Our trip to Kodiak Island was disappointing due to a combination of unrealistic expectations on my part, over saturation with the orientation process and too many people in close quarters. To me, Kodiak has always been synonymous with it’s unique population of Brown Bear (aka Grizzly although that term is reserved in Alaska for a smaller version living more than 50 miles inland). The Kodiak Brown Bear is impressive; our largest land carnivore averaging 600-800# with a height of 5’on all fours,10' upright. Our orientation included lectures on bear physiology, behavior and bear safety; we saw numerous artistic renditions of bears and heard more than a few stories about bears, but in our three days there, we saw no bears - none, zip, nada. On an island where the ratio of bears to people is 1:4 we saw nary a foot print although prints had been sighted not far from the bunkhouse. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that what I expected was a dramatic expansion of my childhood visit to Yellowstone in which bears congregated around our car. I underestimated both the reclusive nature of these wild animals (the bears in Yellowstone were unnaturally and unfortunately habituated to people and their “treats”) and the vastness of Kodiak Island only 100 miles of which has road access. To actually experience bears on Kodiak, one must travel by light aircraft to their feeding grounds which, in springtime, are emerging grasslands or isolated beaches where they dig for clams. Later in summer they move to streams congested with spawning salmon where the wealth of food causes them to temporarily congregate and provides wonderful photos for National Geographic and wildlife magazines not to mention fuel for my imagination.

Our “orientation”included several boring and repetitive sessions redeemed only by the opportunity to meet and hear Larry Van Dahele, a world renowned bear expert. The12 hr. ferry trip included special moments as well. We saw sea otters, some with babies riding atop their bellies (sea otters generally swim and float on their backs), humpback whales - one quite nearby, and many seabird species including the tufted puffin - think pudgy black bird with a colorful face and feathered head tufts reminiscent of Einstein on a bad hair day. And, while touring Kodiak Island, we came upon a domestic buffalo herd grazing near the beach with spouts of a passing pod of grey whales in the sea beyond. Just over the next rise were the silos of part of the strategic star wars defense program - sometimes the contrasts here are bizarre. In town we explored Kodiak’s harbor; visited Aleutic and Russian history museums and a WWII defensive outpost. And we “people watched” - I’ve included photos of Russians (many Alaskans are of Russian ancestry and still hold to the old ways of dress and Russian language usage while texting on cell phones and purchasing all the modern conveniences). And then there was Daryl and his brother Daryl. We are more and more taken by the contrasts here.