Another Day In Paradise

The weather broke today so I decided to take the yak out for a spin over to Middle Island. I saw an otter on the way, but apparently it can swim much faster than I can paddle, so it kept far enough ahead of me as to make a picture blurry at best. Still, I watched him cavort for a bit before he headed off for parts unknown. There are houses on the island, so I had to hunt for a place to put in for lunch. Found a nice little bay on the west side.

Heading out, saw this little fixer upper.

View towards Sitka docks, but I'm going to hang a right.

Heading towards Middle Island.

That's an otter. Trust me.

Heading around to the west side of the island.

Lunch spot!

Found a parking spot.

Looks like a table for one, no waiting!

Heading back, smooth as glass.

La Paix, my friends!

Cruising the Neighborhood

Captain Barb invited me to accompany her and Kirsty on a cruise around the neighborhood in her spiffy boat. I did my best to stay out of their way as they got the boat ready and we headed north from The Fisherman's Quay north passed Middle Island, Starrigavan Bay (where I'm camped), around Krestoff Island, behind the Magoun Islands, then back to the Quay. It was a gorgeous day on the water!

Two painstakingly recreated nautical charts.

Cap'n Barb (on the boat), and one half of the motley crew (me being the other half).

The ubiquitous coffee cup.

 Heading out.

On the way out, we saw the Coast Guard practicing rescues.

Lava flow from the last time Mt. Edgecumbe erupted.

Nice little shack on its own island.

Whales!!!!!

Sing along with me: "This ain't sea world, this is as real as it gets. I'm on a boat.....!"

Returning home.

The Quay.

Thanks Barb!!!!

Comes the morning
When I can feel
That there's nothing left to be concealed
Moving on a scene surreal
No, my heart will never
Will never be far from here

 

 

After falling asleep around midnight, I woke up this morning about 3:30 when the large RVs rolled into camp from the Ferry Columbia. I watched and listened to the cacophony of noise tearing the quiet fabric of this misty morning. What a difference a few months makes. Instead of getting upset, I laughed quietly, shrugged, then accepted what was. It no longer mattered, nor influenced how I felt.

I am finding the way to let it be.

The bay looked serene, and was calling me out. Who am I to argue?

Heading out.

Grass I don't have to mow.

Columbia is the largest ferry in the Alaska Ferry fleet. It is 418 feet long and holds 600 passengers and 134 vehicles. Here it is departing later in the day.

Síocháin, my friends.

A Little Color

Been stormy here lately, so I decided to add a little color to my journey.

Representing UW!

Namaste my friends!

I'm not saying it is a UFO. . .

I was kayaking the other day, meandering about, bothering the starfish, when I happened to lean back and look straight up at the sky. It was so serene I took a picture of it, but didn't look at it until today. The first picture is the whole frame, the second picture is a blow-up of the two shiny items in the middle. The little one at the top is probably a satellite, but the other at the bottom looks suspiciously like the UFO's from a 1950s sci-fi film.

Flat bottom, bulge on top, disc shaped. Pointed towards Roswell, New Mexico. Just saying. . .

A bit of this, a bit of that

I've been enjoying the rain and solitude these past few days. It has been very nice to go out kayaking for an hour, or not. Same with hiking and biking. No hurry, no pressure to go down this path or into that bay. I can go back.
It is also best to stay out of downtown when the cruise ships come into town. Luckily there is a calendar to see when they dock. Usually not too bad, except on days when the big ships are in town or there are three ships in town. Then the downtown area erupts with tourists, and all of a sudden, the goods for sale are outside on racks and lots more locals are visible (even down to the girls selling lemonade and local jellies in little stands in front of their houses).
Anywho, here are a few pictures of this and that around Sitka.
The first three pictures are of a very overgrown, unmarked  cemetery up a little hill that Barb took me to see. She has lived here 30 yrs and just discovered it a month or so ago, even though it is almost directly across from her work. She doesn't know who these people were, but is going to research the names.
06/18/10 Note: Barb asked me to remove the pictures of the grave markers out of respect for the Tlingit culture.

This is a Russian cross marker and it reads: 17 PERSONS

It reads: YENA-CHIEF, Died May 21, 1889, Aged 50 yrs

It read: KOO-SE-TAN

Leaving the cemetary, we passed by these steps that used to lead to a restaurant called 57 Steps Restaurant. It's no longer there, nor are all of the 57 steps. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of zoning laws or enforcement of derelict properties here. Things are allowed to just deteriorate completely if the owner feels like letting it be.

Saw a bed of flaking granite(?) at one little beach I visited.

I was struck by the contrast of the green and the black of the rock. This little picture does not do it justice. I've noticed that the plants and flowers here are very vibrant. More so than I remember them in other places. Maybe its the overcast skies that give them there "snap" of color.

Found this washed up on shore. It is a weight for a pot, weighing 10 pounds! On a side note, I have found only two things washed up on shore here. I am surprised, given the strong tides, that I haven't been able to see more items washed ashore (not even wood).

Here are a duck and a hootch of ducklings at Swan Lake. I plan on kayaking this lake as soon as I can. It isn't very big, but completely sheltered from the wind and has acres of lily pads to paddle through. I counted 18 ducklings in this photo.
Got my plans set for Ketchikan. I've changed it up a bit as I realized that I would have to spend 10 days of paddling to and from Misty Fjord to Ketchikan and only get a couple of days in the monument itself. Soooo, I dug deep, and I mean deep, into my dwindling nest egg, and arranged for a drop off and pick up close to the entrance of Rudyerd Bay, at Winstanley Island. I will be staying at a forest service cabin that night, then paddling up into Punchbowl Cove and spending 4 days deep in the fjord, camping wherever I can find dry land. Then I will paddle back to Winstanley Island and spend three days there, exploring the island and surround area and staying in the cabin again. Then on the 2nd of July, I will be picked up and taken back to Ketchikan. I will hang about there until the 4th, when I leave on the ferry back to Sitka.
Peace my friends.