In 2019, my family flew with Rust Aviation to Redoubt Bay Lodge. Spectacular scenery. We saw bears and eagles, and played on a floating bog that called the “Magic carpet.” An incredible experience. Our guide, Dr. Steve Stringham, was fount of knowledge about bears. From a PhD scientist, one expects stuffy lectures. Instead, Steve surprised us by telling us story after story of his adventures with bears, cracking bear jokes, and answering our technical questions in ways that were information, but never overwhelmed us or made us feel stupid for asking them. As he said, he gave us plenty of “bear facts” and just a few of the “grizzly details.” When he read from his book Beauty Within the Beast, we were amazed at the beauty of his prose. Poetic and inspirational. They shine with his passion for bears and bear conservation. During periods when no bears were visible, he showed his some of his fantastic photos, which showed us what could be achieved there at Wolverine Creek, which flows into Diving Bear Cove. He also showed us a video he had produced. So despite having to wait over an hour for a bear to appear, we never became bored. All in all, it was the adventure of a lifetime. If you ever visit Redoubt Bay Lodge, ask Steve to guide you. In all our years of travel, he is the best guide we've ever
