Boat Launch Alaska Style

It is interesting to watch how boats enter and exit the water without a boat ramp. Places like Anchor Point, and Deep Creek have it down to a science. How you ask? They use a tractor attached to your boat trailer. It is like a push me – pull me relationship. In the Cook Inlet the widely varying tides make it impossible to have a harbor or ramp, this is why the tractor is used. The launches occur based on the tide tables. For a You Tube video of a boat launch Alaska style.

In this video you can see the guy winching up the boat on the trailer. The audio comes with no extra charge.

The video was shot at Deep Creek, we did not stay long as there were very few boats coming in. Here are a few photos of the boat in the video.

While we were still at Deep Creek I was able to take a few pictures of the volcanoes across the bay. There was no letting off steam today which is a good thing. Here is some information about Mount Redoubt. As you can see this was a clear view of the volcano and the reason we came down to Deep Creek in the first place. Mountains in Alaska always seem to make their own weather, so a clear mountain is rare. It does seem like this trip is all about the eagles and I think you might be correct. We headed off in search of some more in Anchor Point.

I set up my chair and grabbed my long lens because there were eagles on the beach, along with horses, people, boats and tractors. I had an amazing amount of subject matter to choose from. It brings into the mix timing, lighting, and patience, (I’m developing all of those this summer.) Sitting in the chair, I want to stay longer because it is senseless to take it out and put it together for five minutes’ worth of shooting. I love the fact I can move around without being exhausted after one stop.

Getting back to the boat launch process here, it was definitely a well-timed dance as can be seen from some of my pictures. I enjoyed seeing one come in and go out at about the same time. The cool thing is the eagles were not fazed by the tractor or the movement of the humans.

In between the launches I got a treat because when the fisherman dumps the scraps the eagles and the other birds get easy food. The funny thing is just like kids, juvenile eagles fight over the thing someone else has even though there is plenty to go around. This argument was settled when the adult eagle came in and took it for their own. In the photo you do see a more major juvenile in possession of the fish. It did start in the talons of the little guy so I give him credit for trying. Although who knows let the younger one do the work then as the elder you reap the reward.

Roy and I had been talking in the morning about wouldn’t it be cool to see some horses being ridden on the beach. I guess all we have to do is talk about wanting to see something for it to happen. (It hasn’t worked for moose yet.) Reason being is just as I was thinking of packing up to go along the beach comes a few riders on horseback.

I do say I am not the only photographer who gets tunnel vision when taking pictures. I wanted to yell down the beach and say look to your left you are missing the horses. I do not think that would have gone over well. I do understand how Roy feels when I am totally absent to my surroundings. I had watched her creep down the beach ever closer to the eagles who were hanging around.

We then headed down to Homer again just to see if anything was happening down there, it wasn’t. But Roy does say you don’t know if you don’t go. That saying also applied to dinner. He wanted to see if the Thai restaurant Keen Kow (check out the facebook page). I will say it did not change his Pad Thai was still delicious, I even tried the Cashew Pork. So, this was a perfect ending to the longest day of the year, 19 hours and 44 minutes. Although it could be 24 hours of sun, because the sun may dip below the horizon, but it never gets truly dark.