south end of town.   I'd heard about the trail before but had never hiked it - it was spectacular.  My shins gave me no problem whatsoever and I felt great throughout the race.   One of the timber crew members was also running the half.  The rest of the crew was there to cheer us on and would drive from viewpoint to viewpoint to cheer us on again throughout the race.   They were also at the finish and rewarded us with my favorite carb source......a cold beer.  The race organizers then shuttled the runners back to town.  Jack and I then showered at the bunkhouse and headed back onto the road for a full day of work.

It's rained quite a bit over the last few days and it continues to fall this morning.  Today, Jack and I drove down to the far end of the island.  I love this trip as it passes through some of the most remote country on the island.   On the way, we encountered a black bear who was walking toward us on the road.   We stopped and turned off the engine and watched him slowly meander toward us.   He was about fifty yards from the truck when we caught his eye - he stopped, stood up on his hind legs to get a better view, and then shot off into the brush.   On our return trip, I almost ran into a bull moose standing in the middle of the road.   I scrambled to get my camera and was able to get the picture pasted below.  We've been lucky with our moose sightings - many of the potluck attendees have seen only a few moose on the island.

Only one more week in Wrangell - it's hard to believe that our time here has nearly come to an end.

Greg -

I should mention that you can enlarge each of the photos from this blog by clicking on the picture.

The race is tomorrow  - after further assessment of my shins, I've decided to give it a try and see how far I can make it.   If my shins complain too loudly, I'll drop out.  We're at the library at the moment, awaiting the registration, race orientation, and pasta feed that the city is holding later this evening.    There is no entry fee provided we attend this event - how can you lose? 

Jack and I worked with the rec crew on the Turn Island boardwalk yesterday.   We got about half of it completed.  We then worked more on our proposal for timber thinning/felling that would enhance the views around the island.    I had Jack do most of the flagging.  He only fell off the roadside into the brush once - quite an accomplishment given the steepness of the terrain that that we were flagging.

Jack decided that it is time for him to begin building the "100 Things That I Miss the Most about Colorado" list that he compiled last year at this point.    We didn't write one down last year so the blog is a perfect way to document his thoughts.   He should have it posted before we leave today. 

Last night's potluck was a rainy one.  As there was no ranger program, it was the usual collection of hard core attendees.

The Three Sisters from the Nemo Loop

Jack earning his keep

Jack and his "fro"

Looking North from Nemo Point

Greg -

Wrangell's weather has been Hawaii perfect lately.  I'm actually not kidding.  Temps have been roughly 60 degrees, the sky has been cloudless, and the air has been relatively dry.   I was even able to dry some clothes in the sun in under five hours yesterday.....as opposed to the five days it usually takes.

I spent much of the day yesterday cutting brush at the rec sites around the island.  I let Jack stay back at camp as we only have one machine and the person without does nothing but sit.   I saw a large black bear near the Earl West access.  It's really been a remarkable summer for wildlife and I believe that we've average one bear sighting a day. 

I got up at 12:20 last night to see if I could see the Northern Lights.  There was still a bit of light in the northern sky but it was decidedly sunlight, not the aurora borealis.   I could also clearly see the big dipper - the same big dipper of the Alaskan state flag fame.  I believe that it's the first time that I've seen it since leaving Colorado.   I'll try my luck again tonight - maybe a bit later this time.

We ran today, took showers, and did a load of laundry.   Jack has decided to run the 5k race and I'm still focused on the half-marathon but been having trouble with shin splints.  I've run pain free all summer and seemed to develop them after my run Thursday of last week.  They were so painful that I cut out running completely since then in the hope of being ready Sunday.   I ran on them lightly today with little to no pain and am hopeful that they hold out through the weekend.

In honor of Wrangell's Bearfest, here are a few shots from Anan Creek Tuesday.

