Taos, NM

Well I had a great trip but it is good to be back in Taos. 

Going home

In the airport waiting for my flight to ABQ. The weather in Seattle this morning is beautiful, sunny and comfortable with a great view of Mt Rainier. 

This morning, when I was checking in for my flight the man next to me had showed up at the airport today but his reservation was not until tomorrow. The agent quietly changed his flight to today and waived about $500 of fees. How many airlines would do that? That is why I like Southwest. I don't know if the gentleman even appreciated what the agent did for him. 

Port Townsend again

I had a nice breakfast with Reg and Chris and then decided to take the scenic route to Sea Tac, via Port Townsend. The wait for the ferry was not to bad and Bob called from Baby Bear Bay.  I guess I must have butt dialed him so he was calling back. Hmmmm

Went to lunch at the Fountain Cafe in PT. this is a spot we looked at when we were  here before but missed. Food was good and it would be worth a return trip. 

Now I am off to SEA. 

Reg and Chris's house

The flight from Sitka was fine after an hour to get through security. 

I rented a car and drove to Reg's house and got there about 20:00. 

It's great to see them and catch up. Chris has been living in CA and just moved back. 

View from the deck

Getting ready to go home

Sitka 

08:45

Another nice day here. Clear and 53 degrees. This morning I took Inga for a walk and got a cappuccino at the nearby coffee shack. Now we are fixing the regular breakfast of oatmeal and then explore around some.

The concert last night was really enjoyable with a couple of guitar pieces played by David Leisner, who I got a chance to visit with later and found out that he plays in Santa Fe and Angel Fire. There were piano preludes by Rachmaninov and a violin piece written by a Swiss by the name of Ernst Block.

The concert room is really nice with all glass behind the musicians and a view of Silver Bay and the mountains.

My flight is today at 14:00 and then I am going to drive to Bellingham and visit our friends Reg and Chris.

More photos from Sitka

The totem pole trail is interesting and a good walk. 

This is one of the poles carved by Tommy Joseph 

Friday in Sitka

June 7, 2013

Sitka, AK

13:39

This morning we walked to town and had breakfast with some friends on Bob's from the boat the Sea Angel. They live in the Seattle area but spend the summer in AK fishing for Salmon, Halibut, Tuna and Black Cod. They left Seattle on April 17th and plan on being here to September. One of the crew and the son of the boat owner is getting married in August and I am sure he would rather be down south with his fiancé then here fishing right now.

After breakfast Bob went back to the Fremont to do some cleaning up and I spent the morning exploring Sitka. One of the galleries that I visited belonged to a young carver named Tommy Joseph. I enjoyed visiting with him and he told me he had lived in Eagle Nest, NM for a time. Latter when I was hiking in the totem park I found out that he had carved a couple of the totems there.

After some hiking I walked back to the.boat and had a bit of lunch. We are cooking Salmon here tonight and Dick and Cindy from a neighbor sailboat are coming over and then we are going to a Sitka Music Festival concert.

Touring Sitka

Bob and I walked around Sitka today and went to the museum and park. The weather cleared up for a while and it was pleasant. 

Here is the old Russian Church

The story of how we got Mosquitos 

Totems in the trees

Bob and Inga admiring the totems 

Chilkat robe

Mt Edgecumbe over Sitka

Ludwig's

June 5

Sitka, AK

21:17

One of the nice things about Sitka is the harbor is too small for the cruise ships and the ones that come here have to anchor out and take the passengers in by small boat so it is not as over run by cruise folks as Ketchikan and Juneau. We passed a Holland America ship as we came in but that was the only one in port.

It's been raining off and on this afternoon but I took a walk along the shore road and went to Murray Pacific Marine. This is this best marine store around. I got a few things for the boat like a new water hose and some hooks that an be used to hang wet coats and pants. Bob was trying to book flights home in August but it was nearly impossible because United (which serves Aspen and Chicago) doesn't play well with Alaska which serves Juneau. It took him almost 2 hrs to get it all done and he was not a happy camper as far as the airlines were concerned.

Later we walked up to Ludwig's for dinner. This is one of the best restaurants in Sitka and the dinner was good. I had the Cioppino, which was made with all fresh ingredients and we had a nice Rioja. 

Now we are well fed and ready for dinner. The Sitka Music Festival is on and I think we will try and catch some chamber music on Friday night.

More photos from Sitka

Sitka, AK

Sitka, AK

14:24 June 5, 2013

Latitude: N57.05744°

Longitude: W135.35002°

We left Seven Fathom bay at 09:30 and headed for Sitka with a planned stop at Goddard Hot Springs but when we got there it was windy, cold and the holding ground was not secure so we pressed on to Sitka. After picking up fuel we made our way to the boat basin and tied up.

