Salmonberry picking

Wow its been a while! I have so many updates I need to post about, its just the internet connection is unbelievably slow I dread posting any pictures. However things have been busy around here for work, We all have quite a bit on our plate now that our Superintendent had to leave due to a family emergency. Travis and all the construction workers are working hard to stay on top of the project and are doing great. Me, I'm still missing home. My trip back was exquisite!! I will post more later since I'm still uploading all the pictures. Life in King Cove is good, I am however missing decent weather and the closer it comes to winter the more I pray for snow so that I will be able to move back to Anchorage. But all in good time. Meanwhile last weekend I kept myself occupied by going salmonberry picking :]

King Cove is covered in Salmonberries, jeez are they ever so good!!  It's been over a month now that I have wanted to go, however most Sunday's have gone to Halibut fishing. Well I left a weekend opened and headed out to pick those berries. It was great for Tucker to get out and do some hiking, he gets wigged out when hes cooped up too much.

I found an awesome patch of yellow berries, which usually you just have the red ones to choose from. I love the yellow ones, they tend to be much sweeter than the red ones although I just can't get enough of the red ones! In the picture up above, this is why you shouldn't pick the berries that are close to the alders because bears love to hang out in the alders. Bears are everywhere and they are hidden so well in the alders. So I stay down below, shotty in hand, and keep a look out. I just couldn't help but eat all the berries as opposed to filling my bag :] They were just too good! In the end I completely filled 2 Ziploc bags and a strainer bowl I had brought out. Tonight when I get home I am going to make some salmonberry jam. I am also going to eat some with cream and sugar, I used to love when my grandma would make some with peaches.

After picking berries for a few hours I hiked around and stopped at little streams and rivers, just couldn't help myself since the silver salmon are in. Its crazy to see all these salmon stacked up in a river!! Some of them get themselves stuck in the most odd places. I found two that had made it all the way to a small puddle. I refer to these as poor lost souls and let Tucker go play with them.

Tucker loves to chase them around! He tries to pick them up once they stop squirming but he doesn't want to puncture them so he rubs his mouths up and down them trying to figure a way out to pick it up. He is so silly & could probably do this all day.

the two lost souls

On my way to another river I stopped to let Tucker out and cool down in the river. While waiting I spotted a bird coming in close, and went for it! And this was the outcome of my shot, haha! Tucker ran after it and brought it to me.

My great retriever!

While out and about in between wheelin and hiking, I came across this. A salmon that had just been pulled out of the river and was still bleeding. I hurried and got my camera out to snap a photo, while in all reality this was crazy because the bear was so close! But sometimes you just need to document these once in a life time moments.

I also was able to document this baby!  It's insane that bears are everywhere, and they are HUGE!! 

Love being a crazy Alaskan :]

I also had to give some type of scale to his paw before I jumped into the truck, look at that thing!! .....notice how far his claws come out from his paw!! Freaky!

Once in the truck I looked up and there was a giant bear standing on the hill top right in front of me. Scary!!

Here are those delicious Salmonberries!! Mmmm! I hope to get some more next week before they go bad and make lots of jam. Also I have been picking blueberries which have been much enjoyed in my pancakes :) I have been craving a blueberry shake so hopefully it doesn't rain today so I can get out.

So delicious & sweet