Newsletter 2008

The theme of our summer was friends and family. Over half of our guests were returnees, and these are folks we consider friends. Several members of our family also made the long trek to Kodiak to visit us, and since many of our relatives joined us on our day trips, I will include them in our newsletter. This is also the perfect place to mention a wonderful lady we consider family. Marcia Messier was back for a 5^th year to spoil us and prepare her delicious feasts.

My brother, Russell Barefield, his wife, Melanie, and their son, Nick, all from Kansas, arrived June 26^th and started our season off right by seeing the first bears and fin whales of our summer. Russell caught the first halibut (and he’ll never forgive me if I don’t mention the largest) of the summer, and he also caught the first pink salmon of the season in Brown’s Lagoon. That early salmon was a hint of the fantastic fishing we would enjoy in Brown’s Lagoon in July and August.

On July 15^th, we greeted Steve and Sue Soldoff from California. On their first afternoon, they saw a bear near our lodge and later watched three huge fin whales surface beside the boat. On their first day at the head of Uyak Bay, Steve and Sue saw 15 bears, including a sow and yearling cub that walked in front of them. On July 17^th, Linda Death from Australia joined the Soldoffs. They photographed bears on the tide flats, including a sow and cub that rolled in the gravel on the beach beside them. Sue and Steve caught several halibut, and by the time they left, they had a box of fish to take home.

The day after the Soldoffs left, Mike and Linda enjoyed a great day of bear viewing. They sat on the beach and watched six bears fish in front of them. One young bear was so comfortable with their presence that he plopped down beside them and took a nap. They saw a sow and her yearling cub both catch fish, while another sow growled and fought with her two-year old cub when he tried to steal her salmon. Marcia joined us for two days, and for the first time in five years, we talked Marcia into fishing. She observed Linda’s technique as she expertly reeled in a 50-lb. halibut and then Marcia caught one of her own. Watching Marcia fight a large fish was a memorable experience!

On July 25^th, we were happy to welcome back Bud and Joan Coughlin, Gene and Diane Fantini, Reneé Hugues, and Matthew and Justine Vigilante, all from New Jersey. This group was here to catch fish, and Bud claimed this was the best salmon fishing they’ve ever had in Brown’s Lagoon. I can assure you Bud had a good time. Each time he salmon fished, he caught his limit and managed to get soaking wet. Sonny, Justine, Joan, and Reneé also caught salmon, and one afternoon we enjoyed a picnic of fresly-caught, grilled salmon on the beach. Gene caught the largest halibut of the week (46 lbs.) and was able to sit back and admire Diane’s handiwork when we raised the halibut flag she made.

On July 30^th, we welcomed back Andy Erickson from Rhode Island. Andy was accompanied by his 16-year old grandson, Martin Ulrich, from Pennsylvania. Andy and Martin were joined by Carol Luecker and Bill Fritz from Arizona and Joe Grajo and Roxana Escalante from California. This group saw approximately 30 bears each day they went bear viewing. On their first day, three young bears caught and ate fish in front of them, and when two of the bears got into a fight over a salmon, Mike had the group move down the beach, so they wouldn’t find themselves in the midst of the brawl. On another day, they watched a sow catch a salmon and then share the fish with her two cubs. When another bear wanted a piece of her fish, the sow ran him off. Everyone enjoyed fishing. Bill caught two "Club" halibut (43 and 62 lbs.), and Martin and Joe each caught his limit of salmon in Brown’s Lagoon. This group had fun wherever we went, and after spending a few days with Martin, we wanted to hire him as camp social director.

Ken and Summer Groves and Tom and Susan Kingcade, all from Florida, arrived August 5^th. On their first day, they watched a sow with two cubs fish in front of them, and on their second day, they watched a sow with a newborn cub and a sow with two 2-year old cubs catch salmon. This group enjoyed two sunny afternoons fishing in Brown’s Lagoon, and one day we cruised toward the mouth of the bay, where Mike took everyone for a ride in the whaler to watch and photograph fin whales, sea otters, Stellar sea lions, and puffins.

Our good friend, Dick Zander, arrived August 11^th. Joining Dick were Albert Dickson and Anita Harvey from Idaho, and Van and Georgie Hooker from Texas. This group saw several bears on the main river at the head of the bay, including two large males. On another day, they watched approximately 35 bears fish in front of them on the tide flats. They listened to cubs growl and watched everything from mock fighting to serious confrontations as the bears interacted with each other. Everyone caught salmon in Brown’s Lagoon, and we enjoyed a fun afternoon halibut fishing in shallow water (20 ft.), where Dick caught a 65 pounder and a 55 pounder, and Van landed a 50 lb. halibut. On August 17^th, Dick Zander was joined by his son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Sue, from Virginia and by his brother-in-law, Ed Murphy from Maryland. On their first full day, we cruised out to Greenbanks, where Sue, Dick, and Ed caught our first silver salmon of the summer. At the head of the bay, they watched several bears fish, including a sow with two yearlings that fished in front of them. When one of the cubs caught a fish and brought it to the beach near them to eat it, the other cub tried to take the fish away from the first cub, and a fight ensued between the siblings. Mike’s mother, Pat, and her husband, Wally Engstrom, from Hawaii joined this group on August 20^th.

