Got a really good night's sleep. Woke up to a gentle rain. It's so quiet and peaceful here. Except for the lodge, it's total wilderness, just as it was centuries ago. More than ever, we feel as though we're on a lovely lake, high in the mountains. All around us are dense woods and mountain tops lost in clouds. The water is totally calm except for tiny ripples from the raindrops and the splash of leaping fish. No waves, no wind, no surf -- how can this be the ocean?
Had a great time paddling in the rain. The chart showed a tramway going to Lake MacDonald, but all I found were some wooden posts, so old that plants were growing out of them, and a broken, twisted piece of unrecognizable metal.
Saw an incredible number of bald eagles. Most flew away when I approached, but some sat right where they were and looked at me. They were probably guarding their nests.
A big school of fish swam by me so close I probably could have caught one if I'd had a net.
We left Yes Bay around two and went over to the Bell Island Hot Spring Resort. We were thinking of spending the night there and soaking in the hot spring, but when we talked to them on the VHF, they said we couldn't stay overnight, and the pool that's fed by the hot spring is closed, so we kept going through the Behm Narrows. Some porpoises played around the bow, reminding us that yes, we really are on the ocean. Then we rounded Point Whaley and knew we were on the ocean! The wind was suddenly blowing 20 knots and there were whitecaps all over. Fortunately, we were only a couple of miles from Fitzgibbon Cove, so we scooted over there and dropped anchor (two anchors) in relative calm.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, August 30, 1992 - Yes Bay, AK
Mailed a bunch of postcards and got ready to leave. There were two big fat fishing boats in back of us and another on the other side of the fairway, so there was no way to get out. Fortunately, two guys from the Harbor Master's office came by and moved one of the fishing boats. We swung the Jofian around with lines and departed.
Beautiful clear, sunny day! Stopped at a nice new fuel dock. Filled the tank and all the jerry cans. Also got two gallons of oil.
Headed up the Behm Canal towards Misty Fjords National Monument. Don't be fooled by the word "canal"; this is a completely natural waterway.
We turned into Yes Bay, which is really more of an inlet than a bay. There's a big fishing lodge here, with its own docks and boats. This must be a fisherman's paradise; everywhere we looked, fish were leaping out of the water. I guess they're salmon. They're obviously some kind of salt-water fish.
We went past the lodge and dropped anchor in a secluded area. Put out two anchors and 140 feet of chain. The tidal range here is about twenty feet.
After supper, we started to go paddling, but it was getting dark, so we decided to return to the boat and paddle in the morning.
Beautiful clear, sunny day! Stopped at a nice new fuel dock. Filled the tank and all the jerry cans. Also got two gallons of oil.
Headed up the Behm Canal towards Misty Fjords National Monument. Don't be fooled by the word "canal"; this is a completely natural waterway.
We turned into Yes Bay, which is really more of an inlet than a bay. There's a big fishing lodge here, with its own docks and boats. This must be a fisherman's paradise; everywhere we looked, fish were leaping out of the water. I guess they're salmon. They're obviously some kind of salt-water fish.
We went past the lodge and dropped anchor in a secluded area. Put out two anchors and 140 feet of chain. The tidal range here is about twenty feet.
After supper, we started to go paddling, but it was getting dark, so we decided to return to the boat and paddle in the morning.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Saturday, August 29, 1992 - Ketchikan, AK
Slept late and ate a big breakfast. Sure good to be back on the Jofian.
It rained all day. We put on our rain gear, got out the wagon and a piece of canvas, and pulled the laundry to the laundromat and back. Then we pulled the wagon to the grocery store and back. So now we have clean clothes and plenty of food.
It rained all day. We put on our rain gear, got out the wagon and a piece of canvas, and pulled the laundry to the laundromat and back. Then we pulled the wagon to the grocery store and back. So now we have clean clothes and plenty of food.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday, August 28, 1992 - Juneau, AK
Miserable night! We hung around the hostel living room until one a.m. Then we gathered up our gear and walked a block to where the bus would pick us up. The bus arrived on schedule and got us to the ferry terminal at two, but when we bought our tickets, we found out the ferry was 2 1/2 hours late! Expected in at 5! We could have gone to bed at 8 last night and slept until 4 this morning. Of course, Roy can sleep on a clothesline, so he stretched out on the waiting room floor and promptly fell asleep. I slept on a chair for an hour but woke up with a crick in my neck, so I stretched out on three or four chairs, but loud male voices kept talking, bright lights kept shining in my face, doors kept opening and slamming, and the chairs were hard as rocks. I didn't sleep much.
