Day 66 Tuesday August 09, 2011 to Telegraph Creek

IT looks like I cannot download any pictures tonight , but I will keep trying ("Slow" Wi-Fi). I may have to try again in the morning when there is little traffic. I will place the three days here in Hyder all in one blog as it will be bears, a huge glacier, and a bit about the bears on the highway coming down here. Weather has been great with a 77 F today as we neared the coast. It stayed in the 70's until about 9:00 Pm. Stay tuned.

Day 66 Tuesday Aug 09, 2011 A side trip to Telegraph Creek BC

There is only one way to describe driving to Telegraph Creek, BC, on that road of the same name. Difficult! The 63 miles are filled with up and down hills, twists and turns at every curve (does that sound redundant?), switchbacks in both directions to the right and to the left so the steep mountainsides might be on the driver’s side or the passenger’s side. (Ruth did NOT like the “drop off”side.) The switchbacks that were most severe, (and there were many) were of 20% incline and 18% incline. All of this on an “improved” gravel road, so slippage is not to be tolerated on the gravel. I found that using the “Super low” gear on the Tundra and then using the 6 levels it offers saved a lot of braking. Usually #2 gear was slow enough to keep the car from speeding up going downhill, but a few times even that was not enough. Then I would put it into the lowest gear (#1) and let the engine do the braking. On uphills where it was the steepest I started slowly and accelerated after the wheels had good traction. Again the gravel , especially on uphill, and a 20% grade, will not stay in place easily. The key was focus and making sure you were in the right gear for the right circumstances. No admiring the scenery on that trip. There were a few turnouts where we did that.

I thought you would like to know all this before we started out on the day. A strange phenomena happened when I asked Ruth what she remembered about our trip here in 1996. She said until we got to the actual village she remembered nothing of it. How’s that for selective memory?

The forests that surround the first 40 miles of the drive are right to the edge of the road so there is not much else to see, but we did pick up a few birds along the way including some Spruce Grouse and Juncos. This portion of the road in all honesty is good packed gravel and although quite level, it has some curves. We moved right along at 35 mph except for the curves. One item there were a lot of was “bear scat” along the road all the way in to the end. There must have been hundreds of them and most of them as fresh as a day or two. Are there bears around, well I guess so.

Then came a series of switchbacks that allow the traveler to descend the canyons of three rivers that feed the Stikine River which runs to the ocean at Wrangell AK. I can picture the gold rush participants along trails here and in the 1940’s the trucks that moved equipment from Telegraph Creek to Watson Lake , via boat at Dease Lake when the Alcan Highway was being built. I am sure many an Army vet has stories to tell of those days. The road has awesome views if you are the passenger. The canyon views, the mountains in the distance especially Mt Edziza at 10,000 feet plus which is still encased in snow. There is a huge recreation area there for hikers and backpackers. Men were working on the bridge at the Tuya River, so there was a 20 minute delay (see pic). I got to talk to an Aussie there who was going around the world , working as he went. His job for BC Hydro (tech equipment) was a two year commitment although he had seen most of Asia already. We did not see bear or wolf but did watch a young Golden Eagle fly right over. We finally arrived at Telegraph Creek and got pictures and had an ice cream cone at the new restaurant that has taken the place of the general store that was there in that building. The store (now a restaurant) had changed a lot and was serving 10-12 people that noon. It was a short stop but worth seeing while touching a bit of North American History. (See previous days blog).

We settled for eating out after we got back, but were disappointed with the hamburger that was served Ruth. The management made some allowances for that in the bill. My fish was very good on the other hand. We caught the restaurant at a bad time as they have an interim cook until the new one arrives next week. We don't eat out often so it was disappointing to get a poor meal. The day was sunny and dry, and the temperature by the Stikine River was in the low 70’s (F). tomorrow we head fro Hyder, the bears, and three days of viewing. Should have some more great pictures of bears on the river salmon fishing. Wednesday AM it was 37 F.

Trip South Mon. Aug,08,2011 to Dease Lake Brit. Col.

