The windmill charges our 4 big 80 lb.12 volt batteries with ease and has
a regulator to keep from overcharging when the wind blows more than 20
mph. The solar panels also charge the same batteries and have a separate
regulator.
Chico visits the cabin. This is only the second time she or Biscuit has
come by the cabin since we have been here this year.
Chico and I discuss this years fishing possibilities.
(Click on any Image to see a higher resolution version)
The weather here has been atrocious this year but after five years here we are learning not to hassle it. This year we put up a small windmill and it really changed how we live. By only charging our storage batteries with solar energy we had most of our power available in good weather when we were not around the cabin to use it. With the windmill, there is almost always wind when we are confined to indoors during storms. Building a simple tower which has to withstand 100 mile/hour wind and be raised and lowered simply took a while to sort out. It would have been easier to attach it to the cabin but then we would have to put up with the noise and vibration.
We notice that we are getting good at knowing what to expect. The way the clouds form gives us a good idea of the severity of the storm coming. Storms here almost always end with one to three days of thick fog and there are subtleties that tell us well in advance when it will clear (most of the time). We are able to get out some days while the storm is in progress and keep track of what the bears are doing.
This year, it has been interesting to see just how Brandy weaned Gin and Tonic. It started when she came into estrus and got bred. While this was happening the cubs stayed fairly close by but kept away from the male. They would get together with their mother for a short time after the courtship and mating but then Brandy would start letting it be known she wanted them to be independent. It was done by chasing them away a short distance and then she would leave but not go very far away --usually she stayed down wind so she could keep track of them and keep other bears away. This was some of the hassles with Chico and Biscuit which Maureen wrote about in her last entry but we think she would like this corner of the caldera to herself. Now that the fish are showing up those conflicts seem to be mellowing out. As soon as the salmon showed up in the lake Chico and Biscuit separated. They did this last year too. It is because they don't want to compete for the few fish that are available at the start of the salmon season. Last year, they got together again when the salmon were more numerous and while they were eating pine nuts. This year will be interesting but I suspect that they might not get together again much and will den separately as well.
When the fog comes, we lose track of everyone but we know the general area where they can be found when the air clears as it did yesterday. This time it had been a while since I had been able to fly and I knew there was lots out there to be curious about. Maureen took to the lake with her kayak and I gassed up for a look at the river and took a package to the research station to be flown to our friend and interpreter, Olga in Petropavlovsk, on the return flight of their supply helicopter which comes every so often to the station. I also took some plankton samples which I take a few times each summer of the four high volcanic lakes. This is a favor I am doing for a person for her doctorate and she is also presenting a paper at a world congress on such things in Greece at the end of August. For my trouble, I have the honor of being listed as a co-author of her work. In all we are helping three Russians to get their doctorates.
From the air, I could see that there are more than normal sockeye salmon in Kambalnoe lake for the early run. In the river, there was a massive run of pink salmon who have recently entered the system and are on their way upstream. Every second year, there is a big run of this species and some make it to the lake to spawn in the creek where all the char are, above the lake. This is when Chico and Biscuit really do well because for some reason few other bears fish there. It is also Brandy's hangout however because their territories really do overlap a lot. Most of the other bears fish in the river below the lake. We should be able to show you some good fishing pictures when the salmon get here in about a week.
Yesterday, I saw something else that I had not seen before in the Kambalnoe area. There was a large female with four spring cubs about three miles down stream from the cabin. Then later in the day, on the flight home I was cursing the shore of Kurilskoy Lake and I saw another bear with four spring cubs. I had only seen this once before in 1996 on the Kurilskoy Lake berry tundra. I decided to look again for the one near home and spotted her asleep on a snowdrift with her cubs all in a pie beside her.
There was a little lake over the hill about ½ mile from where they were resting and after having a careful look at the alder bush I had to navigate to get to them, I landed. It was a slog but I had spotted a bear trail which made it possible but still difficult. Alder bush is the worst. I finally sneaked to a top of a small knoll within 50 yards of her where I could look down on them but the cubs were so close together and in a hole in the snow that I could not get a picture until they got up. This turned out to be a long wait and the mosquitoes didn't make it easy because I forgot my bug dope in the plane.
The wind direction stayed perfect from 6 p.m., when I got there until 7:45 p.m. and the plan was to be patient and just wait until everyone woke up and started to play, I waited. Just when I could see that the cubs were starting to get restless the wind switched and gave me away. Even though, I had taken the digital camera, I had to quickly chose what to use for a few fleeting pictures as she left. I decided on the 35 mm with the long lens so I can not include a shot of them for the web. It was very interesting how she kept all her charges together. If any bear can raise all four, she will. She is big enough that she could do serious damage to any male bear who would dare to think of making a meal out of her babes.
-Charlie