- cancel planned trip to Homer
- Bear tour in Katmai National Park with Sasquatch Alaska has to be canceled due to bad weather
- Check out alternatives
- Bearviewing tour organized for the next day
- Hike to the Russian River Falls
- Watch jumping salmon in the rapids
It is raining and the forecasts for the Katmai region are not exactly promising for the planned bear tour. Nevertheless, as is well known, hope dies last. So we set off expectantly towards Homer, the starting point for most tours in the Katmai National Park. Over 2000 of the world's largest brown bears live in the wilderness of the park. The images of the bears fishing at Brooks Falls have practically become a symbol of the Alaskan wilderness.
After about halfway shortly after the village of Soldotna, we receive a sobering phone. Today's tour has to be canceled due to weather conditions. Flying is out of the question. The disappointment is huge. It should be the highlight of our three-week round trip through Alaska and the Yukon, but unfortunately nothing comes of it now. Frustrated, we drive back to the Fred Meyer shopping center to check out all possible alternatives on the Internet. But all other providers are fully booked for the next two days. This is just unreal!
Well, that's the rough Alaskan weather: unpredictable. When we are slowly coming to terms with it, we decide to go to Seward early as an alternative plan. At this very moment, fate seems to have mercy. The traffic is jammed and we decide to make a lunch stop a little off the main road. There is a sign on the side of the road: Bearviewing tours.
And in fact the company Talon Air Service still has three places free for tomorrow afternoon. The tour does not lead to the more isolated Katmai National Park, but to the somewhat closer and weatherproof Lake Clark National Park. Which also makes the tour a little cheaper. Unlike in Katmai, where we would have been walking among the bears with a guide, we will watch the sneaks there from a boat and also have the opportunity to fish salmon.
Motivated by this new turn, we drive to the Russian River Campground. Anglers from all over the world consider the river to be one of the best places to fish for salmon. We hike up to the Russian River Falls. There we get to see pictures that each of us has only seen on TV before. The strong salmon try to get up to their spawning grounds via the rapids of the river. The show of strength these animals are capable of is impressive. The bears that are often seen here are unfortunately rare. With some pictures and memories in our luggage, we set off on the descent. Down in the campground we are now cooking and the anticipation for tomorrow increases.
