We’re over mid-way through our 2013 summer season.  In July we had the longest stretch of sunny weather we can remember.  Some days were actually hot, and we just smiled when guests questioned why we had insisted they bring rain gear with them.

As for bear and whale viewing, this July was slower than normal.  After an extraordinary whale summer last year, we saw very few whales in the bay in July.  Reports of amazing whale displays on the other side of the island indicates they were finding more to eat in that area this summer.  While we did see bears with each group in July, we did not see the number of bears we usually see at the head of Uyak Bay.  We suspect the reason for this was directly related to the warm, sunny weather which produced an early, abundant crop of berries.  When bears are in the berry thickets instead of on the beach catching salmon, they are difficult to spot.  Of course those berries, rich in natural sugars, are just what bears need to build fat reserves for the winter, and the bears we are seeing now look very healthy.  During the last two weeks, bears have started to move onto the salmon streams, and bear viewing has been excellent.  The salmon run has also been good with more salmon arriving every day, so I’m sure the bear numbers on the streams will continue to increase for the remainder of our season.

On the fish front, I am happy to report that halibut fishing has been better this summer than it has been for the previous two years.  We haven’t tried for silvers yet, but we are excited to hear that they are beginning to arrive in the bay.

Our guests this summer have been wonderful.  A recent guest said to me, “I bet you have some great stories about difficult clients.” .

“Not really,” I gave him a sideways look, “Not until now.  Should I be on my guard?”

We are frequently asked to share stories about “nightmare” guests and the trouble they caused, but I am happy to say that we don’t have many stories like that.  Certainly over the course of thirty years we’ve had some memorable guests and a few that were memorable in a bad way, but that’s a rare occurrence, and I’ve often wondered why we are so lucky.  I’ve traveled other places and met my share of cranky, demanding, and just unhappy tourists, but that’s not a problem we face in our business.

I like to think that we only get top-notch adventure travelers at our lodge.  You don’t accidentally stumble into a vacation at a bear-viewing lodge in the middle of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.  By the time a traveler steps off the float plane onto our dock, she has carefully done her research, knows what she is getting herself into, and has probably already taken several other adventure-type vacations around the world.  She knows what weather conditions to expect and has packed accordingly.  She is ready for her adventure, and we will do our best to provide her with one.

What makes this mineral water pretty incredible is its viagra no prescription cheap unique make-up. You will be able to soft cialis pills replenish your lost energy through intake of Shilajit ES capsules. This discount cialis solution does not only provide you over dose. 3. The drug is also known to improve memory and retention cialis sildenafil of information.

I often brag in our end-of-the-summer newsletter that every year nearly 50% of our guests are returnees.  These are folks who over the years have become more than just clients; they are our friends, and we stay in touch with them during the year and follow their lives.

We have several friends returning this summer, but the main purpose of this entry is to tell you about Art and Louise Williams, who in July brought their family to Munsey’s Bear Camp to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary.  Their daughter, Heather, and her boyfriend, Thomas; their son, Doug; his wife, Beth; and Doug and Beth’s kids, Addie (age 9) and Finn (age 7) all made the trip to Munsey’s Bear Camp for the party.  We were thrilled and honored that they chose to celebrate such a milestone event at our lodge.  Art and Louise have visited Munsey’s Bear Camp on four previous occasions, and Heather, Doug, and Beth have accompanied them at different times, but this was an opportunity to introduce the two youngest members of the family to the bears and other wildlife of Kodiak Island.  As the family sat around the dinner table and laughed, teased each other, and told stories, Mike and I truly felt we were a part of that special family, and we were reminded once again that we have the best jobs on the planet.  Thank you Art and Louise for including us in your celebration!

We’ve already had a few other returnees, and we look forward to more in late August and September.  As a matter of fact, from August 25^th until September 15^th, nearly all of our guests are returnees.

While returning guests are priceless, first-time guests are also fun, and we have enjoyed many new guests this summer.  It is always a thrill to view our beautiful world through the eyes of someone who is seeing it for the first time.  I think our new, brilliant, young cook, Mary, summed it up best this summer when one of the first planes of the season landed, and she said, “I’m so excited for these people starting out on their adventure!”