We heated up some of last night's pasta, had lunch and answered emails and made phone calls. Now am ready to go walking around. 

More later.

Sitka

Well we made it. This is my first time in Sitka. 

Seven Fathom Bay, AK

Here are photos from the West Coast of Baranof Island.  

Salmon for dinner

Getting it ready

Cape Ommmaney

Inga enjoying the break. 

Promoting NM True in AK. 

Bay of Pillars,AK

Photos along the way

The eagle is watching us

Celedo in Halleck Bay

Fog on Chatham Strait

Stuffed Poblanos compliments of Chef Bob. 

View from the window in Bay of Pillars

Seven Fathom Bay

Seven Fathom Bay, AK

June 4, 2013

Bob cooked up some Salmon and we had Salmon Salad for lunch and did a few chores.

The bay is so nice and the buoy is easy and secure so we decided to stay here for the night. Bob took Inga for shore duty and we made some chai and are hanging out for the afternoon. Still no Internet so this will be posted when we get in range of Sitka. 

Outside Baranof Island

To Seven Fathom Bay

Latitude: N56.79367°

Longitude: W135.30383°

12:10 

We left Redfish Bay at 06:30 and headed North it was light rain and little wind. When we got out in the ocean there was a 5 foot swell and lots of chop from all directions. I think the waves move all different directions because of the high, rocky shore that reflects the waves. In any case it was uncomfortable going and Inga especially was not happy.

After about 3 hrs of going in the lumpy seas we could get back inside at Windy Passage and we decided to tie up to a Forest Service buoy in Seven Fathom Bay and have some lunch. 

Redfish Bay, AK

June 3, 2013

Latitude: N56.35333°

Longitude: W134.85767°

18:15

No Internet in Port Alexander so this will post when I get connected, probably Sitka.

We left Bay of Pillars at 09:30 and headed south to meet up with Walt and Lee who were fishing off Pt. Cosmos. When we got there Walt threw out a bag, hooked to a float, with Salmon in it....it had two fish that totaled about 25 lbs. So now we have Salmon, plenty of Salmon and it was swimming this morning. Mmm mmm good. And, we owe Walt big time.

After getting the fish we headed across Chatham Strait toward Cape Ommaney, the southern most tip of Baranof   Island. There wasn't much wind and some swell from outside but much easier going than it could be in stormier weather. 

We headed north and entered Redfish Bay. It is really remote and not may visit here because it is on "the outside" and the access can be really rough. Inga got her trip to shore and now Chef Bob is fixing fresh Salmon.

Bay of Pillars, AK

Bay of Pillars, AK

June 3, 2013

08:00

There is no Internet here so this will all get posted when I get a connection.

It is a lovely, calm and sunny morning. We are hanging out, cooking oatmeal and waiting for the tide to come in. The plan is to leave around 10. First we will try to find Walt to see if he has any fish then we will cross Chatham Strait and go to Port Alexander on the Southern tip of Baranof Island. After that the plan is to explore the outside part of Baranof. The forecast is for South winds to 20k and 7 ft seas. That's about as good as it gets on the outside and Bob has never been to the South end. He fishes down to Whale Bay from Sitka but never went south of there.

This morning when we got up there were Eagles on the beach including a few immature ones that still had downy feathers. The view is good and the oatmeal is about done...

More later.

Bay of Pillars, AK

June 2, 2013

Latitude: N56.64517°

Longitude: W134.09151°

We left Halleck Harbor at 07:00 and headed south. We were going to fish but I don't have a license and everyone on board needs one or there can be big fines. Bob decided not to risk it and we decided to go exploring instead. We headed to Bay of Pillars. The inner bay is accessed by a narrow channel which we approached with caution but in the end was not as bad as Rocky Pass yesterday.

The inner bay is secluded and we were the only boat there the wind was totally calm and we decided to go kayaking. The Bay is full of Sea Otters and many seem to swimming around with baby otters on their bellies.  On one occasion to seemed like there was a baby otter floating alone and as we got closer the mom (I assume it was a mom) swam over and towed the baby away from us. Maybe baby otters don't know how to swim when they are little.. After launching the kayak we paddled back to look at the entrance channel at low tide and it looked fine, no obstructions and not much current. There were otters all around us. This is an area that has old growth forest and much wild life. There are several areas where trees are blown down, maybe from williwas. One guide book talked about howling wolves.....that would be cool..

