Northern Adventures - Kenai

06/17/2024

An absolutely stunning Alaska day! Nice and breezy with temps in the lower 70s. No wonder this is on so many bucket lists. Grateful we get to live here and enjoy this every day.

06/13/2024

Embrace your scars! This cow moose’s scars — likely the result of a bear attack — demonstrate her strength, courage, and resiliency.

This amazing creature visited us at 11:30 pm on Saturday, when these pictures were taken. She then surprised us by hanging around the next day, even allowing Alan to pull a hose away from her vicinity. She was also not at all perturbed by the sound of the tile saw and contentedly browsed only 200 ft away. I hope she knows she will be safe here.

06/04/2024

We saw “our” moose with her BABY on our property!! I am beyond excited!! And the baby was tiny — could not have been more than a day or two old. Hoping to see them again soon, but today we gave mama a wide berth. No photos, but here are a couple of baby photos courtesy of Bragg Photography.

06/02/2024

I HAVE BABY FEVER!!! We just spotted our first baby moose of the season, and they were TWINS! Baby moose are so stinking cute, I just can’t help myself!! Sorry for the blurry photo - I was so excited I barely remembered to pull out my phone.

05/21/2024

Decided to head a little south today. Many of you are aware of the world famous Kenai River, but not many know of the Kasilof River just a few miles south of it. We are blessed to live equidistant from both rivers, but we rarely travel south. So today I went to the Kasilof Beach on the Cook Inlet, where locals can dipnet, which means fishing from the shore with large nets. Then I went to the Kasilof River, which is also a salmon fisherman’s favorite. Like the Kenai, the Kasilof River is a beautiful teal color from the glacial melt off. And today was just a spectacular day to be out! Alan returns this evening from a quick trip back to the East Coast, so we’ll be back to work on the cabin tomorrow. Hope you’ve enjoyed my excursions as much as I have!

05/20/2024

The moose birthing season has started! Moose mamas are dropping their precious calves all over Alaska! But despite how cute and fuzzy those babies look, stay far far away! Mama moose are very protective and won’t hesitate to kick and stomp any perceived threat. The biggest threats? Bears and dogs (and cars).

"It’s my favorite time of year!" This was taken just the other day

Photo - Renee Gilbert Photography

05/20/2024

Did a little exploring yesterday at Captain Cook State Park. The enormous boulders strewn upon the shore provided stark evidence of the power of water. The best part is that I had the entire beach to myself. Completely relaxing time with unbelievable views on an overcast Saturday.

Cook State Park

05/12/2024

Happy Mothers Day! Sharing this video of an awesome cow moose mama we spotted last weekend. Not only did she keep her triplets (!) safe from hungry bears, she also got them all through a brutal winter. Truly amazing, and she may also be pregnant and ready to deliver new calves. Kudos to this moose mama, and to all mothers everywhere.

05/09/2024

Sandhills cranes have returned! Saw this gorgeous couple on our return from Homer. Did you know that Sandhill cranes mate for life? ❤️. And also that some hunt these amazing creatures? 😢. Hoping these two stay safe!!

05/06/2024

Took a short road trip to the Homer Spit, aka Land’s End, for a super fresh seafood dinner. Although a little overcast, it was nice to be there before the crush of summer tourists. Some of you will recognize the famous Salty Dawg Saloon.

05/03/2024

And another big milestone yesterday, after a grueling 12 hour day. Our ceiling was finished after being sprayed with polyurethane, and it looks so rich and gorgeous. Now we can finish installing the cabinets and floors — and we heard today that our countertops were cut and are ready for pickup. Guess we’ll be planning another road-trip to Anchorage!

05/03/2024

So last week was the big week! But this week has been busy too. They dug and buried the water line from the well to the cabin, and the trench was about 8’ deep to get far below the 3 feet or so the earth will freeze in the winter. This is what building and living in the Arctic looks like — but I’m loving it!