Greg -

Our time at Anan was incredible.   The salmon run must be near its peak - in the slower portions of the creek, the water was little more than one writhing mass of salmon fighting its way upstream.   With prey come preditors and the entire area was filled with them of every stripe.   The place was literally crawling with bears.  Even the rangers were remarking on the number and variety of bears visiting the creek this year.   In addition to bears, there were hundreds of bald eagles and ravens picking up what the bears had cast aside.

While the vast majority of bears at Anan are black, the creek has also had a high number brown bears this year - sows with cubs, in particular.  While we were there, several browns walked through the area, including one mother with four yearling cubs (or "coy", for cub of the year).   While they didn't appear aggitated by our presence, they were noticeably cautious and kept a very close eye on us. 

The variety of fishing techniques that the bears employ is interesting.  The methods range from a somewhat lackadaisical swatting at the water to a full blown attack where the bear dives directly into the water with claws and jaws at the ready.   The true fishing kings seemed to be the black bears, who would slowly walk to the water's edge, casually drop their heads into the water, and bring out an enormous fish with very little effort.

We spent a few hours at the creek and then headed back to the crew boat.   The trail back to the mouth of the creek is a boardwalk that follows the bank and has many blind curves.  In spite of the fact that we were all making a lot of noise, we came face to face with a brown bear at one point on the hike.   After what seemed like two minutes looking face-to-face with the bear, the beast turned and bolted off into the creek below.      

Back at camp, Jack whipped up another of his incredible Asian dinners, complete with napkins folded into cranes.    We're working today and taking tomorrow off - I'll get some pictures posted when I get a solid connection.

Greg -

A clearcut within the Nemo Loop

We went out with our boss yesterday to inspect our handiwork on the Turn Island boardwalk.  He gave us the nod to continue so we'll head back out there Thursday and hammer a few more thousand staples into place. 

Jack and I are heading out to Anan tomorrow to see the plethora of bears feeding at the creek.   We'll be traveling on the VIP tour with a reporter from KSTK, Wrangell's only radio station.  The boat leaves at 9:30 and we're excited.

Jack and I have seen two bears in as many days.  The USFS biologist told us that he and his crew saw a wolverine near the Lower Salamander site Wednesday afternoon and the fisheries biologist told us that he had seen a brown bear in the same area around the same time.





Virginia Peak from our site

Greg -


Last night, Jack and I saw Pixar's latest release, "Brave".    It was the best movie that we've seen so far this summer.      The movie had something for everyone... I enjoyed the bear sequences (as opposed to the bare sequences in "Rock of Ages" which I, as I previously mentioned, also enjoyed).  The place was packed. 

June was the coldest on record in SE Alaska's history.   Most of the attendees at Friday's potluck blamed the terrible berry crop on the weather.   Last summer, the roads were lined with blueberry bushes filled with fruit.   We've seen only a few bushes with berries this summer and those that we could find are located on the far side of the island.   Salmon berries and huckleberries are also conspicuously absent.   The guides at Anan have mentioned how many more bears are at the stream this summer compared to last.  The two are, no doubt, connected as the bears are forced to rely more heavily on salmon for their calories.

We also heard that the Northern Lights were clearly visible on the two clear nights last week.   The Weather Channel is calling for clear weather later this week and we have a great view of most of the northern sky.  I'll take a look should conditions allow and will keep you posted. 

We're headed to the far end of the island today.  The weather is ideal for wildlife viewing - heavily clouded skies with light drizzle. 

Greg -

I had the strangest experience yesterday.  We had just returned to our site and I was standing at the edge of the road checking my email when a robin flew out from behind our camper and landed on my head.  I was wearing a hat and it didn't feel like it was acting as if it were defending a nest but, instead, just sat there silently.   I'm feeling at one with nature......maybe I'll see if I can get a wolverine to sit on my lap later today.

