News from Alaska

[Phil Lilley]

My friend, Jim Johnson from Michigan, has been up at his new lodge for 3 weeks now trying to get ready for his season. He's had to buy boats and motors, generators, a satelite phone (which I've talked to him once already), lots and lots of supplies. If you go to http://earth.google.com/ and find King Salmon, Alaska, travel east and follow Lake Camp Rd past a small airstrip to where it end at the river. See Mike's Rd? That's Jim's driveway. Cool!

The salmon aren't up the river yet but are close. The bears are starting to get restless. They've seen a few already along the river including cubs. Another couple of weeks and the river will be full of kings... and bears.

They have neighbors fairly close and they've been talking... They asked Jim about his front door- "it is enforced". "Why?" asked Jim. "Because the bears like the smell of food and they will try to get in!"

It seems that almost every neighbor has had bears IN their cabins while the cabin IS occupied with humans.

They also ask Jim about his exit plan. Jim has no back door on his main lodge/cabin where they sleep and all of the eat. Plus the windows aren't big enough for Jim or Phyliss to climb (or jump) through. So Jim is also reenforcing his front door and trying to figure out where his back door will be.

So I asked Jim... "Why are you up there again??"