50-Yard Line …

much better view for Sunday at the rodeo. I did say Roy got the seating chart right the second time. The rodeo started at 2pm so we got there a little early to grab the perfect seat. I was just going to just switch places with where Roy was yesterday. We get there and he decides that the corner might be a better place. I tried to enter one way no go to narrow. So, let’s take a trip in front of the bleachers that is also a no go. In fact, this is where I got stuck in a rut. My crazy bull rider from the other day came to my rescue. I call him crazy because I showed him his pictures and yes, he said those are cool. After we all decided I can’t get there we settled for the left side of the gate. That my friends ‘was the 50-yard line’. I did not know then how perfect it was. I saw everything from the calf wrestling to the break-away roping from a different angle. Roy was also able to put a few loving on some of the horses that were standing next to and behind him at the arena gate.

I even shot a few photos of the ones he was loving on, so I have evidence.

Instead of barrel racing today was pole bending. We did see a few perfect runs and yes, we did also see a few tipped over poles. The set up for this event is interesting and can be found here.

Today there was more breakaway roping was also on the schedule today. Here is a short video from one of the riders

rope the little one

Also on the agenda they had a similar event to the roping but instead of roping the calf you have to put a mark on its shoulder using mustard and a tennis ball here’s a pic of it.

I do think this is called wrangling but I like calf wrestling. I do have to say she gave it her all and lost.

calf 1 cowpoke 0

We were again treated to some trick riding this time I was a little further from the rail, so no flying gravel.

The spectators had fun also my seat for the 3legged race placed me right in front of the winners. I felt like they were heading straight towards me.

You got this

The kids also got in on the action except they did not have to grab anything off the bull, it was a calf.

don’t run away

Like in good rodeo you have to have some drama when it comes to bull riding. Saturday was Kayden. Sunday was angry bull. The bull dumped his rider early and decided he was not going back in the holding pen. You could tell something was up as he was not liking being sat on just overall angry bull. The rodeo non clown tried to face off and stare him down that did not work. They finally had to release another bull to distract the bull who would not behave. Once distracted they were able to catch him.

I will admit shooting action shots is a tad challenging to me. I am glad I’ve spent some time here tracking eagles with my camera it is the same techniques.

All in all, it was a good 4th and Roy enjoyed another small-town traditional holiday.

Here’s a slide show from day 2.

At the Rodeo had a front row seat

sometimes a little too front row. I will explain more on that a little later. I will also explain why I need a 4-wheel drive chair. I did get stuck once or twice or maybe three times. People are so nice when they are helping dig out a chair stuck in the dirt. I have to say the grounds were fairly wheelchair accessible until you get to the area leading up to the handicap ramp for the bleachers. This is where I got stuck. (Not hard packed at all.) We were able to get up on the bleachers and caught a few of the Junior Rodeo before the main event. (We did miss the beach races. You can see the video on their Ninilchik Rodeo Facebook Page.)

The Junior Rodeo did need to be captured from the bleachers as it was using a smaller part of the arena. I was watching these young say under 5 years old children being led around the barrels by adults. My thought was what a great way to introduce your child to the rodeo. I think it was fun for both parties involved. I watched a little more than figured it was time to eat dinner. This is where I got stuck again and also when Roy and I decided both of us need to find better seats.

Off we go to find better seats before the main event starts, with a stop over for dinner at the snack shack. This is a place I did not mind paying $23 for 2 cheeseburgers considering one was a meal. (It went to support the local youth.) Back to the seating situation there was a small set of bleachers inside the contestant area on fairly level ground, so we pulled up there, it turned out to be an awesome seat for the action. (Right at eye level.)

It wasn’t quite the 50-yard line but it was to the right of one of the entry gates to the arena.

Day 1 had some action from bulls to bull horns. Here’s some highlights

Calf Riding
Bull Riding
3-legged Race
Trick Riding
Barrel Racing
$100 the Hardway

Three big takeaways from day 1 included: 1. being glad I can’t run. 2. you have to be a little crazy to ride a bull. 3. don’t sit too close to the rail when trick riding is involved.

Why am I glad I can’t run? I will explain. The $100 the hard way involves a bull, an envelope taped to the bull’s horns, and a stampede of grown men. Check out the two videos. (spoiler alert: the bull got away with the money.) They repeated this on Sunday.

