Katmai National Park and Brooks Lodge

The Trip

My wife and daughter and I visited Brooks Falls/River/Lodge in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. We saw lots of bears.

I’ve wanted to visit the Brooks River area for years to see the bears during the salmon run. The pictures on the Internet are cool. The videos on YouTube are cool. The webcams videos are cool.

My daughter is in the Air Force, currently stationed in Anchorage. I researched a trip to Brooks. It’s hard to get there and really expensive. I’m not getting any younger; it’s not getting any cheaper; my daughter will not be in Alaska forever. It was time to try to go to Brooks.

It’s possible to stay (cheaply) in the campground, but my wife wouldn’t camp and it’s hard to get a camping permit. So I did a lottery submission to get into the lodge. No luck. But a few months after I failed to win a lottery slot, the lodge concessionaire offered me a cancellation, which I took.

With the lodge dates firm, we then had to figure out how to get there. The options are:

1. Take a floatplane from Anchorage directly to Naknek Lake.
2. Take a commercial airline flight from Anchorage to King Salmon, followed by either a floatplane trip to Naknek Lake or a water taxi trip on Naknek Lake.

Floatplanes on Naknek Lake

We opted for an Alaska Airline flight to King Salmon and the water taxi. The weather is highly variable in that area. Flights in small aircraft frequently are cancelled and there’s a very strict weight limit. At least the water taxi can go in low cloud ceilings and there are no weight limitations. However, the water taxi is a flat-bottomed boat because of the shallow depth of the area it needs to traverse; it’s subject to cancellations when the winds are strong and the waves are too high.

Katmai Water Taxi

The flight to King Salmon was uneventful. The water taxi company provided vans to take people to the dock. Actually, we boarded the water taxi at a boat launch. The ride to Brooks was really rough, with the hull repeatedly pounding on the waves. When we arrived at the lodge area, we immediately went to required orientation in the welcome center, then checked into the lodge.

Our home for 3 nights

We spent three days watching bears. There were bears on the beach. There were bears on the riverside. There were bears at the falls. There were emancipated juveniles. There were adults. There were sows with cubs. What there wasn’t, was a lot of fish. As luck would have it, we got there about a week too early for the salmon run. We saw lots of fish, but not in the numbers that attract dozens of bears to the falls.

The lodge is adjacent to a bridge over the mouth of the Brooks River where it flows into Naknek Lake. After crossing the bridge, there is a gravel road that leads to Brooks Lake. A short distance down that road, there is a path that leads to Brooks Falls. The walk to the falls from the lodge is a little more than a mile.

Bridge over Brooks River

Once we got there, we spent our time at the falls and exploring the lodge area. There were several times a day in which bears passed through the lodge area or walked along the beach or lingered around the mouth of the river. The rangers were often busy keeping people away from the bears or “encouraging” the bears to leave.

Dining is in the lodge. The food is expensive, but good. It’s buffet style, with seating in a crowded room with wooden tables and benches.

Rooms are comfortable, but small. There is a pair of bunk beds for up to four people per room. There’s a shower, sink, and toilet.

There is no cell phone service at Brooks Lodge. There is no customer WiFi service. Neither my phone on AT&T nor my daughter’s phone on Verizon worked in King Salmon.

The weather was highly variable. I was constantly adding/removing layers. The temperatures were in the 50-70 degrees F range. The wind, when it picked up, was welcome because it blew the mosquitoes away. I was glad I brought mosquito nets.

Events of Note

Shortly after arriving, my daughter and I took a walk around to explore. We stepped onto the beach and noticed two bears in the distance, one on our right, another on our left. We retreated into the woods to wait for them to pass. When the larger of the two passed, we presumed the smaller one would turn around and we proceeded toward the beach again. We were wrong: the smaller one suddenly appeared, running away from the larger one. This was our closest encounter of the trip, with the smaller bear only about 20 yards away. We were concerned that the larger bear would soon follow, so we left the area.

