Wonderful Salmon

Salmon are very special fish. They are born in fresh water, then swim to the ocean to grow into adults, then swim back to fresh water to reproduce.

The salmon eggs hatch in about two to eight months. The baby salmon are called fry. The fry live in the gravel for up to three months. Most fry stay in the fresh water streams for a year or more before they travel downstream to the ocean.

Adult salmon live in the ocean for up to seven years. Then they begin the journey back to their home stream to spawn. It is a very difficult trip. They must swim upstream, against strong currents to find their home.




The trip is also very dangerous. Many creatures try to catch the salmon for dinner. Bears gather at streams to catch them. Eagles swoop down to catch them. People like to catch them also.





We have seen many people fishing for salmon on our trip to Alaska. People use many ways to catch the salmon. Some fish for them with big nets from boats in the ocean. Some use fishing poles. Some people use fish wheels. Some people use dip nets.





The salmon try very hard to make it back to their home streams to spawn. They stop eating and use all their energy to swim. When the female salmon arrive at their home stream, they build nests in the gravel. The female salmon lay their eggs in the nest. Male salmon swim over the eggs and release milt to fertilize them.



Most salmon die soon after they spawn. When the eggs hatch, the cycle of the salmon begins again.

For some fun activities about salmon, visit the following sites:

• http://govdocs.evergreen.edu/coloringbooks/pacific-salmon-steelhead.pdf
• http://govdocs.evergreen.edu/coloringbooks/salmontale.pdf
• http://www.critfc.org/kids/activity_book.pdf

Musk Ox

We have been traveling a very famous road. It is called the Haul Road. The Haul Road was built so that trucks could take oil rig equipment to Prudhoe Bay. The road is 416 miles long. In the winter, it is an ice road. We drove it during rain, so it was a mud road!

While we were on the Haul Road, we saw a beautiful sight. We saw a herd of musk ox.

Musk ox were either killed by predator or humans from the Arctic Circle. We learned from the University of Alaska Large Animal Research Center that these large, stocky mammals are more like goats than oxen. Their name comes from their build and size. They are not very tall. They stand less than four foot at the shoulders. Most of them weigh over 800 pounds.

Musk ox are made perfectly to fit the Arctic tundra. They like icy coastland rather than deep snow and forest. They are covered with long, shaggy fur and qiveut, a downy layer that insulates them from the harsh Arctic wind.

Baby musk ox are born with an entire coat of qiveut which keeps them warm in temperatures as low as -30 degrees. Babies are seldom seen because they often hide under their mother's bellies for further protection and warmth.

Musk ox are herd animals. They fiercely protect their young. If a predator approaches, the herd circles around the calves, standing shoulder to shoulder with their rumps toward the center. Females have sharp tips on their horns to gouge predators. The bulls have thick horn "bosses" or armour on their foreheads and can either ram or gore predators.

In 1935, Greenland provided a seed herd to reintroduce musk ox to Alaska. Thirty-four musk ox were brought to Nunivak Island. The herd grew to 700, and several groups were relocated to similar habitat.

Only 2,300 musk ox live in Alaska. The herd we saw outside of Deadhorse numbered around 16 members. How grateful we are to have seen them!

For more information about musk ox, visit http://www.arkive.org/muskox/ovibos-moschatus/info.html?displayMode=factsheet

The Arctic Circle

Today we crossed the Arctic Circle. While we are here, the sun will not set.

The Arctic Circle is a special place. It is very cold most of the time. The temperature rarely gets above 50 degrees in the summer. In fact, in some areas of the Arctic, the temperature never gets above freezing!

During the winter, the sun never rises in the Arctic. During the summer, the sun never sets. We are in Deadhorse, Alaska tonight. In Deadhorse, the sun will not set for 68 days in the summer!

The Arctic is very important. Very special animals live only in the Arctic. Some of those animals are musk ox, penguins, and polar bears.

Many birds also live in the arctic. Some of them live in the arctic in the summer and fly to Texas in the winter.

Our earth has two Arctic areas. One is the on the top of the earth. The other is on the bottom of the earth. It is called the Antarctic.

If you would like to learn more about the arctic circle, visit http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/education/aabook.pdf

Alaska Wildlife

While we're traveling in Alaska, I thought that I would tell you about the animals that we see. I will also tell you about things that interest me. So here goes!

Alaska is home to many special animals. These animals like to live in very cold climates. Over the next several posts, I will tell you about musk ox, caribou, and other wonderful creatures. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do!

Alaska!!!

We crossed into Alaska today.

We have traveled 5,107 miles. I wonder how many dogs have traveled from Texas to Alaska?

It is a wonderful day!

Moose on the Loose

We saw moose! We are still traveling in Canada. It is so beautiful here. We see more and more lakes and marshland. There are more and more creeks and rivers.

Moose love marshy areas and bogs. They like to eat the tender vegetation under the water. We are beginning to see lots of moose. Mom took photos of a baby moose. The next day, she took this photo of a moose cow.

Moose are wonderful creatures. They are the largest member of the deer family. Male moose can weigh as much as 1,600 pounds. They can live to be about 20 years old.

The male moose grow enormous antlers. Sometimes the antlers grow to be 4-1/2 to 5 feet across! In the spring, their antlers fall off.

If you would like to learn more about moose, go to these sites:
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/animal-facts/pdf/moose.pdf
and
http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/ForCreativeMinds/Moose_FCM.pdf

My First Swim!

We arrived at Muncho Lake at Mile Marker 436 on the Alaska Highway today.

We set up camp at a beautiful lakeside site. We are having so much fun. (Except for that mooching squirrel problem that I am having!)

Today I got to swim for the first time on our trip. The water was cold and wonderful.

Muncho Lake is a beautiful blue color. The color comes from the glacier. Silt from the glacier travels into Muncho Lake by rivers and streams. When the sun hits the silt, the water turns a beautiful turquoise color.