It's going to be a good Summer!

A week ago,  school let  out.
The sun came out, shinning strong.

Some might sing the Beach Boys' "Surfing USA".

But, in Kodiak, there are more kayaks than surf boards on roof racks.
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On somber days

A day like this Sunday, when it rained & drizzled all day,
causes no problem for the people of Kodiak.

Just put on your waterproof jacket, pants, hats, & Extra-Tuff boots,
and go out for a hike.

Walk under the tall trees if you want to avoid rain drops .

And soon you'll reach the ocean's edge.

Look just below the cliffs to see what the waves brought in.

Climb down for a closer look.

And we bet that soon you'll see that 

you are not the only one who is out and about.

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Foggy Saturday

Saturday morning we woke up to a moderately dense fog.

Listened to the protracted owl-like "woooo, woooo" sounds
of wind, blowing through the channel's fog horn,
while chirping small birds could not be seen through the fog.

But about 120 degrees degrees in the opposite direction,
we noticed a raven flying by, and a little blue developing in the skies.

Within 30 minutes it started to clear away.
Blue skies slowly developed, and remained for the rest of the day.

It was like watching a picture develop in the olden days,
the chemicals slowly revealing your picture in the dark-room.
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Not a bad place to come get your mail.

...worth "checking" everyday, even on a holiday like Memorial Day.

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Why so much variation?

Yesterday we said that the Reds coming in were 4 - 7 pounds.

Why so variable?
It makes no sense if what you typically hear is correct:
that they spend 4 years out at sea before returning.
If so, it must be that some went off to better feeding areas while out at sea.

But it turns out, it is not so simple.

Red salmon stay 2 - 4 years out at sea (not the often quoted 4).
So, I guess some of the small ones might be the young ones.

Anyway, here are pictures. No its not an aquarium somewhere,
It was taken by just down form the  dandelions in the header pic of this blog,
at high tide, at the shallow part of the marina,
during Crabfest, this past weekend.

Pardon the reflection of the clouds;
We just snapped it with the I-Phone and no polarizing filter.

Look "through" those clouds and here you'll see
dozens of 5 inch salmon, happily swimming pass by a starfish.

Those little fish are the "smolt",
which will stay around  shallow protected bay waters for a year before heading out to sea.
Then return about this time in 2-4 years.
Yes, there is some variation:
a real cold winter's water run-off makes them swim up the rivers a little later.

Anyway, I really wish I was an elementary school kid again.
Because, here in Kodiak, I think every kid can tell you the different salmon's life cycle.

For us "late arrivals" to the island,
we just have to search the Internet,

and look up articles like this:

http://www.fishex.com/seafood/salmon/salmon-life-cycles.html#Parr

But to get more accurate information, we must look up the particular type of salmon, instead of this "average" information.

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Good news:

1) The Reds are in the Buskin River,
     coming in about 2 hours after high tide.
     Mostly four pounders, occasionally a seven pounder.

and

2) It's not yet well known.
    So, you can probably have the river to yourself
    for the next few days!

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Opening up

Yesterday, we gain passed by the lily pads in Ft A.
Look how they've changed in a day.

Yes, opening up they are.

Everyone's different, with it's own water-drop design up on top.

But each with a red-pinkish tinge like the rest.

Somehow, we thought these were tropical plants
and didn't expect to see them in Alaska, when we got here 6 years ago.

But you know what is fun?
Paddling your kayak on a foggy day on Lily Lake.

Try it in the summer, when it's rainy & too rough for the sea.
Paddle along the lily blossom flowers,
while listening to a loon, somewhere in the fog.
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What a difference a week makes!

Here's last week's picture of a pond at Ft Abercrombie.

Despite nearly 50 degree days, half was still covered with ice,
(since much of it is in the tall Spruce Pine's shadows).

But look at it today,  the Sunday before Memorial Day:

The surviving lilly pods are turning green form their winter yellow,
and there is a nice layer of green algae along it's edges!

But, if you are a flower person instead,
you'll be happy to see that flowers are blossoming
at the other side of the park,
along the Flower Meadow Trail.

If you want a real fine flower show, take that walk on the July 4th weekend!
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When Thursday's fog lifted.....

we discovered that

Spring has sprung!

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To compare with yesterday's fog picture.....

here is a picture taken a few days earlier
from the same spot as yesterday's foggy beach pics
on the ride to work:

Do you agree?
Both have their beauty.