When we got back Bob cooked up stuffed peppers and now we are hanging out waiting for bears to appear on the beach. The sun came out and there are snow capped peaks all around and the evidence of a good sized avalanche on one of the snow fields. There is a trail from here that is a mile long portage trail to the head of Port Camden on Kiku strait.

The plan for tomorrow is to find Walt and see if he has caught any fish so we can have salmon for dinner and head around the outside of Baranoff Island and explore some areas that Bob has visited before.

Ok bears where are you?     Sunset is 9:35ADT..it's 8:20 and I am still waiting for bears or wolf howls. There are, at least a couple of loons to make nice sounds.

Halleck Harbor

June 1, 2013

Latitude: N56.91000°

Longitude: W134.20599°

We left Coffman Cove at 06:30 and arrived here at 17:30. It was an easy passage with light winds and calm skies.

Just before we got to Pt. Barrie we saw a big pod of Orcas. There were large ones and small ones and they seemed to be playing around and enjoying the morning.

After that we headed north and entered Rocky Pass. This is a very shallow passage between Kupreanof and Kuiu Islands. We went through at low tide ( the tide was +2 feet) and we barely had enough clearance. At one point the depth was down to 6 feet and we need 5. A lower or minus tide would have made it impossible to get through. Once past that it was easy going and we felt much better.

Arrived at Halleck Harbor and rafted up with Walt and Lee for dinner. They had been cooking Spaghetti sauce for an hour before we arrived. We we got anchored, Bob took Inga to shore for her dog duties and we cooked the noodles and had dinner. Right as we finished dinner a medium sized Black Bear was strolling on the beach.   

Tomorrow we will head for the fishing grounds at Tebenkof Bay which will be open for 3 days. It would be nice to get a few fresh Salmon to have for dinner.

It's 21:00 and sunset is 21:40 so I think I'll read for a bit and head to bed.

Rocky Pass

We left Coffman cove at 06:30 on our way to the fishing ground. Today we will make a long run past Kake so tomorrow we can get some fishing. We went through rocky pass at low water and it was really shallow. Next time it would be better on a higher tide. Walt and Lee are traveling with us in their boat, Celedo. 

Coffman Cove Library

I found some connectivity at the local library but it is closed except 14:00 to 15:00 on Fridays but I can get a good signal from outside so I am sitting on the porch sending email and downloading a file for Bob and the latest New Yorker for me. It just started raining really hard but a kind fellow came along and let me in. The library is really nice with a video phone and a good collection of books. The Internet is provided by OWL (Online With Library's) a fund sponsored by the Gates Foundation.

It's warmer in here and nice and quiet since I am the only one here.

Here is a view from the porch of the library 

Coffman Cove

Coffman Cove, AK

May 31, 2013

Latitude: N56.01117°

Longitude: W132.83250°

We left Meyers Chuck and headed over to Thorne Bay. It's a cute town that used to be the site of the biggest logging camp in the US. We are on Prince of Wales Island which is one of the largest islands in SE Alaska. It has also been extensively logged.

The weather was nice and I took a little hike along the shore and Bob went shopping at the local store. When the supplies were loaded we took off for Coffman Cove. 

Coffman Cove is on the northerly end of Prince of Wales and Bob has several friends there that he was looking forward to visiting. The run up the shore was easy going and the seas calm. 

We arrived around 11:00 and took a walk to see if we could find Bob's friend Ethel. We found her out clipping bushes in her front yard and got a tour of her house. Ethel collects things. Things from the beach like shrimp pot floats. And rocks. She has an impressive collection of Indian rocks, rocks that were used as hammers or grinders or spear points or cooking rocks. She has piles of them. She has photos and newspaper clippings and art and things, all piled high. But she seems to know where everything is and can find things fairly quickly when she wants to. Ethel walked back to the boat with us to have a bit of lunch and while we were on the dock another of Bob's friends, Liz, showed up.

Liz and her husband live here and up around Fairbanks and sometimes in New Port Richey, FL. They moved here from Upstate NY and homesteaded here in Coffman Cove. She went to school and started out as a medical lab technician but she has several advanced degrees in biology and ecology. She has been a school teacher, worked for Exxon on the oil clean up, worked on a Salmon trawler that she and here husband owned. Right now her husband is working as a paving contractor near Fairbanks and she will join him in a month or so.

They started out homesteading the land by living in a school bus they bought in NY and then drove up here They built the house they have in Coffman Cove by themselves, with wood harvested from their land. They have a big shop and a sawmill. They raise chickens and have several vegetable gardens. We went to Liz's house for dinner and most of what we ate she had produced herself. We had salad with eggs from her chickens, bread she baked, salmon that she had caught and smoked, roast chicken that  had been a mean spirited rooster she decided to get even with, the wine we drank was a raspberry wine she made. Very impressive. She said that she seldom goes to the store and can fill the meat locker from the venison she hunts in the fall. She told a story of a moose that kept getting into her garden so she figured she had fed the moose long enough now it was time for the moose to feed her.

