This Week in Haines

We have spent the past week in Haines, Alaska and will be here for a few more days.  There is so much to do in this beautiful town.  I may have said it here already but Haines holds everything I think of when someone says "Alaska".  There are eagles, moose and bear, wildflowers, mountains, totem poles, northern lights, glaciers and fishing.  The town is small and friendly but has small museums and great little restaurants.
The salmon are running right now on the area's two main rivers and the bears are very visible. There is an area in the river north of town where salmon are counted on their journey upstream and a parade of grizzlies go through to get the salmon that are trapped there.  We have been entranced by the moms and cubs.  The cubs, of course, are cute and cuddly looking and the moms are so devoted and caring.  They seem to actively teach the cubs throughout the day as they are finding food.  The top photo below is of the largest grizzly we have seen.  We would have missed him hiding in the shadows along the stream had we not slowed down for one more look into the salmon stream.  He was a really huge bear and ate several salmon in the short time we were there.
We know some really great and caring people in Haines and they have been so very kind.  Ron has taken us to numerous places to photograph and he and his wife have had great suggestions for things to do.  Jacque has a very productive vegetable garden and it is amazing just how many vegetables come out of her raised beds.  She is an excellent cook and we enjoyed a delicious meal at their house.
We were taken out to raise Dungeness crabs by a very generous couple. My those crabs were good!
Yesterday we rode with Ron and Jacque into Canada to look for ptarmigan.  We had seen willow ptarmigan before but never long enough to photograph.  There were a lot of ptarmigan there and several swans.  I finally have good photos of a ptarmigan!