Danced the night away. Music by Herzon's band just around the corner provided by one of the neighbors. Had a fun time and stayed up past "Baja Midnight" (9pm) dancing until after 11pm. Expecting all night music around town between now and New Year's Day.

Posted a 3rd picture with Christmas Sunrise. Laundry done. Walking over to town this afternoon for groceries. Will probably stay in town for dinner. Reading "Watership Down" (one of my Christmas presents).

It's a laundry and email "catchup" day.

Christmas Sunrise Playa Santispac

Awakened to this sunrise today and then walked to top of little peak beside the bay. Christmas day was spent with friends on the beach. Took a nice walk over to the mangrove lagoon, found the hot spring and sat down to dangle legs in the warm water. After this morning's walk, packed up my RV and came back to Loreto. Picture of my hiking buddy at Santispac on top of the little peak we "summited".

I will be going to Playa Santispac, just south of Mulege, on Bahia de Concepcion Thursday, December 20. Will return to Loreto a day or two after Christmas. Most likely there will be no cell or internet service while at the beach. MERRY CHRISTMAS! to all my friends and family.

80% chance of rain today. Locals don't expect any, but I did remove chairs, table and rug from my screen tent. Have begun to read "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". Am on page 31 and the story has not grabbed me yet. The book and movie have had fantastic reviews so I will continue reading. Hope the story moves along soon. Have been invited to be a guest for turkey dinner with the Optimists tonight. They are a group who thru fund raisers and volunteers help children in the community. They are always looking for new members. I'll find out more about them before I join. The immigration laws have changed for Mexico effective November 2012. I attended a meeting Tuesday to get an expanation of new rules. Doesn't seem a lot different. It will cost more to be a temporary or a permanent resident and the names have changed. There are no longer any FM2's or FM3's. Just temporary or permanent resident. That is an over-simmplification as the lecturer at the meeting had 100 power point slides and the explanation with question/answer lasted 2 hours.

Spun and swum today. Now have about 11 of the 20 yards of warp needed for my next weaving project.

The Loreto city Christmas tree is up and lighted. There was a lighting ceremony Friday evening with singing and dancing. Afterwards, the crowd did a countdown from ten and the tree lights popped on at zero. The tree is pretty. Completely artificial with no pretense toward fir branches and seems fitting for this desert/sea community. Went to Sunday market this morning for tomatos, apples, avocados, squash, brocolli and eggs. Cost: 85 pesos. Met a young couple from Utah this morning. They will be leaving their camper in Loreto, bussing back to Mulege, kayaking from Mulege vicinity on Bay of Concepcion to Loreto. I should see them again in about a week. It is probably about a 100 mile trip by kayak. We looked up wind reports and they may have to find shelter Monday and Tuesday as stronger northerly winds are expected. It will be fun to hear their adventures when they return. There are local events in town this month that I want to see so am not planning any boondocking trips yet.

San Javier annual festival

Yesterday I went with a group up to San Javier for day 2 of a 3 day Festival. Hundreds of horses and riders arrived at the mission. Coming in from ranches many miles away they were greeted and cheered by the crowd and a local band. Some of the horses danced to the music. The festival is like a Fair. The wide street in front of the mission (about 2 short city blocks) was lined with venders and crowded with people walking, eating, singing, playing music. We saw two "plastic tuba" players. People, cars and tents all along the main street, around the church, along the river and the road out of town. I had heard that many people came for this festival, but wasn't prepared for the masses I saw. We toured the museum. Did not know there was a museum in the church and it is usually closed. They opened it for the Festival. There was a service in the church so we did not tour there. There was a bicycle race from Loreto to the Mission: a distance of about 18 miles and all uphill. Some people walk all the way to the Mission as a pilgramage. It is a fun time for marriages, baptisms, dancing, singing and horse races. Although I saw the horses and riders there were no races to see yesterday. The road has been cleared of debris from Hurricane Paul, but there are still washouts that leave only one lane for driving and detours in other places. My van would not be able to go up the mountain this year without dragging bottom and I was able to drive last year.

