TravelStream™ news feed for member eagle46 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/eagle46 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:13:41 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/1/1212713880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/1/1212713880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/1/1212713880/tpod.html Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:13:41 -0500 Alaska 2008

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Minot, North Dakota, United States

Our goal for today was to make it to Minot, ND. We were on the road by 7:45 am and headed west. The traffic was light and the weather was overcast, threatening to rain all day. We did get an occasional shower, but hardly enough to wet the road. I believed we passed about 1,000 of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. They were all along the highway. As we traveled we stopped to stretch our legs and do a little geocaching. Once again we found places we would not have seen had we not done so. Our first stop in Fargo, ND took us past the Roger Maris Memorial and fountain.

The next cache brought us to a multicolored bison along side of a marker. As I read the marker I realized that it was not for the bison, but for all of the blocks of concrete at my feet. The blocks of concrete contained hand and foot prints of celebrities that had visited the print shop of Fargo printer Mike Stevens. I have a few of them pictured on this blog.

As we continued through North Dakota, the lakes of Minnesota seemed to follow us with a number of them along the highway. There are few cities and people along the way to Minot. As we turned north we passed mile after mile of farm land stretching as far as we could see. The road also parallels the rail line out of Canada.

We arrived in Minot about 6 pm, set up quickly and had dinner. Tomorrow we are on to Montana.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/1/1214446500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/1/1214446500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/1/1214446500/tpod.html Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:32:05 -0400 Alaska 2008

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Haines, Alaska, United States

Since we did not have to catch the ferry until the afternoon, we had a little time in the morning to do some more exploring of the Juneau area. We returned briefly for one last look at Mendenhall Glacier hoping for blue sky, but that was not to be. We then went in search of eagles. Our first stop was Eagle Beach, but unlike its name no eagles were at the beach. One did perch way behind in a tree.
From there we stopped at Amalga or Eagle Harbor where we had been told eagles sometimes fish, but the only thing jumping there were the fish. They were jumping all over the water, but the eagles didn't seem to want them.
Since the morning was passing quickly, we returned to the trailer to get some lunch and close down to head to the ferry.
We were first on the ferry this time. On our 4 ferry trips we were first on twice and last on twice. The trip was smooth and peaceful as we traveled up the Lynn Canal. We passed by several glaciers including the Mendenhall, Eagle, and Herbert. We also passed by two lighthouses, Sentinel Light and Eldred Rock Lighthouse.
We arrived on time and quickly made our way to the campground. Tomorrow we will start exploring the area.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236558540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236558540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236558540/tpod.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:56:38 -0400 Alaska 2009 Homer and Anchorage

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Today was our last day in our 49th state. We slept a little later with daylight saving starting and got a quick breakfast at the Country Kitchen. The Zirkles picked us up at 11:30 am to make the drive to Willow for the official start of the 2009 Iditarod. The weather was cloudy when we left Anchorage, so I was surprised when we arrived in Willow to see Mt. McKinley in full view directly in front of us. Before long it was hidden by the cloud cover. We made our way out to the lake where the race begins and found a spot along the fence to watch the teams come by.
The mushers and teams cross over the Willow Lake before entering the woods on the opposite side. Many houses dots the edge of the lake with the snow making a Christmas card scene. We watched and photographed the teams as they passed by cheering on each musher. The favorites, Dee Dee Jonrowe, Martin Buser, Jeff King and Lance Mackey, were in the middle of the pack. A total of 67 mushers made the start. The dogs had to be held at the start until the musher could leave they are so anxious to run. It seems like a lot of work for the dogs, but they all seem eager to run and pull the sleds.
As the last teams were starting out, we returned to the car and started the drive back to Anchorage. It was a slow go taking about 2 1/2 hours to make the trip. This was about an hour longer then it took to get there.
Tomorrow we say good-bye to Anchorage and Alaska.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236654240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236654240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236654240/tpod.html Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:17:50 -0400 Alaska 2009 Homer and Anchorage

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Jarrettsville, Maryland, United States

