Submitted by John Bellucci on 4/28/99. ( ArtistExpr@aol.com )
Well gang, as the title reads, we made it to Homer, Alaska to view the eagles... the large bird -- not the rock group :} This is also the final installment in this Alaskan saga. We have returned home, with I might add, very heavy hearts at the prospect of leaving possibly the most beautiful state in the union... for us anyway! Knowing that our little guy Clyde was waiting for us at home made the return easier to bear. To those who don't already know... Clyde is our cat. All that aside... back to our show!
The drive to Homer was a dilly... about five and a half hours worth of driving. The start of the trip was great... again taking us along scenic Seward Highway. It was amazing just how much the landscape had changed in just a short eight days! The ice floes had almost all entirely broken up and were little scattered ice blocks... little in that they broke up from, say thirty-feet long down to some ten-feet and smaller!
I once again had a great roadside "Moose-Encounter"... this time with a big old bull moose. I know... even more foolhardy than the first cow moose encounter. This time though I was ready... with camera mounted on the tripod, I hopped out of the van and set up to start shooting. I then crossed the highway and got right in this big guys face... remember it's just coming into spring and the antlers are mere velvet "nubs". He did give me the dirtiest look though... kind of like: "Geez, can't a moose graze in peace? Dang tourist!"
After a few more picturesque stops along the way to search for Harbor Seals and such, we drove on to Homer. The latter part of the drive was dull! In fact, it was as if we were driving on the Pennsylvania Turnpike... you know... the road just goes on and on without a whole lot of interest.
When we finally arrived at our destination, we began to search the skies in anticipation! "Where are all the eagles we heard about?" Nothing to be seen! As we passed the Wildlife Refuge Visitor Information Center, I decided that if we didn't see any eagles it would be best to check in there and ask where the birds were. No need! As we traveled out onto the "Spit", that long penninsula you'll notice on an Alaskan map jutting out from the body of the state, we started to notice these large brown birds with white heads and white tails... We'd done it... we found the eagles :) Cheryls' response was that it looked like we wouldn't be going back to the visitor center for information on finding eagles!
The first roll of film I shot, yielded some really great shots of the birds in flight, eating and perching. The next roll left a lot to be desired! Not from a lack of photographic skills, but from the behavior of the subject matter.
You see, there's this woman who lives in a trailer towards the end of the Spit, and she likes to feed "her" eagles. In other words... she has turned these magnificent masters of the air into begging scavengers; fighting off crows and seagulls for fish that are tossed to them! Crap! What a terrible let down.
Never mind "The Eagle has landed"... these eagles have been effectively "grounded!" I mean I took a photo of a group of a dozen or more of these birds just sitting on the ground, waiting for their turn. I'm talking mature birds here... not just the juveniles! Don't get me wrong, they DO fly, but mostly they soar around looking for an empty perch or waiting for a handout!
This is where the ..."You Must Beware" comes into the title... and I'm sure many of you know where this mess is going! Right... in the feeding frenzy that ensues, the "bombs" begin to fall. And this time there is no "All Clear." The only way NOT to take a hit is to stay in your vehicle. There are signs that say to do just that. I thought it was for the sake of the birds, and it probably is... but I discovered differently! Of course with my tripod setup and big lens and all, the camera was outside the vehicle at all times! Now, I personally didn't take a direct hit, but we heard a loud thud somewhere on the vehicle. I didn't find it until we had later stopped for gas. One of those "eagle-eyes" had hit the drivers' side door, just inches below me and my camera lens! And if it wasn't for the door, I would have had eagle "decorator" boots! Really gross s--t too! I'm ending the description there... as there is NO need to go on!!
Well, with our trip to homer completed, we began packing for the next days return flight home. Seeing as how it was a night flight, we spent the last day visiting with our new friends and acquaintances, and saying our final -- but not permanent -- farewells. In fact one of these folks, Russell Knight of "Knight's Taxidermy", has an ad in the current issue of Breakthrough. Get four hunters to hunt Africa at the same time... and you, the taxidermist, hunts for free! A sweet deal for sure!
After our farewells, we decided to take a final spin down Seward Highway. Our last place visited was Portage Glacier. Of course there hasn't been any large ice formations for the past few years, but the huge snow field was decent enough!
This was followed with the return drive to the airport for the flight home :( Now we're back to the old grind... work, cutting grass, etc. BUT ... the photos are being proccessed!! Ahhh ... this sounds like a Breakthrough article in the making ... just for those who would like to SEE the maginficence that we had the opportunity to experience. Alaska ... it refreshes the soul!
Thanks to all who spent this time with me recounting our "Northern Exposure"... your time and indulgence has been wholeheartedly appreciated.
Humbly submitted for your enjoyment, my warmest redagrds to all... John B.
This response submitted by Rhonda on 4/29/99. ( ladyredwing@gbso.net )
Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us,some of us are not fortunate enough to travle like this .but your entries gave us a taste of your journey and what it is like there and in a way we were there with you. I can only speak for my self but i enjoyed reading about your trip .as a beginner (a little over a year )i have really got alot more than i could of expected out of this forum.
Thanks from Florida
This response submitted by Jerry on 4/29/99. ( AKBIRDS@AOL.COM )
Thanks John for that wonderful review. I've been in Alaska for 20 years and I hope I NEVER loose the appreciation for all you wrote about........even the eagle crap! When I first encountered the Bald Eagles of Alaska it was on the Haines Highway along the Chilkat River in Southeast Alaska(home now) where there were thousands(literally) of eagles sitting in the trees and along the banks of the river in January.
Come again!