So back from an epic roadtrip of Anchorage to Haines, Alaska; 5 days, 1,689 miles, 2 countries, 1 state (twice), 1 province and 1 territory. Went from Anchorage into the interior of Alaska, across the Yukon Territory, clipped a corner of British Columbia and back into Alaska again. All done in some of the worst weather and driving conditions I've experienced.

Why go to Haines? They've got a weird weather pattern where they stay warmer and the rivers freeze later than the rest of Alaska. As a result there's a late season salmon run which attracts 3,000 Bald Eagles to the Chilkat River in late October/early November. So I packed up the camera, my cold weather gear and my rain gear and headed for Haines.

I texted a couple of pictures to my cousin Kyle to let him know what I was doing. His brother, Christopher is my cousin by blood and my little brother in life. As some on the forum know, Christopher served as a Navy Corpsman with the Marine Infantry during the battle to retake Ramadi. He was killed during a mortar attack on December 6, 2006.

Kyle's response brought me to tears.

"Every time I see an Eagle, my wife tells me it's Christopher saying, 'Hello', maybe yesterday was your day to hang out with him."



There are Bald Eagles concentrated in one area of the Chilkat River. Look at the trees in the background to get an idea how many there really are.


Coming in for a landing.


I was taking pictures of this Eagle feeding on the bank and all at once realized the reflection and readjusted my aiming point for the following shots.


Every now and then I could get lucky on the timing.


This is how close it's possible to get to them. Close enough to hear the ripping sounds as it tears apart the salmon.


This is my favorite shot of the day. Not because of the quality of the picture but because of the experience of taking it. The shot's not that great, I was losing daylight and shutter speed so none of the motion is really captured. That's the same Eagle that I was so close to while it was feeding. When it took flight I was close enough to hear the individual wing beats, WHOOP! WHOOP! WHOOP!

Wow. Great photos. Sounds like it was an enjoyable trip. Thank you for sharing.

Close enough to smell the eagles as they flapped by?

Did you take a 4WD pickup truck w/ cap? That is a trip I'm hoping to take at some point. My passport card application is on the fridge, awaiting a picture.

The simple google inquiry: why does haines alaska stay warmer has me shifting into a Road Trip mindset.

In February I may take a Subaru wagon across country, with the back set up for sleeping. Bed mat, thick wool blankets, emergency rations. Philly to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, do a little cold weather car camping, visit friends, and then to sunny AZ to pick grapefruit.

Possibly August to North Dickey Lake, MT, with a few trips north.

More pictures!

I was driving my Ford F-150 4WD with a hard folding tonneau cover. I stayed in hotels and B&B's for the trip. Camping would've been miserable. While Haines was in the 40's is was raining. When I crossed the border from the Yukon to Alaska last night at Beaver Creek it was -7 degrees.

Very nice. Looking at the pix with the eagles reflection. It would be easy to see Christopher's pix as the reflection based on your thoughts about him and this trip. Thanks for sharing your trip and thoughts of the American hero your cousin is. Safe travels and God Bless.

late Dec 1973 drove up to ALASKA by way of the ALCAN HIGHWAY destination FT. GREELY/DELTA JUNCTION... drove out fall of 1979... I can say that you cannot appreciate the beauty of the state and its wildlife / sceneary /weather just by looking at photos....have seen things that even national geographic could not do justice to what the camera lens was trying to capture.. saw people get into more trouble for violating fish and game laws than for killing another human... now don"t get me wrong I enjoy seeing these type of photos... would like to return but probably never going to happen... KEEP THOSE PHOTOS COMING .......... drill sgt.