Monday, July 4, 2016

Alaska Road Trip: Kodiak!


I missed the best photo op of our travels the other day…… Let me lay out the scenario. When I was at the cleaning table the other day filleting the halibut, a guy walks up and asks who owns the truck and boat over there by the RV dump station. The guy next to me says it was his and the other guy asks him if he is going to move soon. The guy cleaning the fish says give me 5 minutes, I am almost done. The RV guy does not reply but just stands there and stares at him. Fish cleaning guy puts down his knife and goes and moves his truck and boat. Granted he should not have parked there but the RV guy was a little rude.
We finished cleaning our fish and as we were pulling out I look over and the RV guy is filling his fresh water tank with the sewer water hose! You know the one with the long pole that sticks straight up with a spring on the bottom of it and a permanent hose on the end? He has that hose buried down his fresh water tank! I wanted so bad to stop and say “Dude, do you have any idea where that hose has been?” But instead we just looked in disbelief as we drove by.

Our ferry ride over to Kodiak Island was interesting. The ferry was scheduled to leave at 4:45am with boarding starting at 2:45am. We arrived about 10:00pm and parked in line as others were starting to show up and we wanted to be first in line to board (I will let you know how that worked out in a minute). The ferry terminal opened at11:00 and they told us to go to the front of line #2 (Woo hoo,
we are first in line!).
First in line!
At 11:30pm they started loading the people that were going beyond Kodiak (Dutch Harbor, Cold Bay….). About 12:30am the guy walks over to us and says they are shutting down until 2:30am to give the others who are going beyond Kodiak time to get here and load. 2:30am rolls around and they start loading again. Finally they start loading the Kodiak vehicles. They load every row except ours (so much for being first in line). Finally with no other vehicles left in sight they give us the okay.
 
As you drive up the ferry ramp you are guided onto a large platform. The attendant tells you to stop at a certain point and then the entire platform is lowered into the cargo hold like a giant elevator. Once you reach the bottom the platform turns like a Lazy Susan and you back off at the position they stop it at. They guide you to your parking area, have you stop, set your brake and get out. Then they chain your vehicle to the decking.
 



 
At this point we put Daisy in back as she is not allowed outside the truck for the entire 9 ½ trip. Nor can we get back down to the truck once the ship is underway. Yikes, that is a long time for Daisy not to have an accident!
It is now 4:30am and we have not slept a wink so we grab a blanket, our books and snacks and head up to the passenger area to find a place to crash. Well you know what happens when you are the last to board? All of the good spots are taken. There were people spread out everywhere! In chairs, booths, on the floors, on the benches and some people even set up tents!
 


Oh, there were seats available but there were people laying on the floor right in front of them. We finally found a spot with 3 chairs together in the theater area and settled in. We tried to sleep but there was snoring and other noises sleeping people make all around us. A very interesting experience indeed!
About 10:00am the Captain announced that they were going to allow pet owners 10 minutes to walk their pets since the seas were somewhat calm. Barb and I discussed the fact that they would probably never know if one of us did not return from this little “pet walk” and spent the rest of the voyage in the camper below deck. I am not going to say that this happened but I will say that one of us was well rested by the time we hit port!

Kodiak Boat Harbor
Arriving in Kodiak is was the reverse of Homer, we were the first off!

Here comes the Lazy Susan!
Elevator up!

On our way up
The ferry terminal is a little out of town and as we pulled up to the highway we no idea way to go. We guessed right and soon found ourselves at the Visitors Center in town where we got a map to learn the lay of the land. Then it was off to our campground in Buskin River State Rec. Area where we just chilled the rest of the day going to bed early to catch up on our sleep.
Our Buskin Site
The next morning we got our fishing gear out and headed to the river to see if the salmon were running. There were about a half a dozen other anglers there, several of them with side arms or shotguns. This is said to be a very beary section of the river.



 A few were catching salmon and releasing them. Upon closer inspection we saw that they were snagging them so any fish not hooked in the mouth had to be released. As we were standing amongst the fisherman tossing our flies, everyone once in a while one would say “There goes some” or “Here come some”. For the life of us we could not see these fish moving upstream in the rushing water until one guy showed us what to look for. You just look for a discolored “blob” moving slowly up river. They were very hard to see but soon we too were pointing out when fish were moving through.

