Brooks Lodge

Brooks Lodge is world-famous for the salmon run up Brooks River and the opportunistic bears which feast on the spawning fish. The lodge mainly attracts fishermen, but there were a few of us who were there just for the bear-viewing off the platforms overlooking the falls.

Later in the summer, the bears stand in these falls and wait for the salmon to leap up the waterfall into their open mouths. They become greedy and fat in the short summer before they fall asleep for months on end. The bear presence wasn't at its peak while we were there, but we still had lots of great sightings. One bear blocked our path when we were out on a cultural tour of the area, and Daniel and I saw a big bear just five yards below us under the viewing platform. We even had a bear perform some tricks for us!

The presence of bears increased towards the end of our trip, so much so that our flight home was delayed by a 'bear jam'. We were unable to reach our plane for boarding due to a rather curious bear...

Katmai

We were told by friends that the one thing we should do during our time in Alaska is to take a trip to Katmai in south-west Alaska. We took the (rather expensive) plunge and headed to the famous bear-viewing destination with friends from South Africa. It was worth every penny!

We flew to King Salmon and then took a dinky six-seater seaplane to Brooks Lodge. We enjoyed spectacular views from our precarious perch among the clouds, and the new snow-free Alaskan forests, rivers and mountains were breathtaking. We also all loved the experience of the float plane taking off and landing on water.

We went on a tour of 'The Valley of 10,000 Smokes', a lunar landscape created by the world's largest volcanic eruption in 1912. On the drive there we were treated to a rare sighting of a wolverine. These creatures are supposedly extremely vicious, but all we saw was a very cute and fluffy bum running down the road in front of our bus. The walk down into the valley was incredible, and we were refreshed by the spray from the rivers carving canyons through otherwise barren land.

Each night after our tours and bear-viewing, we enjoyed some wine during the long Alaskan evenings. Since the sun didn't set while we were still awake, we 'settled' for a backdrop of a late silver dusk, gleaming off the glacial blue waters of Naknek Lake.

Seven Glaciers

The road south of Anchorage takes our breath away every time we drive along it. The last time we were on it, we drove through a snowstorm; but now break-up and spring have passed and summer is beginning to show its face. Instead of a black and white landscape, we were treated to a vibrant, green spread of trees, with waterfalls gushing down bare rock faces, and rivers flowing with icy blue glacial waters. There is still some snow on the mountains, but it really is just the icing sugar sprinkled on top!

Seven Glaciers is Alaska's top restaurant - rating-wise and possibly height-wise too! It is at the top of the Alyeska ski resort, and Daniel took me out for a lovely, romantic dinner. We caught the sky tram to the top of the mountain, and saw breath-taking views of the mountains, the tropical rainforest and Turnagain Arm.

We headed home just before midnight, and we were treated a beautiful sunset on the way back...

Yard Sale

Spring is in the air and the Alaskans have all been struck by a curious bout of garage sales. Every weekend we pass signs advertising the yard sales of various households around the city. Last weekend we attended the Mother of all Yard Sales.

A twelve-block radius was partitioned off in Kempton Hills, and thousands of bargain-seekers pitched up in the affluent suburb to browse through the cast-offs of the well-to-do. The streets were lined with trucks and SUVs, and parking was at a premium.

We saw bed sets, giant gas barbecues, basins, books, broken electronics, skis, snowboards, furs, you name it! Mixed in with these were a Porsche and an Audi Q7... Taking a garage sale to the next level! The funniest sight was all the shoppers carrying around their goods in little wagons, wheelbarrows and rucksacks.

Our favorite stop was at the hot dog stand. Not for the quality of the hotdogs, mind you, but for the sheer Americanism of the sign on the stand: a temporary food permit allowing the sale of hotdogs to the public... God Bless American Liability Insurance!

Arbor Day

Spring has sprung in Alaska, and even though we're still colder than we ever were in South Africa, we are learning to deceive ourselves. We are savoring the 18 hours of sunshine every day, and we are constantly agog at all the new growth we see around us. The extended hours of daylight means that everything grows super quickly here, so already the sidewalks have changed from white to green, and the trees are sporting leaves and blossoms.

We were invited to take part in a tree-planting ceremony at Kincaid Park, in honor of Anglo American's sponsorship of a soccer field. Lacking gardening gloves and shovels, the best I could offer was Daniel's labor and my cute new wellies... So off we went to our first Arbor Day in May, imbued with 2010 SWC fever...

I put in a stunning performance as photographer/ supporter/ landscaper, while Daniel got down and dirty in the gusty Alaskan spring. A worthy mention should also go to Paul, for donning Sharon's pink washing-up gloves...