We do our best to remember that every guest is here for a wonderful adventure, and we do everything we can to make that adventure as special and exciting as they dreamed it would be.

Robin

We’ve had a mild winter on Kodiak Island; a welcome change from last year.  Yesterday, the temperature reached 49 degrees, and while I know we will probably still get another dose of winter, I can sense spring right around the corner.  The vegetation doesn’t begin to turn green here until mid May, and we don’t see wild flowers or trees full of leaves until sometime in June.  Our first signs of spring are marked by changes in animal behavior.  Eagle pairs soar high in the sky and engage in their mating aerobatics, oystercatcher males entice females with their elaborate, somewhat comical mating dance, billions of tiny krill-like crustaceans flood the bay, attracting herring and fin and humpback whales that feed on them, and of course, the bears begin leaving their dens.  Suddenly the beaches seem alive with foxes feeding on clams and mussels and does and fawns stretching their legs.  Some days I can sit on the end of our dock and watch whales roll and feed right in front of me.  Spring in Alaska is a wonderful time of year when nature reawakens after the long, dark, cold winter.

 Mike and I took a break from winter this year with a trip to Guyana, South America, where we spent ten days exploring the rain forests and savannas in the interior of the country.  In many ways, Guyana is the opposite of Kodiak Island.  It can be very rainy, but while we were there, most days were dry and hot.  From a distance, the rain forest looks similar to our rain forest, but on closer inspection, the tropical hardwood trees are quite different.  The animals of course are also different.  We saw many species of beautiful birds, four species of monkeys, a capybara and many caimans.  We would have loved to have seen some cats, especially a glimpse of a jaguar, but we weren’t that lucky.  I meet people who travel with a list of birds or other wildlife they want to see on their vacation, and some are disappointed if they can’t check off every species on their list.  We don’t look at it that way.  We choose a remote destination and then keep an open mind and experience what that destination has to offer.

In other ways, our experiences in Guyana mirrored our own lives.  We originally chose Guyana because we wanted to see the virgin rain forest, the wide-open savannas, and the wildlife that lives there.  We weren’t disappointed by any of that, but to our surprise it was the people that most impressed us.  Guyana gets very few tourists (somewhere around 2500) a year, and the people we met were welcoming, eager to share their lives and knowledge with us, and curious about us and where we live.  We spent most of our time in Guyana staying at small lodges in the interior of the country. Most of these lodges are much like ours and nearly as remote.  We sat around the table at dinner talking to the lodge owners about the same challenges we face, and we shared problem-solving ideas.  For example, these lodges have no telephone communication with the outside world (ours is very limited), but they all have satellite Internet, just as we do.  Along with satellite Internet comes restricted bandwith, and we discussed how in this age of smart phones and ipads it is difficult to impress upon guests that they cannot stream videos or upload large files or our Internet provider will shut us down for several days, and we will have no communication with the outside world.  We also discussed how difficult it is to get supplies to such remote locations. They solve this problem, at least in part, by growing much of their own produce and by raising cattle, pigs, chickens, and fish.

That means no more disturbing your bed partner or roommate, then this article may help you. cialis from canada Here, let us buying cheap cialis http://www.glacialridgebyway.com/windows/Prairie%20Woods%20Environmental%20Learning%20Center.html take a look at some of the common causes that may produce damage in a relationship. This type of the male impotence remedies glacialridgebyway.com viagra online can either be medical or non-medical treatments. But when we are dealing with panic attacks, drugs are not as lethal as it is cost of viagra canada generally known. The most interesting topic we discussed with the lodge owners and managers in Guyana was how to balance economics and ecology in a nature-based tourism businesses.  We all need to make a living, but how far can you expand your business before your impact on the environment is too great?  Nature-based tourism is fairly new to Guyana, and we were pleased to see that the people at the forefront of this industry feel a serious responsibility to protect the environment and the animals that live there.  Furthermore, most of these lodges are in or near small Amerindian villages, and the villagers told us that they want their lodges to be successful, but they don’t want their lodges to be so large or time-consuming that they interfere with the way of life they know and love.  I think that is very wise and insightful.

