Trip 3, August
Part 3ShabbosOnly managed to grab a couple of pictures of the ballroom as it was half set up for Shabbos, so the pictures don't really do it any justice at all. But it's what I've got:
For Shabbos we had many more guests joining us. Most of those were pre-booked, but a few were totally last minute. For example on Friday afternoon I ran into a newly-married couple in the hallway, who were on their honeymoon and were apparently planning on having crackers and tuna in their room. I invited them to join us for Shabbos and set up a little private table for them off to the side:
Being that Shabbos in Alaska doesn't come in until quite late, we davened at the plag and then sat down to a meal which lasted a good 5-6 hours. Incredible food and wine followed by mountains of chocolates and delicious junk food meant that pretty much everyone stayed up till who-knows-how-long, singing, schmoozing, and forging friendships.
Being that all the hotel doors were electronic, we had arranged for one of the side doors to be left open for us all Shabbos long. Apparently, the word had spread about our incredible food and the now open door, and at three in the morning a bear strolled right into the hotel, up the stairs, broke into our kitchen, and went looking for cholent. Thankfully everything was pretty well packed away, so after skulking around for a bit and turning over some empty pots, he let himself back out.
Nobody knew about this till the next morning, when the chef asked the front desk if they had seen anything. They hadn't (as the bear had come in from the side), but freaked out when they looked over the security cameras. Apparently there's a reason that doors are never left open in Alaska...
Anyways, nobody believed us in the morning until we were able to show them the footage after Shabbos. And as much as I'd like to share it here (oh and trust me I want to), the hotel refused to give me the file. After wrangling with the management for two months I gave up, although honestly I can't say I blame them.
Shabbos morning davening was followed by an enormous kiddush, at which there was so much food that there were leftover
lamb chops, for heaven's sake. After the kiddush people dispersed, mostly to stroll the extensive resort grounds and hiking paths. The weather was absolutely lovely, and it was a few hours before we settled down to another giant Shabbos seuda. This was followed by more relaxation, some shiurim, and Shalosh Seudas.
Motzei Shabbos was at...... 2:02am (why don't I ever go to normal places???). We had two minyanim for Maariv - one at the plag for people who wanted to go to sleep for the night, and another at 2:02 for those who wanted to stay up and have Melava Malka. And some people chose to go to sleep early, wake up at 2, and then go on a sunrise hike after Melava Malka.
Personally I went with the first option - tomorrow was going to be a doozy and I needed to be awake.
SundayI needed to get about 25 guests, 3 guides, and ton of food to the middle of nowhere. There are no roads, no airports, no nothing - except for what is arguably the most beautiful lake in the country. Only option is a seaplane - and I'll need three of 'em.
There is a big outfitter in Anchorage who does this trip, but when I dared ask for some timing accommodations they literally began yelling at me and slammed down the phone. Delightful indeed. Especially since I was probably to be their biggest customer in over a year. Nu nu. I'm not dealing with people like that.
A couple more phone calls, and I chartered three planes from an outfitter in Nikiski - for less money than the geniuses in Anchorage wanted. Only problem is that Nikiski is over three hours away from our resort. Combining a 6-hour drive with a 7-hour activity is, needless to say, a terrible idea. Being that I chartered the planes however, I arranged to be picked up in Anchorage like a mentch.
Anchorage is home to the busiest seaplane base in the world, Lake Hood (LHD). The location was perfect as our starting point, and the operation went as smooth as can be. Plane pulls up to the dock, we load nine people and a bunch of gear, and off it goes just as the second plane pulls up. Loaded one, two, three, and off we went:
Craziest airport ever:
This plane was.... not new:
It's been over 50 years since the last DHC-3 Otter (and its little sibling, the DHC-2 Beaver) have been manufactured, yet there are hundreds of these workhorses flying every day Alaska. They're the backbone of transport in Alaska, and are subject to ridiculously strict safety rules and undergo complete mechanical overhauls every couple of years. So while the interior of the aircraft may not have looked pretty, this particular one had just come out of heavy maintenance and was basically as good as new (better even, since they are constantly upgrading the systems).