The British Columbia road 37 south to Dease Lake is improved gravel and without the intense frost heaves that the Alaska Highway had at times . Granted it is in permafrost country so one has to be aware. I found that 40-45 mph was about right so slowing quickly was not a problem.We did see a Sow Grizzly bear and her two young cubs (4-6 week) so that was a welcome sight and we watched her until she felt that moving away from this "big white thing" along the road was the better part of valor. There were no other animals. The road is mostly shoulder less, and the trees come quite close to the road. (See pic). There are many lakes along this route and the best gift of the area is its' fishing for grayling, trout and other lake fish. No salmon here. Tomorrow we head for Telegraph Creek (see Below), see some bits about that town. The sun is shining and it is 66 F. Good stuff

Telegraph Creek

Stikine River, Northern BC On a terrace overlooking the Stikine River, one can step back in time in the beautiful little community of Telegraph Creek, which gets its name from an overland telegraph line to Yukon, the assembly of which started in 1866. The project was stopped when the first Trans-Atlantic submarine cable was laid, then started again during the Klondike Gold Rush. The cable was finished in 1901, and abandoned in 1936, when wireless radio killed it. Though the Yukon Telegraph Trail is mostly overgrown over to the south of Telegraph Creek, a 265-km stretch still survives between Telegraph Creek and Atlin, and is open to the serious backpacker. The fascinating history of the Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek area dates back a century to the Yukon Gold Rush era. Telegraph Creek witnessed the discovery of gold by prospectors on the Stikine River in the 1860s, and was the head of navigation for paddlewheelers during the plans for the Collins Overland Telegraph Cable. Today, Telegraph Creek is a predominantly Native settlement, with many restored buildings dating back a century or more. There are many deserted historic buildings in the town itself, as well as some that have been restored, including the original Hudson's Bay Company Store, which is now a cafe, general store and lodge. Probably the most remote town in BC assessable by road, Telegraph Creek is reached via a rough Forest Service road that runs southwest from Dease Lake, passing through the Stikine River Provincial Park, skirting the Grand Canyon of the Stikine River, and passing through Telegraph Creek to end in Glenora, another gold rush boomtown in its heyday. This is 60 mies and a tough drive with some 15% and one 20 % downhill

LAst Day on the Heron (Day 8) Mon. Aug 2, 2011

These were the last pictures we took in regard to the Petersburg, Inland Passage Cruise. Some were on the plane flying back to Anchorage and we were fortunate and quick enough to get a few good shots. Mendenhall Glacier is directly opposite the campus of the U of A (Juneau), Herbert Glacier is a bit inland but near Juneau (north) , The "Thumb" is a excellent marker for ships at sea as it is almost due east of Petersburg. (We will see this when we get to Telegraph Creek this week from the other side.) And for your watching enjoyment, the crew of the "Heron" who treated us royally and made us feel like it was our home for a week. Hope you enjoyed this tour with us. I would like to hear any comments you might make even on e- mail.- Jim

Mt. Thumb, Canada/USA (AK) border marker.

Coastal Mtns. Downtown Petersburg ,AK Mendenhall Glacier (Juneau) Coastal Mtn.

Orcas moving in pods

Last day on the Heron (Day 8) Monday August 2, 2011

It would be very difficult to top any of the sights or sounds that we have been privileged to witness this week. But maybe this day had another gift to present? It was very foggy as we left Farragut Bay, but the clouds lifted by 9:30 as we headed out to Frederick Sound and headed in the direction of Petersburg (southeast). We had to be in port about the time the tide was still low and ideally at slack tide. Scott thought he spotted some whales and sure enough he did. But this time it was not the Humpbacks but the ORCAS. He had been told on the radio that they were headed north so thought

SCOTT, DANIEL, ARIA

we would miss them, but they were heading south and moving fast. They move much faster than the Humpbacks do. These weigh in at the 10-15 ton size.There they were with those tell tale fins protruding up in the water as they “bob” along up and down with brief surfacing time to breathe. There were pods of three, some single, and more pods of 5-6 catching up with us as we moved south. This was the surprise and we relished in seeing them as it was quite unusual to see so many at once. We did linger as they moved ahead of us and we returned to head for Port. It was a fitting ending to the cruise as we had pretty much ‘seen it all’. We had seen the sea at various moods, rain and sun, tidal zones on the rocks, glaciers, bears of all sorts and sizes, whales, bubble-net feeding, sunsets, rainbows, sea otters, seals, eagles, lots of birds, waterfalls, mountains, successful fishing and good food. It was glorious!