One afternoon we were on the bridge at the far end away from the lodge. We saw a sow and two cubs at the mouth of the river near the parked fishing boats. We watched as the bears approached the bridge, slowly. The Valley of 10000 Smokes bus arrived and had to stop because of the bears close by, stranding the passengers aboard. The bears eventually passed under the bridge and went to a spot nearby on the riverbank, where they settled down for a nap. The rangers were about to take the people off the bus when another bear appeared. It too, slowly approached from the same area from which the sow and cubs had come. Once again the bus passengers were stuck. We watched from the bridge as this new bear, apparently an adult male, followed the sow/cubs’ path. Suddenly the sow and cubs became aware of the new bear’s presence and watched as the big male approached. All at once they ran into the woods. The male lingered in the area where the sow/cubs had napped, smelling the rocks where they had lain. Eventually that bear too wandered into the woods. Finally the bus passengers could get off the bus, after being stuck for about 45 minutes. I posted a photo of this family on the Facebook “Bears of Brooks Camp” page and the moderator declared that this is bear #94 with her yearlings.

On alert for an approaching male bear

On the morning of our last day at the lodge, a sow and three cubs wandered into the area along the beach, but also going into the woods near the lodge/dining room. The rangers kept people back as the bears ate grass and the cubs briefly climbed trees. The bears went along the lakeshore and up the riverbank, offering another chance to see them as they approached the bridge. A crowd gathered to watch them. Something spooked them and they ran away into the woods near the lodge office and store, and I never saw them again.

First year cubs

Also on the morning of our last day at the lodge, I went to the beach. I saw some rangers about to launch a kayak. They had not noticed that a bear was approaching along the beach. I called to them, “There’s a bear.” They looked at me, and I pointed behind them. When they saw the bear, they immediately grabbed the kayak, took it into the woods, and reappeared, calling other rangers on the radio to help with crowd management. This bear eventually wandered into the woods near the river.

Photographs

This is (probably) the one time I’m ever going to Katmai National Park, so I wanted to be sure to take the best camera gear that I could. I brought my 500mm, 300mm, 70-200mm, and 24-70mm lenses, not knowing what to expect. I tried the 500mm but it was too much reach for the falls. Maybe it would have been useful if there was more action at the falls. I could have gotten some frame-filling closeups. I didn’t even take the 24-70mm out of the bag. I ended up with two cameras at a time, one with the 70-200mm, and one with the 300mm. The 300mm was useful most of the time. The 70-200mm was great for times when the bears approached the platforms and bridge. For shots around the lodge, I used my phone.

The lighting conditions were highly variable. Sometimes (most of the time) the skies were overcast, sometimes with drizzle. Sometimes there were partly cloudy skies. I was constantly adjusting ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

Shutter speed was tricky - too slow and the lunging bears were blurred. ISO was tricky - sometimes up to 2000 so I could get the shutter speed/aperture combination that I wanted. Dark bears in the white, foamy water made for exposure selection challenges. I usually just went for the brightest water that I could get without blowing the highlights out, resulting in really dark bears that I had to recover in post.

OK, lets see some bear photos…

Swimming across the Brooks River

#747

Lunging for a Fish

#747

#747

#747

Salmon Jumping the Falls

A crowd forms whenever there’s a bear

Ride of the Patriots 2023

Every Memorial Day weekend, thousands of motorcyclists ride into the local area to participate in the annual ride from the Pentagon to DC. This event used to be called Rolling Thunder, but with the demise of that organization the successor ride is called Ride to Remember. The local Harley Davidson dealer organizes a pre-ride from Fairfax to the Pentagon, called the Ride of the Patriots. I’ve photographed the Ride of the Patriots several times, including today.

I’m disappointed that my favorite spot to photograph this event is not so great anymore. While expanding I-66 to add lanes, the contractor destroyed the bridge that provided a great view of the riders as they passed underneath. The replacement bridge is in the same spot, but now there’s a fence on the bridge, presumably to prevent people from throwing objects onto cars below. I’m not interested in shooting through the fence.

The next best alternative is the top of the Dunn Loring Metro station parking garage. It’s not great.

I tried dragging the shutter this time (1/400, 1/320) to get a bit of background blur and obvious motion in the wheels as I panned with the bikes. This was super-hard with my 500mm lens, and I got only a small number of usable photos with this technique. Later in the ride I switched to 1/500 or faster. 

Here are my favorites from this year’s ride.

Motorcycles lined up with spectators on the bridge

Makeup

This guy again

One of the few single female riders

Showing the flag

Were they looking at me?

Tattoo sleeve under the sleeve

She’s holding on for dear life

Cherry Blossoms

Every year, if the weather and my work schedule cooperate, I try to pay a visit to the Tidal Basin to photograph the cherry blossoms during peak bloom. This year I managed to get there on a Sunday morning. I chose this day because the previous few days were rainy and cold.