05/03/2024

When it rains, it pours! After our project was stalled for a few weeks, everyone suddenly descended upon us, and in a good way! Within the space of a week, our well was dug (to 180’), our septic tank was installed, our tongue and groove ceiling was installed, and our bathroom vanities arrived (over a week early)! Now, the big remaining obstacle is electricity. The electric company is waiting to dig and bury our electrical line until they’re sure the ground isn’t frozen. The well guy told us there was still about a foot of frozen earth, but we’re hopeful we’ll get electrical soon. It’s finally coming together! Below are pics of the well being dug.

04/19/2024

Look what we spotted peeking out from our woodpile — an ermine (aka mink or weasel)!! This picture is just for illustration; ours was still white but his/her summer coat of brown was starting to come in. You never know what wildlife Alaska will show you. Such a wonderful place to call home!!

04/19/2024

This is what DIY in a rural area looks like. We rented a bigger truck to pick up our septic tank in Anchorage, and got to drive 150 miles through the gusty winds and mountains with this huge sail strapped to our back. For those who are interested, it’s a 500 lb, 1000 gal tank that will be buried 10 ft deep.

04/13/2024

I’m officially a Beluga Whale monitor now! Teresa (who made this report) was my instructor, but we ‘only’ saw seven during my monitoring session on Thursday. I hope to count lots more in the coming month!

04/13/2024

Juvenile bald eagle decided to perch right outside the deck. Both cats immediately went on full alert! Even as full time indoor cats, they instinctively recognize the danger.

04/09/2024

Our sweat equity continues! We’ve been busy staining the tongue and groove boards for our ceiling. We’ve done 180 boards in 8’, 12’, and 16’ lengths. It should be beautiful when done!

04/09/2024

Thought I’d get on the solar eclipse bandwagon. 😂😂

03/16/2024

What do you think? Part-time volunteer opportunity? These belugas will swim right past our property!

THE BELUGAS ARE BACK! Alaska Wildlife Alliance received reports that 8 belugas passed the mouth of the Kenai River this afternoon. We have gone ahead and opened our spring session sign-up sheets to current volunteers for our Kenai River and Kasilof River monitoring sites! We will provide updates on our other sites as we continue to assess the conditions.

For those wanting to become a beluga monitor, go to our website at AKBMP.org to sign up for our virtual training orientation on March 20 from 6-7:30pm AKST.

Alaska Wildlife Alliance
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Beluga Whale Alliance
Defenders of Wildlife
Kenai Peninsula College
NOAA Fisheries Alaska

03/15/2024

Eagles! While we see them every day flying over the bluff, this one was the "King of the Mountain" and then we found the mother lode of the "Eagle tree"!!

03/15/2024

This video is more from our trip to Anchorage, and the picture was from our return trip the following day. We were loaded up with a window that missed the first delivery, lighting fixtures, and essentials from Costco. I can't tell you how happy we were to get out of the city and back to our small town. At least the drive is great!!

03/15/2024

We're in our "second" Spring now. I'm sharing a few snippets from our trip to the "big city" of Anchorage this past weekend for supplies. Imagine all this being in your backyard!!

03/09/2024

Work continues on the cabin — this thing will be warm! 2”x6” construction, triple pane windows, high R-value insulation with a v***r barrier, then R-Max foam board for a thermal break, plus a soapstone wood fireplace. Drywall installation starts next week. Probably won’t matter to our friends who will visit in the summer, when we’ll have 22+ hours of daylight and world class fishing for salmon and halibut. Plus bear tours, amazing hiking trails, outstanding mountain and sea vistas, and I could go on and on. This is truly a paradise!

03/09/2024

Love our ever changing scenery! The below photos of Cook Inlet and Mt Redoubt were taken within a two hour span of time last evening.

02/20/2024

Heading to the grocery store and saw this herd of caribou on the side of the road!!

02/16/2024

We've been in the 40s this week, setting all kinds of records! The birds are singing, the sun is out, the squirrels are foraging, and even the daffodils are thinking it's time to bloom. But NO, don't do it -- it's one of many false springs!!

02/08/2024

Mama moose’s yearling walking along the bluff after checking out the Cook Inlet’s low tide.

02/08/2024

The neighbors decided to pay us a visit again today!

02/05/2024

Alpenglow lighting up Mt. Redoubt with sea smoke over the Cook Inlet in the foreground.