Aria and Daniel got the boat ready to dock with their chores (bumpers, lines, etc) and we finally docked at very low tide. We said our goodbyes and took a few last pictures while David was there to pick us up to shuttle us to the hotel Scandia right on the money. Scott took our fish to the Cannery where we would make arrangements to ship later that day. We did a walking “tour” of this small town , and did some shopping and exploring. We had an extra treat as Julie and Scott Hursey agreed to come to dinner with us where we reminisced about the trip and other trips we had and Scott’s stories that she found that he had related on the trip. Julie works at the hospital now and continues her Am show on NPR in OPetersburg . Could we ask for anymore than we received. No. We are grateful for all that we received. Deo Gratias

PIctures to accompany the last few days. (August 7-8th) 2011

We drove from Kluane to Teslin on Saturday through the Takhini Valley and across many of the US Army's bridges that they build on the "Alcan"highway. Stopping at some places but seeing also many abandoned and shuttered places as well. Sunday we ended the Alaska Highway portion as on Monday we head south on the Cassiar Highway (B.C. 37) toward the Washington Border. This will be a 10 day trip with three nights at Hyder AAk, to see the bears there on Fish and Mark's creek's, and another day to drive to Telegraph Creek (Gold center in the 1890's) and back again and perhaps get some Tahlkan smoked salmon on the way. Probably no internet until 5-6 days , so hang on until then you faithful readers.

1. Campsite at "Baby Nugget RV Park" at the junction of the Alaska Hwy. and BC 37 (Cassiar Hwy. S.)

2. A basic mp that shows the routes we took in and around Alaska and the Yukon.

3. Sunset through the rain that caused the below picture (Rainbow) Teslin.

4. Grizzly bear that did not stay around long but Ruth did get a few pictures of it. I think it saw the snow on the mountains that morning and decided to get busy eating.

5. Rainbow opposite the sun shining through the rain . (above)

On the Heron days 4,5,6 and ,7

Today ,(Sat August 16m 2011), we moved from Kluane Lake to Teslin Yukon. The morning was cold (42F) and there was "termination dust" on the mountains as it snowed above 6,000 the night before. There were some 40 sheep on the mountains below the snow. We also saw a Grizzly bear on the roadside. It was moving fast but got a few shots. The road today was much better than yesterday when we averaged some 25 mph the 230 miles from Tok. (many frost heaves) Today the average was above 40 mph. Also seen were many horses for the backpacking business near Haines Junction and a large group of mule deer along side the road. Beautiful Takhini Valley was in view for hours. Crossed the Yukon River and saw Lake LaBarge (Robert Service fame) , Marsh Lake and Teslin Lake which is 73 miles in length stretching across the USA/ CA border. OH...crossing the border yesterday was a breeze. Just smiled and went through HA!

NOW FOR SOME MORE DAYS ON THE "HERON"

Day 4 and 5 on the Heron (SE Alaska Inland Passage)

Coming out of North Dawes Bay the waterfalls were much subdued n the morning as the rain had stopped and they held less water, but still were a remarkable view from the boat. Scott headed into Endicott Arm again as we looked for bears and dodged icebergs . We did watch a mother bear (Black) and her cub for about 30 minutes and then proceeded to Stephens Passage once again. The day was less gray, but there was some ran in the air. A second short cove had lots of Eagles and Canadian Geese (an experimental Project locally), but still no brown bear that Scott anticipated. We now were out of the rock mountains and into forested areas once again . After a lunch of chicken roll ups, we headed for Woods Spit at the entrance to Stephens Passage and a walk on the beach (rocky shoreline) . Here after a zodiac ride to the shore we got our land legs going for the first time in 4 days, and started to “comb” the beach for whatever we could find. A nesting Lincoln’s sparrow caught both Daniel’s and my eye and he got some good shots of that with her young just fledged. Gerri looked for rocks for her garden (They go back to MI in our trailer, and we have a standing joke that she pays by the pound!). Ruth stayed on board as the rock walking would have been difficult. The tide was not low so water was about in the middle of the beach. I spotted two flocks of Harlequins and Oyster Catchers (about 25 in each) and pursued a few pictures of them away from where we walked. It was a bright afternoon so walking was easy. There was lots of kelp and sea weed on the beach, shells, and especially sea urchins. The water was calm so seeing through the water to the rocks was “cool”.

