Our search for Coastal Brown Bear began with a early morning flight out of Homer, Alaska on Homer Air. We arrived at their hanger at the appointed time, 7:30 am. The weather continued to be a mixture of rain, low clouds and periodically some clear sky. A mixture that had us wondering if our bear viewing would even take place. However, there seemed to be no doubt in the mind of our pilot, Tyler, that we would be leaving as planned. It was great to have the airplane to ourselves and the hour flight over Cook Inlet to Chinitna Bay, in Lake Clark Nat'l Park, was smooth, providing us with some views of Mount Iliamna with her head in the clouds. A beach landing in a small airplane is always a thrill! From the air, we could see bears clamming on the beach while others fed on lush green grass. There are no rangers or platforms here from which to view the bears like we had experienced at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, just us and Tyler wandering among the bears. There are some Park postings that explain bear etiquette, something we wanted to follow, particularly dining ettiquette. I'll let my pictures speak for themselves as no words can do justice.
Check out Bill's beard for a future post.