Barb and I each hooked a few fish that day as well as the following days. Between the halibut we brought along and these salmon we are eating pretty good!



We did check out the Fish Weir on the Buskin River. This is where they put up a blockade so the fish cannot swim upriver any further. Biologists count the fish several times each day and open the blockade to let the fish through.

See all the fish?
Unfortunately you cannot fish within 1/4 mile of either side of the weir!
But Kodiak Island has more to explore than just fishing. For example, there is a brewery! The Kodiak Brewing Company is right in the middle of town and has 10 different taps that they brew on site. They don’t serve flights but they will let you taste any brew you are interested in until you find the one you want for your pint. After Barb and I tested 6 brews each the bartender said that he would have to charge us if we tested any more. Then he said he was kidding (I think). There just weren’t any brews that we liked! In the end we each settled on the one we disliked the least.

 
What we really wanted to see the most while on the island was the infamous Kodiak Brown Bear! Weighing as much as 1,000#’s and some exceeding 9 feet tall, these are the biggest bears we will probably ever see.
There are ~14,000 fulltime residents on Kodiak along with 3,500 brown bears meaning for every 4 people we see we should see 1 bear right? Well we saw thousands of people and not one bear, nary a hair of a bear! We stayed in the most bear populated campground, fished the most bear populated river and nothing. We were stopped by a warden one day and as she checked out licenses she said that there was a bear harassing the fishermen just the other day and that if he shows up to throw our fish in the river and don’t let him get them. Even after I covered Barb with peanut butter the bear did not show! Oh well, we should have more bear viewing opportunities throughout the late summer and fall.

This is as close as we came to a bear attack



Did you know that Kodiak is also home to the largest Coast Guard Station? Well it is. They have 2 Cutters, a Buoy Tender and 7 Helicopters along with a variety of other aircraft.


 
 
During our week’s stay on the island we drove from tip to tip exploring the sights. There are several areas where the military had bunkers and guns during WWII. We walked Fort Abercrombie State Park to see some of the bunkers and museums.



 

 But to us the most interesting thing about the island was the terrain. We have never seen anything quite like it. Rugged coastlines, rugged mountains, lots of waterfalls, few trees and very green. Very very green, it was almost Tropical Island like.




 

 
 For as pretty as Kodiak was, we found most of the locals not so friendly. The sporting good store employees were less than helpful, the brewery guy was kinda grumpy, several other locals we talked to were less than talkative. We did run into a few very friendly folk (Kodiak Wildlife Visitors Center) but for the most part we did not get that "warm and fuzzy" feeling.

The one great exception to this came randomly on our last afternoon in town. It was 4th of July and most of the businesses in town were closed. We happened to drive by a place called Pickled Willys where the open sign was illuminated. We pulled in to check it out. We were greeted by the owner Bill Alwert who talked our ears off the better part of an hour. I think we sampled everything he sells in his shop AND gave us a tour of his pickling and smoke shop. We bought some smoked salmon and black cod cheeks. Bill is quite the character and it is definitely worth the stop if you come to the island.
They have a huge walk in smoker

Automated smoke chip system
 
Salmon brining ready for the smoker
 

Bill showing off some of his Black Cod cheeks

And let’s not forget the geocaching! Over the past winter Barb has been hoarding (aka McCormack’ing) trackables to bring to Alaska and leave up here. What better place to leave a trackable than Kodiak Island?
 

All in all it was a good week. Definitely not cheap (ferry $1,082 round trip) but we are glad we went. It was a unique experience that we will never forget but now that we have done it we don’t see ourselves going back. There are just too many other places to explore!

35 comments:

  1. Next time put some chocolate kisses on that peanut butter, and maybe you will get to see a bear! LOL❤️�� GREAT adventure, really enjoying following...

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    1. I was going to do that but ate all of the chocolate kisses!

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  2. I am loving every word you are writing. I can't wait to do the same trip in a coming year. It clearly looks like the truck camper is the way to go. Are you guys missing the 5er?
    Shawn
    ktmissouri.blogspot.com

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    1. Although we are looking forward to moving back into the 5th wheel, we don't miss the space nearly as much as we thought we would. If we had to do it all over again we pull still do the camper.