One other thing our trip to Guyana impressed upon me is how lucky we are.  Our vegetation is nearly as thick as the vegetation in the rain forest of Guyana.  If a jaguar steps into the jungle, he disappears immediately.  Likewise, when a large bear steps into our woods, he’s gone, we can’t see him.  The advantage we have with bears is that in the summer, bears are more visible because they leave the woods to come down to the streams or to the beach to chase and eat salmon.  We can almost guarantee (I say almost, because nothing is 100% when it comes to wild animals)  you will see bears when you come to Munsey’s Bear Camp in the summer.  We can’t promise you that you will see as many bears as you hoped to see or that they will be as close as you want, but you will see bears.  Being able to assure your guests they will see a large animal such as a bear is a rare luxury in the world of nature-based tourism.  Several of our guides in Guyana expressed their frustration with guests who expect to see jaguars and don’t understand why these wild animals aren’t out roaming the trails and roads.  When you go wildlife viewing anywhere in the world, you may be lucky, or you may not.  We’re just thankful that the bears that live near us make our jobs much easier.

Robin

Photo by Mike Munsey

A bear stands nearly motionless on the tidal flat, only her head swivels as she studies the water and listens for the sound of a salmon wriggling through the thick eelgrass. Suddenly, she races twenty feet to her right, she slaps the water twice with her front paws, submerges her face, struggles for a moment, and then lifts her head high, her silvery prize wiggling in her jaws, the salmon garnished with several, thin strands of grass. On shore, her two tiny cubs cry and yell for their mother who has moved further away from them in pursuit of her lunch. She gulps down the fish, bones and all, issues a low, rumbling growl to silence her cubs and returns her attention to the fishing grounds. You, your five companions, and your guide watch this action while sitting on the bank behind the cubs. At first you eagerly snap photos, but when the cubs begin to whine, you set aside your camera and watch the drama unfold. The bears don’t know you are there, and it occurs to you how lucky you are to experience something few other humans will ever see. You are in the bears’ home watching them interact in a truly natural setting. There are no man-made structures here, and except for your group, there are no other humans within miles. Welcome to the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, and welcome to Munsey’s Bear Camp.

Our season began July 14th with the arrival of Eric and Danielle Bizet from France and Terry and Cynthia Douglas from Virginia. As we cruised to the head of Uyak Bay the first day, a humpback whale lifted his tail near our boat, foreshadowing a summer of fantastic whale watching. Later that day, a bear seemed to pose for this group as he rested his head on a rock and played with a strand of seaweed. On July 16th, Peter and Maria Kruegel from Austria joined the group, and they spent the following two days watching bears on the tidal flats. They enjoyed seeing a sow with her three newborn cubs, and they photographed bears catching salmon in the bright, July sunshine. This group saw whales each day during their stay and topped off their trip the last morning by watching six fin whales.

On July 19th, we welcomed Balisa Johnson from Nevada and a couple from Connecticut. The first afternoon, three fin whales circled our boat and surfaced beside us. This group watched twelve bears on the tidal flats, including a sow with a yearling cub that fished in front of them.  Another bear walked down the beach near them, saw them, hesitated, and then continued on his way. The next day, they encountered a large bear on a wooded trail that patiently stood still while they snapped photos. The sow and yearling cub once again fished in front of them, and while the sow realized they were there, she seemed unconcerned by their presence.

On July 22nd, Balisa was joined by Elchanan and Mira Noy and David and Haia Blum, all from Israel. On the first afternoon, this group watched puffins and sea otters and were thrilled when several fin whales surfaced next to us. One day they watched eight bears fish on the tidal flats and enjoyed seeing two bears relax and play on the beach. One of the bears rolled onto his back and stuck all four legs in the air. The following day, a very large bear walked near them. This group of course ended their stay the last morning with another close whale encounter.

