THE BOAT!

I bought a boat!! A 15-foot 1977 Starcraft. It is real hard to live here and see all the boaters and fishers and not be one! With some help from experienced boaters, we scoured Craigslist every day and finally found the "Deep Valley", but since the last two letters are missing: The "Deep Vall".

Q:What is wrong with this picture?

A: The boat is supposed to cost more than the car.

I plan on changing its name to "Tardigrade" (my favorite zooplankton - common name ="water bear"- very appropo for AK. But I've been told by my pirate neighbors (they have a pirate flag and their dog has a pirate collar) that it's bad luck to rename a boat without an official renaming ceremony, so it's officially the "Deep Vall" for now.

Sadie's growing to love it and calls herself a "Boatrist". There's a lot for landlubbers like us to learn - so as not to die at sea, and we are learning fast!

The most miserable thing at first was how to back it up to the launch. We launch from Amalga Harbor because that's a relatively remote launch place and you have to buy a launch permit from CBJ (=the City & Borough of Juneau) before you can launch at a public launch. I am so broke that I cant afford the 80$ and I was told that the Harbor folks start downtown and ticket everyone and quit for the day before they reach Amalga so your chances of getting caught there are less. So far we've launched maybe 6 times and (knock knock) no ticket yet.

Anyway, back to the backing up of the trailer, the first time I did it I held up 10 other boaters trying to launch out or bring in (most of whom were being very patient giving me all kinds of hints and tips on how to do it). I think I had to start over at least 20 times and was almost crying and ready to drive the whole thing into the water - car and all - and go back to NY- but I did it. And it hasn't gotten much easier. Sometimes I get it quicker, but I think it's just luck. I really think a pickup has more visibility in back than an SUV - but I'll find anything to blame other than meself!

Anyway, I stocked up on everything for safety and my housemates David & Shelly & I got everything we needed for fishing (halibut) and away we went! It was a pisser - after the disastrous backing up, we stalled out the boat (hand pull starter), took at least an hour to actually pull away from the dock- it was ridiculous! [By the way, I got some boating 101 lessons from the guy I bought it from - he was actually nice enough to take me out and teach me a bunch of stuff. I knew absolutely nothing and there was a lot to learn - most critical: have PDFs, make sure the plug's in, make sure you have gas, make sure you lift the engine up before you drag the boat out of the water. ]
The very first time David caught (what we thought were) two halibut. When he pulled the first one out of the water, Shelly screamed and almost fell out and I was shocked at the sharp toothed JAWS. When he was cleaning them at the stainless steel fish-cleaning table set up at the dock, the bigger one (about 20 inches long) accidentally slid through the tunnel for the guts disposal! And I wanted the JAWS to hang in my house! Long story short - they turned out to be arrowtooth flounder - not the best eatin. I have yet to catch anything - in fact lost my whole halibut contraption (I think I had caught a 50 -100 lb halibut (at least that's what it felt like - but coulda been a rock I was fighting) but since i didn't tie the freakkin thing on right, the whole thing came loose so now there's some miserable halibut swimming around with a 6-lb lead ball in his belly). Everything takes time to learn.

But the boat rides are fun! Seen seals & whales, and we only go out when it's calm waters. And as usual - absolutely breathtaking beauty out there! Check out the video clip at the bottom (turn the volume up).

Later Maties,
Captn H

A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE FAIR

I came across some more pics from the fair ...

And the black wolf-dog that I love...

And me on the bike with Rosie in the backback!

Here's the road we biked back to the ferry - nice scenery along the ride!

Southeast Alaska State Fair

The Friday before a nice weather weekend and our computers at work were down so we decided to skip out early and head to the SE AK State Fair in Haines. We are all relatively new to AK and hadn't been there before so what the heck? And talk about last minute planning... we literally came up with the idea and started implementing within 5 minutes. 4 people, 4 bikes, 2 dogs, take the ferry at 3:00. run home get the camping gear, dogs and go! We were expecting some important visitors in the office but decided to blow them off. But as we were walking out the door - i answer the phone and it's a boss from Anchorage and I say "uh... we are not going to be here, decided to go to the fair because our computers are down..", and I get in response: "No, you can't go. The Colonel's visiting with the Division Chief. You have to be there." And I say "o.k.", hang up the phone "Shit! Plan B - into action!". David and Shelly will ferry with the 4 bikes, 2 dogs, and Sadie and I will fly up as soon as the Colonel leaves! OK that'll work. Panic: get Shelly, David and 2 dogs to ferry... Done! Back to office. Smile, act calm, wait 30 minutes..meet the Colonel. Ignore the txts from David (now on Ferry): "I forgot the key to bike lock!" "Where do we meet?" "Did you get plane tickets yet?" Colonel leaves. Panic. Buy plane tickets (35 minute flight). Fuck! how am I going to carry Rosie around for 3 days w bikes?? Shelly's dog Spencer

can easily run along side, Rosie can't run 20 feet. OMG, too late to leave Rosie behind cuz she's on the Ferry!!! Run to bike shop, buy a luggage rack - get a milk crate.. we'll strap her into milk crate on back of bike! Yeah, that'll work! Colonel leaves, I zoom home, Sadie's packed, I pack in 5 minutes, zoom to airport and "YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME - THAT'S THE PLANE! I AIN'T GETTING ON THAT PIECE OF SHIT!" OMG I am thinking, I'm going to kill me and my child just to get to the SE AK Fair, as I watch the pilot, wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt say "OK, I'm ready, get on". WTF I say .. c'mon Sade let's go.

