The current weather forecast is not favorable but today is at least supposed to be partly cloudy so at 7am I pick up my rental car.
First stop on Seward Hwy is Potter Marsh. The marsh sits right off the highway and is at the southern end of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge. The marsh was created in 1917 when the embankment for the railroad was constructed blocking tidal flow from the Turnagain Arm (which the Seward Hwy is following at this point).
I'm there by 8:30am. There are two large boardwalks providing perpendicular views of the marsh. Not many people here yet but there are a few. Definitely partly cloudy but the wind is very strong.
Time to look for some birds (and hopefully, mammals).
I head out on the one boardwalk - wonderful views!
I see some Canadian Geese, Yellowlegs
Arctic Terns
and some ducks huddled up.
The swallows are flying everywhere. I'm actually quite fascinated with the one Swallow; he's preening.
There are large tracks in the mud -- not sure if they're moose or bear.
But unfortunately, I see no moose or bears.
I move to the other boardwalk paralleling the hwy.
This side is a bit different in vegetation and there are flowers on this side - just past bloom Iris and some yellow flowers.
In the muddy areas, there are lots of bird tracks.
I find 4 adult geese and 3 goslings. The babies are still fluffy and are chowing down.
Great stop but time to continue moving. I will be stopping at the marsh again on my way back to Anchorage.
The Turnagain Arm has one of the largest tides in the US - up to 40ft. At low tide, the mud flats are visible.
The tide is currently in (high tide) on the Arm. And boy is the wind is blowing it into some nice waves.
Not much further down the road is a pull-off for Potter Creek. I take the 0.4 mile Interpretive Trail (singing songs to keep the bear away). I am hoping for a nice view at the end or along the way. Lots of Cow Parsnip in bloom along the trail.
At one point, a raven in the woods starts making a lot of noise and I wonder if its trying to warn me of a bear but I continue (w/ fingers crossed).
I make it to the end but there are no views of the Arm that aren't blocked by trees. :(
Oh well, I survived the hike!
I continue down the hwy checking out almost every pull-off along the way.
I miss the McHugh Creek Picnic Area but I'll catch that on the way back.
I stop at Bird Creek and get lucky enough to follow 3 other folks thru the woods and to the river. A little mucky along the river but worth it.
Next stop is Bird Point; these one is my favorite stop as it has raised boardwalks.
And it has more information about the belugas that can be seen in the Arm.
According to the information, there are 5 different populations of Beluga in Alaska. The ones here in Cook's Inlet (Turnagain Arm) are genetically distinct and are endangered.
Again, no belugas to be seen other than the ones in the parking lot.
Before coming into the town of Girdwood, there's the Tide Water Slough - love it!
But the history is sad as the slough and the dead trees sit on the old site of Girdwood before the big 1964 earthquake. The city, from my understanding was destroyed by the earthquake and tidal surge. The trees were killed by the inflow of salt water.
The city was rebuilt a short distance away.
I bypass Girdwood and head to the Portage Glacier area.
And this parasitic plant that I can't remember it's name.
Along the road to the boat dock, I see another glacier (Byron Glacier) in the distance and after looking for the trail head in the wrong place, I do find it and head off in the drizzle.
Lots of vegetation along this trail but there are lots of folks walking. The entire way, the trail parallels a stream flowing from the glacier.
When I'm finally out of the trees - Wow!
Hey I almost missed the iceberg!
Well that's my end point for today. Time to head back towards Anchorage.
On the way back, there's no use looking for belugas again because the tide is out and there's no water; just mud flats. Pretty amazing to see the before and after.
I make a stop at the Falls Creek Trail. There's a nice waterfall that can be seen from the road. The trail follows the creek up a little hill. I'm not sure how far the trail goes so I follow for only 10 minutes before turning back.
I make another stop a McHugh Creek Falls. Man, is it really blowing a gale!! I found out first hand how high and far a baseball cap can fly! (I did get it back.)
Again, not doing my homework and knowing how far the trail goes, I decide not to follow it. But head back to the hwy. Oops, how did I miss this waterfall on the way in?!
I stop again at Potter Creek by accident (I was thinking Potter Marsh - which is the next stop). But it's a good mistake as I see a Bald Eagle flying in the small opening by the parking lot.
