I Missed the Salmon and the Man in the Bear Suit…
I made it up to Fairbanks this week and was hoping I could catch the last of the salmon running. So as soon as I got into town I headed out to the Moose Creek Dam on the Chena River to see if they were still counting salmon.
Every summer the Department of Fish and Game counts salmon migration to help inform various forecasts and decisions. They do this at the Chena River by placing white panels at the bottom of the river by the dam so the bright red salmon will show up, making it easy to count.
But anyway, I got myself out to the dam to discover I had probably missed the salmon by a few days.
It was still very pretty and scenic, but not worth the half hour drive out there just for that.
If only the man who dressed up in a bear suit and harassed real bears fishing for salmon (h/t Kyle) had shown up. That would definitely have been a story…
Authorities want to talk to a man who donned a fairly realistic bear costume – head and all – and wore it when harassing a mother bear and two cubs trying to feed on pink salmon in an Alaska river.
At least my Facebook feed is now filled with friends making dam good comments.
Glad to hear you made it back to Alaska! Hope you’re posting a Fairbanks trip report.