May 28 Thursday

Today the Parks Department installed the "CAMP HOST" sign at Bobs site - space 21. Also, the State guys were there to start installing the fish weir at the walkway that goes across the Chilkoot River. They have a "fish counter" there during the summer months who sits on the walkway and does a visual count of fish. There has been a bear in camp in the last several days. He dug a big hole in site #5 which the camp host had to fill in.

May 27 Wednesday

Went to town to do laundry, the library to re-charge the computer, and to the store for some groceries and fresh fruit. The fresh produce comes in once a week. Tractor trailers with supplies are loaded on the ferry and trucks are waiting at the ferry terminal to pick them up when they get to Haines. It arrives on Monday but the produce isn't usually on the shelf until Tuesday.

Advise from the locals - "buy produce on Tuesday or Wednesday or wait until the next week".

6:30 TONIGHT - FIRST BROWN BEAR (GRIZZLY) ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER.

May 26 Tuesday

RAIN!!!! Lots of Rain! Park is open today.

May 23 Saturday

6 hour class at the Haines library for all tour guides and volunteers on bears and bear safety, and dealing with the public. Bob will help with bear monitoring out on the Chilkoot River. Driving the truck around the two loops in the campground to break up the snow.

May 21 Back to work

Today I'm back at work - (hmm...did I ever really leave?).

Bob went in to the American Legion tonight for hamburgers. Pretty good deal he said! Hamburger, salad, and a beer for $10.00. (A beer in town is $7.00).

May 20 Wednesday

I spent the night in Juneau last night and spent most of today at the Juneau airport. It's pretty small. I flew from Juneau to Seattle, caught a smaller plane and flew to Portland. Got home at 8:00 p.m. and back to work tomorrow.

Bob settled in at camp and then had a 6:00 meeting with the Ranger and some other folks at the library at 6:00. They are going to be making some changes in the bear viewing area.

May 19 Heading For Home

After setting up camp we headed down to the ferry terminal which is between Chilkoot Lake and Haines. We are both starting to wonder what the heck we were thinking! Leaving was more difficult than either of us thought it would be. I told Bob if I came back in the summer someone else had to take me to the ferry!

My Boat was the Tustumena. It holds 174 passengers, 36 vehicles and has 36 cabins. As a walk-on my fair was only $37.00. It took 4 1/2 hours to get to Juneau, but it was one of the most beautiful trips I have ever taken.

The Tustemena

Haines from the ferry

Eldred Rock Lighthouse

Eldred Rock is the oldest original Alaskan Lighthouse building. First lit on June 1, 1906 and one of the remotest lighthouses in North America, the Eldred Rock Lighthouse was built after some disastrous shipwrecks in the vicinity, especially during the 1898 Gold Rush, when the Lynn Canal was full of steamships bringing miners to Skagway for their climb over Chilkoot Pass. Eldred Rock Lighthouse was decommissioned in 1973 and has been operated remotely since then. In recent years, the Coast Guard has only maintained the beacon, and the building has fallen into disrepair. Efforts are currently under way to try and aquire the lease of Eldred Rock from the Coast Guard. Hopefully some day the lighthouse and buildings will be restored and possibly open to the public. (www.sheldonmuseum.org)

Mendenhall Glacier on the way into Juneau
Sunset in Juneau

May 19 Tuesday

Today is a good day and a bad day. The Ranger came with a key to the gate yesterday that did not work. He came back this morning with bolt cutters that were to small. He told Bob he could smash the lock to open the gate. (Don't have to tell us twice!) We drove into the campground and locked the gate behind us. There is still snow in the campground and the road is saturated with water. They do not want campers in yet. We were able to move into our campsite and get set up. Then we had one hour before I had to head to the ferry and go home.

May 18 Monday

Today we went into town to the Dr. to drop off paperwork, to the library to charge batteries and use the computer, and to the store. There is construction on the road to town. They are blasting and putting in culverts and widening the road. They caught the hillside on fire today. The alarm went off and ALL volunteers went out to the site. Also the Coast Guard helicopter did a fly over.

May 17 Sunday

Last night we had really high winds all night. It was cold and windy in the morning and clear in the afternoon - 65 degrees. We stayed in camp all day. Watched an eagle catching fish in the river right below the 5th wheel. (the pictures are through the window). Jen came out to visit. Jen works for the Parks Dept. There is one Ranger (Preston) who has only been there 2 months, Jen who works 5 months out of the year, and Nick who works 7 months out of the year.

Chilkoot Lake, Haines, Alaska

Chilkoot Lake is glacier fed. The Chilkoot River runs into the north end of the lake and out the south end of the lake. Then the river runs a short distance to Lutak Inlet which turns into Lynn Canal. These are four salmon runs on the Chilkoot River from June to mid October which is what draws the bears.

