Russian Falls

The sticky note in my pocket book says I have to go back to work on July 11. Yikes that’s Monday! Only one thing to do then get out of town for the day.

Russian River on the Kenai is just over 100 miles south of town. The river is a clear stream that supports an enormous run of Salmon. It is prime bear habitat, and some of the largest Grizzly Bears in Alaska live there. It is also very popular with human fisher types, so popular that it now costs $11.00 just to park at the trail head. The toilet tissue in the outhouse unlike Canada’s outhouses is shoved on to a flat iron bar, and padlocked. Wow amerika.

Padlocked Toilet Tissue

 The falls when the fish are running are alive with Salmon jumping up the fast flowing stream. Bears sometimes can be safely watched from the viewing platform. Armed with a 300mm lens, a couple of my Koffee drinking friends and I headed out of town to maybe shoot a bear.

The trail is a easy 2.5 mile walk. We started off trying to identify some of the plants. Sitka Spruce, Birch, Willow, Hemlock and Cottonwood trees.

I spotted these delicate little flowers along the path.

Lots of Lupine, Flowering Dogwood, Ferns, Raspberries, lots and lots of grass.

We met some Forest Service people on the way out. The ranger said that a Sow and two cubs had been at the falls yesterday, but they had not seen them today.

Lower Russian Falls

We didn't see any bears, or even any sign of bears. Some Salmon were waiting at the bottom of the falls, and we got to see a couple of them fly up, but I wasn't fast enough to get a shot.

We had a great hike. The weather was perfect, and just like Dawson it just dosen't get any better than this.