Ice Skating

Ok, we realize this one is a bit of a cheat, but it was on our to do list and we had to cross it off. Of course, it would have been more authentic if we had skated on a frozen pond surrounded by fairy-lit trees and carol singers, rather than heading down to the Dimond Center Ice Rink.

It all started to go wrong when the guy behind the counter issued us with the wrong size skates and then promptly disappeared so we couldn't change them. The skating itself was pretty disappointing, as we weren't very good, but we made up for it with some clowning around. Daniel entered the ring with a bang, emulating the ice hockey players we saw in April!

We wobbled around the rink a bit, narrowly avoiding the pint-sized skaters weaving circles around us. I tried to copy one of the little girls, but stopped when I caught her laughing at me.

We soon called it a day and hit dry ground. Even though it wasn't the greatest winter experience, we're glad we've done it. But I think we'll stick to outdoor winter sports from now on...

Alaskan Prom

We were invited to attend the before drinks of our friends' daughter's prom. Be warned: this is like a matric dance on steroids! The twelve teenagers in the group rented a limo for the entire afternoon. They drove down to Girdwood, stopping at Beluga Point for photos. They then took the sky tram to the top of Alyeska Ski Resort for more posing. After this they headed into south Anchorage for dinner, and only then, did they go to the Prom. Although the temperature was a fresh 7 degrees, the girls refused to don parkas over their beautiful strappy dresses!

Oh, and by the way, did we mention that the limo was a truck? Truly Alaskan! We just want to know if there's a hot tub in the back...

Talkeetna

Daniel booked a surprise weekend away in the quiet town of Talkeetna. It lies 2 1/2 hours north of Anchorage and is famous for its proximity to Denali (Mount McKinley to cheechakos), the highest mountain in North America. Eager climbers catch bush planes to the Base Camp to commence their attempt up the 20,320-foot summit. We were treated to a beautiful view of 'The Great One' as we drove in, but we missed the photo point. Unfortunately the clouds rolled in before we could capture the spectacular mountain on film, but we were awed by its beauty.

The population of Talkeetna is 800, and we saw quite a few of the locals in the Fairview Inn pub on Saturday night. The Denali Brewing Co. operates out of Talkeetna and there were plenty of local beers on tap. Daniel sampled a Chuli Stout, while I enjoyed a nice brown ale of Moose's Drool.

Talkeetna is the place where three rivers meet to form the formidable Susitna River. On our first foray along its banks, we saw great examples of Alaskan break-up. Ice was cracking up along the surface and the glacial waters were crystal clear in the pebble bed. Our second visit was slightly different as two inches of snow had fallen during the night. So much for spring!

Talkeetna is another quiet Alaskan town just waiting for the summer season. If there's nothing to do, the locals have a couple of suggestions...

Snowman

Finally! After 3 1/2 months in the snowiest state, we got round to building a snowman. It was great fun - we felt like two kids in a playground. Our snowman, affectionately nicknamed Snowy, sports a carrot nose, pebble eyes, pine-cone buttons, twig arms, a Pebble cap, and a Springbok scarf. Not something you see everyday...

Alaska Aces

We received company tickets to attend the final match of the 'regular season' between the Alaska Aces and Stockton Thunder. The atmosphere inside the Sullivan Arena was out of this world. Honestly, Loftus on a warm day with the smell of boere rolls in the air doesn't even come close! It turns out the old adage is true - everything in America is bigger and better. Even though it was just a Minor League match, the crowd stood for the national anthem, before taking up the chant of "Drop the puck!"

Suddenly it was all action! Within the first minute, while we were still getting to grips with the speed and skill of the players on the ice, two players (for no apparent reason) took off their gloves and helmets and starting circling each other like boxers in a ring. The rest of the players cleared the field, the referees went to supervise, and the two started to fight! Apparently it's legal until one of the players falls down. This was achieved quite quickly, but the refs seemed to go down with him. Then it was all over and the two players were sent to the sin bin, only to be replaced from the bench. Bizarre!

The subbing system accounted for another unique and crazy learning curve for us. Players on the bench just pour over the side into the arena as the others skate off the rink. Sometimes all five players come off and a new team takes the field. It seemed to be superbly-choreographed, organized chaos.

We soon worked out that Ice Hockey is all about the entertainment. Matches run for three 20-minutes periods, with a 20-minute break between each period. But with all the stoppages for fighting, ad-breaks and time-outs, the game took 2 1/2 hours. An extremely biased warcry leader provided a running commentary over the loudspeaker throughout the game. There were raffles, pot luck draws, a 'chuck the puck' competition, galloping mascots and more! Even the restarts are action-packed, and the scene after a goal is scored is simply sensational.

In the end, the Aces won 4-1 to finish second on the log and qualify for play-offs. What a great game!