Hurricanae Paul video in Loreto

You have heard me talk about walking back and forth to town across the dry river arroyo. Here is a link to a video of the arroyo during Hurricane Paul Oct 2012. www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6vtng50RHY I have never seen the arroyo with fresh water flowing. Have just seen the tide go in and out in the estuary at the mouth of the arroyo. The estuary is much different now as the water removed much of the sand and made it deeper. Birds still love to come.

Thigh-spun another couple yards Chilkat warp today. Little by little I am on my way to getting the 20 yards I need. Relaxed in the pool with laps and floating. More food reports. Walked into town for dinner at Orlando's tonight. It was a nice cool walk. There were a few things I needed to buy from the Government store : ISSSTE while I was in town. The walk from my place across the dry river to Orlando's is at least a mile. My dinner was Malinche Chicken Breast. It was a chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and cheese and served with a tasty green sauce made from sour cream and peppers. Rice, tortillas and steamed vegetables on the side. Read more of "Into a Desert Place" by Graham Mackintosh today and will settle into my bed to read some more of this book. Buenas Noche.

Today I thigh-spun about 2.5 yards of Chilkat warp. I need 20 yards or so for a new project. Yesterday I walked in search of a jar of instant espresso coffee. Not to be found in town. Will request some from friends arriving this winter. Did not wear my pedometer yesterday, but know I walked 5-6 miles. Had lunch with a friend at the little cafe that is part of Rivera del Mar RV park. "Mama" is the cook and took last year off to reopen this month. She is a good cook. I had chicken fajitas. My brother and I would go there for a breakfast of oatmeal and o-j. No long walks today. Just walked around Loreto Shores and limbered up in the pool.

Doing laundry this morning. Checking my email and drinking coffee while I wait for the clothes to finish. Looks like a good day for swimming in the pool. Friends stopped by yesterday and my CB antenna is on the way to California so I will have a replacement spare. They will be coming back down to Loreto after Christmas and bring me a new antenna then. I do not need to have one until I begin my return north with a group. We all travel with CB's to keep in touch along the road. That's all for now....laundry is ready for the dryer and I am ready for some breakfast.

Another fun time at the Sunday Outdoor Market. Just as at home you meet friends while shopping and stop to visit. Bought squash, romaine, broccoli, apples, kiwis, avocados, shrimp and scallops. Shrimp were from LaPaz and the scallops from Lopez Mateos on the Pacific side. Or maybe it was the scallops from LaPaz. Washed the fruit and vegies in a fruit and vegie wash and put away in fridge. Put shrimp into 3 bags and into freezer along with the scallops. Now have plenty of food for the week, especially since I eat out a few times a week. Having a lazy day reading another Clive Cussler: "Crescent Dawn".

Pancake breakfast today sponsored by the Optomist organization. This was a fund raiser to help feed and clothe families in need. Children ate free. Bicycles were door prizes, teddy bears were auctioned, Santa and Elves were present. I wanted to watch the Oregon State vs Oregon football game today, but it could not be found on TV. Augie tried to find it for me and did get it on the radio so I could listen. I am not surprised my favorite Beavers lost, but to hear them play so poorly was disappointing. I quit listening and walked back to my little home away from home during the last 10 minutes when the score was 48 to 17. Final score: Oregon 48 Oregon State 24. We had a beautiful sunset tonight. There were feathery clouds in the west and the clouds looked like flames in the sky over the pointy mountain to the west. Did a bit of shopping today. Bought a hammer and some nails. Tomorrow is Market Day and I am ready and in need of fresh vegies. Tried another new place to eat yesterday. It is called Mezzaluna. I had a delicious mushroom and spinach omelette and sampled some of the Uruguayan empanadas. New cafes/restaurants are popping up and I will have to share my time between them: Orlandos, Mandilles, PanquePan, Mezzaluna, Brunos and the pie place: Ette's.