But I digress... the views are more interesting than the technical plane details. And views they were.....
Flying over the Cook Inlet, you can clearly see the demarcation where the silty glacier-runoff meets the clear ocean water:
Stunning views as we approach and then fly over the Alaska Peninsula:
We flew right past Mt. Redoubt, an active volcano - unfortunately the clouds were blocking the steam today:
After almost an hour of flying through this crazy scenery, we got or first glimpse of our goal - Crescent Lake:
Touchdown on the lake was nice and smooth, and so we found ourselves in one of the most beautiful places imaginable. We were now in the middle of Lake Clark National Park, a place even more remote than Katmai. This is true untouched wilderness.
And in the middle of it all, you have Crescent Lake. The water is such a shade of bright turquoise that you think it must be fake, and it's surrounded by jagged peaks and active volcanos. And all along the shore, you have bears bears bears. Absolutely mind-boggling.
Plane #2 coming in for a landing:
And #3:
Down the stairs, onto the pontoon, and jump onto the beach:
We hadn't even gotten into the boats when the fun began: a mama grizzly and two cubs popped out of the woods not 30 feet from us:
I mean, just look at this place:
The experience here is completely different than Katmai. In Katmai, you are normally on a boardwalk or platform above the bears, so your experience is somewhat separated and sanitized. Of course you can come face to face with bears plenty, but either it's a tense situation (such as meeting one on the trail), or you have park rangers interceding (in camp). Here in Lake Clark, there is nothing between you and the bears. You're on a tiny fishing skiff, some six inches above the water, and the bears literally tower over you. You can go as close as you want, and the bears completely ignore you. Overall, you feel much more connected here.
Of course Katmai has something you won't find anywhere else - the bears fishing off the falls. That alone is worth the trek, but outside of the prime 3-week falls fishing season Lake Clark is definitely the place to be. And not to mention the breathtaking scenery.
A wildlife photographer's dream: getting so close to the animal that your lens can no longer focus. I actually had to back up for this shot:
Happy bear:
Sad bear:
Wet bear:
Wetter bear:
Yummy:
Mt. Redoubt's steam is still obscured:
Let's ketch some fish:
Woo hoo! Catch of the day:
Ok, this is a bit better than a stick:
Bald eagle:
Just look at the color of this water:
Ice-cold glacial water? Meh. This guy came prepared:
Cleaning the fish:
The Daf waits for no one:
All too soon it was time to leave. Waiting for the return plane:
Here she goes:
And the next one...:
First plane leaving, second plane loading up:
Scored the extra-legroom seat:
Just insane views of the lake upon takeoff:
The views continued all along the return flight. We took a slightly different route over the mountains this time, which was just spectacular:
Definitely not something you see every day - a mountain looming in front of the cockpit:
One thing I love about those small planes are the gigantic windows they have. Definitely a different experience than flying in a regular jet:
On the subject of windows, this plane had a... skylight?
Flying low over glaciers:
Stunning patterns:
Meltwater pouring out of an ice tunnel:
Crossing over the Cook Inlet outside Anchorage once again, this time at low tide:
When they say that the bush plane is Alaska's car, they mean it: this neighborhood literally has a runway in the backyard. Pull your plane out of your garage, turn onto your runway, and off you go:
There's one of our planes and our coach:
Landed back on Lake Hood, and the group said they wanted to shop for souvenirs. Sure, done deal.
We called Shani Green, the owner of the world-renown David Green Master Furrier's, and got her to not only open the store for us after hours, but to offer us a nice group discount
:
We had a wonderful time schmoozing with the Greens - especially considering they're some of the only frum Jews in Alaska - and the oilam went to town buying furs.
This little guy charmed the Greens out of a couple of coon hats and a tail, so he ended up with the best deal of us all:
Finally, after a long an fantastic day, it was back to the hotel and dinner.
To be continued...
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