Excursion

On this excursion we took a boat to an unpopulated island, unless you count the eagles.

This first picture, taken from the speed boat, is of someones air plane house. In the sides of the door way there are panels that swing out to allow the wings to pass through and then the plane can slide down the ramp into the water. Crazy life where your only connection with people outside your town is by boat or plane.

I wish I could circle the nest in this picture. It is in the top of the tree on the left. This next we were told is the size of a queen mattress.

Here is one of the many eagles we saw. For some of you this isn't exciting at all. We see eagles often in Colorado and in Alaska they are like rats eating every ones garbage. But if you are like me I still have this sense of amazement seeing an animal that while growing up was endangered.

Just another pretty view from our boat.

Everyone on our tour was to chicken to hold any of the sea creatures except me. I guess it was from my time studying Marine Biology in college that it just excited and fascinated me. I held all sorts of star fish crabs and even one massive slug (which left a super slimy mess on my hand!).

Tay and I just before we started our hike.

Do you like Tay's purple Jacket they had all of us where jump suites over our clothes so that while on the boat we wouldn't get to wet from the spray. Don't ask me why the larger size was purple and my was blue!?! See the fallen tree behind me? Can you see all the new trees growing out of the root system?

This is called a nurse tree. The ground in coastal Alaska is only about two feet of rich soil and then you hit rock. As the trees become large it only takes a very small breeze to knock one of the big ones down. After only a year new plants have taken root in these "nurse trees" and they will send their roots down along or through cracks in the tree until they hit soil. They will use what nutrition they can from these fallen or dead trees as they decompose. It was amazing to see these tall trees that actually look upside down because six feet of roots are exposed after the nurse tree has totally disappeared.

Heading back. This really was an amazing thing to see and do. I will look forward to doing this again. Anyone want to come with me?