Pizza in Loreto

Yes, my foodie friends, you can get a real and really good pizza in Loreto these days. Also calzones and lasagna. Brunos and PanquePan are the places. Each restaurant has tables outside so you can people watch while you eat. PanquePan also serves breakfast and bakes specialty breads. My Mexican phone is now activated. Was simple to do........paid 200 pesos and have 200 pesos worth of time on my phone. How many minutes is that? I don't know. When my minutes are used up I'll go buy some more. My CB antenna got broken.......assume it was from parking under a low tree. Anyway, going around town to find a replacement has been fun. I went to the place on Benito Juarez near the roundybout.........place closed. A local sitting outside the market suggested I try _____ el Mar on same street, but closer to the sea. Nope, they don't have CB antennas and suggested Chuco's Hardware. Ahhhhhh, I know how to find Chucos, but no antennas there either. Chuco's suggested a tiny shop next to Pemex and back on Benito Juarez. Went to the tiny shop....you guessed it...no CB antennas and was told to look at Deportes Blazer. Struck out there too, but....the suggestion this time was to go next door and talk to the man who lives there and is a Ham Radio operator and just loves to fiddle with electronics. I found him at home, met his wife and son and a group of americans who came by and got my antenna repaired. As he said: it will either work or it won't. If it works: good. If not: Basura. He put charcoal on the grill getting ready for dinner and I walked on home for mine. Walked over 8000 steps today. My feet get tired. Perhaps it will get easier.

Sunday is still Market Day in the arroyo. Bought some vegies and walked around town for some other shopping. Want to activate my Mexican phone, but that store closed today. Will try again Tuesday after the holiday. Monday is a holiday for the November 20th Revolution (in 1910 I think). The Revolution is celebrated on Monday to have a 3 day weekend. Dec 1-3 is the annual pilgrimage to San Javier mission up in the mountains. I purchased a ticket so will be able to go up there on a special tour to support Living Roots. Living Roots is an organization to help ranch people sell their hand made objects and have a source of income. The leather saddles are beautiful. Put on my pedometer today to get back into walking after sitting so much on the drive down. My goal for today was to walk 6000 steps and I did 7500+ then swam in the pool to relax my feet.

Dry camped at one of the pit stops for the Baja1000 last night. Motorcycles came thru Loreto area sometime after 10pm and the cars in early morning. I watched some of the cars at 4:30am from my bed in the RV and then went back to sleep. A lot of people spent the night out there. We had food and bonfires and fun. Being there made me realize how difficult the race can be. Those drivers have to be able to find the route in the dark with just light range of headlights and they are traveling fast. The race this year went back and forth over the Baja so several communities were able to watch. Had a nice swim this afternoon at Loreto Shores RV park where I am staying.

Have arrived in Loreto and plugged in at Loreto Shores. My friends from Crestline, CA are here. They are replacing roof on their house. Had dinner with Baja Winters people who led us down the road. We ate at Orlando's and the food was as good as always. When I come to Loreto I want to eat first at Orlando's. When I return to Juneau, I want to eat first at the El Sombrero. Orlando has made more improvements to his little restaurant: this time with a new palapa roof. Several places had road damage between Mulege and Loreto, but are being fixed and passable. The damage was caused by Hurricane Paul. I have not been over to see my property yet and what damage there may be from the storm. The new road that goes across the arroyo lost light poles and a large section of the concrete slab is broken into pieces and scattered on the river bed. The gap has been filled with gravel and this road is now driveable. The Baja 1000 race begins tomorrow, November 14, in Ensenada. The route goes back and forth across the peninsula and will come to Loreto, probably sometime Thursday. The race finishes in LaPaz and with all the back and forth across the peninsula it is more than 1000 miles. I want to go watch. The city has been working a couple years on improvements to the Malecon (the street and walkway along the shore) and have finished half. The new street and walkway are beautiful. Haven't heard when the other half will be completed. Tomorrow will go check in with friends at La Damiana Inn.