A fishing boat had gone aground in the narrows, and the ferry couldn't get by until the boat was out of the way.
The ferry arrived at five but spent more than half an hour unloading, so it was nearly six by the time we reached the solarium and got into our sleeping bags. Slept most of the day. Got up to eat, take long, hot showers, listen to the ranger presentations, and look at Petersburg and Wrangell from the boat. The ferry was trying to make up time, so it just stopped long enough to unload and load; through passengers weren't allowed ashore. But it was still two hours late when it reached Ketchikan and expected to be an hour late at Prince Rupert.
Arrived in Ketchikan around midnight, hopped in a cab, and headed for the City Docks. Jofian was just as we left her. What a beautiful sight!
A fishing boat had gone aground in the narrows, and the ferry couldn't get by until the boat was out of the way.
The ferry arrived at five but spent more than half an hour unloading, so it was nearly six by the time we reached the solarium and got into our sleeping bags. Slept most of the day. Got up to eat, take long, hot showers, listen to the ranger presentations, and look at Petersburg and Wrangell from the boat. The ferry was trying to make up time, so it just stopped long enough to unload and load; through passengers weren't allowed ashore. But it was still two hours late when it reached Ketchikan and expected to be an hour late at Prince Rupert.
Arrived in Ketchikan around midnight, hopped in a cab, and headed for the City Docks. Jofian was just as we left her. What a beautiful sight!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Thursday, August 27, 1992 - Juneau, AK
Went to the Juneau Museum and got the brochure we should have had two days ago. It explains all the junk we saw at the old Treadwell Mine.
Rode the bus out to the trail on the west side of Mendenhall Glacier. Walked to the end of the trail. Had a fabulous view of the glacier. We thought we'd be able to walk on the glacier itself, but we were way above it.
Returned to Juneau and ate a delicious salmon dinner at the Fiddlehead.
The ferries run at all sorts of weird times. Our ferry back to Ketchikan leaves at -- ugh -- 3:45 a.m. The shuttle bus will pick us up at 1:30, so we're going to sit in the hostel living room until then. As soon as we get on the ferry, we'll stretch out our sleeping bags and sleep.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wednesday, August 26, 1992 - Juneau, AK
Unfortunately, after Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay was a big letdown. The glaciers have been receding for 200 years and are now more than forty miles from the entrance, so we spent most of our time just getting there and back.
Got up at four a.m. and walked down to the Baranof Hotel, where a bus picked us up at 4:45 and took us to the airport. The plane was supposed to leave at 5:30 but didn't leave until nearly six. The plane was a nine-passenger Piper Chieftain, with an excellent pilot, who set her down so gently we scarcely knew we'd landed.
The flight took about twenty minutes. Then a bus took us over a flat dirt road to the lodge, where we boarded the boat. They have fantastic tides here, sometimes as much as 32 feet, so they have to have very long gangplanks. It was low tide this morning, so the gangplank was at a 30-degree angle. It was also wet and slippery. I did a little dipsy-doodle at the beginning, but no harm done.
The boat had a 400-passenger capacity -- a far cry from the luxury yacht we were on Monday. More importantly, we lacked the sense of intimacy with the glacier that we'd had on the smaller boat.
We went up the Tarr Inlet to the Queen of the Pacific and Margerie glaciers. The Queen was ugly black with dirt, but the Margerie was bluish and had lots of jagged peaks. A few little chunks fell off while we watched. There were some small pieces of ice floating around, but nowhere near as many as at Tracy Arm, and there weren't any seals on them.
A multi-million-dollar U.S. yacht was anchored near Margerie Glacier. Its tender was taking a bunch of people around to look at the glacier close up.
Lunch was crummy. They had about 100 sandwiches left over, which they handed out to anyone who wanted them, so we took some for supper tonight and lunch tomorrow.
The boat stopped a couple of times to let backpackers off at remote areas. The boat went right up to the beach and lowered a ladder.
We saw eagles, whales, sea lions, a couple of bears, and a mountain goat.
Flew back on an Alaska Airlines jet. It went up, and then it came down. We were in Juneau before we had time to think about it.
Had no problem getting beds at the hostel again, even though our three-night limit was up two days ago.
Got up at four a.m. and walked down to the Baranof Hotel, where a bus picked us up at 4:45 and took us to the airport. The plane was supposed to leave at 5:30 but didn't leave until nearly six. The plane was a nine-passenger Piper Chieftain, with an excellent pilot, who set her down so gently we scarcely knew we'd landed.
