Haines, AK

This morning we woke up to something completely new: clear skies and sunshine! Downside? It was colder (15-20) with wind.

We managed to learn something new about bald eagles. They like staying out of the wind more than they like salmon. Most of them were hanging out in the woods, far out from us. Those that were closer were in a mild mood and really didn’t bother each other much.

Sun = good for eagle pictures. Mellow eagles =/= good for eagle pictures. After a couple of very cold hours with little action we decided to head for the border. We did manage to perplex the Canadian border guard (How long are you planning to stay in Canada? 30 minutes). The drive was beautiful, but the highway was completely ice-covered. We were pretty much right on at the 30 minute estimate.

We went back and found a few more cooperative eagles and then went back towards Haines. Not too many warm hangout options, so we drove up the inlet towards Chilkoot Lake. The wind was crazy, the road mostly snow-covered, and we saw a snow devil (think dust devil made of snow). We eventually headed back into town to grab some food from the Chilkoot Bakery and head back up to the B & B to relax and re-pack.

Tomorrow we’re scheduled to fly from Haines to Juneau, weather-permitting.