I can't believe how quickly the year is flying by. Already it's April, and in no time at all I'll be heading home to PA for summer vacation. I'm oh so excited, but I know leaving Port Heiden will be bittersweet. The openness, the adventure, the solitude is something that can't be matched any where else.
The weather lately has been absolutely beautiful- blue sky and bright clouds. The temperature is slowly climbing, which is a nice change from the frigid winds we've been having. The fact that it's been in the high 60s and 70s back home wasn't helping either! I was so jealous!
The weather held all day, and this afternoon after school we packed out bags, bundled up (even though it was high 40s, almost 50, the wind is quite chilly), and headed out on a Honda ride. I was super eager to get out, as our last 2 rides were a bit of a flop. One was just bitterly cold and windy, and the second was a disaster. On the disaster ride, we tried crossing North River, but one Honda died and got swamped in the middle of the river, another temporarily got swamped trying to do a rescue, and everyone was cold, wet, and miserable.
Needless to say, I was excited to see that today the tide was super low, and all of our river crossings went off without a hitch.
We rode down the beach to a little lake area that we've combed before. The ride was nice, but the wind had picked up and was blowing sand everywhere. That stings! My next investment is most definitely going to be a pair of goggles! I think I scratched my eye unfortunately :(
We found a few floats here and there on the way, but the best part was while I was exploring the swamp. I had walked past the lake, since we weren't able to get to the far side of the shore from where we had arrived. While walking along, I found a some floats on the edge of the swamp. As I walked along, I noticed a lot of debris on the far side of the swamp. Then, I saw a large object that looked promising. I had hoped that it was an extra large glass float, but alas, it was just a plastic buoy. I had braved boot-sucking mud for a plastic buoy! Grr! But my efforts were rewarded! As I started walking back, I saw a glass float. Then another, and another! There were so many just scattered throughout the swamp. I didn't count, but in all I think we found around 50! Perseverance pays off sometimes!
While I was searching, Julie found a caribou shed which was super awesome! It was just laying there on the beach. I would expect to find them on the tundra, but it just goes to show that treasures can be found anyplace!
The ride back was just as amazing as the float hunting, maybe even better. While we were riding along, I saw Kasie point and slow down. We stopped and looked and saw....a whale blowing! It was totally amazing! We kept looking and stopped again just a bit further down the beach. This whale spouted several times, and even showed his back a bit, then waved his fin! It may sound silly, but we were cheering and waving back at him :)
I tried to tell him to give us a splash or tail slap but I guess my whale-speak isn't quite up to par yet.
All in all, I think we saw about 5-6 different whales spouting and/or waving. It made my heart happy.
Then, we saw a bald eagle! I know it sounds crazy to some people, but seeing eagles here is more common, so I wasn't as excited. Now don't get too mad, because even though I've seen eagles several times, I never get tired of their majestic beauty. The best moment though was when a pair of (I think) Golden Eagles swooped overhead and then flew ahead of us. It was just an amazing sight to see. During the whole ride, we saw 7 different eagles, both Bald and Golden.
Right before we crossed the river to head back home, we saw 2 foxes! They were so fluffy and handsome.
Now it's 11pm and night and I'm definitely ready for bed! Night everyone!
The weather lately has been absolutely beautiful- blue sky and bright clouds. The temperature is slowly climbing, which is a nice change from the frigid winds we've been having. The fact that it's been in the high 60s and 70s back home wasn't helping either! I was so jealous!
The weather held all day, and this afternoon after school we packed out bags, bundled up (even though it was high 40s, almost 50, the wind is quite chilly), and headed out on a Honda ride. I was super eager to get out, as our last 2 rides were a bit of a flop. One was just bitterly cold and windy, and the second was a disaster. On the disaster ride, we tried crossing North River, but one Honda died and got swamped in the middle of the river, another temporarily got swamped trying to do a rescue, and everyone was cold, wet, and miserable.
Needless to say, I was excited to see that today the tide was super low, and all of our river crossings went off without a hitch.
We rode down the beach to a little lake area that we've combed before. The ride was nice, but the wind had picked up and was blowing sand everywhere. That stings! My next investment is most definitely going to be a pair of goggles! I think I scratched my eye unfortunately :(
We found a few floats here and there on the way, but the best part was while I was exploring the swamp. I had walked past the lake, since we weren't able to get to the far side of the shore from where we had arrived. While walking along, I found a some floats on the edge of the swamp. As I walked along, I noticed a lot of debris on the far side of the swamp. Then, I saw a large object that looked promising. I had hoped that it was an extra large glass float, but alas, it was just a plastic buoy. I had braved boot-sucking mud for a plastic buoy! Grr! But my efforts were rewarded! As I started walking back, I saw a glass float. Then another, and another! There were so many just scattered throughout the swamp. I didn't count, but in all I think we found around 50! Perseverance pays off sometimes!
While I was searching, Julie found a caribou shed which was super awesome! It was just laying there on the beach. I would expect to find them on the tundra, but it just goes to show that treasures can be found anyplace!
The ride back was just as amazing as the float hunting, maybe even better. While we were riding along, I saw Kasie point and slow down. We stopped and looked and saw....a whale blowing! It was totally amazing! We kept looking and stopped again just a bit further down the beach. This whale spouted several times, and even showed his back a bit, then waved his fin! It may sound silly, but we were cheering and waving back at him :)
I tried to tell him to give us a splash or tail slap but I guess my whale-speak isn't quite up to par yet.
All in all, I think we saw about 5-6 different whales spouting and/or waving. It made my heart happy.
Then, we saw a bald eagle! I know it sounds crazy to some people, but seeing eagles here is more common, so I wasn't as excited. Now don't get too mad, because even though I've seen eagles several times, I never get tired of their majestic beauty. The best moment though was when a pair of (I think) Golden Eagles swooped overhead and then flew ahead of us. It was just an amazing sight to see. During the whole ride, we saw 7 different eagles, both Bald and Golden.
Right before we crossed the river to head back home, we saw 2 foxes! They were so fluffy and handsome.
Now it's 11pm and night and I'm definitely ready for bed! Night everyone!