It’s moose season in Anchorage, AK. Moose are everywhere. Here are the two cow moose with their calves that roam around my house. Got to be care when you go out in the morning to get in your car. They could be standing around the corner of the garage and scare the crap out of you as you get in the car. You don’t want a moose that close to you if you aren’t packing.
Check out the link below to the moose just after they were born.
Every year during the Fur Rondy event in Anchorage has a three-day sprint dog sled race. It’s a 20 mile course that runs through the city. You can catch the dogs running at many good viewing spots. The course actually runs through my university’s property as it makes a full circle back to the downtown finish line. Mushers compete the three races for lowest overall time. The dogs are bred to run and that’s all they want to do. They get so excited in preparation for the race that it’s fun to watch them. These dogs are not pets. They all live outside in the Alaskan winter and if they get loose, will run away. Not because of mean treatment by the mushers (these mushers love their dogs and give them a lot of attention) but because all they want to do is run. Check out the video to see excited dogs.
Young moose are every where this winter. This two-year-old has been hanging around the university since he was born. He’s one of these babies I photographed two years ago. His mom finally kicked him out of the nest along with his other sibling so he is figuring it all out. This photo was taken from my office at the university. I was working on the computer when junior moose decided to stop by my window and initially scare the crap out of me. I got out my camera and took these shots and them opened the window and tried to talk to him, but apparently he didn’t speak English.
Went fishing and this was the most exciting thing we way that morning. Beluga whales were feeding in this cove. It was so quiet you could hear them breathing.
It’s rut time in Anchorage. Every male moose is out patrolling for tang. This junior buck happened to hang the university for a few days guarding the front lawn and then scaring the hell out of people in the parking lot.
Just looked out my kitchen window and found I don’t have to mow my lawn this week and I also can’t get in my car right now. Oh the difficulties of living in Alaska.
Only in Alaska do they allow dogs to drive cars. Anyone can get a license up here since most of the DMV people don’t see that well and a dog can easily fool them. See if you can figure out which one of these dogs knows how to operate the radio.
Musk ox are indigenous to the region and were out in force along the road. They are only in the tundra areas and continue to move around during the harsh winters. You can’t get too close because everyday is rutting season.
A lone male trying to figure is all out.
I think it’s a pod of oxen – I’m not sure.
Where the women at? I’ve got two horns.
The only bush I’m gonna get.
Who knows what they are doing.
Now I’m really pissed. Pink flowers. I hate pink flowers.
Now were getting somewhere. Okay, I stole this from a post card.
Anchorage has one of the best bike trail systems of any city in which I have lived. What’s more important is all of the trails are paved and in the forest. All intersections with streets have a tunnel for the bikes. One of the most interesting aspects of Anchorage biking is running into wild life along the way. You never know what creature might appear around the next turn be it moose, bear, caribou, fox, hare, or Canadian. Here are a few cool shots from biking this fall.
New Orleans City park was once one of the most beautiful and gracious parks in the country. The park proudly housed the fine New Orleans Museum of Art, a world-class sculpture garden, golf course, lakes, and miles of tree-lined riding and walking trails. Hurricane Katrina devastated the park destroying hundreds of the majestic live oaks, the botanical gardens, picnic areas, and the golf course. All of the debris has been cleaned up but what remains of the once stately park is an empty shell of what is used to be.
Old photo snatched from the web showing the past beauty.
One of the stately live oaks still standing.
Road to the museum once lined with live oaks.
All of the roads used to be lined with live oaks.
Destroyed park areas and/or golf course.
This apartment complex is across the street from the park. The complex is only two feet above the water level of the bayou. No wonder this place got flooded.
Everything in Alaska is large. Here is a photo of the world’s largest halibut. It weighed 459 pounds. and was 9’ 5” long. Also, here is the largest King Salmon ever caught. It weighed around 90 pounds. Both are hanging in the Anchorage airport.
If you still haven’t had enough of Alaskan bears, here is the largest Kodiak Brown Bear ever shot. This huge guy is over ten feet tall and is one nasty critter. I was glad he was in a glass case in the Anchorage airport and not trying to bash his way into my house (from a previous post). This is why anyone who hikes in the wilderness in Alaska packs a .357 magnum (or larger) gun. Every couple of years someone get eaten by a bear, and they usually weren’t packin’.
