Adios to Kodiak

Things change, 
just like the "Green Up" on Pillar Mountain

between June 1st and 10th.

We too change.
As some are merely going into Summer,
some of us are going into Autumn.

So, as we enter a new stage of  our lives,
it is time for us to bid Kodiak Adios.


 We came for 3 years and stayed for 6.

But that's what's got to be.
We hope our next adventure and travels 
are as as exciting as our life in Kodiak has been.

So, if you wish, we'd be please to have you follow us 
on our new "traveling" blog at:

http://drivinghereandthere.blogspot.com/


Adios,
Carlos and Cindy

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Our Planned Itinerary

We have the motorhome packed with all the essentials.
We mapped our route and it now comes to a grand total of 8,009 miles!
Hope we make it.

We plan on leaving Kodiak and spending a couple of weeks
between Denali National Park and Fairbanks, Alaska.
That will also allow us to take a short detour and arrive on June 21st
(the summer solstice) at the Arctic Circle.

There are so many things that we plan to see and do
in our "home" state before we finally leave it,
we will be sure to post photos of our adventures as we travel.

Here is our planned route:

Our final stopping point in August will be a cabin in Colorado.  

Even though we will become Texans again with retirement, 

there is no way we want to suffer through the high summer temperatures.  

We'll have to re-aclimate a little slower.

We would love to hear of suggestions of places to visit along the trip. 

If you wish, follow us on our new blog:         

http://drivinghereandthere.blogspot.com/

It will be an" experience" to live in 120 sq. ft for 1 - 2 months.

But we hope to visit many exciting places and festivals

along the way, and take a few picture to remember them by. 

Feel free to tag along in our trip.

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Waking up in retirement

Today is the day we take the ferry and leave Kodiak . It is a sad day.

But it comes with the benefit of retirement.

So this is probably how I looked on Monday morning, the first day of my new station in life.

 Just laying around.

 Finally getting up.

 And letting out a big yawn!

Fishing like the pros

Recently we told you about the Red salmon coming in
and how, if you acted quickly,  you could have the river all to yourself.

This guy was fishing the Pasagshak almost by himself, on Monday of this week

Well, at the Buskin river, those days of solo fishing are over.

A few days after that recent blog, everyone heard about the fish and they say it was "elbow to elbow" fishermen. Admittedly, in Kodiak that means a person every 20-30 yards at the  hottest spots. It is nothing like the crowds on the Kenai river!

So, we thought we should put some pictures of our real "pro" fishermen.
Maybe yo can learn a little form them.

 First, find your fish.

 You stand real still and concentrate.

Concentrate. Concentrate.
And at the right moment, make your move.

And follow through!

Be sure  to catch and not release.

Then land him on shore.

And put him away, while the other fishermen keep doing their job.

Then get ready for your next fish.

Find your fish, concentrate, concentrate, make your move and follow through!

There you have it.
That's how the Kodiak pros do it.

(PS Those are actually different Kodiak bears. We watched them fish over across the Shelikof Strait  at Geographic Point. But they sure seemed to know what they were doing. There were up to 33 bears around us that day at one time. The least we could  count at any instant was 17. Anyway, hope we taught you something about fishing.)


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Packing it all up

We are sad to be packing up for our departure from Kodiak on Friday, June 14th. It has been a wonderful 6 years. But all things end and we must move forward with eagerness to find new and exciting things. As you might have noticed, we are lucky to find "fun" in all sort of circumstances.

If you wish to follow our experiences, sign up to receive our blog of our travel experiences.
Just log on to:

http://drivinghereandthere.blogspot.com

(PS We'll  post one or two more blogs from Kodiak, say good bey from here, and then greet you on our new blog site, if you chose to follow us).

As the snows melt on the mountain tops,
the Lupins or Bluebonnets stand tall in Ft Abercrombie's Wildflower Meadow Trail,
after last week's refreshing rain drops still lie on it's leaves,

Others enjoy today's sun.

and others get help from the fly, the mosquito, and the bumble bee

...all getting ready for their big show, near the 4th of July.
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Moss under your feet

A long time ago, someone who had moved away form Kodiak, asked us to put some moss pictures.
He wanted to be reminded of his walks in our woods.

Well, we've been trying hard to get some pictures that give a real idea of what they are like,
or just how many varieties there are.

But it is very hard to photograph these things and show their texture

and how soft is is under your feet.

But,  since this is our last week in Kodiak, we have been making a concerted effort for the past few weeks to take some pics to accomplish this. Unfortunately, with no more time, this is as good as our efforts will get. It will have to do.

So get past whatever is preventing you from appreciating what's in front of you,

and take a walk with us into the woods.

Look at the just-sprouting lily pads in mid May,

and the trees' reflection in the ponds.

Then look at the moss-covered ground,

with everything that falls being covered,

and some fungi is there as well.

It grows on everything, whether big or small.

And watch it climb up among the living trees

 to create a canopy that'll make you think you are in a scene from a Hobbit movie.

We've heard there are over 110 varieties of moss in Kodiak.
And if you look carefully you'll see that a single tree might have
10 or perhaps many more species of moss,
each with a texture and shade of green that is beautiful just by itself

So, why not just take a plane or ferry and
come see for yourself how much prettier it is in real life.
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Blue salmon

You've heard of Pink salmon, Red salmon, and Silver salmon.

But, have you ever heard of Blue Salmon?

Well, we have that in Kodiak.

And it's a big one, for sure.

It was a combination art project.
The high school's aluminum welding class made the frame for it.
And it was a work of art in itself, under all that plastic.

The plastic was collected during beach cleanup events,
from things that washed up on shore.
The art class put it all together.

And it looks like those interested in the local
native Alutiiq language also participated in educating us
and making something to visually enjoy, from what others have discarded.
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What else is at the beach?

When you go down to the beaches of Kodiak,
 what is there to see?

Yes, kelp like in yesterday's blog.
But you can see a little more if you pay attention
Like the skeleton of that kelp, when its fleshier portions withers away.

and other animals of the sea who've washed up on shore.

Kind on neat sponges, wouldn't you say?
Not like those synthetic ones in your mama's sink.

By the way....aren't you impressed how those old biologists were able to organize plants and animals in the old days? Did you really believe 40 years ago that sponges were animals? Well, looks lie those guys were smarter than me. Check out how right they were at:

http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2009/10/14/why-sponges-are-animals/


Anyway, back to what we see on the beach.
There are also  "in-animate animals" here to see...

like this stranded white "Beluga Whale"

Or, how about this....

pre-historic alligator skull.

Interesting what you can see at the beach, isn't it?
If you have an active imagination.
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