July 16th - 29th

July 16th - 29th  Getting things Set up Enjoying Prince William Sound

 After such a long journey to get here, we spent Tuesday the 17th emptying all our tanks, getting the trailer real level, put the skirt on the front of the fifth wheel, and moved the freezer in there. (No need to plug it in yet, when we start catching fish we'll plug it in.)  We did 11 days worth of laundry in town. (Laundromats are a hoot!!- and there is ONLY 1 in this small town) We vacuumed, changed sheets, mopped the floors,  put my little desk together, set up the computer, grocery shopped,( there is a Safeway here, small, expensive, and not stocked very well, but Valdez is very isolated so I'm sure getting the food to the stores here is limited.) Needless to say.....it was a busy but productive day. We were exhaused that night.

This is our view out our front door

The mosquitos are horrible here. We have a screen canopy that we brought with us, (we took to Alaska in 2006 but NEVER put it up, the mosquitos weren't a problem that year.) Hello, this is 2012 and they ARE a problem. So we put it together.  Now we have a 'porch' under our awning where we can sit  outside, enjoy the beauty around us, and not get eaten alive by those pesky mosquitos. We grill in it too.





Our 'yard'

Our enclosed 'porch'











The weather has been extremely good.  It did rain for 3 days at the end of the week.  The temperatures are in the low 60's upper 50's usually, seems much warmer, because the days are much, much longer.  It doesn't get 'dark' ever, the sun doesn't go down, it goes around.  The darkest part of any 24 hr period is around 2:00 A.M.  Its more like 'dusk'.  Sure glad Gene put covering over our bedroom windows before we left home.  You'd NEVER be able to go to bed in daylight. 

Wednesday we checked out Prince William Sound, where we like to fish on Allison Point, which is also the end of Alaskan Pipe Line. Security keeps us out, no tours. Seems like, so far, the only Salmon in right now is the 'pink' salmon.  Fun to catch, but we want the Silver Salmon which are a week or two away from arriving in the sound.  We hope anyway, that its not any longer than that, although we've heard that the salmon run is later and smaller in numbers, they say lowest in 30 years.  There is so much to see here, Sea Lions, seals, otters, eagles..... and did I mention Eagles????  LOVE to watch them., and there HUNDREDS here. 

Adolesent eagle

 There are a lot of adolescent eagles (teenagers) who STILL squawk to tell their mama's they wanna EAT!   And they are much bigger than their mama's.  Eagles don't get their black and white colors until they are 4 or 5 years old.  The siblings 'pick' on each other in their flights...  They are like 'calico'. in color.... kinda ugly actually.  When the tide goes out, thats when the eagles to 'their' fishing. 





 The are everywhere on the flats.  Gene counted 23 eagles all on the flats in 'one' sitting. You might see quite a few Eagles on this blog before we leave Valdez.  Sorry.



3 Eagles in this picture

Then the Sea Lions.... The sea lions have a feeding anytime they want it.   And there are a whole LOT of them. (Sea Lions AND Pink Salmon). The sea lions hang around the fish ladders, where the pink salmon are spawning, and eat as many and as much as they want. Easy meal for them. (Poor Salmon!!)



a lone sea lion

You can see below how close they are to the spawning salmon on the middle right.



After the sea lions get their bellys full, they group together and stay that way until their food digests, with their noses up, like they are 'sunning'.

The seals however don't usually get too close to the sea lions, they stay out away from the spawning salmon...because the sea lions keep them away, but they do their own hunting away from the crowds. 













There are Sea otters as well, they will catch their salmon, float on their backs, and hold on to the salmon with their little paws...and eat their salmon a lot more slowly. 

Sea Otter eating his dinner

 And of course the sea gulls are the escorts...where ever sea lions, seals and sea otters are eating, there are sea gulls waiting for the left overs.  Tons of sea gulls.


There is a mama bear and '4' cubs at Allison Point as well.  They appear twice a day.  We haven't seen them yet.  We've tried.  There are soooooo many people waiting to get pictures of them with their 'BIG' cameras.  Of course the bears will come when they're good and ready.  We waited 2 hrs, gave up at 9:15 p.m., we know we'll see them before we leave here in a month or so. 
 


                                                    ....................But I enjoy the EAGLES the most!!!



Eagle