We bid adieu to the Kenai Peninsula today and traveled back up the Seward Highway to and through Anchorage to the small town of Houston on the north side of the city of Wasilla. (No, we did not stop by to see Sarah, Todd and the kids.)
On the way north, Terry and I just enjoyed the scenery on the Kenai and then stopped at Potter Marsh on the south end of Anchorage to do a little bird watching. There’s an extensive system of boardwalks that follow the edge of the marsh and afford excellent viewing of the inhabitants. (As we pulled in to the parking lot, one of our fellow adventurers continued northward on Highway 1. They later reported being in a Moose Jam near the Target store.) We only stayed for a short period of time and that was during late morning in mid-July…not exactly prime birding time. Even so, we did see a group of Green-winged Teal, four Horned Grebes, many, many Arctic Terns, a Bald Eagle and a Belted Kingfisher. Terry thought she saw some Short-billed Dowitchers but we can’t confirm that.
Potter Marsh
Part of the extensive boardwalk
Arctic Tern
Green-winged Teal
Four Horned Grebes in a distant pond.Potter Marsh is an accident. It was created when the Alaskan Railroad built a huge, raised bed that cut off the flow of several small streams as they headed for Cook Inlet. The water backed up and became a freshwater marsh. Now the question is what should the authorities do as the marsh begins to fill in with silt and dead plant material. Do they let nature take its course and create a meadow out of the mess or do they start dredging it out to perpetuate the wetlands/marshy habitats? Whatever they decide, it is currently quite an attraction for birds and bird watchers alike.
The Creator of Potter Marsh rolls by.After we finished our lunch at the marsh, we headed northward through Anchorage and Wasilla to Houston where we had a campsite waiting.
And lots of hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, cake and ice cream…oh, and marshmallows. Party time!
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