The Rules

The Stampede

Why do you have to be a little crazy to be a bull rider. In case you get thrown from the bull pinned underneath and then when you see the photos, say that was cool. This happened on Saturday to Kayden.

I was able to get his ride from start to finish. He did get up and walked away but that was a scary scene. I am very glad he was ok. I needed him to get me unstuck on Sunday but that is another story.

Saturday there seemed to be more rocks bouncing in the air and near me. I think it could have been where I was seated. The trick riders would come by kick up some stones I would flinch and lose a shot. (We did remedy this on Sunday). I was able to capture some shots.

We enjoyed the rodeo so much we came back on Sunday. Roy did get the seating chart right the second attempt on Sunday.

Enjoy the slide show below

Hometown Celebration

That is what I saw this weekend at the Ninilchik Rodeo. I’m pretty sure we will see more of the same at the American Legion fish fry on the 4th. I have to say it has been an amazing time on the Kenai. I will be doing a couple of posts on just the rodeo. We also visited the cemetery where the Legion placed American Flags on the grave sites.

So please enjoy the pictures

It was a Bull. No, it was a Cow moose.

This is what happens when you have two different viewpoints, one from the driver side and the other from the passenger side. This occurred the other night as we were driving to see more eagles. Anyone who have heard our banter, can imagine the banter. I did however say don’t go back there will be others to photograph. Well, a u-turn was made, and we both realized that at the exact same time we both saw a moose. (Just of the opposite sex).

How often does that happen when you are both right. As a bonus we were treated to twin baby moose, of course mamma tried to get in the way of my shot. During the u-turns and the banter I was not able to get a picture of the mom. (Unless a butt shot counts.) I do believe once mom felt our presence, she was eager to nudge her kids out of the way.

Almost saying no photos please.

There are some disadvantages from shooting from a car; no cross-yard pursuits. So where to next.

Remember though we did see the bull moose on the other side of the road. He was just standing there no care in the world. I’m thinking he was thinking they are too far away and can’t take my picture. (These paranoid thoughts are happening because lately every moose we see we can’t get a good photo of.) Back to the story. Roy sees a road where we can get closer, and I can use my camera from the car. After going down a near (dirt) road we cross the road that can get us close to the moose. I first try shooting with the 300mm close, but I think I can do better so, I brought out the big guns. Here are the photos side by. side. I did not realize the big difference until I saw the photos side by side.

I like both versions for different reasons the 300 mm lens gives you the look that everything is in focus. The 600 mm has you looking and concentrating only on the moose.

This moose was not photo shy, he was only concerned with the flavor of his grass. I took a few more photos than we had to leave. Our fish taco dinner had gotten rescheduled to the next night. Off to Homer. Roy had to find out if the restaurant where he was introduced to Bear Creek Winery Rhubarb Chardonnay still served it. I am getting ahead of myself.

view looking down on it

We did our normal pass throughs of the beaches in an off chance we would see eagles, because that is what this year seems to be focused on. No eagles tonight though. We get to Homer a little earlier than we wanted to. So, a trip to the harbor and checking for more eagles. No luck by the ferry terminal. We then find another road we had not travelled, (yes, we explored) a short trip around the small boat harbor.

Now to that restaurant and dinner. We had visited the ‘The Fat Olive’ on our last trip through Homer in 2017. The food was great, and Roy learned about edible flowers and wine. On this particular Sunday there were no edible flowers and no Bear Creek wine. What did happen was after dinner this group of three kids came over to our table 1 boy and 2 girls. The look on Roy’s face was quizzical because he was not sure what the shy boy was asking. The boy kept pointing to Roy’s nose and his oxygen, well the sister chimed in and asked Roy if they could lay hands on him and pray for healing. He agreed and it was just interesting to see the determination in the three kids when they were praying for him.

Where do you go from there? Home with leftovers and warm thoughts.