And I tell ya, the skies were clear blue and the scenery was to die for! It was more awesome than almost anything I've done in my life, I was scared shitless and when we touched down in Haines, I became a born-again! (well not really but almost).

(And by the way - I had called the Haines Chamber of Commerce to see where the airport is in relation to the Ferry Terminal, and how to get public transportation. This was the response: "The airport's on the other side of the mountain. No, there is no public transportation in Haines. Well, you just ask people for rides." OMG again!)

So when we got to airport I study the situation, but there's not many people and not many cars so I realize I need to act fast before the place gets deserted until the next flight comes in. I see a woman talking to a man and she's saying "Can you drop me off at blah blah". So I go up to him and say "Anyway you could fit two more in your car? " He's happy to oblige and turns out he's a State Representative so we talk politics the whole way into Town." He takes us right to the Ferry and there's Shelly, David & the dogs. Perfect! Mission #1: Accomplished.

Turns out the Ferry Terminal was a long way on a dirt road to the Fair, which was in Town. So, again, I ask an electrician with a big van if he could take us to Town, so me, Sade, Rosie and 4 backpacks pile in the van, and David and Shelly ride their bikes to Town.

The Fair was interesting to say the least- smaller than any county fair I've been to in N.Y. and pretty much a relic of the 60's & 70's. It takes less than 45 minutes to cover the whole thing and there was one ride and no livestock. We missed the "most lovable dog" contest but the Jump-roping kids were awesome and the food was great!

The rest of the weekend we rode around town, checking it out and camped on the waterfront behind the Gazebo0 in a Town Park. The milkcrate didn't work and Rosie rode around in my backpack instead. She loved it - catching the wind when I was going fast, and we got a million comments "Look! How cute - a dog in a backpack! So well trained!" Rosie's going to be in many stranger's photo albums!

Haines is actually accessible by vehicle - a 775-mile drive to Anchorage the closest mall via road, and only a few miles to the Yukon in Canada. Most of the tourists we met were from Whitehorse.


Saw some cool stuff there - this old cabin with a totem had hand-milled planks on the walls about 3 feet wide (made from some big trees!).

We saw this dog - 1/2 german shepard, 1/2 black wolf with these scary glacier ice blue eyes. The coolest dog I've ever seen.

This cabin is about the size of a dog house.

Eatin and drinkin Haines Brew on the deck of the Fireweed.

There's an old military fort in Haines - these old white buildings, in varying states of disrepair, look very out-of-place in AK.

One morning I got up early and watched a sea otter playing on the shore very close to where I was sitting - he was very cute! Of course I didn't have the camera.

Then we all rode the dirt rode back to the Ferry terminal and headed back to Juneau. A great weekend!

An indication of what the Ferry's like in the winter. It says"Ice Skate with Caution"

JUNEAU MAILBOX

I'd hate to have this guy as my neighbor

ON THE FERRY AGAIN... BACK TO JUNEAU

Four O Clock in the a.m. and we board the Matanuska, headed back to Juneau. By now we know the routine; stake out the best location for our lounge chairs, know what we need from the car, and set up for a 16 hour trip to Juneau.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect and we both got sunburnt. According to gossip, we saw Johnny Depp on his yacht "Archimedes" (the local newspapers did say he is is Alaska, so maybe it is true).

We stopped in Wrangell and Petersburg just long enough to take Rosie for a 20 minute walk on solid ground.

Petersburg was just loaded with fishing boats, and float planes were taking off and landing in every direction.

The scenery was breathtaking. Watching the occasional iceburg float by, seals dozing on buoys, and the humpback whales lazily rolling in and out of the water with the blow hole sprays visible in the distance. I don't think I've ever been more lazy and relaxed than this day in many years.

It is indeed hard to describe some of the scenery here.

In a book I found at a used book store for $3 - an older US Dept of Agriculture technical book on "Alaska Trees and Shrubs" are some wonderfully perfect writings... and I quote: "Much of Alaska is still wilderness, and the value of undisturbed wild areas may someday far outweigh the potential value for producing lumber and pulp. An increasing number of people look to Alaska for wilderness that is no longer present in the more developed areas in the world. Thus, it is important that some areas of Alaska's forests be retained in their natural state."