In the past, I’ve used Metrorail to get there. But this year I wanted to try a long exposure of the Jefferson Memorial while it was still dark, so I decided to drive. I got there at 5:40 AM to be sure to get parking and so I would have time to shoot the memorial before sunrise. The Park Service closed roads and even made the road out to Hains Point reverse flow so I found the navigation kind of confusing. But I found a spot near the Park Service HQ and walked around the Tidal Basin in the dark to a spot where I could shoot the memorial head-on. I got a bonus - the airport traffic was taking off to the south so their light trails showed up in my photographs.

Jefferson Memorial and Aircraft Light Trail

After I got the Jefferson Memorial shots, I returned to my car, stored my backpack and tripod in the trunk, and then went back to the Tidal Basin to walk around. It got really crowded really fast. The rain turned everything to mud and standing water. I was glad I wore my hiking shoes; I didn’t care that they got filthy and the fact that they’re waterproof allowed me to plow through puddles that most people were trying to avoid.

Nearly all of the blossoms were still white; very few trees had reached the pink phase. It wasn’t much fun trying to shoot with so many people in the way. There were several professional photographers trying to get shots of their clients, all dressed up, with the flowers and the water and the memorials in the background. It was difficult to find places to stop for a moment to shoot. Here are my favorites from this trip.

Shimano Di2 Battery Saga

The battery for my electronic shifters stopped charging. This is very annoying. I’ve only had the bike for 16 months!

My Canyon Endurace came with the Shimano Di2 system. It provides electronic shifting and it’s really cool. Shifting is always crisp; there’s no need to adjust the derailleurs or worry about worn cables. It just works. Except when it doesn’t.

The weather this winter has been unusually warm. Last weekend there was a nice day so I decided to go for a ride. It was more than a month since my last ride so I connected the charger to ensure the shifting battery was topped off overnight. When I got to the trail, I quickly discovered that the shifters weren’t working. I turned around and went home.

I spent a couple of days tinkering with the system, inspecting cables, ensuring nothing had come loose. I connected the junction box to my computer and ran the Etube software to see if it could tell me what was wrong. I thought the battery must have gone bad, but it could have been the charger, or the junction box, or a cable. I checked the Shimano web site for warranty service and the closest place was REI. So I took my bike to REI. They were completely unprepared to do the diagnostic work. After struggling with their computer for 30+ minutes they finally told me that their Di2 expert at REI in Woodbridge could help me. That’s a really long drive. I said no thanks, I’ll find some other place.

On my way home, I passed the Trek bike shop. It’s the closest shop to my house and I’ve shopped there lots of times. I didn’t go there first because the Shimano site did not list that Trek shop as a place to get Shimano service. But I decided to try my luck there. The mechanic there knew what he was doing; he had the right equipment; he diagnosed the problem (battery), got a replacement battery from another Trek store, and had my bike ready the next day. And there was no bill because it was warranty service.

In conclusion:

• That battery should have lasted a LOT longer.
• Shimano needs to get their act together with the batteries and the web sites that show where to get Shimano service.
• I like REI; I’ve gotten lots of stuff there; I won’t bring my bike there again.
• Trek in Fairfax did a great job.

By the way, I really like my bike!

Photography Progression

I've recently been cleaning up my photo keywords in my Lightroom catalog and, in the process, reviewed my photos from the Kennedy Space Center. I've been on that property five times: twice as a tourist, and three times as a guest of a NASA employee for Artemis launch attempts. Plus I've been to the beach nearby twice more. When I collected all of the photos that I've taken there, I was struck by just how much things have changed at KSC, and for me as a photographer as I've gotten more skilled. And my gear is better. Here's a self-indulgent look at the progression of KSC and me.

Launch Complex 39A in 2006

I took this photo (above) of Launch Complex 39A on June 1, 2006, when the shuttle program was still in progress. I used a Nikon Coolpix camera, shooting from the observation gantry adjacent to the crawlerway. It's not an awful picture, but it's also not great, given the harsh sunlight and the gear limitations.

Launch Complex 39A in 2009

I took this photo (above) of LC39A on April 16, 2009. Once again I was a tourist on the public tour and this was shot from the gantry. This time there's a shuttle on the pad. I shot this with my (then) new Nikon D200 and a crappy kit lens, again in harsh sunlight. It's a better photo, mostly because the gear is better.

