Alaskan Town Invaded By Record Number Of Polar Bears

by Kraig Becker on

The 250 residents of the remote town of Kaktovik, Alaska, have grown accustomed to living on the edge of the wilderness, but even they had to be a bit surprised at all the ursine visitors that came calling last month. In mid-September, the sleepy little community found itself over run with a record number of polar bears who came looking for food while they wait for the return of the pack ice.

Located above the Arctic Circle, the people of Kaktovik routinely supplement their meager supplies with an annual whale hunt, which provides meat for the lean winter months. Following the hunt, the carcasses of the whales are left on the beach for predators and scavengers to pick clean. Typically this attracts numerous polar bears that are looking for an easy meal, but this year there were far more bears than normal. On September 13, observers counted 80 polar bears in total, which broke the old record for the most spotted in a single day. The previous record of 65 was set back in 2004.

Researchers believe that it could be more than just the promise of a free meal that brought so many polar bears together at the same place and time. This summer saw the Arctic ice melt at an unprecedented level, which may have forced more of the creatures to head to solid ground while they waited for temperatures to drop and the ice to return. Unlike most animals, polar bears actually eat more regularly in the winter and look to their fat stores to get them through the leaner summer months. Any time they can get an easy meal it is a cause to congregate.

Lucky for the bears, the ice began to form once again on September 16 and now has started to thicken and spread across the Arctic Ocean. That means the animals will soon be able to head north once again, leaving Kaktovik behind for anther year.

[Photo credit: Loren Holmes]

Northern Lights Just One Reason To Visit Iceland

by Chris Owen on

The northern lights are a natural light display that occurs in the high latitude regions of our planet. Alaska is one of the best places to see the northern lights, especially in September and March when skies are dark and temperatures mild for comfortable viewing. Iceland is also a good place to view the display and offers some unique advantages.

One of several astronomical phenomena called “polar lights” (aurora polaris), northern lights, (Aurora Borealis) are caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere. Iceland is located directly under the main concentration of the northern lights annulus, the so-called Great Belt, an oval cosmic light that goes around earth off-axis.In Iceland, located midway between Europe and North America, and with direct flight routes from both continents, northern lights can be viewed from October through March in a number of ways.

Self-drive tours, winter Jeep expeditions and organized group excursions are popular and offered by a variety of tour operators.

But northern lights are a natural phenomenon and sightings can never be guaranteed, so having a backup plan when visiting is a good idea. Actually, for many travelers, the backup plan is their main focus and viewing the northern lights is icing on the cake.

The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route in south Iceland, looping from Reykjavík into central Iceland and back over about 300 kilometers.

Stops on the route, any one alone worth a visit, include Þingvellir national park, the Gullfoss waterfall, and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur as well as the Kerið volcano crater/lake, Hveragerði greenhouse village, Skálholt church, and the Nesjavellir geothermal power plant.

Can’t make it to Alaska or Iceland? NorthernLightsIceland.com has a webcam set up and will broadcast the northern lights live when they happen. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter then watch for a post or tweet when their UStream feed is active.

In this time-lapse video we see a number of attractions in Iceland from Iceland Explorer Travel Guide that also has an iPhone app for exploring.


[Flickr photos by Gunnsi]

Airports Add Free Power For Electronics, Vehicles

by Chris Owen on

Using free power to charge electronic devices before boarding a flight is a popular activity. Airlines and airports know that and are adding more charging stations all the time. The same goes for electric vehicle travelers who might drive to the airport. As more environmentally friendly cars hit the streets, airports are adding charging stations for them too, also a complimentary service.

“Delta’s addition of power stations at airport gates has been cited by PCWorld magazine as an important aspect of travel and improving the customer experience,” said Wayne Aaron, Vice President, Marketing Programs and Distribution Strategy at Delta Airlines in a Travel Daily News article this week.

Delta is adding at least two power stations per gate power in 12 additional U.S. cities before the end of the year including Anchorage, Alaska; Austin, Texas; Denver; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Houston Intercontinental; Kansas City, Missouri; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; New Orleans; Ontario, California; Philadelphia; Phoenix; and Syracuse, New York.

“Customers today are savvy travelers who bring their smartphones, computers and tablets with them,” says Aaron. “Providing a power source they can use before they get on a long flight helps them do what they need to do in the air, whether for work or pleasure.”Electrical Vehicle Charging Stations are becoming more plentiful too. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is typical of airports with charging stations where spaces are reserved for electric vehicles only. Each station is capable of charging two vehicles simultaneously with 240V connectors. There is no fee to use the stations, but regular parking rates apply.

