• Salmon
• Eagles
• Grizzley
• Glaciers

Salmon, Eagles & Bears  [click on image for larger view]

The second day in Cordova we were told about a short drive out the NE arm of Eyak Lake, about 5 miles or so on a dead-end dirt road. Expecting to perhaps see some eagles, we headed that way about 9 p.m..

Several miles out Mark and Brian both see tons of spawning salmon in a small stream along the road. We stop and can’t believe our eyes. There are literally hundreds of salmon in this narrow stream!

Moreover, there are eagles all around us; some less than 30 feet away (obviously hunting weak salmon). All the fish and eagles are a sight to behold.

It doesn’t take me too long to figure that if there are that many eagles hunting the salmon, there must also be bears around. I then notice a large—very large—set of bear prints in the stream. We get back in the car; around the very next corner a sow and two cubs are walking across the road! While the experience happened too fast to get a picture, we were nonetheless blessed to have seen so much wildlife in this short period. Only a short period into our trip, we had close encounters with animals we hadn’t see but in a zoo or on TV.