Solving the mystery of Dad’s ancient stone lamp and sending an Alaska artifact home
Although it was in my possession, this artifact did not belong to me. If possible, I hoped to send the lamp back home.
Beyond the bears: Appreciating other Brooks Camp attractions in Katmai
Sure, the massive brown bears on and near the Brooks River will always be attraction No. 1, but an array of other prospects make Katmai a special place to visit.
Colorful kaleidoscope of marine life in Homer tidepools
How can I resist the lure of the sea peach, the tiger chiton, the opalescent nudibranch, the frilled dogwinkle, the false lemon peel, the breadcrumb sponge, the decorator crab, the peanut worm?
A citizen effort to document and collect Alaska bird carcasses
A program to track beached bird carcasses along Pacific Northwest coastlines has expanded in geography and scope.
From summer mobs to winter serenity at the mouth of the Kenai
Pervasive winter quiet interrupted only by grinding ice and shuffling sand along a popular Alaska beach that in five months will see dipnetters packed shoulder to shoulder.
Bears vs. salmon: Solving the McNeil River puzzle
For decades, chum salmon production on the famous McNeil River has lagged. Brown bears that feed there aren't going hungry, but biologists are working to rebuild the run.
When Kachemak Bay turns into a jellyfish graveyard
It's hard to contemplate scientific advances when traipsing through a gelatinous graveyard. All those intricate patterns, all that see-through anatomy — beautiful even without the pulse of life.
What’s in a name? Often, a heck of a lot.
Why Dillingham? Why Soldotna? And what about Windmill Hill without any sign of a windmill in the vicinity?
Putting down roots in Alaska
Most central Kenai Peninsula residents of my parents’ generation were born elsewhere, and many of the ones who lived and worked on the Peninsula left the state when they retired. In Dillingham, it's different.
Welcome to Homer, the small Alaska town with dining options aplenty
In our former home of Dillingham, there were only a half-dozen dining options. But in Homer, there are dozens. It's dizzying.
So long, Dillingham. Thanks for the memories.
After just three years in this Alaska Peninsula town, a strange new place became a home easy to embrace.
Mountains, snakes and a mini-Stonehenge in Southwest Alaska
Sweet rewards from a scenic hike up Snake Lake Mountain in Dillingham.