After about 1 1/2 hours we returned to the Heron where Scott found that the hoist to the Zodiac did not work so he tied it (at least temporarily) to the back of the boat. This lasted one more day. We headed for Admiralty Island a National Monument set aside entirely for wildlife and wildlife viewing along with the mountains, lakes and streams. The sun came out which felt good as it had not up to this point on the trip. We headed for a small cove on Gambier Bay between few islands. Even though it faces the open waters of Stephens Passage it is protected most of the time by the islands .Scott calls this cove “The Screaming Kayakers Cove” He told us the story of the kayakers who were camped here one time when they anchored here and the woman came out to chastise him when he anchored there, for interrupting their “wilderness experience” in no uncertain terms. Scott explained to the woman that it was ALL a wilderness experience and that she was welcome to go some other place to have her “wilderness experience”. In the morning she came back out, in her kayak, and asked him if she had been “too aggressive” the night before??? Scott had many more stories some funny and some sad that I will work in along the way.

Day 5 on the Heron (SE Alaska Inland Passage)

HALIBUT---WHALES---BROWN BEAR--SUNSHINE---FISH DINNER

Yes it was a “whale” of a day. (Couldn't let that pass). After breakfast we left “Screaming Kayaker Cove” and headed out of Gambier Bay entered Stephens Passage . Scott was heading toward Halibut waters. * As Halibut usually feed on ledges in the ocean bottom, Scott looks for some likely places that they would do that. After 30 years in these waters he knows many of them. On the way to that spot, we saw 20-25 Humpback whales some of them breaching (jumping out of the water and creating a huge splash which some interpret as pure joy and fun for the whales) and some with young ones in their first trip to Alaska from Hawaii their “birth state”. The young ones stay close to Mom for sure. The seas were rough out on the open waters and the boat rocked or the first time on the trip. Setting the downline and with hooks baited with herring, Andy caught the first one in a short time. It was raining with a stiff wind. Soon after that we moved to the west side of Grove Island and got out of the wind between the islands. This was followed by an anchorage at Cannery Cove , a rare piece of private land left from an old Cannery earlier in the 20th century takes up a portion of the cove. It is now a fishing resort run by a man that has had some run ins with the law in Alaska. We anchored there, however away from the Lodge. Immediately Scott spotted some bears in the grassy area at the end of the cove. THIS GUY IS GOOD! It was a Sow and her 3 cubs , a rare sight indeed, We followed them and behold more Brown bears come out and we were able to see 4 bears and the sow and cubs. Quite a sight as they grazed on grass and worked a small salmon stream that came out into the Cove. Remember that the salmon are running now until the fall so the Bears must fatten up for the winter . It is a great salmon year in Alaska, so they should all get enough nourishment especially those that feed on fish. The rain stopped. For supper we had stuffed Halibut as the main dish. Daniel taught us a card game from Israel called “Kaboo”. which is played with all dealt cards down. Then it gets complicated to find the cards. Fun!

A great day for and more to come tomorrow.

Another of Scott’s stories almost ended in tragedy at Endicott Glacier. A couple (man and woman) had beached the skiff on the rocks near the glacier (too close?) so that they might get some videos for a company. They had walked up the rocks to get a better few so were away from the skiff. A huge piece of the glacier calved and when it hit the water it made a huge wave heading for the rock outcropping. The man saw it coming and made a choice. 1. Go up to higher ground to escape, or 2. Try to get the skiff before the wave hit. He AND HIS WIFE chose the latter and they got to the skiff at the same time the wave hit which threw them into the icy water (40 F) and he lost the skiff , but saved a sealed, equipment box. Now they were both in trouble as they did made it back to the rocks but were suffering from hypothermia. Unfortunately there was a boat nearby that didn’t see that happen, but as the man was able to retrieve and fire off a flare from the box, the boat saw it and came to their rescue. The woman suffered for awhile but recovered. Moral: know you limits and stow your skiff adequately. Cold water can kill you.