On July 25th, we greeted Buddy Jones from Florida and Margaret, Megan, Evan, and Jan Ancker, all from California. We were also pleased to welcome back good friend Andy Erickson from Rhode Island. On their first morning, this group photographed a humpback whale that raised his tail in the air as he dove near our boat. Later that day, a young bear walked to within 30 ft. of them as he searched for salmon on the tide flats. We cruised north on a beautiful day and enjoyed the spectacular panorama of the Alaska Peninsula, while three huge fin whales surfaced several times beside the boat. This group enjoyed a great day of salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon, and on their last morning they watched bears catch fish and interact on the low tide.

On July 30th, we welcomed back Paul Kludt from Florida and greeted Saundra Gwaltney and Guy Golden and Saundra’s daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and Kevin Wilson, all from Texas.  On their first afternoon, we saw three humpback whales, including one that breached right in front of us! We cruised north one day and saw foxes, puffins, eagles, sea otters, and approximately a dozen fin whales. We then went into Brown’s Lagoon and enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of salmon fishing. Paul, Kevin, and Cheryl all caught their limits. On another day, this group watched ten bears on the tidal flats, including a sow with a newborn cub and a sow with a yearling
cub. One bear caught a fish and when a second bear chased him, the first bear brought his salmon to the beach and ate it near them.

On August 4th, we welcomed Jochen Renz and Stefanie Hinz from Germany. They were treated their first afternoon to one of the most incredible whale experiences we’ve had in 30 years. We sat in the middle of Uyak Bay on a calm, rainy afternoon and watched approximately one-hundred whales (mostly fin and a few humpback) surface and spout as they fed on plankton and small fish. The whales were all around us as far as we could see. Whales surfaced near us several times and a few even circled the boat, nearly brushing the hull. I don’t think any of us stopped smiling for the hour we sat there and watched them. On a day of bear viewing, Stefanie and Jochen watched several bears on the tidal flats, including a sow with two newborn cubs that fished in front of them.

Thomáš Snízěk, Danuše Heřtová, Stanislav Slaviček, Jiři Janota, Pavel Neumann, and Rostislav Stach, all from the Czech Republic arrived August 10th. This group sat on a riverbank and photographed several bears, including a very large male. A sow with two small cubs fished near them, but when she saw the humans, she called her cubs to the opposite side of the river and calmly continued on her way. On another day, while Stanislav, Jiŕi and Thomáš caught halibut (and Danuše phtographed and cheered them on), Mike led Rostislav and Pavel up a river where they had bears in sight all day, including a sow with two yearling cubs and a single bear that fished 30 ft. from them. Rostislav, a professional wildlife photographer, took some fantastic photos during his stay with us.

On August 16th, we greeted Barbara and Tom Hicks from Montana, Katherine Ferriss from Oregon, and Jo and Craig Albright from Arizona. On their first afternoon, we cruised to the mouth of Uyak Bay where we fished for halibut and silver salmon while we watched yet another spectacular whale show. While bear viewing on the tide flats, a sow with two newborn cubs walked the beach past this group twice, and on another day, they sat on a riverbank and had bears fishing within sight of them all afternoon. While Kathy and Jo claimed bragging rights for landing the two largest halibut of the group, Tom and Craig caught our first two silver salmon of the summer.

On August 21st, we were pleased to welcome back Bud Coughlin from Pennsylvania, Gene and Diane Fantini from Delaware, and Greg Reinbott from Pennsylvania, and we greeted first-time members of this group, Lisa Bill from New Jersey and Diane Bergmaier from Pennsylvania. One afternoon, Mike took Bud, Lisa, Greg, and Diane B. into a small stream where they watched three bears chase fish and wrestle, while on the Mary Beth, Gene and Diane F. enjoyed the thrill of catching halibut in shallow water. On their last full day, this group enjoyed a beautiful, sunny, calm day of fishing. The snow-capped mountains of the Alaska Peninsula loomed across Shelikof Straight, and fin whales fed and spouted. They kept 10 halibut and 10 sliver salmon. Diane B. caught her limit of silvers, and Diane F. caught a king salmon! We topped off the day in perfect fashion when Mike spotted a pod of eight Orcas, and the whales cruised by our boat while the video cameras rolled.