Last night's potluck was a good one.  We had around twenty people show up for the potluck and about fifteen more for the ranger program.   Two representatives from Whale Bay Woods, a wood supplier to musical instrument manufacturers, spoke to us about their company and its connection to Wrangell.   They started the company back in the 80's on the Olympic Peninsula.  The founder's uncle was a violin maker and he would cut and process the wood himself.     As the number of requests for this wood from other artisans increased, the business began and has been growing ever since.   Whale Bay provides wood to companies like Gibson and Fender, and has had a request for wood for pianos from the Steinway company.   He said that the only the highest quality instruments are used from Alaskan sitka spruce due to the high cost of processing and the fact that the supply is still very limited.   Because of the quality of the wood, he foresees a day when spruce from Wrangell island will become the most sought after wood in the industry.   See the link below for more information.

Whale Bay Woods

It's been raining since around eleven o'clock last night.   The forecast calls for rain through Tuesday.  It should be a quiet day on the road today.

Jack-
This week's movie was called "Rock of Ages". I just have to say, this movie was bordering on being porn (Greg here interjecting:  for the record....... how he would know this is beyond me). It was one the most lewd and crude movies that I have ever seen. One of the main characters gets a job as a stripper half way through the movie. And there are more make-out scenes than I can count (Greg here interjecting again:  I guess that we need to work on counting).
    The only redeeming quality, in my opinion, was that the songs were very good.   That, however, that was about all that was good. I would give it a rating of a 1/2 a star.

Greg -

Back to rain today - we can't even see the strait from our site.   I was told yesterday that June was the coldest on record for Alaska.   No wonder we ran the heat most evenings and every morning.

I managed to get all of the fish packed last night.  I washed out the cooler and dumped it far from our site.   I felt like I was chumming for bears and it will be interesting to see if we get more traffic over the next few days. 

Potluck tonight.   The ranger program tonight will feature a representative of the music wood industry.   The mill near our site processes logs for a company that uses the wood in the manufacture of musical instruments.  I'll have more on this later.

Greg -
The rain has continued throughout the day today.  Jack and I just left the pool and I was treated to a rain-drenched run along the ocean front.  Only about ten days to the race and my legs feel good.

Another highlight of our day is the completion of our laundry.   The slime from yesterday's fishing covered everything...coat, boots, shirt pants and I'm glad to get them back into a wearable state.   My truck, on the other hand, smells like a fish processing plant.  I managed to get about ten pounds of fish vacuum packed and into the freezer this morning.  It's a bit shocking to see how much is still to be done.  We'll be eating halibut for months to come.

The editors of Alaska and Milepost magazines named the Nemo Loop one of the top twenty-five places to camp in Alaska.    Several of the people we've met this summer told me that the view from the upper site is one of the most beautiful camping spots that they've ever seen.   I'd have to agree. 

The fiberglass bear is still sitting at our site.   I moved it so that it looks like it's peering into the window of our camper.   Even though it's baby blue and I know it's fake, I still am taken by surprise when I open the curtains or walk around the back of the camper. 

Jack getting hands on experience

Bearfest bear

Greg -

Last night's sunset

Greg -

We met our boss at the city dock at 8:30 this morning and headed straight to a spot located just offshore of Zirembo island.   The ride was a rough one with a stiff west wind kicking up large waves and we were soaked by the time we arrived.   After about an hour with no luck, we decided to pull bait and try another area farther out into Clarence Strait.  By the time we left, the sun had begun to poke through the clouds and the remainder of the day was calm, cool, and sunny.  The ride west to a ridge running just south of Zirembo was a smooth one with occasional glimpses of Humback whales bubble feeding along the way.  Humpbacks frequently use this technique to concentrate their food into an area surrounded by a cylinder of bubbles that they blow. One or more of them then expands their mouth around this area and swims toward the surface, capturing all of the sea life within.   It's quite a sight even when viewed from the above the water. 