Day 6 and 7 On the Heron (SE Alaska INland Passage)

Early in the morning we continued to see the Brown bears eating at the head of the cove where we anchored (Cannery Cove). Bald Eagles were around as well and as usual as they are part and partial of this SE Alaska. Three kayakers came from that Lodge I mentioned, and beached their kayaks and walked toward where the bears were feeding (Remember a Sow with three cubs is not to be messed with). The Kayakers started to walk toward the bears and after about 100 yards stopped to talk, and that was as far as they went after seeing the bears they wisely went back to their kayaks and headed back to the Lodge. Scott had us weigh anchor and headed for Halibut fishing as the tides were right (slack tide) for fishing Halibut. Scott moved to a favorite place between two islands. Hooks attached, downlines secured and Andy caught one, then I did. Now we got the ladies into it and Ruth and Gerri both caught one. Gerri also caugt three small crabs at once, and Andy caught two Sculpin. We now had enough to ship home for winter dinners. They were all under 38” in length as that is the South East (zone) size limit this year. Only one per day can be caught and a limit of three total.

Among a kelp bed we saw some sea otter. That is one of their favorite hangouts as there is plenty of food there. Scott cleaned the fish before lunch and stored them in ice for keeping. Ruth had a big smile on her face when she caught hers. I’ll try to put that picture in. Later we fished for, and caught, two salmon (Coho) both Gerri and me .

Scott headed for Kake, a small and historic (ancient) village that has a creek with bears by a salmon hatchery . After anchoring and taking the zodiac to the pier, we walked the 3/4 mile to the hatchery and sure enough, there were black bears all over the place. Sows with cubs, many by themselves and many getting fish at will out of Gunnuk Creek. The fishery there has built a visitor Center, a fine,safe boardwalk with a railing along the north side of the creek for viewing. Ruth watched one bear walk down a paved walkway right next to her while she was sitting on a bench. It was quite an awesome spot and the bald eagles habited the same spot in a tree viewing food as well. It is is a “NO FISHING” stream so the bears have free reign. On the walk back to the pier and the zodiac, I saw a flock (200) of Black Bellied Plovers fly by a few times and many Bald Eagles flew over our heads. The sun was shining. Dinner was the Halibut we caught cooked with Julie’s (Hursey) recipe under a sour cream sauce. MMMMMmmm. * {One secret to Halibut cooking is the take it out just before it is finished as it cooks a bit longer in it’s one juice.} We anchored in the Keku Islands in the Keku Straits. The cove there was situated so we could look east and west . The sunset was a beautiful one with ever changing colors and in the middle of it there was a rainbow on the brilliant white/cream clouds reflecting the sun in the east. What a fantastic day!

Day 7 on the Heron

This was the last full day at sea on the Heron and we still wanted to add to the salmon catch. We did catch one but it was a “pink” so released it. We caught nothing so proceeded to look for more whales. Scott had his microphone in the water to listen for their calls and he did hear what he said were “bubble feeding” calls . There were whales across the Sound , so we headed that way. It seemed to be a long way to pick up the calls but we saw none so returned to the galley to have some hot chocolate to warm up. Scott kept trying to find them and perhaps it was the same group as we approached some 45 minutes later it was obvious that we were seeing the whales BUBBLENET FEEDING near Cape Fanshaw. Here there is a ledge that goes out some 1/2 mile into the Sound and they were working this area for schools of herring back and forth from the point of the Cape to some distance out in the Sound and back. The herring were plentiful and the whales were feasting on them.

Here was a group of 8-10 of them surfacing, getting air and then,while one heads down to create the bubbles around the herring the others wait a bit and then dive under the “net” and come up in the middle gathering the herring as they refuse to go outside the “net. The herring do not go beyond the bubble barrier. When they surface the Humpback whales all come up at the same time with their mouths open and their baleen exposed to see. (see picture). A humpback whale opens its mouth some 15 feet or so from lower jaw to upper lip. It is a glorious display of 500 tons of creatures coordinating in order to survive. What a display. We watched them for fully 2 hours as the surfaced time after time .One surfacing was so close to the boat that we could have jumped onto their backs (wouldn’t do it!) from the boat. Scott did get some pictures of that one as he was the closest. So beautiful! At one point there were 12-14 of them and then they divided into two groups and “voila” we saw TWO pods of them BUBBLENET FEEDING at the same time on the surface. That really surprised us as no one got a picture of that!. Total numbers changed as some more whales came and others departed (Is there a pecking order in whales?...Probably). We stayed near them until we had our fill and came inside to warm up again as it was a cold wind on the seas.