And in describing the coastal forests of Southeast Alaska, it says: "In many areas only a narrow band of trees exist between the ocean and the tundra on snowclad mountains above. The scenic grandeur of the region is unsurpassed. The narrow waterways with steep forested slopes, the rugged high mountains, and the many glaciers reaching for the coast through forested valleys, along with an abundance of streams and lakes offer a wealth of recreation values."

ON THE FERRY... TO KETCHIKAN

Here we are - getting on the "Columbia" in Bellingham. (See my car - driving on the ramp?) It was a long boring wait in the blazing sun until we finally were able to drive on. They had drug and bomb sniffing dogs go through all the cars (except mine and a few others - why? I dunno). I had heard that you had to get on quick to claim your tent spot and that they allowed tents set up on the rear of the top two decks only. I had Sade walk on and I drove on, because the walkers get on quicker and I told her to run to the top deck and claim a spot. She was bored out of her mind and we texted each other while waiting. At least she wasnt outside in the 95 degree sun, dying with me and Rosie!

The ferry left at 6:30 p.m. Friday and got into Ketchikan Sunday a.m. at around 9:00. It was definitely a long ride - but the weather was perfect and the scenery beautiful. Most of the trip was through Canada and you could see clearly the clearcut logging operations with attempts at re-foresting. The first night we set up the tent and 3 people borrowed my duct tape (I came prepared with two rolls) and used it all up. At 4:00 a.m. the wind was whipping so intensely (one of our two "2-hour open ocean" crossings, I believe) and the tents were almost blown flat on the deck - that is if they were still up. About 9 of the 13 or so tents on our deck were taken down by 5:00 a.m. as it became more and more evident to the owner that they were about to be blown overboard. Only 3 tents were left standing by 6:00 a.m. -mine and two others. Sade slept through it all! I was nervous for a little while that the wind would be strong enough to lift the ten with her in it clear overboard. So... it is definitely not worth attempting to set up a tent. The lounge chairs work great for cozy sleeping bag sleeping and there's a solarium roof in case it rains. The temperatures vary significantly though - from hot as hell during peek of sunshine to freezing with fleece coats and wool blankets at dark. We both got very burnt. Most of the time we spent lounging, and waiting for someone to yell "Whales!", then you'd get up and watch the blowhole fountains and tails emerge of the humpbacks. We had some good games of cutthroat Battleship - a good game to bring on a ship.

There was lots of pretty scenery and the ferry only went average of 18 knots, which I learned is only a bit more than 20 miles an hour - what feels like a snails pace! No wonder it takes so long! Phone reception was only at the few towns we passed and lasted for 15 min or so. Sadie would frantically text and then - poof, it's over!

Now in Ketchikan - Sunday a.m. There's our hotel, with the blue roof.

<=== We ate in this place - as usual I got halibut and Sade got coconut shrimp - our two standards.

<------ Nice place on their own island!!

We had all day Sunday to play and I found this long long Kelp - see how the tail goes way behind me? It was fun to play with. We say them floating in the ocean at night from the ferry - glowing white and couldn't figure out what they were. The leaves were gone and it looked like a giant sperm.. from a sperm whale?? ha

I wanted to keep "kelpy" and tried to tie it on the roof but Sade wouldn't let me.

< Bald eagle and nest (need a good camera)

More pretty places and sites in Ketch. The white in the rock was quartz.

<---Obviously someone wanted only Coho to go thattaway. I saw my first Dippers on this stream.

The shore at low tide was much fun! Mussel beds, and what turned out to be Clams spitting (?) water out of the sand in cute little 4-inch squirts everywhere. Starfish everywhere of every color and size - fat ones skin ny ones. These pics are actually from my work mtgs- I have to learn Marine Biology fast! It was a bit intimidating listening to these people talking about restoration and what species of salmon like this and that and on and on... and it was greek to me.

< ---- A midget Starfish? The inspiration for Patrick (Sponge Bob's pal)?

OK, I gotta get serious at these meeting - I was dangling a piece of eelgrass in front of a crab - we were playing Monkey in the middle - haven't had that much fun since I was 6! He's much bigger than those 1-inch guys you see along the Atlantic. Coulda taken my finger off if got too close - well not really, but it woulda hurt.

Went to the infamous "Road to Nowhere" that would have connected to the "Bridge to Nowhere" that was never built. (Got it?) Had to buy a T-shirt! Is this one of FHWA's biggest blunders? Why did no one go to NEPA Jail?

Spent time with Sade in Saxman (Native Alaskan village) and at the Totem Heritage Center in Ketch. Largest collection of Totems here - very cool.

FYI: Some have "spirits" in them, and some don't.
I think that if they were built for the tourists, they are void.

Hmmm...

<--- I want this one in my yard in NY.