We had unbelievable luck today - Jack, Bob, and I pulled in over 250 pounds of halibut.  We were so successful that at one point, we had two at the side of the boat at the same time waiting for the gaffer.   Our first was the largest of the bunch - about an eighty pounder.  Bob dispatched him with his .357 magnum before pulling it on board.   They are incredibly tough - it took two shots from the gun and several heavy cracks over the head to finally subdue it.   None of them give up without a fight and all required a heavy hand to subdue them.

The weather remained calm for the rest of the day as we made our way back to the dock for several hours of cleaning and hauling.   Jack and I will be vacuum packing and freezing our haul in the morning.     

Greg -

Jack's lap swim was cancelled last night for swim lessons.   Every kid under the age of ten must have been attending.   I've never seen so many cars parked along Church Street - there must have been ten of them.

After doing laundry and hitting the library, Jack and I opted for dinner at the Stikine Inn.  As you might have guessed, it's really the only game in town that serves dinner seven nights a week.   The sunset last night was amazing as it usually is when the weather is dry.    Gillnetting is open for another few days and they were out in force on Zimovia strait.  It's now getting dark enough to require lights and the sight of the boats on the water  was amazing.

The organizer of Bearfest stopped by our site yesterday to drop off a few brochures and a life-sized fiberglass bear that she moves to random spots around town to generate publicity for the event.  Bearfest, as the name implies, is a week-long celebration of the bear.   Along with symposiums, workshops, and films, they also have live music, photo contests, and a golf tournament.  See the link below for more information.

Bearfest 2012

The picture loading is a complete failure this morning.  I'll try again this afternoon.  

Greg -

I'm beginning to think that it may never rain again.   Another beautiful day on the island of Wrangell.   Jack and I saw two bears today. The first was a cub that scrambled up a tree just outside of the truck window.  It was chomping and huffing the entire way.   I almost hit the second bear who ran from the security of the brush just as we passed.  It dashed straight down the road for about one hundred yards before stopping to see if we'd gained on him.  He then dove off the roadway into to bush again.

An eagles nest near the Yunshooka Recreation Area

We're off to the swimming pool again today.  Our boss is taking us hallibut fishing on Wednesday.....weather permitting.

Jack enjoying the sunny weather on the deck of the Stikine Inn

Gillnetters fishing Zimovia Strait

Greg -

We've had the most extraordinary weather for the past four days.  It has been cool, dry, and would give Colorado a run for its money.  The only downside of clear, sunny weather is the fact that it somehow interferes with a clear cell signal.    We get the best cell signal when the ceiling is far below the tops of the mountains and every square inch of atmosphere is crowded with moisture particles.  The moisture must act as a sort of reflector.    Sunny weather makes loading picures onto this site almost impossible.   The picture of Jack loaded for roughly twenty minutes before appearing on my screen.    I don't mean to complain, I was surprised to get any cell reception at all at the site and I'm grateful for what we have. 

After much discussion, Jack and I decided to see "Rock of Ages" last night at the Nolan Center.  Our decision had much more to do with our pre-summer agreement to see every movie of the summer than our desire to see it.   I'll let Jack do the reviewing, but I must forewarn any of you who might be considering forking over your hard earned money that it's a Hollywood version of Glee and is far more deserving of an R rating than the PG-13 it was given - although I should probably credit those scenes for getting me through it. 

The past few days of the job have been fairly routine.  I did see a large bear near our site earlier this morning.   He immediated crashed off into the heavy brush at the side of the road.    The brush that covers a majority of the island is incredibly thick.  Walking through it is like nothing I've experienced anywhere else.   The bears I've can run through it at a full gallop without any problem whatsoever.  It's an amazing sight.