This will be the last entry for this blog. We arrived home this evening about 12 am. Tuesday morning after flying in from Anchorage. We awoke to falling snow which continued through our departure time. With snow covering the plane they had to deice the plane before we could take off. This took well over half an hour causing our take off to be late.
We were soon above the clouds, however, with beautiful blue sky above. The flight was really uneventful and with the clouds finally gone we had a good view of the Canadian mountains and the mosaic snow covered plains below. By the time we arrived in Minneapolis the clouds has settled back in and we were told we were on a holding pattern before we could land. We finally landed 20 minutes late giving us less than a half hour, by the time we got off the plane, to make our connecting flight to Baltimore. The plane we were on was scheduled to go on to Boston. After finally getting off, we inquired as to where our connecting flight was to be and found that instead of going to Boston, the plane we had just left was our flight going on to Baltimore. The passengers going to Boston had to board a different plane. So we just had to wait for them to clean the plane and get back on in our same seats.
By the time we arrived in Baltimore it was dark, but the clouds had lifted giving us a nice view of the lights below. We had trouble figuring out where we were exactly until the lights of Baltimore appeared and we passed over Camden Yards and M&T Bank stadium. We then passed over the harbor. It was nice to see familiar landmarks.
We had a wonderful trip, spent time with wonderful people, saw beautiful birds and eager dogs, but it is nice to be back in our own home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236482520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236482520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236482520/tpod.html Sun, 08 Mar 2009 01:57:28 -0500 Alaska 2009 Homer and Anchorage

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

The eight inches of snow that Anchorage received on Thursday definitely gave a feel of winter to the area and a fitting backdrop for the ceremonial start of the 2009 Iditarod. After a quick breakfast at the Country Kitchen, we started walking toward the official starting point for the race. Spectators walked the sidewalks looking for their favorite mushers and mushers, dogs and dog trucks lined the streets. As we walked we passed dogs hooked to the trucks waiting for booties and to be hooked to the sled line. We did find Martin Buser, whose kennel we visitied when we were here in the summer, Lance Mackey, who has won the last two Iditarods, and Jeff King, who along with Martin Buser has won four Iditarods. All were friendly and Lance Mackey was putting the booties on his dogs.
As the time for the start neared, we stopped at the start line to here the official start proclaim by Sarah Palin. Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture. From there we made our way back to Cordova Street where the race runs along the Days Inn where we were staying. We watched from the street through the first forty seven mushers, then went up to our room where we looked down on the passing mushers.
After the last mushers passed, we joined the Zirkles and rode to Earthquake Park for a good view of Mt. Susitna, The Sleeping Lady, and a faint view of Mt. McKinley over 200 miles away. We also stopped to view the Anchorage skyline. From there we grabbed lunch at Pizza Hut passing a resting moose along the way.
After lunch we rode down toward Ship Creek to view the snow sculptures which are part of the Fur Rondy activities. Fur Rondy is a week long celebration of the Iditarod which runs the entire week before. This also includes a carnival complete with the usual carnival rides even in the snow.
For those of you who have tired of eagles, here are some dogs.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236321360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236321360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236321360/tpod.html Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:53:54 -0500 Alaska 2009 Homer and Anchorage

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Today was a day of transition. We left Homer and flew to Anchorage to spend the weekend here for the ceremonial and official start of the 2009 Iditarod. However, before we left Homer we wanted one more chance to spend some time with the eagles. We were pleased to see that the skies had cleared and that there was a good chance of some sunshine for our photos. That pleasure was short lived when we stepped outside to join the Zirkles for breakfast. The wind was howling! By the time we got down on the spit the wind must have been blowing at 30+ mph or better. This was a steady gale, not just gusts of wind.
The bay was churned up and huge waves were slapping the shore. The birds were having trouble making any headway against the winds. Just holding a camera up to take a picture was difficult and setting a camera on a tripod was dangerous. As Steve started feeding the eagles, we noticed there were not very many birds on the ground and those that were in the air were having great difficulty. One bird grabbed a fish, took to the air, and was promptly blown backwards until it ran into another bird. It was almost impossible to focus on an eagle much less get a good picture. We stayed briefly, got a few last photos and returned to the cabin to pack for the flight to Anchorage.
We had to check out of the cabin by about 12 pm, but our flight did not leave until 3:30 pm, so we spent about three hours in the airport waiting to leave. In spite of the wind our flight to Anchorage was uneventful and we were able to get a good view of the spit from the air. After checking into our motel, we met the Zirkles, who had driven back to Anchorage, for dinner. Then it was back to the motel to relax.
Tomorrow we will go from eagles to dogs, as we watch the ceremonial start of the Iditarod, which will go right past the motel.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236229500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236229500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236229500/tpod.html Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:33:25 -0500 Alaska 2009 Homer and Anchorage

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Homer, Alaska, United States

