Day 19 - We left Foggy Bay continued up Clarence Straight to Ketchikan, with a tail wind and helping seas. But it was our first serious taste of the four seasons in Alaska - in June! The Cruise Ship industry in Ketchikan is staggering, with 6 or 7, 5000 person floating office towers, and the associated tourism. But we had a simple mission; to get Samara on to Perfect Pitch and hunker down on a chilly, rainy night, for a warm dinner and an NBA Finals game. You know you have the greatest family members, and life partner, when that's the collective equation for happiness.
Such a welcome sight - Samara stepping off the Ketchikan Airport Ferry and joining our Alaskan Adventure. Big Love in Alaska!
Walking to dinner, we spotted a vintage sign that captured Alaskan fishing culture and Rubber Boot, High Fashion, it's everywhere...
...and a Grizzly with no choice but to pose for the camera
Day 20 - We set out from Ketchikan, armed with Captain Wiel's carefully laid out plan for the next 8 days through the vast and intimidating Alaskan waters and landscape. His careful consideration of the weather, the water and the distances, combined with his knowledge of the area and a desire to weave our journey with Buttercup, while experiencing a magical blend of previously visited favorite spots and "new-to-he-and-Sue" spots is, and has been, a wonder to behold.
So let's talk about Meyer's Chuck - our stop along the way to Coffman Cove. A very challenging entrance to a gorgeous protected cove and a back "chuck" of water. Now we'd like you to meet our new friend, Ron Meyer...
Ron was loading propane and supplies on to his boat and came to grab a line as we approached the dock.
30 minutes of conversation later, we knew the history of this amazing place and FMD was shopping for real estate - again! Ron's family goes back to the naming of the place by the State Surveyor's in the late 1800's and generations of Meyers, and other enlightened folks (30-ish in total), call this place their mostly seasonal home in heaven, off the grid (sign me up).
Sue and Samara couldn't resist a stop in the VIP Lounge, waiting for the less than frequent float plane service. Wiel found a spot to relax on the super cool log furniture carefully placed on their World Class dock system, maintained by the City of Wrangell, and FMD continued his quest for meaningful pieces of wood for his future art installation at Baynes Lake - all with the blessing of our new found friends in Meyer's Chuck.
A quick bite of lunch and we had a smooth ride Northwest along the eastern coat of Prince of Wales Island, to the very cool village of Coffman Cove. They call themselves a city, population 120, and with a bar called the Dog House, a small store called The Riggin Shack, run by Roxy, and a restaurant called AK49, whose gonna argue the point. The people were friendly, which is a universal thing in Alaska, it seems, and the beer, Jack Daniels and chats about life and fishing were exceptional. We reconnected with Buttercup and had an evening of laugher with Eric and Lorraine and their great pals, Cathy and Frank Quinn.
In between our socializing, Sue and Samara upped the culinary game again with Pesto Salmon
And we are continually reminded by the friendly people we meet and the symbols we see, that in the minds of Alaskans, "Alaska is the last bastion of American Freedom" (Rick Moore - US Army Ret. - Yellow Cab Driver in Ketchikan, AK)
The US Post Office is also ever-present; even in towns of 20-30
Day 21 - We said goodbye to Coffman Cove and set out toward the northern tip of Prince of Wales Island, destination Point Baker. Along the way the vastness and the grandeur of Alaska was on full display. As Captain Wiel said to FMD on Night 1, in Foggy Bay, when he was blown away by the size of the Jellyfish - "It's Alaska, man - everything's bigger in Alaska." I'll say.
The cruising conditions continued to be remarkable, and the wildlife spectacular and not the least bit intimidated by our presence. More ambivalent than anything else, in the case of the ongoing parades of Humpbacks...
...and maybe even curious, in the case of the herds of Harbour Seals and Sea Otters...
We spent the afternoon exploring in The Tender, with the amazing Sister's-in-law taking in the sights, and then getting a kick out of FMD's first Alaskan dip. Fact is, frigid Kuhtze Inlet has nothing on Alaskan Waters. THIS is COLD! Captain Wiel suggested it would be fine to launch from the deck of the boat, as long as it didn't involve a stopping of the heart; hadn't thought about that possibility. Happy to report the Defibrillator stayed in its case.
After another bit of real estate shopping, an amazing meal and a rousing game of Farkle with the gang from Buttercup, we were treated to an amazing Alaskan sunset. "Red Sky at Night, Sailor's Delight" - may it be a harbinger of another almost daily, seasonal change as we approach the Summer Solstice and your Creative Director is now able to stay up to the light of the midnight sun to continue this travel log - we hope you're enjoying it.