Am in Guerrero Negro at the Malarrimo Hotel and RV park. Drove out to see the wetlands, birds and old abandoned light house. Tomorrow will drive to Loreto with stops in San Ignacio and Santispac Beach. My traveling companions will drop off at the beach while I go on to Loreto.

Am at KOA in Chula Vista. Met my traveling companions. We drive to El Pabellon beach at San Quintin Sat, the 10th. Arrive Loreto 13Nov.

1500 Trick or Treaters!

There were at least 1500 Trick or Treaters here where I am visiting. The candy ran out a couple hundred earlier. Count was kept with a clicker as T and T's came by. The street here was blocked off and costumers were able to wander without fear of being run over. Parents with them appreciated that. Saw and heard several people on cells calling to say "come on over ". Neighborhood houses and yards were decorated. Some quite gruesome, but interesting. Skeletons coming out of the ground, body parts hanging from trees, a grave digger in motion to dig a grave, skeletons lounging in beach chairs drinking margaritas, lots of spiders and webs, spooky music and a Michael Jackson pumpkin with white gloves watching from a window.

Halloween decorations and caarved pumpkins with spiders and black cat.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to Tommy's Pumpkin patch to buy pumpkins to carve. Wandered around the patch and chose our pumpkins. Tommy gave us fresh strawberries with our purchase.

October beach

A warm sunny day at CA beach Oct. 27th. Pictures of me, niece and nephew, critter trail in the sand and a slump of tar that washed out of ground and onto beach. You can see where the tar has oozed over a fence that was stuck in the tar when it washed onto the beach.

Near Donner Lake and Donner Summit before the snow came. A few days later same vicinity on my drive over the pass from Reno to So. California. I had to wait 3 days to drive over the pass without using chains.

A dusting of snow here in Reno's NW hills. Elevation here about a mile high. Heavier snow in the Sierras and I need a clear window to drive from here over to California valleys. This storm should pass thru quickly. The highway department usually keeps I-80 West open and sometimes requires chains. I have chains and can use them..............just don't want to. The view from my breakfast table is beautiful with blue sky, clouds, a circle of hills/mtns, trees and a lot of different birds coming by. Off to town today to have lunch with a friend.

Donner Lake and Donner Pass today. There is a beautiful CA State Park at Donner Lake nestled among huge Ponderosa pines. Fall mostly yellow.

Sidetrip to Crater Lake.

Today we walked thru the lavalands at Lava Butte south of Bend and thru a butterfly exhibit at the High Desert Museum. In the picture showing me at lava land you can see several mountains in the distance. Mt. Batchelor can be seen in the distance at the corner of the sign. Yesterday, we were on the other side of that mountain at Sparks Lake. Seeing the butterflies was fun and having them land was special. Tomorrow I head toward Reno.

Walked Ray Atkeson trail at Sparks Lake near Bend, OR today. Forest, lava, canyons, birds, views: lake, Mt. Batchelor, Broken Top, S. Sister.

Bought fresh green beans and head of Romanesque at Farmer's Market near Eugene.

Washington Park Glorious Color

Took a long walk thru Washington Park and the Rose Garden here in Portland. The roses were still in bloom and fragrant. The pink and yellow rose is named Double Delight. The red rose is Veteran's Honor. The fiery leaves are on a sumac.

Neahkahnie Treasure

A long ago memory nagged as I drove the Oregon Coast at Neahkahnie Mountain. The memory had me thinking of mystery and treasure. Was there really a story of buried treasure on Neahkahnie mountain or was it just a story from one of my Nancy Drew pre-teen mysteries? So, I asked around and "googled" and found this on Wikipedia: "A legend, dating back to the mid-1800s and the first Hudson's Bay Co. employees to arrive in the area, claim the mountain conceals a lost treasure, hidden by Spanish sailors in the late 16th century.[3] There are various versions of the legend, but the most common ones involve a group of sailors carrying a chest up the hillside, then digging a hole and lowering the treasure inside. As the story goes, one of the sailors then plunges his sword into one of the men with them, apparently an African slave, and his body was then thrown in on top of the treasure; the idea being, Native Americans would not disturb a man's grave, so keeping the treasure under a dead man would prevent the Native Americans—who, in most versions of the story were watching the activity closely from nearby—from digging it up."