On August 23^rd, Pat and Wally were joined by Dan and Maya Holzman from Israel and Mona Marks and Chris Seguine from California. One day, this group watched several bears fish of a river in front of them, and on their hike back to the boat that afternoon, they encountered a sow and two cubs sleeping near the beach. The sow sent her cubs behind her and stood her ground as Mike and group slowly walked past her. On another day, this group saw a large male bear walk out of the brush, growl, and then slowly walk upstream. They watched a young bear play on a log and marveled at the sight of a very large bear that casually stretched out near the river and took a nap.

On August 26^th, we welcomed back Dan Robertson from Nevada, Frank Oclassen, Gene Fanucchi, Gordy Sexton, and Howard Hancock, all from California, and we were pleased to meet their friend, Bill Douglas, from Nevada. These guys had fishing on their minds, and we had no doubt they would fill the fish boxes they brought with them. On their first day at Greenbanks, they caught only 3 silver salmon, but they landed 31 halibut and kept 8. On the next trip to Greenbanks, they caught 16 silver salmon and kept 5 of the 18 halibut they caught. Gene earned the nickname "Silver Fox" by catching his limit of salmon, and Gene also caught the largest halibut (55 lbs.) of the week. The guys took a couple breaks from fishing to whale watch and bear view, but this did not stifle their productivity.

On September 2^nd, we welcomed back Peter Makuch and greeted his friend, Ursula Easterbrook, both from Canada. We also welcomed Steven Price and Kelly Shaw from Texas. Peter and Ursula joined us for a 10-day visit, while Steve and Kelly were here for 5 days. This was a group of serious photographers, and they were not disappointed. They enjoyed three days of beautiful weather and photographed so many bears that I can’t begin to describe their adventures in the space I have allotted. One day, Mike estimated he saw 10 bears in a 30-square-foot area. Some of the bears were fishing only 4 feet from each other. The only challenge we faced was convincing everyone to walk back to the boat at the end of each day.

Kirsten Kreis from Germany and Doug and Jackie Fry from Florida joined Peter and Ursula on September 7^th. Rain dampened this group’s first day of bear viewing, but they were excited by the number of bears they saw. By day two, the rain had stopped. They were greeted by four deer when they arrived at the head of the bay, and they watched several single bears and a sow with two yearling cubs fish in front of them. While mom caught dinner, the two cubs took a nap on the beach. On another day, they watched a sow with a newborn cub, a sow with two older cubs, and a single bear fish and interact in front of them. On their final day of bear viewing, three single bears walked past them on the trail, not seeming to mind as the cameras clicked.

On September 12^th, we were pleased to welcome back new-Alaska-resident Jerry Burblis, Jo-Anne Antalik from Florida, Dick Field from Arizona, and Dick’s son, Doug, from Maine. We couldn’t have picked a better way to end our season than with this fun, relaxed group. On their first day, Jo-Anne caught a 50-lb. halibut, while Dick landed 4 silver salmon in Brown’s Lagoon. On the second day of fishing, Doug caught a 55-lb. halibut, and Jerry caught a 14-lb. silver salmon seconds after dropping his lure in the water. At the head of the bay, they saw approximately 35 bears fishing in the basin in front of the main river. Upriver, they saw several sets of sows and cubs and watched a large boar walk past them. One sow caught a fish near them, and they snapped photos as the cubs growled, fought over the fish, and then tore it apart.

The bear viewing was spectacular this summer, and I’ve only managed to describe a small fraction of what we saw. Also, in my excitement over writing about bears, I’ve neglected to mention much of the other wildlife we enjoyed. We observed eagles everywhere we went, including the pair that nests near our lodge and posed for numerous photo sessions. Early in the summer, a mountain goat walked through camp. We saw deer and fox families as we cruised the beaches of Uyak Bay, and we smiled at the antics of puffins, sea otters, and seals. Two of our guests even received a visit from a nosy weasel that scratched on the screen door of their cabin.

We believe that only the best of the best tourists choose to spend part of their vacation at a remote lodge on Kodiak Island. We are very lucky, because we meet wonderful people from around the world who share our love of wildlife and the outdoors. We were delighted and proud to have so many returning guests this summer, and several of our first-time guests vowed they would also return. We thank you all! We also thank Marcia for pampering us again this summer. We couldn’t do it without you!

Robin Munsey