On August 26th, we were happy to greet returnees Dan Robertson from Nevada and Gene Fanucchi, Gordy Sexton, Howard Hancock, and Mike Saner, all from California. These guys were here to fish, and I can sum up their success by reporting that at the end of their stay, each one left with a forty-pound box of fish fillets. On a beautiful, sunny day, this group caught 16 silver salmon, 2 king salmon and kept 10 halibut, and Gordy caught his limit of silvers. We of course watched fin whales the entire time they were fishing and saw a volcano spewing smoke on the Alaska Peninsula. On another day, these guys caught their limit of halibut plus 9 salmon, including a king salmon caught by Gene and 4 silvers caught by Dan.

On September 5th, we welcomed back Tom Patrick from California, Mike McWherter from Mississippi, and Jean Matusik from Pennsylvania. We were happy to have Jean with us for a ten-day stay. On their first day, this group sat on a riverbank and watched eight bears, including a sow with two young cubs. One of the bears got so close to them that Mike had to remind him they were there. On another day, Jean, Mike and Tom watched two young bears fish and play on a small stream. This group enjoyed great silver salmon fishing in Brown’s Lagoon. Mike and Tom each caught his limit of five, and between the two of them, they released ten more salmon. Jean also caught salmon, and everyone caught halibut.

Harald and Margarete Moos and Helmut and Sonja Schreiner, all from Austria, joined Jean on September 10th. This group spent two days watching bears fish on the main river, including several single bears, a sow with two cubs, and a large male. On a small stream, they watched two bears fish and frolic, and on their last day, they sat on another stream and watched ten bears, including a sow with two cubs, a large boar, and an old sow with long, ivory-colored claws. One young bear was so intent on climbing the hill to take a nap beside them that they were forced to move to give him space.

We greeted Will Walker and Trudy Willetts from England and welcomed back René Bär from Switzerland on September 15th. This group witnessed the fury of a fall Kodiak storm. On their first day, the wind blew 50 mph, and all we could do was stay indoors and watch the waves roll past. The wind abated the next day, and they watched four bears fish in front of them on a river.  On the following day, they saw three sets of sows and cubs. One sow with a very young cub that sported a bright white natal collar walked 20 ft. in front of them, crossed the stream and walked past them again. On another day, they were entertained by a young bear that fished near them all afternoon. I was beginning to think our whale show was over for the summer, but then on one of our last mornings, we were greeted by a humpback soon after we left our mooring.

We expect to see bears on our summer trips; after all, that is what we do. We live and operate in the midst of one of the highest brown bear populations in the world. We also know we are certain to see eagles, seals, and sea otters, and we are likely to see puffins, deer and fox . We also usually see whales, sometimes up close and other times from a distance, but the number of whales we saw and the variety of great whale encounters we had this season went beyond our wildest expectations and topped off a fantastic summer of wildlife viewing.

We had wonderful guests from around the world this summer. We had a couple of late cancellations but were otherwise booked full, and as I write this newsletter in November, we have few openings left for next summer. If you would like to book a trip with us, I encourage you to make your reservations several months in advance. We limit our groups to six guests, so our trips fill up quickly.

Thanks to Toni Blakely, our cook this summer, for doing a great job. I also want to thank Marcia Messier, who after eight years as our camp cook decided it was time to retire. We miss you, Marcia. Thanks again to all of our summer guests for another fun, wonderful summer.

–Robin

Application discount buy viagra of testosterone patches, topical application of testosterone gels and intramuscular injections are some among the ways by which testosterone replacement therapy is done. While Being Erect: Erections occur for a number of people and so people must focus on their issue and must not ignore the fact that the disorder is vanished for certain amount of time or only when the person does not faces a viagra sildenafil proper blood flow to their penis and have poor erections as a result. So, all companies have the right to produce this kind of levitra free sample with Sildenafil citrate, like Kamagra, Kamagra oral jelly, Forzest, Zenegra etc. Guidelines for cialis soft 20mg keeping well the genital health and avoiding infections: Always lead a healthy lifestyle.

