July 21

Today is my sister’s birthday. Happy Birthday Audrey!

The road towards Haines surprised me with many miles of treeless areas that reminded me of the tundra much further north. Fifty or sixty miles before Haines trees appeared and as we got closer to Haines the taller they were. Forty-two miles before Haines we crossed back from the Yukon to Alaska. No issues at the border and back into the US we arrived. In the area between 24 and 18 miles before Haines is what is billed as the largest gathering of American Bald Eagles in the world. Roughly 3,000 – 4,000 eagles gather outside of Haines feasting on a late salmon run along the river upstream from Haines. In the Spring and Summer the river water seeps into the gravel due to the large flow. In the fall when the river level goes down much of the water from under the gravel seeps up and warms the river. As a result there is a late salmon run on the river and the eagles gather for the feast.

We arrived in Haines and secured a campsite on the water in downtown Haines. Haines is considerably smaller than either Homer of Seward which equates to fewer tourists. Small cruise ships come to town but not like what comes to other Alaskan coastal towns. I like the feel of Haines. The local fair starts Thursday so we are sticking around until Friday to catch a bit of the fair. We booked a day trip to Juneau for Tuesday.  Now off for a much-needed shower.

Along the Alcan Highway