The weather forecast for today was for rain/snow which was to be heavy at times. We had had some really good days photographing the eagles and thought that with the predicted weather we might not go down on the spit. It had not started raining when we headed out, so we made our way down to the spit to see what it was like there. I was the only one who took the big lenses just in case. This was to be our last day in the yard, but we decided, since we might not stay the whole time, to stand by the condos. I was able to get some decent photos even though the sky was battleship gray and light was at a minimum. We did end up staying for the entire feeding.
After we left the spit, we spent the afternoon at the Hopped Up Espresso getting our internet fix and watching the rain fall. This little coffee shop was a great place to get a cup of coffee and bagel, and surf the web. The folks working there were friendly and we saw a great cross-section of Homer as patrons came and went.
From there we moved on to the Caribou Family Restaurant for dinner.
Tomorrow will be our last chance to see these majestic birds in large numbers in such a small place. It is overwhelming to see so many white heads and tails in one place, each fighting for that fish that has headed its way. This opportunity will soon be gone forever and we are fortunate that we were able to make the trip.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236200820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236200820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236200820/tpod.html Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:08:28 -0500 Alaska 2009 Homer and Anchorage

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Homer, Alaska, United States

We once again awoke to cloudy skies, but there was no snow falling as we rode down to the spit. We were back in the yard today, so once again we were close enough to want to pet some of the birds. The yard is enclosed with a fence which is actually a double fence with about three inches between the two sides. There is enough room for fish to land on a ledge between the parts of the fence. These fish attract the eagles to sit on the fence and eat. Since the photographers stand right along the fence, the eagles are "in our face". On Monday an eagle dropped a fish on Fred's arm and another had its wing hit his lens. We have also had eagles fly so close we could feel the air from their wings.
There seemed to be a larger quantity of eagles today, so they were fed an extra 50 pound box of fish. Some of the birds eat the fish slowly, pulling off pieces and eating them bit by bit. Other birds swallow the fish whole in about four gulps. I don't know how they do that since the fish are still frozen. Brrrrrrrrrr!
By the time the birds were fed, there was a light snow/freezing rain falling, so we decided to call it a day on the spit and head into town for lunch. After a nice lunch at the Duncan House Diner, we returned to the cabin to relax and enjoy our pictures of the day. When we got back to the cabin there sat an eagle in a tree behind the cabins.
We had a nice dinner with the Zirkles in their cabin.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is not looking good, so we may not spend time at the eagles and take a chance on ruining our equipment.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236113580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236113580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236113580/tpod.html Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:54:23 -0500 Alaska 2009 Homer and Anchorage

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Homer, Alaska, United States

The bad weather finally caught up with us again this morning. It started to snow shortly after we got up and by the time we arrived at the eagles a sleety snow was falling. When we went into the yard we found out that there were to be too many people inside and we ended up standing outside the campground along the condos. This did give us a different perspective to the eagle feeding, but with the bad lighting getting good pictures was difficult.
We left as soon as the eagle feeding was done, and made our way to the Hopped Up Espresso which advertised free wi-fi. We spent some time there. We checked our email and I finally got my blog truly up and running. We also enjoyed some coffee which warmed us after spending time down on the spit.
When we left the coffee shop we headed down to Land's End for a nice lunch. We enjoyed the meal and had a nice view of the bay as we ate. By the time we finished it was late in the afternoon, so we finally went back to the cabin to sit a while. The weather had cleared a little bit as the afternoon wore on.
As sunset neared, we returned to the spit for some sunset pictures, but a large bank of clouds was sitting on the horizon which diminished the sunset a bit. We then rode farther down the spit to see the Seafarer's Memorial at night. Since this is near the eagle feeding area we noticed a couple of birds still perched in the area and managed to get one more eagle shot.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236025860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236025860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle46/2/1236025860/tpod.html Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:42:29 -0500 Alaska 2009 Homer and Anchorage

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Homer, Alaska, United States

Once again we were blessed with blue skies for our eagle photography. We arrived about 45 minutes before the start of feeding and got our cameras ready and found a spot to stand. We stand along a fence that borders the yard by Jean Keene's home. The eagles will land on the fence or sit just below the fence waiting for a fish to be thrown their way. The weather was once again cold, but there was no wind. There seemed to be more eagles just flying around the area as they were being fed. Perhaps the sunny skies and lack of wind made flying more fun for the birds.
After the feeding was over, we returned to the cabin to get some lunch and download the pictures. After lunch we and the Zirkles headed off to the Bear Creek Winery for some wine tasting. The young lady, Sarah, working at the winery was very personable and we had fun tasting the various wines. Sarah had just finish a graduate degree from Rutgers in Newark, New Jersey, and decided to come live in Alaska for a while. She needed to get out of the city. Grapes do not grow well in Alaska, so many of their wines are made from berries, such as blueberry, strawberry and raspberry. When we left the winery we rode out to the end of East End Road and viewed the beautiful snow covered mountains along Kachemak Bay.
When we arrived back at the cabins for dinner, the magpies were flying noisily overhead. Perhaps they were unhappy with the gray jays.
]]>