Irrelevant Cheetah

One thing I have always enjoyed about Anchorage is the fact that if you drive north or south for twenty minutes, you’re out in the wilderness with almost no sign of human habitation. (In case you’re wondering, you can’t drive east for very long without running into a mountain, and if you drive west you’ll end up in the ocean.)

That being said, after working for a few hours on Saturday, the offspring and I climbed into the Jeep and headed west with the intention of driving until we ran out of road. I wanted to get some pictures of the Inlet, and there are some roads I have never driven all the way to the end.

After driving for about a half hour we reached the end of drivable road. Luckily, we only had to walk for about five minutes and we came to this view:

Anchorage just seemed to stop, and we stood at the top of a very high, very steep cliff that led down to the mud flats and the Inlet. I started taking pictures, and the offspring, who is slightly afraid of heights, hung back and watched.

The best part of the whole experience, however, happened after we had been there for about ten minutes. Something made me look up, and there, about fifteen feet from us, was a huge golden eagle in flight. We were high enough that he was at eye level, and he was close enough that I could almost count his flight feathers. I would guess he had about a six-foot wingspan, and he flew by as if he didn’t even know we were there. I wanted to take his picture, obviously, but the camera was powered off and still attached to the tripod. I knew that by the time I had the camera ready he’d be gone, so we stood quietly in awe and watched him grab an updraft and fly south.

It was an awesome experience. I’ve never been that close to an eagle except in a zoo, and although it only lasted about thirty seconds, the sighting remains indelibly burned into my mind. He (or she) was so powerful, and so still. The best word that comes to mind is regal, and I know it doesn’t give it justice.

All in all, a good day.