July 29, 2015-Effler Trail boardwalk, Carl E. Wynn Nature Center, Alaska Islands & Ocean Center, Alaska Bear Adventures-bears and more, dinner at Cafe Cups

HOMER

After breakfast of coffee and pastries from The Moose Is Loose bakery/Soldotna that we bought yesterday we decide to drive up on the bluff roads-East Hill Road to East and West Skyline Drive.  OMG a brief glimpse of a moose on the side of the road!  Beautiful views of Homer, Homer Spit, Kachemak Bay.

Apple fritter from The Moose is Loose bakery

View from Skyline Drive

Kenai Mountains

View of K Bay Air building and others at the airstrip

View of the Spit

Breathtaking views!

Moose by side of the road

Moose is loose and heading into the trees!

We stop at the Effler Trail boardwalk, then head over to the Carl E. Wynn Nature Center.  Admission is $6 pp senior fee.  We do a self guided hike.  Here there are wildflower meadows, spruce forests, and songbirds.  The center has 5 miles of trails and 800' of handicap accessible boardwalk.  Check in at the Daisy Lee Bitter Visitor Cabin.  There are free pamphlets here. 

It's so peaceful here

Daisy Lee Bitter Cabin/Visitor Center

Map

Viewing platform/deck

Next it's the Alaska Islands & Ocean Center-a seabird refuge-which is located right on Sterling Hwy. not far from our hotel.  Admission  is free.  There are exhibits, artwork, films (Journey of the Tiglax which is the Refuge's research and service vessel and one on the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve), hands on marine labs.  An Alaska Geographic bookstore.  Outside there's a boardwalk through the wetlands down to Bishop's Beach.  On our hike along this boardwalk we see 2 nesting sandhill cranes.   The Beluga Slough Trail.  It really is a place well worth visiting and did I mention-it's FREE!

Sandhill cranes

Films we watched were very interesting

Before we know it we need to get ready for our bear viewing trip.  We dress in layers per the check in form we got yesterday.  We are first to arrive at K Bay Air.  Better early than late though.  Soon others arrive and we are let into the building.  We write down our e-mail address.  We will be given pictures from this trip.  Great!  I didn't know that.  That is nice if you decide you don't want to take your own pictures you will still have these to commemorate your day with the bears.  A very nice extra added bonus for booking with Alaska Bear Adventures. A briefing on do and don'ts, safety issues, bear etiquette and then getting fitted for hip waders which are annoyingly bulky and uncomfortable.  We will be split into 3 planes.  There is our pilot/guide and 5 passengers-my husband and I and a husband/wife/daughter family from India.  It is no easy feat getting into your seat in this tiny bush plane wearing those hip waders.  Everyone had a hard time.  The inside of this plane is small and I'm feeling cramped.  It's a long flight-around 1 hr.-which doesn't help.  I was hoping that our pilot would give us some narration as to what we were seeing as we flew towards Hallo Bay but that didn't happen.  I was disappointed about that.  Per my research we would be flying over glaciers, volcanoes.  All of a sudden we are near where we will be landing on the beach and we spot bears from the plane!  Lots of bears. 

Bear trip briefing

Ready to go!

Tiny inside

Richard

Some very nice views

Me

Another plane from our group of 3

Wish I knew what this was as it's quite stunning

Pretty cool view

The weather is just perfect-sunny, warm, clear skies.  Exiting the plane is not too bad.  I don't fall flat on my face!  After securing the plane on the beach we start to walk.  What a relief.  It's not hard walking with the hip waders.  We will walk along the beach, through some streams where the current is fairly strong.  We are all holding each other by the hand to get through the water.  Over and onto the grassy areas.  No one else is here.  Just our 3 groups and the bears.  We see bears walking.  Some in the water.  One is swimming.  It looks so cool.  Like he's just going with the current.  Then his head pops up, he stares right at us and shakes his head with water droplets flying.  Others in the water trying to catch fish.  They are so patient, just staring down into the water and then every once in a while will go with their head into and under the water.  I was hoping one would be lucky enough to catch a fish while we are here but no such luck.  Oh well, I am very happy with this trip.  One bear is running after/chasing another bear.  I hope there won't be a fight but when the one kind of catches up with the other they just walk away, side by side.  Lots of bears grazing/eating the grass I guess?  Group of 5-6 grazing.  Mother with cubs.  Bears rolling in the grass.  Our guide has us crouch down as a bear is getting very close to our group.  Maybe 10-15' away.  The bear doesn't notice us but boy, we notice him!  My camera is clicking away but I was so mesmerized that I didn't take all the pictures I wanted.  Luckily each pilot/guide is taking pictures.  I did get some awesome video though.  All too soon it's time to walk back to the plane.  As we're heading back one group waiting for us is sitting on a grass/sand bank and then our guide has us stop and crouch down.  A huge bear is coming towards us.  He calmly walks between our 2 groups-head and eyes looking straight ahead.  He never once stopped or looked at us.  He just kept walking towards the water.  That was so close! 

Getting in the plane this time doesn't seem as difficult as it was the first time.  I guess I'm a pro now!!  Lots of beautiful scenery.  I just wish I knew what I was looking at.  Back at the K Bay Air building we remove our hip waders.  It appears that everyone had a great time.  One of the guides said that our groups saw more bears that the longer classic trip.  I initially was worried about booking this shorter trip but no regrets.  The amount of walking we did was ok.  Maybe 2 miles or a bit more.  Mostly over easy terrain except for wading through the water with a strong current.  And we saw lots of bears.  I am a very happy old lady!!  Some pictures are ones I took and some are from ABA which the guides took.

Our plane

Bear chase

I was too busy watching the moms and the cubs that I took few pictures-most  turned out blurry.  Thank goodness for the pictures taken by the 3 guides-some of which are posted here.

Fireweed

All these pictures taken by the guides of our bear viewing trip were spectacular.

Looking for dinner

Taking a break

Who's coming?

Going for a swim

Too cute for words

Back to my swim

This bear walked by us like we were invisible and he was so close-less than 10' away- that it was a little scary.

He was not interested in us at all

This is the bear that walked between our 2 groups as we were heading back to the plane

Us by our plane

Our group of 5

Leaving Hallo Bay/Katmai

This is the beach area where we landed  It looks so small!

Getting ready to land

Safely on the ground after a smooth flight to Hallo Bay and back

Back to our hotel we get changed for dinner at CAFE CUPS which is within walking distance from our hotel.   Earlier today I had made a reservation for 8:45 pm and I'm glad I did.  This place is small and packed.  There are people waiting to get a table.  We wait about 10 minutes or less and are seated.  This place is very noisy due to its small size and the fact that the tables are close to each other.  I think there are around 15 tables max in this cute place.  I must be getting used to eating so late (for us) as I order a full dinner-tiger prawns/mashed potatoes.  My husband orders the halibut tacos.  We have salads and herb sourdough bread to start.  Our entrees were great.  I am feeling pleasantly stuffed but I order a dessert for us to split.  Something light-ice cream.  Bill with tip $61.

Dinner

Cute place

Menu

I had the tiger prawns charbroiled

Richard had the halibut tacos

Nice salad

Tiger prawns with garlic mashed potatoes

Halibut tacos with black beans

Dessert-ice cream

Back to the hotel.  Sweet dreams on this our 3rd night in Alaska.  I am so loving this state and thanking Mr. Seward for the purchase all those years ago.  Tomorrow we have an all day boat trip to Seldovia planned.