Capturing the Moment

  We found these caribou antlers along our nature walk at Wide Bay. Streaks of clouds were all the broke the blue of the sky on this beautiful day in Alaska. Imuya Bay and Wide Bay are two bays on the outer coast of the Ugashik National Wildlife Refuge. This is where we explored today. Being way out on the Alaskan Peninsula means that this coastline is about as wild as it can get. We didn't see anyone else all day, and the only footprints on shore were from us or bears. And we did see bears. Even if we don't see bears, I am thinking that they are out there seeing us. This case was proven when we first landed. Imuya Bay was the landing of choice in the morning, just because of the wind direction and the forecasted change for the afternoon. I took a group of hard charger hikers to shore and we immediately set out for some high ground to get a better vantage. The hillsides were covered in wildflowers, making the entire area look like a painting. Sandy beaches and mudflats were unc...

  I thought the clouds, the meadow, and the mountains all camme together for a great view in this photo. In true expedition fashion, we anchored the Safari Explorer off a bay that we had only explored in satellite photos and dreams. It was located in the Northeast corner of Wide Bay. It had a very shallow entrance, which meant we couldn't get the big boat into the bay. But this afternoon was high tide, and we planned to send out a kayaking group and a skiff tour, so I made the decision to move activities to this unnamed bay, and do a little exploring with the guests. I led the kayaking group, which was quite large. I had about 20 guests, in ten double kayaks with me. The bay is about 2 miles long, so I knew we were in for a workout, but we had all afternoon and were not in a big rush. We did have some waves outside the bay, where we anchored. Luckily the waves and breeze pushed all the kayakers towards the bay and towards a beautiful waterfall that would serve as our first gatherin...