May 16 Saturday

Today we went into town and then drove out along the Chilkat River home of the Bald Eagle Preserve. It is back towards the Canadian Border. Back into Haines for a burger, and to the shops for a shower. Back at camp it is a very busy day. This is a Canadian holiday and in this turnaround there are campers (who cannot get into the campground), kayakers (guided), people fishing, locals running their dogs, people rafting, and a sight seeing bus full of tourists.

May 15 Friday

Today we drove to Chilkat State Park. It is also closed due to snow so we did not get in. We met the hosts last year. They will arrive June 1. Back to town and went to the library. This will be Bobs main "hub" for communication. We stopped at the Parks Office and Bob picked up a key for the showers at the shop. At 5:00 we went to the Elks Lodge for hamburgers. Met a lot of nice people. There are 3 opportunies for dinner during the week. The Elks has "taco Tuesday" and hamburgers on Friday night. The American Legion has hamburgers on Thursday night. We are playing 3 & 13 almost every night and Bob is feeling picked on!

May 14 Moving Day

The campground is not open yet due to snow. A call to the Ranger gave us permission to park at the lake in the turnaround area so today we said good-bye to electricity and running water, and hello to outhouses! We ended up staying parked here for 5 days. We went back to town to the laundromat ($5.00 per load.)

Back at camp we can see the mountain goats on the mountain high above us. 2 biologists came into the park, jumped out and held up an antennae. The ranger later told us they are looking for a tagged bear.

Chilkoot Lake State Park, Haines, Alaska

Road into the campground

May 13 Catchup Day!

Today was catch-up day! We had showers (much needed). I did one load of laundry. Bob went by the State Parks Office (no one home), the Haines Cemetery (found an old friend), and the car wash. Then we took a trip out to Chilkoot Lake to look around. Came back to town and went to the Dr's. office and picked up paperwork to register Bob (just in case). Went to the Post Office and checked on his mail delivery. Made sure his debit card worked at the bank. Stopped at the Visitor Center. Went to three stores in town. They have an IGA and also a sporting goods store that has a grocery store attached. The other store we stopped at was mainly for tourists (that would be me). It was closing in two days - new owners. All of this is in a two block area. There is a hardware store in town and some other small stores but none to write home about.

Haines, Alaska - Overview

HAINES, ALASKA

Haines, Alaska is 24 miles from the Canadian Border. The population of 2,200 people includes all of the surrounding areas. There are several ways to get to Haines which is at sea level on the Lynn Canal.

1. Drive from Haines Junction, Yukon on the Haines Highway, total 155 miles.

2. Alaska Marine Highway Ferry, or Fast Ferries, (neither one runs every day).

3. Fly to Haines on a commuter airline (small planes) from Juneau, Alaska.

Right now there is 18 hours of daylight in Haines. In June and July that bumps to 20 hours! Summer temperatures range from mid 50's to low 70's. This last week it has been 55-65 degrees. The locals will tell you that they had 5 days of summer/sunshine last year. They are enjoying this weather, as it is not usual for Haines.

Haines has a rich history. It is the home of Fort William H. Seward which was the first permanent U.S. Army post in Alaska. They have a native population and the area was the original home of the Tlingit Indians. There is a visitors center and several museums in town.

The area around Haines is the home of the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. Between October and February approximately 3,500 eagles congregate here.

Haines is the home of the S.E. Alaska State Fairgrounds. (Yes, it is small). On the fairgrounds you can visit Dalton City, the movie set for Wild Fang which was filmed near Haines.

Haines gets very few cruise ships and only the smaller ones. Ships that dock in Skagway provide excursions to Haines where tourists can visit the harbor or museums, take a kayak, raft, or jet boat trip, hike, fish, bike, rock climb, visit a gold mine, tour Fort Seward, take ATV's to the top of the mountain, or just hang out in town.

Haines does not have a traffic light. There is one 4-way stop sign in town. Haines is small and that is just the way they like it!

Fort William H. Seward

Chilkat River - Home of the Bald Eagle Preserve

Dalton City @ SE Alaska State Fairgrounds

Haines Harbor

Downtown Haines - 4-Way stop sign

May 12 Watson Lake to Haines

Today we are up early again. It is snowing and cold out – 28 degrees. We drove from Watson Lake to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Went to Walmart and stocked up on some groceries then headed for Haines Junction. We planned on staying at Kathleen Lake. The campground was closed and we decided to go on into Haines. We crossed the border at 3:10 and were in Haines, Alaska, USA at 4:15. Today was a total of 526 miles. Wildlife: moose 2, caribou 12 (various locations), snowshoe rabbit 1, porcupine 4, grizzly bears 2. (On this side of the mountains they are called grizzly bears, on the coast they are called brown bears.) We parked at the RV park which charges an outrageous price and headed out to Chilkoot Lake to check it out. You would think we would be tired after driving 2,155 miles!

Alcan Highway

Grizzly Bears near Haines Junction, Yukon Territory

Kathleen Lake on the Haines Highway

Porcupine on the Haines Highway

South end of a porcupine

Haines Highway (Haines Junction, Yukon Territory to Haines, Alaska, USA)

We made it!!!