Day 52, Aug. 23

We had a pleasant day in Haines. We started with an early morning visit to Chilkoot Lake to look for bears. We did see what we assumed was a male grizzly walking along the low tide beach. We didn’t see any bears at the weir. A warden from Alaska Fish and Game was doing a salmon count at the weir and had most likely scared them off. 
After breakfast we went for a walk around town. There were very few stores open downtown. We did a walking tour of Fort Seward, a military post that was established in the 1880’s in order to manage perceived conflicts between the Indigenous tribes. There never was a need. The massive officers’ quarters have been well maintained as private residences. 
Our campsite was right beside the campground office. While we were sitting outside in the afternoon, we felt like the welcoming committee for all the arriving campers. Everyone would stop and chat before heading to their sites. 
We found the tackle shop where we bought supplies and got fishing advice in 2002. Although it has greatly expanded, the original part of the store with its display of trophy animals on the wall had not changed. 
We returned to Chilkoot Lake earlier than the previous night. The Fish and Game warden was again there doing the evening salmon count. He was scaring away the bears with an air horn. 
The bears stayed on the far side of the weir until the warden left. One of the cubs caught a salmon and they retreated into the bushes. The mama came out a couple of times to fish. She was constantly watching the people on the other shore, including us. Lawrie felt she was starting to look agitated so we moved quite a distance away closer to our Jeep. Shortly after, she returned to the bushes and disappeared. 
We returned to the motorhome and sat and soaked up the scenery in the inlet for one last time before we leave tomorrow.