The flight took about twenty minutes. Then a bus took us over a flat dirt road to the lodge, where we boarded the boat. They have fantastic tides here, sometimes as much as 32 feet, so they have to have very long gangplanks. It was low tide this morning, so the gangplank was at a 30-degree angle. It was also wet and slippery. I did a little dipsy-doodle at the beginning, but no harm done.
The boat had a 400-passenger capacity -- a far cry from the luxury yacht we were on Monday. More importantly, we lacked the sense of intimacy with the glacier that we'd had on the smaller boat.
We went up the Tarr Inlet to the Queen of the Pacific and Margerie glaciers. The Queen was ugly black with dirt, but the Margerie was bluish and had lots of jagged peaks. A few little chunks fell off while we watched. There were some small pieces of ice floating around, but nowhere near as many as at Tracy Arm, and there weren't any seals on them.
A multi-million-dollar U.S. yacht was anchored near Margerie Glacier. Its tender was taking a bunch of people around to look at the glacier close up.
Lunch was crummy. They had about 100 sandwiches left over, which they handed out to anyone who wanted them, so we took some for supper tonight and lunch tomorrow.
The boat stopped a couple of times to let backpackers off at remote areas. The boat went right up to the beach and lowered a ladder.
We saw eagles, whales, sea lions, a couple of bears, and a mountain goat.
Flew back on an Alaska Airlines jet. It went up, and then it came down. We were in Juneau before we had time to think about it.
Had no problem getting beds at the hostel again, even though our three-night limit was up two days ago.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tuesday, August 25, 1992 - Juneau, AK
Went to the State's Office of Vital Statistics. Just getting there was an experience. Went up to the eighth floor of the beautiful new State Office Building. It has a terrific view. Also has an ATM, so I tried my Versatel card again. Again it was rejected, so I phoned Bank of America Customer Service in San Francisco. As I suspected, a block had been put on the card, probably from all my unsuccessful attempts to use it the other night. The clerk released the block. After that, everything worked fine.
When we got to Vital Statistics in the Old State Office Building across the walkway, we found out Thais died June 17, 1987, so we went to the State Library in the new building and looked at the microfiched local paper for that date. They have a neat machine that not only displays and magnifies the microfiche but also prints a copy of whatever page you want. We found the article about Thais on June 18th, but it turned out her tragic accident didn't occur at Mendenhall Glacier; it was at Kenai Glacier, south of Anchorage. We printed the article to take with us.
Ate lunch at McDonald's and then took the bus across the bridge to Douglas Island. Passed a house that had a pet pig on its front lawn. Got off at the end of the line and walked the trails where the old Treadwell goldmine had been from 1880 until it flooded in 1917. (A Canadian company is now trying to buy it and reopen it.) We saw a lot of tumble-down buildings, rusty machinery, and old tracks, but we didn't find a shaft even though we walked all the way up the hill to the end of the trail. On a seldom-accessed trail, we found a tent, sleeping bag, and clothing that appeared to have been there a few weeks or months at the most. It looked as if someone had spent the night there and then gone hiking, fully intending to return but hadn't. Perhaps he'd fallen off a cliff or something. When we got back to Juneau, we phoned the police.
Tomorrow, Glacier Bay!
When we got to Vital Statistics in the Old State Office Building across the walkway, we found out Thais died June 17, 1987, so we went to the State Library in the new building and looked at the microfiched local paper for that date. They have a neat machine that not only displays and magnifies the microfiche but also prints a copy of whatever page you want. We found the article about Thais on June 18th, but it turned out her tragic accident didn't occur at Mendenhall Glacier; it was at Kenai Glacier, south of Anchorage. We printed the article to take with us.
Ate lunch at McDonald's and then took the bus across the bridge to Douglas Island. Passed a house that had a pet pig on its front lawn. Got off at the end of the line and walked the trails where the old Treadwell goldmine had been from 1880 until it flooded in 1917. (A Canadian company is now trying to buy it and reopen it.) We saw a lot of tumble-down buildings, rusty machinery, and old tracks, but we didn't find a shaft even though we walked all the way up the hill to the end of the trail. On a seldom-accessed trail, we found a tent, sleeping bag, and clothing that appeared to have been there a few weeks or months at the most. It looked as if someone had spent the night there and then gone hiking, fully intending to return but hadn't. Perhaps he'd fallen off a cliff or something. When we got back to Juneau, we phoned the police.
Tomorrow, Glacier Bay!
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