Nehalem, Manzanita and Neahkahnie Mt.

The picture of me was taken on the road up on Neahkahnie Mt. As you can see I am at a turnout far above the beach. The beach and houses you see below are at Manzanita, OR. Off in the distance is what looks like a lake, but is Nehalem Bay. Unseasonably warm weather at the coast and little or no wind. Several surfers were in the water at Manzanita.

Nehalem today. Another sunny windless hot day at the Coast.

Drove over Deception Pass on way south from Bellingham. Impressive beautiful pass. Drove Whidbey Island and took ferry to Port Townsend.

Last night Cape Disappointment WA State Park. Walked beach. Tank top/shorts weather. Met 2 women who knew high school friend of mine.

To those who know of my quest to find "Happy Cows"...I found them! Not in CA, but WA grazing in green pasture near Egg and I Road.

A crossroad : road going right named "Going to Market Road". Left named "Best Road". Well. Maybe you had to be there. Made me smile and giggle.

Long stopover in Ketchican. No rain. Had a nice walk toward town. Took advantage of the time to stow stuff in RV and make bed. Ready to roll.

Termination dust. It's more than that. Oct. Began with fresh snow on Mt. Juneau, Douglas Island and up the valleys. Frost as I leave today.

Oh. See I haven't checked in here for awhile. Fall is settling in. The air smells and feels different. Trees and grasses are becoming golden. Fireweed is no longer blooming and going to seed. Outside seems a wee bit darker than it has been. Changes. I like the smell of the air this time of year. Now and in the Spring. Finally saw Momma Bear and her two cubs out at the Glacier near Steep Creek. No pictures for you to see, just those in my mind. Had a root canal at the dentist today. Was in chair 3.5 hours. *ugh* Came home and napped for 4 hours. Glad to have that dental work finished. Back to the bears....................not many salmon in the creek this year for them to eat. Seems that several of the Alaskan Salmon returns throughout the state are lower this year. Bears were eating "Ground cones" to fill in the calories. Had not heard of ground cones. Seems they grow under Alder up here and under different trees down south. They look like a pine cone laying on the ground. I know of Broomrape and have seen that here. Seems Ground Cones and Broomrape are related. Google "Ground cones" and you will see pictures.

more pictures for Aug 11

View at end of the trail. The first picture here is where the sign was "looking" to show the community that was here during the mining days. Then a picture of me where we had lunch at the end of the trail beside the waterfall creek. Third picture shows a hillside in the basin and goats on that hillside. Really! Yes, there are goats on the hill. They are those tiny cream colored dots in the green foliage. Last picture shows flowers on False Hellibore.

Pictures for Aug 11 Perseverance Trail

First picture is me at the beginning of Perseverance Trail in front of Snowslide Gulch. Perseverance Trail is 3.5 miles into Silverbow Basin and the mining area there. Side trails go to Ebner Falls, Granite Basin and Mt. Juneau. Granite Basin is one of my favorites. Signs are self-explanatory and I think you will be able to read them as you zoom in. The waterfall is Ebner Falls and is close to the beginning of the trail. This trail is popular with tourists, local hikers, strollers, runners, and bikers. The last sign picture shows the community that existed at the end of the trail in Silverbow Basin. The first picture in next entry shows the site of that community and now just rubble and overgrowth.

Walked up Perseverance trail today. Picnic at trail's end. A 7.5 mile day. Am foot tired and weary. Dinner after at King Crab Shack.

Cold rain and fog this morning. Cannot see Shelter Island. Took my neighbor to the ferry this morning. They are heading to Skagway to hike over the Chilkoot Pass. A 5 day hike. Hope the weather clears for them. Tonight is the monthly "weave in" over in Douglas. I will take one of my unfinished projects.

