All Out for Allison

Just across the inlet of Port Valdez is Allison Point.  One of the ladies in the campground told us it was her favorite place to fish, and bears had been sighted there also.  We headed here after we strolled around Old Valdez, thankful for the blue skies and sun.

Below is one of our stops along the way.  There are a lot of cars, trucks and campers out along this stretch, so the fishermen (and women) can fish offshore close to their vehicles.

Just down the road is the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery. The sea was filled with squirming, writhing salmon trying to get to their spawning grounds and with gulls bobbing on the water above them.  These gulls sure didn't have to worry about where they got their next meal.

Honestly, I don't know how the salmon can even manage to swim with so many other fish around them.  The area around here definitely had a fish odor going!

As the tide came in, so did the Harbor Seals.  We could see them in the distance, first appearing as small black dots in the chalky gray water.  I was surprised when I downloaded the picture and saw I had caught two seals swimming close together.

One seal decided to be funny and just waved his back flippers at me.

I wonder if this one knew there was a salmon right in front of him?  He probably did, but ignored it because he was already full at that time.

We had a treat when one of the seals decided to be playful and twirled around in the water, making waves and splashes along the way.

I got several pictures of the mouth and nose of one who swam backwards towards me.  Since the water was so chalky, I couldn't see the rest of his head or any part of his body.

When we got back from the afternoon of sightseeing we had a great meal of freshly caught salmon.  One of the campground hosts gave us this whole filet for free!  Some of the people who camp here to go fishing will leave salmon for others.  Besides the free fish, Sherry had gotten a free sprig of dill at the local Safeway when we went to buy cucumbers.  For $1.37 we had a big cucumber, dill and one nice piece of fish!

Here are the before and after grilling pics: 

We also had huge Alaskan shrimp which we purchased at the local cannery.  It was a seafood lover's meal!

Norm handed Landi another shrimp to peel and then dip in the cocktail sauce.

Gary didn't seem to care how cool it was outside as he drank his Coors.  Cheers!  Prost! (which is really saying "cheers" in a German salutation related to beer).  It was a great day!