Moose on the Loose

I would be willing to bet that we did something on Memorial Day weekend that none of you did…. And since someone asked about the dangers of Alaska, I’ll tell you, … if you think for one minute that Alaska is tame, even on the base… you’ve got another thing coming!

We started our weekend like many of you… with a picnic, eating good food, doing some fishing, etc… We ended the weekend by taking a bike ride around Eklutna Lake, which was beautiful! There were just enough people about that we didn’t have to worry to much about sneaking up on a bear, but not so many that we couldn't enjoy the day out. We returned with enough time to BBQ some burgers and relax a bit before heading back to the daily grind…

However, sandwiched in the middle was our real reminder of where we live! On Sunday Rick and I had gone out to get supplies for our impending bike trip. As we came up the street toward our neighborhood we were confronted with flashing lights and were stopped at the top of the hill by a Security Policeman. We were told to immediately leave the area because there was an aggressive moose on the loose! We obediently waited and watched from the bottom of the hill for about 15 minutes until that S.P. turned his back for a moment and 5 other waiting cars headed up the hill. We took our chances and followed suit. We were greeted by a highly agitated neighbor who gave us the “low down”. . .

Keep in mind, moose roam the base and neighborhood at will. They normally just tend to their business of quietly munching away at the neighborhood plants and trees, or where ever they can find a tasty treat... down town Anchorage, along the highway, at the hospital, etc..., but remember that moose I joked about heading for my tomato plants? Well, our guess is that sometime late in the week she gave birth to a lovely ‘little’ moose and not unlike humans mothers, this completely alters a normally calm and rational mind and suddenly they become a force to be reckoned with! Some how that calf got into the back yard of the house across the street and couldn’t get out… That ole mama moose went nuts, and the neighbor almost got run over by her. (Yes Sharon S. even taking the garbage out is risky!). I don’t know how they got the calf out, but that mama moose tied up whole the neighborhood for quite a while. Although our life was interrupted by this irate mama moose, we never did see her… and I’m pretty sure that was not a bad thing as Rian does like to leave the house on occasion!

One more thing about Moose… They are huge!!! Not like a horse huge, more like a Semi-truck huge! We took this picture in February at a friend’s house in Palmer. - They are amazing creatures... and I know some of you have moose stories to tell as well... I would love to hear them!