I took a direct flight from Houston to Anchorage. The eight hour flight was uneventful and the cloud cover allowed only brief glimpses of the mountain ranges still covered in snow. When we landed, Joe was waiting, anxious to show me the paradise he had been describing in phone calls over the past month. He had refused to share more than cursory pictures because as he kept telling me, "You have to see this for yourself."
Highway 1, also known as the Seward Highway, is the only road connecting Anchorage to the Kenai Penninsula. As you drive south, you make your way on a two-lane road coursing along Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet where Captain Cook, many years ago, had to turn his ship around and retrace his course when he failed to discover a passageway between Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound. It is the same area that boasts of one of the most dramatic bore tides in the world and is also a popular area for viewing dall sheep, beluga whales, bears, and various birds and other wildlife.
About an hour south of Anchorage, you enter the Kenai Penninsula and Highway 1 splits. You can continue east to Seward and Prince William Sound or west to Kenai and Homer along the Cook Inlet. As we traveled west, we followed the road along Kenai river. I could see flashes of the turquoise water through the trees as we watched for moose in the rapidly approaching dusk.
Moose are a real problem to drivers on the Kenai Peninsula. One of Joe's first safety lessons upon arriving was focused on driving in moose country and he shared the following tips with me:
- If an approaching car flashes its lights at you, it means there is something in the road ahead...most likely a moose.
- At night, if the approaching lights appear to flicker, it is a moose crossing the road.
- If you must hit a moose, try to hit them in either the front or back legs (Joe couldn't remember which) which will direct the moose over your car instead of through the windshield. Note to self: get clarification on this one!
After eight hours on a plane and flying through two time zones, two hours into the drive I was seeing moose everywhere. Every tree stump looked like a moose and a shadow of a tree looked like a moose with antlers. The last hour of our three hour trip was in complete darkness. The unfamiliar, two-lane road had us both wary and it wasn't until we were right upon it that we shouted simultaneously: "MOOSE!" Luckily for this moose, it had decided to graze on the side of the road and remained there as our car sped past. Had it not remained there I'm sure Joe's training would have kicked in and we would have decisively hit it in either its front or back legs to flip it up and over the car.
Since then, the moose we've seen have all been grazing along the side of the road. Many have two calves who at this time of the year are teenagers and each calf is the size of a cow. Only once have I seen a moose cross the road. This particular moose came out of the woods at full run: head down, straight across the traffic, and into the woods on the other side. I can only imagine the outcome had the car ahead of us been traveling any faster.
Moose season started this past week and since then I've not seen a moose. I'm told they will be more visible after the first snow when they return to graze the clearings along the side of the roads. That means I can expect to see moose again in about 3 weeks. Currently, I'm more concerned about the crazy moose hunters than I am moose.
It was 10 days after my arrival before we had a sunny day and I saw the mountains. Everything I had heard about Alaska was confirmed that first sunny morning. On a clear day, even a trip to the post office is awe-inspiring when you look up and see Mt. Redoubt towering over you. I know now why Joe was hesitant to send me pictures. Even a professional photographer cannot capture this beauty. I have to agree. You really must see this for yourself!
Next: Fishing the Kenai
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