Kodiak, Alaska-Martin Day 7

Day 07 - Thursday - June 3, 2010 - Kodiak, Alaska

Sunrise: 5:15 AM AKDT Sunset: 11:00 PM AKDT Length of Day: 17h 45m

Wheels! At 9:00 we met Vic and Kathy by the Safeway Liquor Store and went directly to The Port Gift Shop and Rent a Heap Headquarters. We rented a Ford Taurus through Budget for the next 24 hours.

The day was a bit clearer but it was 46º and the humidity was 94%. We drove out in the direction of Safeway and Wal-Mart to King’s Diner where we had a super breakfast.

With maps in hand, we started to explore the southern portion of the island. Our drive took us past the airport, and then to the largest Coast Guard base in the world.

We followed Chiniak Bay stopping along the way to take many eagle photos with back drops of the rugged Kodiak Range. We crossed the American River, famous for its salmon fishing and saw a few fly fishermen out this morning.

Just as we were ascending the switchbacks, a Sitka Black Tailed deer walked right in front of our car. The steep shale rock prevented him from climbing out of our view, so he stood there for over five minutes watching us take his pictures.

Kathy with her eagle eyes spotted a white Mountain Goat on the side of a steep rock formation. Although it was a long distance we tried to photograph him, but it was tough. Just seeing it was a thrill.

Reaching the small town, (only a few homes) of Pasagshak, we stopped at several scenic overlooks to see harbor seals and the beautiful snow capped mountains as the background to the village and bay.

We continued on to Surfer’s Beach where we saw hundreds of Bald Eagles. There must have been 20 of them on just one tree; males, females, and juveniles. We also saw a family of playful sea lions surfing in the waves and then a large pod of 12 Gray Whales. What an impressive sight to see the whales spouting water and arching in the sea.

Although the gates were all locked and the signs warned of NO Trespassing we drove around a bit to see the Kodiak Launch Center, “the Other Cape”. Here there are periodic launches of polar orbit private, NASA, and Air Force rockets.

The next stop was Fossil Beach, our timing perfect for low tide. We crawled over the rocks and onto the shale cliffs where we saw thousands of fossils.

Vic and Kathy brought a hammer and chisel so we were able to find hundreds of fossilized clam, periwinkle, and scallop shells, from 65 million year old seas.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch of crab salad sandwiches, trail mix, apples, and fresh cherries. The wind was picking up but the sun was warm on this side of the island. It was 50º, 85% humidity, and the winds were gusting at 21 mph.

As we drove back to the Launch Center, we saw four of the famous wild horses of the island. They did not look like they were in great shape; surviving on these islands is not easy.

Just as we were about to give up on seeing a bear, we saw a small Kodiak lumbering along the fence line by the main gate of the Launch Center. We tried to drive around the back to see if we could get a closer look, but all of the gates were locked and we could not see it again.

Returning to the city of Kodiak, we took the road along Kalsin Bay to Chiniak promontory and saw the tiny town – a post office. We stopped several times to take photos of the magnificent scenery.

It was getting late and Skipper, the wonder dog, was home alone on the boat all day. We had one last adventure, a climb to the top of Pillar Mountain standing at 1244 feet above the town of Kodiak and the sea.

We were right under the three giant wind turbines installed in 2008. The Pillar Mountain Wind Project has won many awards for its energy saving conservation.

By 5:45 we arrived back to the hotel and the Martins fed Skipper. We left again at 6:15 to drive to the Mongolian Grill for dinner. Martins treated us to apple pie and ice cream for dessert on the boat.

We returned to the hotel at 8:30 ready to sort photos and write the journal. We were very pleased to have seen so much more of the Kodiak Islands today.

Accommodations: Best Western Kodiak Inn

Day 10: Mediterranean Navigation

Antonio, Our Guide

Gardens at the Alcazaba

Roman Theater

Visiting with Picasso

Gennie & Vic, Malaga 2004

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