First picking of blueberries and red huckleberries Saturday. Made a sauce and served over baked sockeye for dinner. Yummy!

Well...........that was unusual. Looked out my window in afternoon and saw a large cruise ship passing by. They usually leave town after 10pm and pass by here around midnight and all lighted up. First time to see one in the afternoon so got out the see far glasses to read the name. It was "The World". No other id on the ship. Looked at my tour ship schedule and it wasn't listed as one of the ships coming to Juneau this year. Then googled it and found this on wiki: (quote) The World is a cruise ship serving as a residential community owned by its residents.[1] The residents, from about 40 different countries, live on board as the ship travels the globe—staying in most ports from 2 to 5 days. Some residents live on board full time while others visit periodically throughout the year.[1] It is operated by ResidenSea, headquartered in Miramar, Florida.[2] The ship has 110 apartments where owners live and 88 "guest suites" rented out on short-term basis, as in a traditional cruise ship. The World (IMO ship identification number: 9219331) flies the flag of The Bahamas and has a gross tonnage of 43,524 tons. It is 644 feet (196 m) long, 98 feet (30 m) wide, and has a 22-foot (6.7 m) draft, 12 decks, and a maximum speed of 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h). The crew numbers 250. It has 165 residential units (106 apartments, 19 studio apartments, and 40 studios), all owned by the ship's residents. It carries between 100 and 300 residents and their guests. [edit] Prices As of 2010, a 328 sq ft (30.5 m2) studio (Ocean Studio 661) has a list price of USD $600,000. Ocean Residence 1006 (2 bedroom, 2.5 bath) list price USD $2,950,000.[citation needed] The World Suite 1108/1110 has a list price of USD $13,500,000.[citation needed] Monthly homeowner dues range from $20,000 per month (for the smaller units) and up, and cover fuel, crew, maintenance and a meal allowance for the owner.[citation needed] (end quote)

More bubblenet feeding

Spent a long time this afternoon watching Humpback whales doing bubblenet feeding. Could watch from shore thru a spotting scope. It looked like 9 whales feeding. Several whale watching boats were stopped close by the whales. Each time the whales dived to prepare for next bubblenet, I watched the birds. The birds would fly around and as it came time for the whales to surface the birds would group together and then rush to the spot where the whales were going to surface. That sure made it easier to be looking at the right spot as the whales erupted up thru the bubblenet. What a delight to see!

Am taking a weaving class at UAS Sitka from my mentor week of July 23. It is a mini-reunion. Seeing museum weavings thru her eyes is fascinating. I wove a lovely little medicine bag while there. Went over to Sitka on the fast ferry Fairweather with my RV and stayed at the Sealing Cove RV parking lot.

Went out to the Mendenhall Glacier yesterday to check for salmon in the streams. No salmon yet so no bears to watch yet either. The forest service has built elevated trails and when the bears are there catching salmon we can watch from above. The bears are busy filling their tummies and ignore tourists on the walkway above them.

Sunshine continues!!! Had a minus tide this morning and wandered the beach out at Sunshine Cove with my neighbor. A lot of construction work happening out near 33 mile with blasting, road widening and heavy equipment, pilot cars and waiting. Blasting was to happen today between noon and 5pm. We passed thru that area before blasting was scheduled and had short waits of 10 - 30minutes. Once finished the road will be wider with shoulders beyond the white line. We had fun exploring the beach that surfaced at the minus tide. Later, this afternoon I walked with another friend to Nugget Falls out by the Mendenhall Glacier. A lot of people there and several were getting ready to swim in the kettle ponds that are shallow and get warmer than the lake with icebergs. A lot of ice floating in the lake today. Wild flowers seen today that I can name: lupine, yarrow, buttercup, lily pads and dwarf fireweed.

100th Year Celebration of Alaska's Governor Mansion. The Mansion was open to the public today for tours to see the renovation followed by a party on the north lawn. Amazing! A party on the north lawn and it did not rain. It was a fun event. I bought a book titled: "White House of the North" with pictures and stories of life in the mansion.

