in the campground

I took a day off from touring & just hung around the campground today. Over the last 3 days, I got a bit ahead of schedule each day, & a day of R & R was needed. 

Bears are so prevalent here that there's an area for tenting which is enclosed by an electric fence. 


This is the view from my trailer window. 


And these shots were taken from the edge of my campsite. 




I was so lazy today that I shot these pics & put together this blog post last night to post this evening. 

Miscellaneous notes

In general, the Russian influence here remains stronger than I'd realized. Many cemeteries contain a few Russian Orthodox crosses, & most local history museums have some info about Russian influence that post-dates the US purchase of Alaska. This now seems obvious to me, as many Russians stayed on after that purchase, but I hadn't thought about that. I'd sort of thought of it as a Russian period that ended.

Though most indigenous folks here have adopted modern technology, their traditions remain very much a part of their lives. Many of them provide much of their own food through hunting, trapping, fishing, berry picking, & such. The government encourages this by issuing tribal members "subsistence licenses" that allow holders to hunt, trap, & fish for their own use even in protected areas. 

*   *   *   *   *

Wildlife sightings (not counting those in the conservation preserve or the aquarium)

--> --> yesterday:     moose - 1 (it's rear end disappearing into the woods)

                                trumpeter swans - 8 (4 adults & 4 cygnets)

--> --> trip total so far: 

    black bears - 4          deer - 2                grizzlies - 1            moose - 8

    stone sheep - 8        elk - 1                   caribou - 15            bison - 42    

    Dall sheep - 11        porcupines -1         mountain goats - 1       lynx - 1

    trumpeter swans - 30+        many bald eagles    black oyster catcher - 1 (rare)

    sea otters - 27             harbor seals - many     

    many sea stars & jelly fish        Dall's porpoise - ~ 20

    North Pacific Humpback whales - 2 pods of ~ 12 each + 1

    Stellar's sea lions - many, 100+ incl 60 pups in 1 spot (counted by scientists)

    puffins, horned & tufted - many

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