I went back for Artemis 1 launch attempt #2 on September 3, 2022. LC39A looked like this:

Launch Complex 39A in 2022

This photo above was taken from the Apollo/Saturn V Center, so the perspective is different and the distance to the pad is much longer. It was a hot morning with the pad backlit so the light sucks. But notice the change: the shuttle launch infrastructure is gone. SpaceX uses that pad now. I shot this using my Nikon D850 with a 500mm lens while waiting for Artemis 1 to launch (the launch was scrubbed again).

Back to 2006, this time looking at LC39B, again from the gantry, again using the Coolpix: 

Launch Complex 39B in 2006

The photo above is pretty bad, given the gear and harsh sunlight at that time of day. This time there was a shuttle on the pad. Next, from the same spot with my D200: 

Launch Complex 39B in 2009

Again, there's harsh light, but the photo is better because I had better gear. Not great gear mind you, but better. When I revisited in 2009 (above), there was no shuttle on LC39B. In the three years between my visits, NASA constructed lightning protection towers at LC39B. When I went back for the Artemis 1 launch, I saw that the shuttle infrastructure was gone. NASA was back to using a tower on the mobile launch pad, similar to the arrangement that was used during the Apollo program. Here's a shot from the Apollo/Saturn V Center, taken with my D850 at 500mm:

Launch Complex 39B in 2022

This photo (above), which was taken on September 3, 2022, shows Artemis 1 on the pad. Several months later, I was in Florida once again, and I visited Playalinda Beach, which is directly north of and adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center. Here's a shot of the pad from that visit: 

Launch Complex 39B in 2023

I took that shot (above) with my D850 at 300mm on January 8, 2023. OK, what to make of this...

• I'm a space geek.
• My skill as a photographer has improved a lot.
• I've spent a lot of money on gear that I really like; good gear absolutely makes a difference.
• NASA/KSC has changed a lot with the end of the shuttle program and the transition to supporting SpaceX and the Artemis program.

There's no way I'm leaving the best shot of all out: 

Artemis 1 Launching to the Moon

The third launch attempt was the one that worked. This was taken while I was standing in the bleachers at the Apollo/Saturn V Center in the middle of the night. It was awesome!

Conowingo Dam

Every Thanksgiving weekend I go to Conowingo Dam to photograph bald eagles. But not this year: it was warmer than usual and I think the eagles weren’t migrating yet. But the Facebook group that I watch was showing a lot of activity at the dam, so I decided to go today.

One advantage of this later-than-usual trip is that the crowd was smaller. Not small, but smaller. I arrived at about 6:30 and the parking lot was half-empty. I went to my favorite spot on the rocks by the water. There were several gates open and a turbine was running all day. The wind was light and the temperature was near freezing. But the water was in a continuous wave action, splashing against the rocks much more than any time I can remember. The sky was initially cloudless, with a light overcast moving in later in the morning.

Bottom line: there was very little fishing activity. There was a handful of flyovers. There were a few chase events. And I shot one fight over a fish. So, not much to show.

It’s a bit early to be working on the nest…

Oops

One of several flyovers

Fighting over a fish

Red-tailed hawk

Skyline Drive Cycling

This morning I went for a bike ride on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. I’ve lived in Northern Virginia for a long time and I’ve been to this park a handful of times, but this was my first time riding my bike there.

I’m considering some cycling events next year in which hill climbing is part of the courses. Here in Northern Virginia, there aren’t many big hills. Skyline drive has lots of hills and it has a biker-friendly reputation. The weather is good this weekend, a bit chilly but calm wind. And the Fall colors are approaching peak. So I made the drive to Front Royal and parked just outside the fee station at the north entrance.

Fog Obscures the Shenandoah River

The first 6 miles were about 1600 feet of climbing to the top of the first hill. Or is it a mountain? Anyway I took it easy, knowing I had a lot of climbing ahead. Then the roller coaster started. It was a sequence of climbs and descents, with hardly any flat ground. I alternated between sweating climbs and chilly descents. I reached the Elkwallow wayside at mile 24, rested, ate, and started the return trip.

The first climb after the wayside on the return ride was kind of grueling, but after that the miles flew by. My speed on the descents were often in the 30s. Finally I reached the entrance station, only to see cars lined up trying to enter the park. This line extended into Front Royal for quite a long way. These were people who wanted to see the Fall colors.

I got back to my car a sweaty mess. Final numbers: 47.74 miles, 5,778 feet of climbing. That’s a new single day climbing record for me.