July 2012

      It’s time for a mid-summer report from Munsey’s Bear Camp.  We’ve had great guests so far this season from France, Austria, Germany, Israel, and of course the U.S.  Our guests this summer are beginning to refer to us as “Munsey’s Bear and Whale Camp”.  Each summer I hope all our guests will have the opportunity to see whales, and I expect a few great whale encounters, but this summer has been exceptional.  We’ve seen either fin or humpback whales (or both) nearly every day this season.  One afternoon, our guests yelled in delight as a humpback breached in front of our boat, and on another day, two fin whales swam up to us as we sat on our boat with the engines off.  They tightly circled us and then dove under the boat.  Without a doubt, though, our most sensational whale experience this summer occurred a few days a go when we sat in the middle of Uyak Bay on a calm, drizzly afternoon and watched approximately one-hundred whales – mostly fin and a few humpbacks – spread around the bay feeding.  Whales were spouting and rolling in every direction as far as we could see, the chorus of their exhalations the only sounds we could hear on that quiet day.  Several whales passed right by our boat, the seventy-foot giants making us feel insignificant.  At first the cameras whirred, but as time passed, I noticed our guests taking fewer and fewer photos and instead just watching the magnificent spectacle.  Photos are great, but no photo could come close to capturing that experience.  I don’t think any of us stopped smiling during the two hours we spent with the whales.

On a more serious and nearly tragic note, one humpback whale became entangled in a crab pot line last week.  Friends called to ask for our help, and we rushed to the site.  The poor whale had the crab pot line wrapped around his tail and was dragging the heavy pot and the buoy.  The whale was struggling to move and quickly becoming exhausted.  Disentangling a whale is not only difficult, but it’s a bad idea unless you’ve had some training and experience.  We wanted to help, but a forty-ton, stressed animal can be very dangerous and cause a lot of damage.  When we left the whale, he was swimming better but was still wrapped in the line and dragging the pot.  When we arrived home that evening, we were surprised to see the whale had followed us (a distance of three miles) and was right outside our lodge.  We watched him all evening, and at 10:00 p.m., Mike noticed he was free from the buoy.  A short while later, the whale began repeatedly lifting his tail fluke in the air and then swam away.  We aren’t sure if he swam into shallower water to make freeing himself from the crab pot line easier, or if it was just luck that he disentangled himself.  In any case, it was a great outcome and a reminder of how dangerous human debris and fishing gear can be to aquatic creatures.

It is strictly warned to ED sufferers to obviate heavy, oily, cheesy, fatty food and grape intake as such ingestion lead to best pharmacy viagra shorten pill strength. order cheap cialis unica-web.com Excessive stress and depression are also positive causes for experiencing sexual weakness. Your ultimate guide admits that this has the similar effective capacity to the particulate diseases and at the same times all the effects and side effects will remain the same. cheapest viagra in australia Propecia is a pill which is prescribed to prevent any hair loss problems cheapest tadalafil 20mg in males. Now to quickly report all our other activities this summer.  The salmon are again slow to arrive at the head of Uyak bay this year, and they are just beginning to move up the streams at the head of the bay.  Bears are still actively catching salmon and feeding at low tide on the tidal flats in salt water, and the bear viewing has been very good there.  We’ve also seen lots of sea otters and of course seals, deer, foxes, eagles, and puffins.  The salmon are in Brown’s Lagoon now, and the salmon fishing there has been excellent.  Halibut fishing has been below average, but we’ve only had two groups so far interested in fishing, so I suspect halibut fishing will improve in mid to late August when we devote more time to the cause.

I wish I could say our summer has been dry and sunny, but it hasn’t.  Still, I’ve heard few complaints, and as one guest told me, “If the bears don’t mind a little rain, then I don’t mind.”  As always, each day this summer has been a great adventure.  I’ll file a more-detailed report at the end of our summer season.

Robin