Why do we do what we do

when we do it? That is a question Roy asked me after this day was done. Saturday, we got a late start even though we had all intentions of attempting the farmer’s market again. (I would stay in the car.) Needless to say, we stayed in bed. When we did get up and moving, we were side- tracked by a nice rack of halibut. After a few pictures, we head down to Anchor Point just to find out they are paving the road and to expect long delays. We decided not to wait. Roy has been reading the Milepost (a book that is published yearly for travelers in Alaska). He read about a small Russian village of ‘Old Believers‘ (the link is to an article from 2013). On a side note. In our exploring of Homer in 2017 we discovered the road to the village Kachemak Selo mentioned in the article. They are a very closed off community

After not wanting to wait for the construction we stopped for a coffee in one of those non-Starbucks drive through coffee huts. Saw there was a pizza place in the same parking lot. So we got a fresh made slice (1/4 of a large pizza). Roy and I split one slice. It was good and even had glazed garlic butter on the crust. Then, we travelled ten miles down a paved road in Anchor Point Alaska and found the village of Nikolaevsk Alaska.

The town itself is very quiet when you drive through. To me it felt a little like pulling back a curtain to peek in on someone or something. The center piece of the town seems to be the church A little explanation about the church (the link is to an article from 2015). They have service on Saturday night I was able to take the pictures right before people started to arrive for service. You could see a sense of community along with a reverence for the church.

The congregation is in the process of building a new church, it looks like they have been at it awhile.

I am including some links about the architecture of Russian churches and Onion Domes

I hope you enjoy the pictures of the church.

So, we head back to town but before we leave, I took a picture of the school which teaches all grades under one roof. I thought it interesting that there was even a school for a community that small, being they are so close to Anchor Point.

We decide to give the road to the beach another shot. We were first car by the flagger, he said it would be about a half hour, so we waited. I am so glad we did. Had we come through when we first stopped, we would have missed the feast that was occurring on the beach. When the fishermen are done with fileting the catch the scraps get thrown on the beach for the birds to eat.

takeoff

It was cool to see them all swarm on the beach and even fight over some pieces. I was not able to get any real fighting on camera, I did however capture the landing of an eagle after the fight. I think he thought He was victorious, because the wings are up saying: “he is the champion!”

So, to answer the question Roy posed. I am not sure why it happens. I am just happy Roy listens to whatever voice or thought tells him what direction to go in.

Tracking Eagles

The Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord Chapel

First part of the day we decided to be lazy I caught up on my blog and edited some pictures, Roy slept. After lunch we decide to get moving and photograph the Russian Orthodox Church in Ninilchik, the lighting was ok for landscape/ building photography.

The cemetery at the church used to be a little less overgrown than we discovered it to be. There is also a Veterans cemetery next to the original one in much better condition. I was disappointed, but it also gave me a chance to explore the front of the church and the cemetery from the front.

The church overlooks the small village of Ninilchik AK. The village is small and old but with good bones. I have enjoyed the beach and it is one you can still drive out on. We haven’t done that yet. I am stressing the word YET. The town is also home to a small fleet of fishing vessels. One of the days we were down by the beach they were in harbor.

The beach here has an advantage over Deep Creek and Anchor Point as there is a dock where the vessels can tie off. On one of our recent visits to the beach we saw a salmon tender. These vessels collect the fish so the fleet can continue to fish.

We have enjoyed parking on the road so I can take pictures from it. There have not been very many eagles down at this end of the beach but that is still good. I was able to photograph some of the few breakers I’ve seen.

The beach here does have some shallow rocks near shore, so there are some danger signs.

The road that runs on the other side of the harbor has a turn out right before you head down the road. It is below the bluff that the church sits on so the opportunity to practice tracking eagles with my camera was ample.

Before we left Ninilchik I happened upon this building I am thinking that it hasn’t been active in a long time, or it has a well-hidden path to the entrance.

When tracking eagles, we always have to stop at Deep Creek which used to be a favorite spot for me. At the top of the road down towards the beach is a charter fishing service J&J Smart Charters and Deep Creek View Campground RV Park. They go out and fish for halibut. When the boat returns the crew hangs the catch for the day up so pictures can be gotten of the fish. So far this was the first time this trip that we were able to capture it as it was happening.

There is going to be a rodeo right down the road on July 2nd & 3rd at the Kenai Peninsula State fairgrounds. I am looking forward to the beach horse race earlier in the day. This is all being sponsored by the Peninsula Horseman’s Association. I do plan on concessions food on the 2nd.

I can’t believe that we have been in one place with the trailer for over a week. I do know there is so much more to explore. I have to run now and get to exploring.

We Saw a Few…

moose that is. I was beginning to lose faith that I would ever get anything but eagles on my camera this trip. I can’t believe it, but I have a picture of a moose an actual bull moose. Maybe his second year. Ok, I am getting ahead of myself.