We had a halibut paste and cracker snack with Pb and J sandwiches with fresh green peppers. That evening we anchored on Farragut Bay and had a supper of Coho salmon pasta, green beans and brownies a la mode (Tillamook ice cream). No pretty sunset tonight, but what a day!

One more day to post.

Day 1,2, and 3 on the "Heron" (SE Alaska Inland Passage)

Today , August 04, 2011 , we traveled from Anchorage to Tok to start the journey south and saw one momma Moose and one rainbow. Could not stop in time to get a picture of either. A good memory. Following is the start of the "Heron" cruise.

The trip on the High Seas Inland Passage -(Alaska) July 25 to Aug 2

Where do I start? Do I tell about the land mammals (bears, black and brown,) the sea mammals (Orca and Humpback whales, sea lions, sea otters), the fishing (both Halibut and Coho Salmon), the scenery (mountains, water, tide, or snow pack), the glaciers (many), the many waterfalls, the forests (some designated as National Wilderness), the boat, the food, kayakers, other boats, or the weather? It isquite a list and maybe it is best to tell what we saw as the seven days progressed. So here goes and with a little luck and some condensing of the days, the story should be completed in a few days or less.

THE HERON

`Day 1 It was moving from the hotel (The Scandia House) in Petersburg where we had flown from Anchorage the day before, to the boat pier and carrying our luggage to the “Heron” our home for the 7 nights. (Petersburg, it might be noted is north of Ketchikan and south of Juneau on the SE Panhandle of Alaska.) We met the crew ...Daniel the recently discharged Israeli army young man who was the second mate and asst. cook,; Aria the able cook and 1st mate on this trip. Daniel would take her place for a few weeks as she attended two weddings in Washington in the next time frame. We were familiar with the boat having sailed with her on two previous occasions so brief rules and regs. were described by the Captain ,Scott Hursey. He especially brought our attention to the use of the to

ilet as it works on a vacuum procedure and can get clogged if not worked properly (We ended the week without a mishap.) Scott also commented that “Where was the rest of your luggage?” We had only 5 bags among 4 of us.

We got under way immediately heading northwest, on an overcast sky and a light, rain steeped morning (9:30 AM), and headed up Frederick Sound toward the first moorage for the night. Along the way on the first day it was the number of BALD EAGLES that we saw that caught our eyes. There were dozens of them and probably one every 1/4 to 1/2 mile or so. Many roosting in tall trees as they spend 80% of their days just resting,. Scott pointed out a mother Black bear and a cub on the shore and we lingered there for a bit watching her nibbling the barnacles and other goodies on the tidal rocks. N.B.; IT must be noted that Scott is a master at many things, but spotting wildlife while on the move in the boat is one of his best. I do not think he ever missed an animal as we move throughout the week. We did see some HUMPBACK WHALES spouting but never caught up with them. Until we reached the “Five Fingers Islands” where two Humpbacks were breaching and we lingered with them for about one hour. What a

BALD EAGLE

sight to see 30 tons leap out of the water and comedown with a huge splash over and over again. After a dinner of chi

cken marinated with olives, tomatoes and mushrooms, along with multigrain bread, green beans, and wild rice we ended with a slice of fresh carrot cake that had been wafting through the boat most of the day. As we were about ready to retire for the night, three ORCA WHALES moved through the dim light of the anchorage but we saw only their splashes and then they disappeared. (More of these later)

JIm kept a list of birds seen, although species were limited to 20-25, the numbers were voluminous of some species. More on those later, too. It was a good start to the week. We anchored in Port Houghton, a large bay, for the first night.

Day 2.