My cousin came thru Juneau on his way home after paddling canoe down the Yukon River over a 1000 miles to Galena. His canoe was sent on ahead from Anchorage. He was on his way to Whitehorse to get car and head home. We rode ferry to Skagway and I drove him to Whitehorse. I am staying in Whitehorse a few days enjoying the drier weather and will head home from Skagway Monday. Went to see the Baringia Museum about life here when Mammoths roamed and North America was connected via land to Asia. A fascinating museum and well worth admission to visit.

Juneau fireworks were a beautiful display with echoes rebounding off mountains. Juneau sets off the fireworks at midnight July 3, then Juneau and Douglas have parades and other events on the 4th.

Walked with a friend out the Scout Camp trail yesterday. This is the same trail walked with visiting family a week earlier. All same flowers in bloom with more now. There were many more yellow paint brush and large groupings of purple wild iris among the lupine, chocolate lily, false lily-of-the-valley, beach pea, cow parsley, water hemlock, nagoonberry, yellow-its, foam flower, winter green..........that is all I remember. The weather was cool and overcast, but not rainy. Another of the scout campouts was ending and there was a lot of traffic on the trail getting supplies back and forth. Talked with a local I had met the week before. He was finishing his 3rd week cooking and bringing supplies to the camps. Scouts come from all over the U.S. to camp here.

Zoom in on the other whale photo too. I spotted 4 whales diving. Can you see more?

Bubble net feeding and more

It has been a busy and eventful 5 days with visiting family. Helicopter tour of Juneau Icefield with a landing on Taku Glacier. Don't know how my niece manageed but she scheduled the Icefield tour at least 6 weeks in advance and got beautiful weather. It was sunny and 80 degrees that day. The wind and clouds returned just as our helicopter landed back at the pad. Taku Glacier is large, wider than the Mendenhall, and it is the only advancing glacier on the Juneau Icefield. The next day we sailed to Tracy Arm and back. Saw a lot of seals with their babies on the ice floes. Not much ice calving tho. The captain took to both Sawyer Glaciers. One in the north arm and one in the south. Our last tour was Whale Watching. We went with Orca Tours and Captain Larry. What a special trip that was! He took us to see Humpback whales feeding by using their Bubble Net technique. To see the whales do this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime events. We were truly blessed! There were 8 or 9 Humpback Whales feeding and we watched them dive and make bubblenets 5 or 6 times. I did get a picture of the whales coming up thru their bubblenet. If you zoom in on the photo you can see the mouth on the whale to the right. This is the last picture shown of the 5 I posted. In between, we did sightseeing, shopping, ate and played cards. Saw two bear at the Mendenhall Glacier. One was up in a cottonwood tree breaking off branches to eat. The other bear was on our trail as we walked out to see Nugget Creek Falls.

Chet at el Pabellon beach Baja

Miles and miles of sand and Chet is only critter to be seen. This picture was taken by Baja Winters during our drive down last winter or was it return trip in March. Thank you Becky.

Chet: 1997 - 2012

100+ Eagles lining the beach!

Here are some better pictures of those eagles lining the beach the other night. These pictures were taken by my neighbor. Thank you to them for sharing. In my 40+ years here, it was the first time I had seen eagles in such numbers in one spot (outside of Haines and the river in winter) and standing at the water's edge. Some looked like they were standing in water waiting to eat, but looking closer I think they found rocks to stand on. The pictures show a line of eagles at north end of the harbor and there were at least as many looking south.

An update on the eagles. This is weird. one of my neighbors counted over 55 and my other neighbor estimated at least 100. The eagles are lined up at the waters edge along the shore mostly from my house to neighbor, but there are more further along each direction. I'll try to post a picture(s). Those little bumps along the shore are eagles. I think you can zoom in on them. The third picture shows an eagle that just flew over to a different rock and landed.