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  3. Very interesting. Next time, cover Barb with bacon grease.

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    1. The only thing that would attract is a bunch of guys following her around drooling!

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  4. Too bad the locals were not all that friendly. If you ever come to the Cranbrook or Fernie area the people here seem to be very friendly and offer help and expertise ... where to fish etc. We have found it to be a great area to visit.

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    1. Sounds like some great areas. This is the first time we have felt this way on our trip. Otherwise every one we have meet in BC, the Yukon and Alaska has been great.

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  5. Looks like a nice side trip
    What was the weather like this time of the year

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    1. I don't know what the weather is usually like there but I think they get a lot of rain. I bet it rained a little everyday we were there.

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  6. What a great week! Sorry you didn't get to see the Kodiak bear:( You certainly are getting your Omega-3 fats with that beautiful salmon:) I guess it is tough for the locals...they want the business but on the other hand they don't enjoy all the tourist.

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    1. The salmon and halibut have been delicious! Looks like we are going out again for halibut this week!

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  7. Bummer on the bears....or lack there of!! Pics are beautiful!!

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    1. It was a very petty area, everywhere you looked there were great views. Not a lot of roads though.

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  8. Put 3 bells on her and spray her with bear spray, then they will come.

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  9. Uggggh...that passenger area reminds me of Atlanta Hartsfield when they get an inch of snow. A sea of red Delta blankets and snoring everywhere. Smart move on hanging with Daisy!

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    1. You could definitely tell the tourists from the locals on the ferry. The locals just hunkered down like it was an everyday commute.

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  10. Ah, ha ha! You'd be surprised at how far Steve has come with his cache horde! He's been very generous! Glad Daisy got a 10 minute potty break. I'll bet you enjoyed that sneaky nap in the camper too. We're also convinced a camper is the way to go instead of bringing the 5er. Do you still think so? Great pics as usual. It would've been nice to see a Kodiak but at least you still have Barb!

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    1. Ha, I couldn't resist! They did not give us anytime to walk her on the way back but she made it 10 hours like a trooper! If we had to do it all over again we would still leave the 5th wheel behind and stick with the camper. We have actually been quite comfortable.

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  11. Our ranger from last winter was stationed at Kodiak during his time with the Coast Guard. Sorry you didn't see any bears, I'm sure they'll show up somewhere.

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    1. We are hitting some pretty bear poplulated rivers in August so I am thinking we will get to see some then!

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  12. What a cool side trip! We looked into putting Bigboomer on board a ferry and it was let's say 7 time what you paid for one way!

    Shame about the bears but he probably would have wanted your salmon anyway!

    See y'all in Homer!

    Les and Sue

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    1. Ya, I can't imagine what it would cost to get that beast on a ferry!

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  13. It just blows me away the places you guys are seeing and the outdoor adventures you are having, even without any pictures of a bear chasing Barb covered in PB LOL!!
    Dave & Diane

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  14. What a great blog story. Really enjoyed this and all your posts. Hope you continue to enjoy Alaska and see some bears. I would be totally disappointed :) I want to see bears when we get there.

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    1. We saw plenty of bears on the way up and are anticipating seeing more throughout the fall but really expected to see some of the monster Browns on Kodiak.

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  15. Eww to that rude RV guy!
    We wanted to go to Kodiak too but on a plane,but weather was against us.
    What a great experience you've got, but where are the bears?

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    1. We heard gun shots every night from our camper and the warden told us that is usually from fisherman trying to scare them off when they see one. Why were they so lucky?!?!?

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  16. Bummer about the bears, but I bet Barb was happy!! The geocaching horde was a great idea !! Thanks for sharing the ferry experience. After hearing your decription, money aside, I am in no hurry to do that.

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    1. The ferry is an experience for sure. It would cost a small fortune for a rig your size!

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  17. Just catching up on your adventures now -- did you meet up with Johnny Engstrom? Let me know if it is actually possible to get sick of eating too much salmon and halibut. That is on my life list.

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    1. You and Jeannie would love it up here! Do you get sick of eating too many grilled oysters and crab claws? We are going to be up at Chris' for 6 weeks or so this fall, we will stop by and give you the low down on our trip!

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    2. We met up with Johnny twice actually, once in Sequim Washington and again in Homer!

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