Each morning I tried to wake at about 5:30 to watch for wildlife, and although we were well south of Anchorage (and Juneau) there was plenty of light at 4:30, so by 5:30 the light was sufficient to see clearly. The first morning I saw the daily Eagles (Bald), Common Murres and some Mew Gulls. Breakfast at 7:00-7:30 each morning was usually a simple meal with cereal, yogurt, fruit and coffee or tea. One morning we had scrambled eggs and toast. (This was all our choice as they asked us our food list before the trip.) Then it was moving quickly to a salmon mode for fishing. Scott had us in between tides so we got the gear ready to fish. . Trolling with lines out affixed with lures was the method. Andy and I hit on 4 salmon right away and we began to fill the box for sending back home. These were Coho salmon and averaged about 12 pounds each. (27” or so). The first one was #20. That day we caught 9 fish in all. This was a good start as we paid the $35.00 to fish all week for Salmon and Halibut.- Lunch was veggie soup (with lots of veggies) . Afternoon it was WHALE watching as we saw some as close as 100 feet from the boat and then 3 of them surfaced with in 15 feet of the boat, looked up at us and then did the same thing on the other side, That was unbelievable. So close and there is so much intelligence in those creature’s huge bodies. Everyone was understandably excited at that rare sight. Later we did see sea lions and 30 Harbor seals on a small rock outcropping as we moved north. We stayed that night at Sanford arm just off Stephens Passage in a small bay. Supper was some of the salmon we had caught that day. Topped with pesto and dried tomato sauce. YUM.

HUMBACK WHALE NEAR BOAT

Day 3

As we moved into Endicott Arm from Stephens Passage, (Our farthest north leg of the trip) we began to see icebergs that came from the Endicott GLACIER some 30 miles up the Arm. We watched a mother BEAR (Black) and her two cubs eating grass along the shore at one point. The dynamics of old glaciation begin to show as we move from the forested western end of the 30 mile fjord toward the glacier. Gradually the trees give way to rocks and large scoured boulders and whole mountainsides that no longer have living plants on them, but only the striation marks of the glaciers that thousands of years ago made this fjord. The bare rock mountains continue right up to the glacier itself. All the while Scott is maneuvering the boat around the large icebergs (wooden hull), as we get ever closer to this massive 200 foot front of ice. IT is about 3/4 mile across. Occasionally a few pieces of ice fall into the water with a splash. Many gulls work the waters for food from the up welling caused by the calving ice. I saw a large, dark bird chasing the gulls for food. I thought it might be a sea bird,, but later Scott stated he thought more likely a Jaeger (Pomerine). I believe he was right after examining the features closely. He chased those gulls for 20 minutes.

THEN! an excited shout from Jim went out as we heard “WOW! There she goes” as a huge piece of the glacier fell onto a cove and crashed so hard it created a second wave off the wall of the glacier cove. A few minutes later we felt the waves under us and the boat. Every few minutes now the glacier calved and dropped huge pieces of ice into the Arm, each pnefalling the 200 feet before it hit the water, We recorded many of them both on camera pictures and in video format. (Check with that later) It was an awesome sight and won’t be forgotten soon. A glacier remaining from the ice age! Scott made his way carefully out of the face of the Glacier after about 2 1/2 hours of viewing. We could not get enough, even though the temperature of the water was about 40 F and the air somewhat warmer. The glacier is about 200 feet high at the water and 4 X that amount is under the water. The fjord at times is well over 1,000 feet deep. The glacier has retreated some 1/2 mile since Scott was last here 9 years ago.

The anchorage that night was at North Dawes Bay on the north side of Endicott arm, which has 5 WATERFALLS coming down within a 1/4 mile of the anchorage. Some are swift and filled with water and as it had rained that day all day , they were filled with gushing water. Some were many thousands of feet high , reaching up into the high mountains.-- Supper was shis-ka-bob with

COHO SALMON CATCH

shrimp. It was another peaceful night! Days 4-7 coming up.

Days 51- to 59 On the "Heron"

A FEW SHOTS FROM THE LAST DAY ON THE "HERON"

1. A Humpback whale goes under the bow of the boat. WHEW!

2. The seals (maybe a 100+) on a rock outcrop at high tide on Farragut Bay . (You can look these places up on the internet search.) MOre coming!

3.The last day we saw 35-50 Orca whales on the way into Petersburg. ANOTHER WOW!

4. Out crew on the "Heron". Scott Hursey the skipper (pilot), Daniel Parey, (deck hand) , Aria Peterman (Cook and 1st Mate)