We got up semi early for us on this trip because we were headed to Skilak Lake Loop Road. This area fell victim to the Swan Lake Fire of 2019, that was started by lightening. We had driven past some of the damage you could see from the Sterling Highway, we wanted to see the damage done to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge mainly the Skilak Lake area.

Our friend who we met on the ferry and met for dinner the other night mentioned the Ninilchik Beach as a place you can drive on the beach and could possibly see some eagles we decided to stop and check it out before heading up the road. The funny thing is who do we run into Tom our friend. He was taking his two dogs for a run. We talked for a bit about the fishing, the old cannery for fish, eagles, and dogs. (side note I saw 1 eagle while we were there.)

I can say it was devastating although hopeful. The area is starting to come back to life with plants fireweed which is one of the first plants to appear after a fire.

Our other motive for traveling the 19 miles of dirt and hard packed gravel was for animals. We had no real luck in this area until after we passed the worst of the burn scar. Although, we had an Aha moment. Brush grows. We know this because one of the areas where we saw lots of bear activity 5 years ago grew in. It had been an open hillside. The lake where we saw mega moose had also become overgrown. We had all but settled on seeing no animals when we come upon a car in each direction stopped. This usually means animals. It did, we saw bears. We were not first in line so I had to depend on the dash cam. I still don’t know if she had 2 or 3 cubs. Check out the video look towards the left side

2 or 3 cubs

I do know they were the tiniest cubs I’ve ever saw. Roy pulled a u-turn and we tried to see if she would come back out of the trees, she did not. I was able to zoom in and get the mom’s back and if you use your imagination a shot of baby bear. It was just wonderful to see that there is still new life here.

After we ate and headed home, we finally see a moose that I could take a picture of. Roy watched it cross the road and realized the moose was still on the side of the road. So, Roy does another U-turn (had an awesome break in traffic). This guy, yes, he was a guy, had just started to get his paddles.

The velvet on his antlers looked so soft. He was standing ankle deep in water and the light was bouncing off his back perfectly. I had my camera in hand he posed and waited until I had focus and then I snapped three pictures. He looked at me turned his head and moved on. You know when they say right place, right time. There was something magical about the moment.

We then headed to Wal-Mart needed duct tape and some other stuff like milk and creamer I have to have my coffee. We were on a hunt for caribou yes there is a small herd on the Kenai. We followed the direction for a likely viewing spot and we got nothing. I am hoping maybe sometime this month, fingers crossed. Back down the road to get back to the trailer and keeping our eyes open for wildlife, we were treated to another moose along the side of the road. I have to say Roy’s U-turn did not produce this time. However, the dash cam did catch him out of the corner of its eye.

moose

Here is a still from the video

The rest of the trip home was uneventful. We did stop back at the beach we visited in the morning and believe it or not we run into Tom again. He swore he had just gotten back to the beach. The weird thing about the beach in the evening was no eagles. We went down to Deep Creek also no eagles. When there is no boats or fish no eagles. It was a strange sight.

You can do it … FAMOUS last words

I was told when I got my chair DO NOT take it on gravel. OK I understand. Did you know there are different types of gravel? I did not. To me gravel is anything that had some sort of small rock. In my mind I was rolling over a bunch of gravel (actually I now know that was stone). So now you know what I was told, I now know why.

We decided to do the farmer’s market in Homer on Wednesday because it was in the afternoon and shorter then Saturday’s market. The parking lot is full of gravel the sinky kind. You know the stuff that is thick and heavy. We thought what a great way to get around the market use the scooter and chair. The thing is you have to get to the market first. We unload and put together both the scooter and my chair. We start out. I immediately get stuck. Not a problem I get up and try and move it after I put it in neutral. I got it free, sit down try again go a few feet, stuck again. Well now we have a crowd. So the next time I get stuck it isn’t freeing up. So we came up with a solution have the crowd of men carry it back to the car.

We did not get to the market because Roy also got bogged down. So I guess our fresh produce will have to come from SafeWay now.

So I learned a few things here.

Listen when the people who know say something.
When your gut says this is a bad idea.
People still are helpful.
If you do something embrassing do it where people will never see you again.
Make sure there are no photos (THERE ARE NONE)

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.

my version of how it is done

dry land

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.