July 14th

We awoke to fog as thick as pea soup. The radio dispatcher in Petersburg informed me that it had already begun to burn off up North and that sunny skies were on the way.

We usually take the long drive to Thom's creek on Sunday - a long slow drive over rough roads to two sites that see very little activity...meaning that we usually have very little work to do once we arrive. I decided to let Jack work on his Japanese homework and make the drive myself.

As usual, it appeared that the site had been used only once or twice in the last week, although there were two guys fishing from the bridge. I took the opportunity to drive the road to its end, or rather where the alders grew so thick that it woukd have neen hazardous to my truck to push through. I saw a bull moose on the way back to camp. I almost hit it as it ran from the brush, giving me an opportunity to see the huge creature up close before it disappeared again into the alders lining the road. A few miles later, I surprised a black bear at the side of the road. It nearly jumped out of its skin when I came around the corner. is amazing how much bears resemble humans when they move. It must be the fact that their limbs bend in the same direction. This bear looked exactly like a guy in a bear suit as it jumped into the woods - not all that different from Jack as he climbed onto the float on the 4th.

Later that afternoon, we had dinner with several friends at their waterfront home. They are having a hovercraft built by an Australian engineer in their huge garage. It was a fascinating process, involving the hand construction of fiberglass molds for the craft's body, engine cowling, and motor mounts. At its completion, it will carry 14 passengers and weigh in at roughly three tons when empty. They plan on using it for site-seeing trips in the area as a supplement to the guided bear hunts that he leads.

We headed home under yet another incredible sunset.