This is one of the only cities in America where moose roam freely throughout the city. Apparently they will be in herds in the city come winter as the higher mountain vegetation grows thin. Moose are very dangerous animals. More people are hurt and killed by moose than by bear in Alaska. Bears generally stay out of the city, but you may find a moose on your front porch wanting to play. This sign is posted in one of the city parks. It shows two moose. The one on the left is a “pissed” moose. Ears down, back neck hair up – and you are going to get your ass kicked. Run like Hell because this boy is angry and he’s gonna get you. The moose on the right is a “what are ya doin’, let’s play” moose. Ears up, happy smile (if you can tell when a moose is smiling) and walking towards you. You are not in danger at this point, but move away slowly and don’t be alarmed if the moose keeps following you and has decided you are going to play with him. Either way, these are big dumb animals that can be ten feet tall and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. You don’t want that pissed at you, nor do you want to play.
Looks like an ad for the moose version of eHarmony.
So you wanna see more crazy bear stuff. Click below on this video to see a commercial for salmon that features Alaskan bears. Then click on the link below to see Alaskan grizzly bears feasting on salmon on a river on an island about 200 mile out of Anchorage.
Apparently all of these bear sightings in the city are a rare occurrence. I have spoken with a lot of locals who have never seen a bear in the city limits. If I’ve been in Anchorage only a few weeks and have been around all of these bear incidents (oh, by the way that 300 pound eight-foot bear from previous post that tried to break into my neighbors house was sighted again behind my house again) there is something wrong. I think it’s global warming. We need Al Gore up here with a 44 mag to protect us from the onslaught of warmed bears.
Okay, enough of that. This bear was up a tree at an apartment complex next to my gym. He is a small black bear around 100 pounds that was waiting for dark to come down. He had been there all day sleeping. When I went up to the tree, he woke up, gave me a big yawn, showed me his big teeth, and went back to sleep. I’d hate to be coming home drunk or something when this bad boy jumps out of the tree and runs across the road.
This scene was out my office window into the backyard. Here’s the scenario. Last time I saw this mama she had two moosettes with her. Then we had the nasty bear attack incident. Now she has only one moosette. It should make anyone a little sad. But as the Alaska State Fish and Game agent who came out to check on a wounded moose in the neighborhood said, “It’s nature, and we let it take it’s course.”
Some people build swimming pools in their back yards. But outdoor pools in Alaska just won’t work. Since this particular family lives on the outskirts of Anchorage, they decided to build a sturdy, colorful playground for their 3 and 4 year old sons, with smooth-stone gravel all around it to avoid knee scrapes and other injuries. They finished building it on Saturday evening, and the following morning, as the mom was about to wake up the boys and have them go out to play in their new play center, this is what she saw from the upstairs window:
I’ll give you two fish if you go down the slide.
Okay! You don’t want two fish, then I’ll give you a knuckle sandwich.
Still won’t go down the slide like Boo Boo over there, then I’ll give you an ear pull.
Muskox are the only mammal that resides above the Arctic Circle that does not hibernate. Their coat is so think they can survive the harsh winters at 160 below zero. During the summer, muskoxen live in wet areas, such as river valleys, moving to higher elevations in the winter to avoid deep snow. They graze on grasses, reeds, sedges, and other ground plants, digging through snow in the winter to reach their food. Muskox wool, or qiviut (an Inuit word), is highly prized for its softness, length, and insulative value. Prices for yarn ranges between $50 an $100 per ounce. Several shops in Anchorage sell clothes made from this yarn. It feels wonderful and is very expensive. They were once hunted to extinction just like the buffalo. Breeding efforts have brought their stocks back to safe levels. These muskox were seen at the Large Animal Experimental Farm at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The caribou can be found by the thousands through the northern territories. They are hunted by the locals and it is reported that caribou meet is some of the best tasting in the world. I will let you know. The reindeer is the domesticated version of the caribou. The reindeer have shorter legs (since they don’t have to migrate thousands of miles) and are fatter (more meat to eat). They grow a new set of antlers each year and use them for fighting with each other and protection.
Muskox coming down for a snack. The horns can kill a wolf or bear.
Muskox territory. Blue is new territory, red is extablished areas.
This young buck was looking for a snack at the end of my driveway. It ain’t the Bullwinkle I’ve known as a kid. My Bullwinkle always had his friend Rocky with him and wouldn’t try to ram my car as I pull out of my driveway. They are big, dumb, and dangerous especially during humping season – I mean rutting season.