ChargePoint is the largest online charging network in the world, connecting drivers to charging stations in more than 14 countries. ChargePoint service plans are compatible with charging stations from any manufacturer and yes, they have an app to find stations close by, make, view and cancel reservations. As they pass through security, at the gate or in the air with their Wi-Fi connected devices, users can view charging stats while their car charges and get notification when fully charged.




[Flickr photo by gillyberlin]

Brooklyn Decker And The Sierra Club Visit The Arctic

by Kraig Becker on

For more than 120 years the Sierra Club has encouraged outdoor enthusiasts to explore the Earth’s wild places in a safe and responsible manner. The organization works diligently to educate us on the fragility of our ecosystems and the importance of protecting them for future generations to enjoy as well. Recently the organization enlisted a new ambassador to their cause by recruiting model/actress Brooklyn Decker to join them on an outing to one of the most wild and remote places on the planet where they spent a week exploring the wilderness.

Brooklyn, along with her Sierra Club guides, made the long journey north to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge located in northeast Alaska. While there, she spent her days hiking and whitewater rafting along the Marsh Fork of the Canning River. This is a place that few people are ever fortunate enough to see, as it is estimated that less than 50 people per year visit the 19.2 million acre refuge. To put that in perspective, Yellowstone National Park is a mere 2.2 million acres in size and sees more than 3 million visitors on an annual basis.

While in the Arctic, the model who has graced the covers of Sports Illustrated and Glamour, amongst numerous others, learned about conservation and climate change from environmental experts. She also learned about the mounting pressure to drill for oil inside the refuge, something that could have a devastating effect on the environment there. Those threats have prompted the Sierra Club to call for the refuge to be designated a national monument, something that would afford it further protection from becoming developed.The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to a stunning array of animals. Each year thousands of migratory birds flock to the region for summer nesting including geese, swans, sea ducks, golden eagles and numerous other species. Additionally, large herds of caribou pass through the refuge on their annual migration, while Dell sheep and wolves make it their permanent home. Along its northern boundaries, polar bears hunt and hibernate while grizzly bears and arctic foxes are not uncommon sights during the summer months either.

For now, this is a pristine wilderness that is unlike any other on the planet. It is a remote region that remains largely untouched by man and personally I’d like to see it remain that way. As an adventure traveler who loves to explore the more remote corners of our planet, the ANWR is on my places that I would absolutely love to visit. But aside from allowing hikers, backpackers and other travelers into the refuge, I hope it never becomes more developed. There are some places on the Earth that should remain wild and this is one of them.

[Photo credit: Maggie Kao/Sierra Club]

Touring Alaska: 6 Things To Know About Wildlife Watching

by Chris Owen on

Touring Alaska, we found that Juneau’s alpine meadows of the high country, frosted mountain slopes and rocky shores combine to create a distinctive ecosystem. On land, logging, mining, fishing and tourism activities compete in a delicate balance between the needs of man and the needs of the environment. At sea, protected species flourish, making Alaska one of the best places on the planet to get up close and personal with Humpback and Orca whales along with a variety of other wildlife. Being in the vicinity of Alaska’s wildlife and seeing it are two different things though.

To appreciate a viewing of whales, bears, seals and other species in their natural habitat, knowing something about them is a good idea. Here are some interesting facts about Alaska’s wildlife gained from a recent visit to the land of the midnight sun.

  1. Humpback whales can consume as much as a ton of fish every day– Migrating to Alaska in the summer months, Humpback whales end a winter-long fast to build up a thick layer of fat needed for their move to Hawaii and Mexico in the fall.
  2. Killer whales are capable of successfully attacking whales much larger than they are. Killer whales hunt in groups, communicating with each other and giving them a predator’s advantage over their prey.
  3. Kill the flash– The flash from a camera can scare away just about any wildlife at sea or on land. Good to know if confronted by #4
  4. Black Bears come in more colors than black– Brown (cinnamon bears), cream and blue (glacier bears) are the more popular colors.
  5. Sea Lions get their name from looking like terrestrial lions found in Africa and Asia– Steller Sea Lions have large necks and shoulders, covered with coarse hair that resembles a mane.
  6. “Eagle Eye” not just a saying– American Bald Eagles, plentiful in Alaska, can spot a fish from over a mile away, fly at speeds up to 30 miles an hour and dive at nearly 100 miles per hour.

[Flickr photo by *christopher*]