Baranof Lake Cabin

Had Harris Air fly us in the Beaver Saturday to spend the weekend at Baranof cabin. We had never been to this one, got a bit spoiled with Lake Eva. LOL It was very enjoyable. Nice sandy beach to relax on and if the water had been warmer a nice place to swim. Michael and Jo both caught rainbow trouts. Michael released his and after tasting Jo's for dinner that nigh wished he had not. lol Delicious. We took the boat down to the end of the 2 1/2 mile lake and walked to the Baranof hot springs. Man were they hot! The trail was very rustic to get to the springs but once you got there it was beautiful! Walked down to the little town and Michael walked out on the dock, cast his line out and first cast caught a nice pink Salmon. Had that for dinner also that night. You can't imagine how good fresh fish tastes never being frozen. Awesome! We had a wonderful time at the Lake and will be going back. Did notice the cabin is very dark and we will take a lantern with us next time. No bears sited on this trip.

Paul Bunion at work!

Left on the beach alone, this is my bear whistle! lol

Mom and Michael fishing

Jo's trout

Hot springs by the waterfall

Michaels salmon trying to get away!

He was really slippery!

These cabins fell down the hill in Baranof

Ride home

Lake Baranof

Michaels trout

Native Dancers

Jo and I went to see the native dancers one day. One of the dancers is a friend that I walk with on Wednesdays for the woman's walk at Totem Pole Park. They taught us how to say a word in Tinglit and after practicing it for a few times, then she told us it meant "Poor Baby" LOL   Jo went down on the floor at one point and danced the exit dance with them by the fire. I think she is a natural. She told me to go dance with them and she would take my picture, I told her she could go dance and I would take her picture. hahha I won. The colors and costumes were beautiful. Very nice show they put on although Jo and I thought all the songs sounded the same. lol

Narrator

Story of the raven

Jo in the exit dance

Round and round we go!

Exit stage left!

Jo and Clara

Try and pronounce that one! LOL

4th of July in Sitka

Well I must say this was the most fun I have had in awhile on the fourth of July. Michaels mom Jo is here for a visit so it was fun to take her out for the day. There was a fundraiser down at the elementary school with booths for the kids, games etc and all the junk food you could eat. I think we ate more lumpia then we ever have. Delicious! The chicken adobo  was great too. Not sure if I spelled either of those correct but they tasted really good. LOL They had the fire works show the night before and they didn't start until 11:30 pm because that is when it is dark. lol  Between the show the city did and all of the private sector fire works it was quite an exhibit. I had a hard time looking in all the directions in the sky that were being lit up! There was the biggest parade I have seen so far here in Sitka but the high lite of the day for me was the water fight between the Sitka Fire Fighters and the Sitka Coast Guards, We were all pretty wet after the water fight as they felt like the audience was to dry. The kids all loved it!

Michael wants one of these! Expensive!

Michelle works with Michael and is a volunteer firefighter, she is the one on the right. lol

Trying to get the water flowing!

Fire Fighters put a rag in the end to plug the Coasties hose!

This was soap they bombed them with

Then it came our way!

The object was to get the barrel down the street, Coast Guard won in the final count

Yes he got us too! LOL

WE'RE OUTTA HERE!

Fortress of the Bears

Fortress of the Bears was first developed in Sitka by Les and Evy Kinnear as an orphaned cub rescue facility and accepted their first 2 bears in 2007. Chaik and Killisnoo came from Admiralty Island topping out at 700-800 pounds. There is no physical interaction between human and bear but over time they taught them to open their mouths on command, food being the bribe to do so, through a barrier in an interior room to check for health problems. They built the complex by buying an abandoned pulp mill and converting the tanks into a beautiful home for the bears. They put in huge swimming pool and diverted a mountain stream so there is continuous fresh water coming in to the pools. They are doing road work on Sawmill Creek Road where the bears are and as they cut down trees the people from the  Fortress was right behind to catch them and take them for the Fortress. This gives the bears different smells that they would not normally get. They fix all of the males so there is no mating at all in the Fortress as they are brother and sister and I guess incest is not best even with bears. LOL
The goal of the Fortress is to educate people that you can co-exist with them if you know their habits. The volunteers are very knowledgeable and could answer any and all of the questions a visitor might have. The bears were so cute you felt like you could just curl up with them, but I'm not going first! My mother in law is here for a visit and it was fun to take her someplace we had not been yet. If you ever make it to Sitka I highly recommend a visit to Fortress of the Bears.

Feed me!

The tube opening was under a huge mound of dirt that was a den for them

The small bear was female in heat and really bitchy! haha

He was laying in a crease in the log. lol

Look pretty intimidating huh?  The pile of trees they brought in were just piled on top of the den.

Took Jo out to Starrygavin trail

Me and Jo