I finally make my last stop at Potter Marsh. The sun is here so I'm hoping to see a butterfly or dragonfly. I don't have my hopes up because they are probably hunkered down out of the wind.
Not many birds around, even the swallows have grounded themselves.
I'm checking the wet/muddy areas along the boardwalk and I do find a Tiger Swallowtail (yea!) - a Canadian Swallowtail. (I've seen this species in Wisconsin.) I do get a good look because unfortunately, this guy is floating in the water most likely a victim of the wind.
At the end of the one boardwalk, a lady points out a Bald Eagle's nest in the distance. She said Mom and Dad were flying a bout. (I think I saw one of the a couple of miles away at Potter Creek.) I think I may see one of the chicks - a black form on the nest - but am not sure.
I do see a couple of dragonflies around the parking lot (out of the wind).
An awesome first day but no bear or moose. Maybe tonight I'll get lucky as I'm taking a sunset photo trip starting at 8:45pm and ending around 1am.
But before the Photo Trip, and after dinner, I head out to Earthquake Park. Not looking to walk the whole park, just a portion along the shore.
The park is in memory of the Good Friday 1964 9.2 earthquake. This area was once a neighborhood that either fell into the Arm or into the earth during the quake. From the looks of things, the debris was cleaned up and left for mother earth to take care of and she reforested it. And the land did drop - it's very noticeable from the road how the edge of the forest is road level and but the rest of the forest is further below.
I park and I head towards the memorial which overlooks the Arm.
By the memorial, there's a little path that heads down a steep hill (left from the earthquake) down to the mudflats. A sign warns of the potential danger on the mudflats but when I get down there, it's dry. Another group is already down there so I walk out with them.
There's a great view of Anchorage on the flats.
One guy spots 3 Sandhill Cranes with a Gulls in the distance - very exciting. They are feeding.
Standing on the flat, I watch float planes are flying over head on their landing approach. The big commercial jets are also flying over head.
I head back up and decide to walk the Earthquake Interpretive trail. I'm hesitant as its on a dirt path and through the woods. But when 2 guys head that way, I follow. The trail is marked well with arrow signage and interpretive panels.
The guys take off a different direction but I still follow along the trail. Beautiful woods -mostly aspen; the ground is covered in ferns and there are black ponds everywhere.
I think I got to panel 7 or 8 when there is a split in the trail and then no signage. Since the trail is thru the woods, going thru what looks like a meadow makes no sense so I continue thru the woods. But I still can't find any signs. There are some footbridges and a little camp but then the trail splits again. Shoot! It's time to back track - and I retrace my steps as fast as I could as I'm a bit freaked (definitely not the excitement I was looking forward to tonight). I make it back safely and head back to the hotel to wait for my final activity, the sunset photo trek.
As it's a sunset tour, it's a late one, starting at 8:45pm. Unfortunately, the clouds for tomorrows rain have moved in so there is no sun in "sunset" tonight. But the trip still runs rain or sun (and in this case lack of sun and strong winds). The tour is more of a "learn how to use your camera to get the best shots" - which I can definitely use as I shoot in auto mode all of the time.
First stop was McHugh Creek along the Seward Hwy. I was here earlier in the day but I never took the first portion of the trail. And that was good since it was all new to me now. Nice flowing creek and waterfall in the woods.
Next stop is Potter Marsh (3rd time for me today). This time we stop along the highway to see the Arctic Terns and attempt a flying photo. I didn't have a lot of success on this one. But they were fun to watch.
The highlight is seeing a muskrat. He's in the water swimming and then stops near we are standing to gather vegetation, Vegetation in mouth, he resumes swimming making a few additional stops for more vegetation. He's has quite the meal for tonight.
It seems even windier up here and it's cold. The stop is to photograph flowers that are blowing in the wind. My attempt is short-lived - too cold out.
In a last ditch attempt to see moose, the guide takes us to several "hotspots" including back to Earthquake Park but NO moose.
But we do sit at the end of the runway watching several of the commercial airplanes come in. :)
And we get a tour of all the float planes at Lake Hood.
Awesome day!!
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