Kodiak, Alaska-Martin Day 2

Day 02 - Saturday - May 29, 2010 - Kodiak, Alaska

Sunrise: 5:21 AM AKDT Sunset: 10:53 PM AKDT Length of Day: 17h 31m

Morning comes early in Kodiak, Alaska! Our Best Western is on the east side of the island with a panoramic view of the St. Paul’s Harbor right across the street from our hotel.

Gennie was up early as usual checking on the weather, 46º and 96% humidity. The weather report was calling for heavy mist – we recognize this as rain in Colorado!

As we were showering and preparing for our day we got a call from Kathy who told us that they were going to cancel their entry of Skipper, the Bubble Bee Dog, in the Grand Crab Festival Parade which was supposed to begin at 10:00.

We had our breakfast at the hotel. Vic Martin & Skipper came by with the schedule of events for the weekend. The rain seems to have put a damper on the festivities.

At 9:30 we set off to explore the town and check out the harbor as well as the displays at the Town Mall, the Crab Festival Headquarters.

Our first stop was the local hardware store where we met an elderly couple, Dr. and Mrs. Guy Powell who started talking to us about their lives here in Kodiak. Both grads of Colorado State University, he worked as a Crab and Fisheries Biologist for the Alaska Territorial Division of Wildlife even before Alaska became a state in 1959.

They gave us several suggestions of places not to miss. We began by strolling through the Crab Festival Exhibits and food stands. It was a bit early for crab legs or bacon wrapped grilled scallops on a stick, but the food did smell good.

Representatives from the local NRA Chapter tried to convince us to by a raffle ticket. One of the prizes was a lady’s hand gun – it was pink!

We walked to the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center and were amazed at a full skeleton of a gray whale. Other exceptionally well done exhibits explained the birds, fish, and of course, the Kodiak Bear, for which the islands are so famous.

We watched a short video on the wildlife of the area and then went upstairs for a close-up look at the 37 foot Gray Whale Skeleton. The dead whale had washed up on a near-by beach in 2000 and a high school teacher thought it would be a great project for her students.

The whale was buried in the sand and the bacteria and natural scavengers cleaned and sanitized the carcass. After being buried for four years, students and local volunteers dug up the now clean skeleton.

With the help of a grant, the whale now commands the upper level of the new wing of the visitor’s center. Very impressive! We met another retired biologist who gave us more information about the town.

He told us to visit the Federal Fisheries Research Center and the University of Alaska Research Center. It was only a few miles out of town on the other side of the Fred Zharoff Memorial Bridge. As Kodiak is relatively small, we started out on our hike to Near Island in the rain.

On the way, we visited the Russian Orthodox Church and nearby Seminary. Just overhead I spotted a mating pair of Bald Eagles who were watching the water below for an easy breakfast.

We could see the bridge high above us so we asked three young people how to get up there. Instead of going back on the main road, they told us of a short cut that was steep, but a well worn path that took us right to the top of the bridge.

We made our way to the Research Center only to be greeted at the door by one of the biologists who told us they were closed to the public, and he thought the Touch Pool and Aquarium were also closed today as it was Saturday. However, he suggested we take the long hike into the Northend Park.

After following the trails in this park for about an hour, through moss covered forests, we made it down to the Gulf of Alaska and the tide pools. While Gennie looked for shells and sea glass, I took photos of the trees and boats emerging from the fog.

As we made our way out of the huge park the skies began to lift and we could actually see our hotel and beautiful downtown Kodiak. Had it been a little clearer, we might have been able to see Russia from here!

We made our way back across the bridge and into Kodiak. We made a few stops and then headed back to the Kodiak Inn. I went through our photos and Gennie tried to recount the day’s events.

Although the photos are beautiful and the day was interesting and a learning experience, all of this pales in comparison to the people we met today. Generous, kind, and very helpful; the citizens of Kodiak have gone out of their way to assist us and share their Islands with us.

At 4:30 we went over to the Harbor to prepare for dinner with Vic, Kathy, Pat and Don. While Gennie and Kathy walked Skipper, Vic, Don, and I bought fresh crab legs at the local crab shack.

We shared a wonderful dinner and then came back to the hotel tired but happy with our day in Kodiak. We had walked over 8 miles today according to the GPS, but after the great meal with the Martins, we were very thankful we are getting exercise!

Accommodations: Best Western Kodiak Inn

Hi you two !!!! Miss you both, but always read your posts and tell our friends about you. I loved the image you gave of pink pistol packin Gennie with her handsome Victor staring over at Russia together.

St. Paul's harbor... Is that the harbor a lot of the crabbers on the Deadliest Catch leave from???

If you guys see Russia-- let me know, I heard it's beautiful.

Brian has been begging for weeks to try King Crab legs ... he likes that picture, a lot! :)

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