Around here wood is abundant and many residents have sawmills. Residents are permitted to harvest up to 10,000 board feet of timber from the Tongas Forest free of charge. You can still homestead up here if you reside here for 36 months and build a home. Many of the residents have the same take on living here. You provide your own food either from fishing or hunting or both. You build your own place, grow all that you can and are as self sufficient as possible. I think you would have to live this way because there is no store close by and no Costco or Walmart. The closest Safeway is in Ketchikan, 60 miles away by boat.

This morning we woke up to rain and a patchy fog, just like AK is supposed to be. We will hang out here today and then go on tomorrow. Bob is doing some work on the electrical system today and we will go for a hike.

There is no cell service here so I don't know when this will post.... 

Coffman Cove

Here are some photos from Coffman Cove

Ethel's house

Thorne Bay, AK

A few more photos

Olivia's at for Bob

Dan and Carol's house

The feast

What happens in the Back Chuck stays in the Back Chuck. 

Alaska cabin 

Meyers Chuck

Meyers Chuck, AK

May 28, 2013

Latitude: N55.74305°

Longitude: W132.26163°

Yesterday while the boat was  stuck in the grid we spent some time going to the Laundromat doing was and the had lunch.  We moved over to Bar Harbor marina after we were afloat from the grid and thought we might have some quiet but between washing the boat and taking a shower it was dinner time. We ate dinner down the road the the Best Western by the airport. The food there was surprisingly good. After dinner we walked back to the boat and were treated to a lightning storm. The word is that electrical storms are rare in SE AK. This was quite a show. But I was tired and went to bed early since I had been up since 03:30.

This morning we slept in until 06:00 then had a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal with banana. About that time, Dan came by to say hello and goodby and to deliver Olivia's latest picture. I am told she draws one for Bob each year but there are only two presently displayed on Fremont.  

When things were cleaned up we went shopping at the Safeway by the docks and after loading up we set off for Meyers Chuck. This one of the places Bob really likes and he has several good friends that have homes or spend time there. It is a very cute but basic place with a Post Office that gets weekly service a small gallery with local art, including quilts and a small boat repair business.

Once we passed Caameno Point and entered Clarence Strait we passed the furthest place I have been in this part of SE Alaska. Even though this is my 3rd trip up the coast I have always headed home from Ketchikan but this trip I wanted to stay on longer to see more of the coast and now I am in new territory.

Bob's friends, Dan and Carol Higgins, have a house here that used to be a school but when there weren't any more kids living here it closed. They bought it and converted it to their home. We went up there for dinner. It is a beautiful home and Dan has done all the work to fix it up. He is a skilled woodworker as well as a fisherman. The house is big and airy but the spaces are simple and it is very comfortable with a big fireplace right in front where you look out to the Chuck. We had shrimp and crab that Dan had harvested from his pots and salad that Bob and I brought. Carol said that there was not much in the house and this was a simple dinner....I don't know what an extravagant feast would look like but it would have to be very impressive to better this one.

May 29,2013

Meyers Chuck, AK

17:00

Today was a hang out day at Meyers Chuck. We slept in a bit, made coffee and had our oatmeal. Then we hiked out to the point to see if we could find some useable cell service. It is modestly better out on the end of the point and the hike was nice. When I got back to the boat I took a shower and read for a time. We needed to run the generator for a while first to get hot water but that didn't take too long. 

After a light lunch we launched the big kayak and went paddling around to the "Inner Chuck" and visited a friend over there. The water was smooth and the paddling enjoyable. Greg Rice, Bob's friend on the Inner Chuck is a year round resident here who makes his living as a gill netter and a diver. He has a sawmill next to his house and he harvested all the wood to build his house. He also makes beautiful wooden bowls and furniture from the local wood and drift wood. The winters he spends at a Buddhist Center in Santa Fe. When we visited he was readying his boat for the upcoming fishing season but he let us look around the property.

When we returned to the boat I had some trouble getting out of the kayak (I am old and stiff) and I came close to upsetting and sending us both into the drink. Eventually I untangled my self and exited but it wasn't very graceful. Bob commented, "That was close." It was not my best effort.

Tonight Craig, Dan and Carol are coming over to the boat for appetizers and cocktails. Tomorrow we will set out early to allow some exploring and then go to Coffman Cove which is further up the Clarence Strait.