Jack- 

The latest movie that played here in the city and burough of Wrangell was Madagascar 3, and I just have to say, it was the WORST MOVIE EVER!!!! Every single character  was gruesome, they all had these weird spiral noses, and the lion's head is the weirdest shape ever. Also if you look at the animal control character woman, you'll notice that she has the shape of a pear. Not in the way you would normally think.  Her booty is huge but her neck is the size of McDonald's straw. I you have never seen one of the Madagascar movies, look up the characters and tell me they won't give you nightmares. Marty, the Zebra was one of the most annoying characters I have ever encountered in all my years of movie watching. His voice reminded me of nails scraping down a chalk board. And when he started to sing, "Afro Circus", I wanted someone to gag me with a spoon. The movie makers expect you to know what happened in the last movies, but if you hadn't, none of this movie made sense. I would give this movie, a half a star. I would give it no stars if it weren't for a scene of the bush baby Mort throwing up a stream of pink cake frosting.

Greg -

At the risk of sounding like an old geezer, the internet is truly amazing.   This blog has been viewed by people across the globe.  We've had twenty views by someone in Russia (Spa-see-ba and Das Vadanya!), and somewhat regular viewers in Malaysia, South Korea, Australia, Costa Rica, and Germany (en shul deiganzie Bitta!) just to name a few.  It's dawning on me as I write this that I've either been out in the woods for too long or am just an old geezer - by the way, I also am fascinated by microwave ovens.

Today is our Sunday and we've had two of the most gorgeous days imaginable.  There was not a cloud in the sky when I rose this morning and the day has been cool, dry, and breezy ever since.  If the weather was like this year round, there would be a million people living here (current population: 2,200 according to the 2009 census).

Jack and I did a load of laundry, hit the swimming pool (Jack swam for ninety minutes), and I ran about ten miles along the waterfront down to Shoemaker Bay and back. 

We'll be checking our crab paught (rhymes with spot -  I can't spell it correctly or my computer's screening software will restrict access to the blog) later today on our way back to camp.  We've had it soaking in Shoemaker Bay for the past few days.  Jack and I tried a wide variety of spots around the island last year, placing the paught with the canoe, and we never did as well as when we dropped it right off the working dock at Shoemaker.   The dock also offers cleaning tables and is far more stable than trying to wrestle a huge crab paught into the canoe without taking an unexpected swim in 50 degree water.

Thom's Creek Road

Jack working on his next movie review

Last night's sunset

Greg -

Jack and I made our rounds quickly this morning as the road has been very quiet this summer.   At the end of June, a young Wrangell resident failed to return from a solo hiking/kayaking trip.   The trip consisted of kayaking in a packable boat to the Berg  Bay cabin and then hiking roughly twenty miles over incredibly steep,  rugged, and snow covered terrain to the Katete River, where he planned to kayak to the Stikine River near the Mt. Flemer cabin, just west of the Canadian border.   He was to then kayak down the Stikine, eventually making it back to Wrangell.  As the attached story details, after he failed to make a scheduled check-in via a SPOT transponder, a search and rescue effort between the Wrangell Fire Department, Sitka Mountain Rescue, and eventuallythe US Coast Guard and Alaska National Guard was launched.  Helicopters were a regular site during our stay at the Mt. Rynda cabin.  The search was called off on July 5th after finding footprints and a few pieces of gear.   A memorial service was held last Friday.   Although people don't seem to talk about it much, I'm sure that it's had a quieting effect on the entire community.

Wrangell Sentinel Story on Colin Buness

We worked at Long Lake yesterday.   The rec crew has been hard pressed to keep up with all of their scheduled maintenance projects this summer.   Cutting the grass around this shelter is one of the jobs that's fallen by the wayside.  Jack and I cut brush along the trail most of the afternoon and then took the Forest Service skiff out for a paddle after we finished.

On our way back to camp, we followed a bear on the road for quite some time, the bear being completely unaware of our presence until I whistled at it.   He whirled around and just about jumped out of its skin before running off into the brush. 

Today is our day off.  Jack wanted to "chillax" at the camper, so I took the canoe for a paddle near Earl West.  I was hoping to see bears feeding on beach grass but had no luck.   AltI did see one on the road on the way back to camp.