Our Alaska Trip, Part 6; Soldotna to Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, and Bears!

[labmansid]

We left the Seward area and drove to Soldotna to spend the night. The drive was very scenic, of course, as most of the drives in Alaska seem to be.
The next morning, we made our way to Soldotna Intl. airport and found our next plane connection. My wife, Lisa, had been a little anxious about this part of the journey for a couple of reasons. First, as has been mentioned already, she is somewhat prone to motion sickness, and had never really been on a small plane before, and was unsure how she would handle it. Secondly, due to a hereditary muscle condition, she does not do stairs or steps very easily. Small planes don't usually have ramps to get onto them with. But, with a little help, she was able to climb up into the seat with a minimum of difficulty.
And so we were shortly ready to hit the skies again. I think Lisa was starting to get into this Bush Pilot thing!




A view of the river that runs through Soldotna.






One of several still active volcanoes in the area, Mount Redoubt. This is part of the infamous Pacific Ring of Fire. Mount Redoubt had erupted I think only 2-3 years ago, and wreaked a little havoc with ash in the air, disrupting air travel in the area.







This small creek running through an island in the bay formed an interesting pattern to me.






Finally, after a couple of stops to deliver a few supplies to a couple of other places along the way, we landed on the beach near our destination. A quick note about traveling to these places. The only way into or out of the few outfits on the edge of Lake Clark National Park is by plane or boat. Plane's are much preferred, except of course for large/heavy cargo, but it seems every thing regarding transportation is controlled by the tides, which can be quite substantial. At high tide, there is not much beach at all, almost like one long continuous sand dune near the water's edge. At low tide, however, the beach expands greatly, and an expansive mud and sand flat stretches out sometimes possibly over a mile before meeting the waves. Everyone in the area keeps a tide chart handy to keep track of them and plan activities accordingly. Therefore, during low tide there is a flurry of activity in the area as small aircraft utilize the available smooth real estate as temporary runways.
After a short ride on a small trailer pulled by an ATV, we pulled up to the lodge.






Along the way, we got a preview of some of what was in store for us.







After going through a brief but thorough orientation on what to expect and general procedures at the lodge, we were assigned our guide, who takes us out whenever we leave the compound for obvious safety reasons. You do not want to break this rule, or you could end up moving down the food chain a notch or two!! Silver Salmon Creek Lodge has a spotless safety record, and has not lost any guests yet (or so they say!!), and we did not want to become a statistic.
It was not long before we ventured out into the field, and came upon this female Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear. Most people are probably more familiar with their more common name of Grizzly. What a rush!!







She was not alone, as there were two first year cubs tagging along near her. Here is one of them.






We were having a great time watching them as the mom grazed on the plentiful grass and sedges, while the cubs explored and played nearby. After a while, the cubs started sticking much closer to mom, and began doing what most children do when they want something, whining. It was pretty funny listening to them as they badgered the poor mother. Finally, she relented and gave them what they wanted. LUNCH!!










I managed to obtain a short video during the snacking. I love having a built-in camcorder while out shooting!





My new shooting partner, Jan from Nevada, who had already been there a couple of days, was thrilled greatly. This was a scene she had been wanting to get ever since she had arrived, and here I was my first outing getting something like that.
We were off to a great start at the "Bear Lodge", and were sure there were great experiences in store for us in the next three days of our visit. The excitement level was definitely high, and rising! More to come.


As always, thanks for looking!!

[Tim T]

Those are some awesome shots Sid. That had to be a major rush to be that close to the bears. Thanks again for sharing. It just keeps getting better and better.

[houtex01]

What a way to enjoy my first cup of coffee this morning...Sid your postings have been fantastic...nice captures of the bears...waiting for the next one...

Ron

[Shadow]

Bet you didn't want to come home. Sweet, Sid!
You are encouraging us to use that strange "video" feature on our newer cams....

[wapiti]

I was at SSCL two years ago. Being that close to the Grizzlies was truly a thrill of a lifetime. Would love to go back.
Beautiful images, BTW.

[gll]

Thanks Sid, I just relived the rush I had when we went there, just can't believe it until you stand there and watch them and they couldn't care less about you! great shots, we had grey overcast skys but man it was great!

[lhdvies]

Awesome series Sid!! Wow, what great memories you have captured. The Griz & Cub photos are priceless!!! Good work!

[David Alaniz]

So So Cool So Very Cool! Love it!

[Stargazer77517]

Sid these are really cool pics. Looks like an enjoyable trip.

[kmeronek]

Great trip report and photos Sid. I'm just plain JEALOUS. Waiting for more - feed me, feed me. (That's a photographer whine)

[jfoureyes]

Sid I'm really enjoying your trip...thanks for posting them!!

[labmansid]

Originally Posted by Shadow

Bet you didn't want to come home. Sweet, Sid!
You are encouraging us to use that strange "video" feature on our newer cams....

I have been trying the video on the 7D more and more lately. I never really thought I would use it much, but it impresses me a lot each time I use it. Look out NatGeo and DiscoveryHD channels!

Originally Posted by kmeronek

Great trip report and photos Sid. I'm just plain JEALOUS. Waiting for more - feed me, feed me. (That's a photographer whine)

Trust me, there will be more. Patience, my friend!!

Originally Posted by wapiti

I was at SSCL two years ago. Being that close to the Grizzlies was truly a thrill of a lifetime. Would love to go back.
Beautiful images, BTW.

Originally Posted by gll

Thanks Sid, I just relived the rush I had when we went there, just can't believe it until you stand there and watch them and they couldn't care less about you! great shots, we had grey overcast skys but man it was great!

I based my decision to go there based in large part to the posts by the several people on this board like yourselves who had been there before us. I owe my thanks to you for talking me into it. It truly is an incredible, some would say life changing, experience. I highly recommend it for anyone with a love of nature.

Thanks for the comments, and bearing with me!

[Marhowie]

It's all good, thanx so much for sharing these wonderful images!

[ttusa]

Brings back great memories Sid @Lake Clark-I'm venturing back this coming summer!

Awesome shots!!