Monday, June 12, 2023
Today we started early at 6:20 a.m. with sunny skies and 44 degrees, that would warm to 55 degrees in the afternoon. Our destination was the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer Spit where we would ride over by boat to Peterson Bay for a full day field station tour. On our way early this morning, we saw mama moose and her twins again (not sure if it is the same one, but it may be).
With our walking sticks in hand, we headed to our meeting location -- as we were to meet at the yurt at around 8:30 a.m.
Above is the yurt of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies; while below is the water taxi "Seabird" that took us over to the Peterson Bay Field Station to begin our full-day tour.
Above is Emily (our tour guide/naturalist) who would be with us the entire day. Below, Mel looks at the Alaskan Dream as we go by on the water taxi.
We're aboard the Seabird water taxi and are heading over to Peterson Bay.
This full-day tour cost us $175 plus $60 since no one else signed up for the same day tour (or a total of $235). The "Seabird" water taxi took us to the pristine beaches and coastal trails at Peterson Bay. Our private tour allowed us to experienced the unique place that is Kachemak Bay from the ocean to the forest.
Upon arrival at Peterson Bay, we hiked up to the Field Station where we were given instructions by our naturalist, Emily and told what our day would consist of. We were also "booted up" with muck boots, that were truly necessary for our boreal forest hike.
Our agenda for the day was:
- a boreal forest hike of about two miles over a two hour period
- back for lunch (we were told to bring along a sack lunch and water bottles)
- an opportunity to view the touch tanks at the field station
- a tide pool hike of about one mile in over a two hour period
- a brief stop at Gull Island to see the seabird rookery and marine mammal haul-out
On our way over, we went by Gull Island. Gull Island is about 633 feet long and 93 feet high and has more than 20,000 birds nesting on the cliff faces of this craggy island in Kachemak Bay, which is about three miles south of the Homer Spit. On a summer day, the scene can be almost overwhelming -- with thousands of screaming kittiwakes, babies crying from nests, murres and puffins and other seabirds diving offshore for fish. The pungent air may reek with the fishy scent of guano and ocean spray, while thousands of birds might soar over your head in a massive wave. This is one of the easiest-to-visit rookeries in Alaska.
It truly was a magnificent sight to see.
Above is Otter Rock Island (looks like an otter floating on its back) that we pass by on our way to Peterson Bay.
The Peterson Bay Field Station is a living laboratory on the south shore of Kachemak Bay. The rustic building on the edge of wilderness is only accessible by boat or water taxi from Homer. The rich intertidal areas of Peterson and China Poot Bays are known for the diversity of life exposed by extreme tides which are only a short distance from the front door of the Field Station. Trails wind through the boreal coastal forest at the back door. And the area teems with wildlife including a diversity of sea stars, which can be seen and touched in the "touch tanks" at the field station. The touch tanks hold a variety of sea creatures and have been separated into the "predator tank" and the "prey tank."
The Peterson Bay Field Station can be seen in the pictures above and below.
Our hike through the coastal boreal forest has begun. Note all the tree roots along the primitive path, they only get worse.
The coastal forest ecosystem was truly a magical place to visit that engaged all of our senses. The smell of decaying wood, false azalea, and damp moss permeated the air; while we could hear woodpeckers drumming and varied thrushes singing from the canopy layer of the forest and squirrels chattering from snaggly branches along the forest trail. We could also feel cool breezes from the surrounding bays as we ascended the Island Peninsula ridge.
Our naturalist, Emily takes time to point out many items of interest along the trail. Our first stop was at the bog. This bog was formed many, many years ago when rooted plants and sphagnum moss crept into the lake that once was in this area, and turned it into a bog.
The bog trail was only five minutes from the field station on the Lost and Found Lake trail that we took through the coastal boreal forest. The bog has a boardwalk running through it for easy access.
You can see scratches on the tree above where a bear has made his presence known.
We continued on the heavily tree-root lined, muddy trail through the forest in hopes of finding "Lost and Found Lake." This moderate hike with a 200-foot elevation gain took us on a loop trail that first visited the bog, then climbed the ridge of the Island Peninsula with stunning views and then descended to a small lake known as "Lost and Found Lake."
As the trail meandered through the coastal forest, our guide Emily was great about pointing out flowering plants, ferns, mosses, lichens, shrubs and trees that grow in a northern coastal temperate forest.
Our guide, Emily, taught us how to tell how long the mushroom has been attached to the dead tree above (by counting the rings on the mushroom that usually attaches itself to the dead tree after seven years).
As we neared "Lost and Found Lake," we learned the lake is a freshwater habitat to invertebrates, microorganisms and aquatic plants that could not live in the surrounding forest.
Emily got out her net and jars and began collecting specimens (dragonfly and larvae, beetles, etc.) for us to see.
We were probably at the "Lost and Found Lake" for about a half an hour. When we were done there, we began our trek back to the field station along the same muddy, root-infested path we took before, just in the reverse direction. I was so glad I had my walking sticks along with me!
Once we got back to the field station, we had our sack lunch and relaxed for a few minutes.
Next, Emily took us to show us the "touch tanks" -- both the predator tank and the prey tank.
The touch tanks had lots of sea urchins, anemones, mollusks, sea stars and hermit crabs.
Mel even took the opportunity to hold one of the sea stars from the touch tank.
After we viewed the touch tanks for awhile, it was time to go tide pooling. Since I was pretty tired from the long coastal boreal forest hike over tree roots and through the sloppy mud, I decided to sit out while Mel and Emily continued to the tide pools below the field station.
Of course, I watched Mel and Emily tide pooling from above where the ramp goes down to the water.
Emily shows Mel how to look for specimens by turning over rocks in the tide pools.
Above and below are some of the specimens that Mel found while tide pooling.
The map below shows were the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies is in relationship to Homer Spit and the Kachemak Bay.
The maps below shows where Peterson Bay is located.
Around 4 p.m., the "Seabird" water taxi was waiting at the ramp where they had dropped us off in the morning to take us back over to Homer Spit. The ride back was as smooth as the ride over -- what a beautiful and enlightening day we had at Peterson Bay!
We stopped for an early dinner at McDonald's and then stopped at Safeway for a few groceries before heading back to our campsite in Ninilchik. We arrived back around 6 p.m.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Today was a down day and we didn't go anywhere. We just hung around the campground. It was windy and sunny with temperatures starting out at 46 degrees and reaching 56 degrees by the afternoon.
Mid-afternoon, while I was sitting inside the RV working on my blog, I caught sight of mama moose and her twins strolling by the side of the camper. I immediately jumped up and grabbed my phone and headed for the door in hopes of getting a picture, but she and the twins were on a pretty good sprint to the other side by the road. Mel was startled as he was just sitting outside and he just caught the rear end of mama moose as she went into the trees across the road.
Tonight for dinner we had halibut fried bites and cauliflower rice.
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Another down day with cloudy skies. Temperatures started at 48 degrees and reached 56 degrees by the afternoon. I worked on my blog all day.
For dinner we had fajitas.
We will be heading to Seward, Alaska tomorrow for my birthday.
Shirley & Mel
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