Mingling with Eagles

Hey-oooooo!!!!  Canada is full up to the brim with bald eagles!!!  Brackendale is the hang out spot for bald eagles on their winter vaycay. 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though it is the national bird of my native country, I have never once in my life seen a bald eagle in the good ol’ US of A.  Except for the one time a bald eagle flew around the stadium during the national anthem at a Cubs game at Wrigley Field in Chicago – so I don’t really count that time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People in the stands were crying, y’all.

Squamish + Brackendale are hosts to wintering bald eagles late November to March, with it’s peaks in December + January.  I’ve been dying to go – I’m starting to become a bit of a bird watcher….where’s my Audubon subscription?!

Jeff was screwing around that morning + we left a half hour later than I would have liked.  I WAS PISSED!!!!  There was a guided tour that I wanted to catch + I was in a TIZZY!!!!!!  We picked up our naturalist nephew, Matt + drove about an hour north on the 99.  The tour was to depart from the Brackendale Art Gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course we missed the tour, which ended up being for the best as you’ll see later.  We had adventures galore.  The art gallery is funky + a little cheesy/creepy hippie dippie – which I lurve. 

On the main floor they had a power point type of presentation showing the current count of bald eagle sightings + where those locations are.  Note – they like to hang out at the dump!!!  The ladies weren’t that excited when I loudly pointed that out to Matt.  They are scavengers, after all – sorry to squash romantic visions of the soaring, majestic bald eagle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is great Pacific Northwest art + amazing Bells of Brackendale made from recycled + found materials.  Me want one!

And helloooooooo A UNICORN SCULPTURE!!!!!  Lookit Matt.  Whatta good sport.  He’s like, “OMG, I can’t believe they’re making me pose next to a unicorn.  Mortified.”.  Amazing Nephew Award!

This is my rock n’ roll album cover picture:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We left the gallery + headed in the general direction of the town dump.  We had no idea what we were doing.  I spotted some eagles in the trees so we pulled off the road + headed down toward the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SQUEEEEEAL!!!!!  A juvenile + an adult!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one was giving us sideways stinkeye.

A most fortuitous turn of events – on the other side of the bridge lay the gem, Fergie’s Cafe.

Yo, check out that menu!!!!

Drooool!!!!  Such a great find!  I had a salmon benedict, Jeff had corned beef hash + Matt, the BLT!!!  I had to do some Dia de los Muertos additions on this photo because I just couldn’t deal…..I looked like a major nerd with the thumbs up, so I had to do something with this travesty of a picture.

After breakfast, there were eagles flying in the air behind the restaurant, so we ran down towards the other side of the river.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man, those guys can HUSTLE!!!  Boy, am I out of shape!  Wait up, homies!!!

GASP!!!

AAAAAAAAH!!!!!

Jeff looked like an old timey photographer…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt had his own trusty apparatus for picture taking…

Next, off of a tip from the super cute guys working at Fergie’s Cafe, we ventured towards the salmon hatchery + followed the trail behind it.

We called it, “Where Salmon Go to DIE” because there were salmon carcasses + bones in the river beside it.  I was like, “Yo this place reeks.  I’m hightailing it out of here.”.  Matt on the other hand was very curious – aaaaah boys do love the macabre.

Can you see the white bones glowing in the river???

We followed the trail further…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was green, mossy, Pacific Northwest heaven.  I’d like to come back on a drier day for a hike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt found a little cave entrance.  It’s amazing the things that Matt noticed + pointed out to us along the trail.  The eyes of the child are so much more keen to their surroundings than the adults’, whose eyes just look straight ahead.  At what point did I lose that ability?..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I announced loudly, “WE HAVE ENTERED MIDDLE EARTH!!!!”.  Lord of the Rings reference.  Matt got it.  Jeff didn’t.  For shame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Petroglyphs from ancient peoples.  NOT!!!!  C’MON, PEOPLE – DON’T DO IT!!!!!

We trekked for what seemed like forever along train tracks + scrambling over + under branches – it was wet, sludgy slow going.  Finally, we reached Squamish River.  There was a couple of guys fly fishing in the river.  I’d love to learn one day.

A lone eagle waiting for a catch.  I was really excited about all the eagles we had seen that day.  But apparently, numbers were down + in previous years Jeff has seen MASSIVE amounts of eagles – in the HUNDREDS!!!!

Cold + tired, we decided to head back for home.  But not without another staged album cover photo shoot on the log cars!!!!

I had so much fun being outside + running around in the snow + the mud chasing after eagles.  Jeff + I thought it was really super special to have our nephew Matt with us rambling on our adventures – it really renewed my faith in kids discovering the craziness in nature + loving the outside world!

I’m definitely going to make this an annual trip + I love me some beautiful bald eagles!!!!!!!