Alaska

New Vocab Words

First, a couple notes.

1. Julia did the typing on the last posting in the middle of the night after a few whiskeys. Sorry about the poor English.

2. Many people have expressed frustration regarding 'commenting' on the blog. It is much easier than it appears. You do not have to login, as it leads you to believe. Simply click on comments, below the post text (eg, at the bottom of this posting). Then, type your comment, make sure the 'anonymous' bubble is selected, (if you don't have an account or don't want one) and then click the button that says 'login and publish'. It WILL publish your comment without ever making you login. This program is really frustrating all around. Apologies. And good luck.

After saying goodbye to Robin, we still had a couple of days left in Sitka. The weather did not allow for kayaking, so we decided to hike up Gavan Hill (pictured below). The weather turned out not to be good for views either, imagine that. We should have gotten the hint from the fact that you could not see the top of the hill from the bottom, but we were eager to explore the area. We did manage to have one brief view, when the clouds parted for a few seconds, this leads us to define our first new vocabulary word taught to us by our friend Owen Dicks:

Sucker Hole - a break in the weather giving the illusion of nicer weather to come, although lasting no more than the amount of time it takes to make one feel like a sucker for thinking so.

Gavan Hill

So, unable to find the shelter at the top, soaking wet, and cold, we made our way back into town and hit up the local dryers at the laundromat.

Next, we headed back to Junea via ferry. A hitchiking adventure landed us at this campground towards the end of the road.

Dead Salmon

The Campsite

These are our favorite 3 pictures taken of the sunset that night. Because the sun sets at such an angle here, the sun was behind those big mountains, and then 'rose' (so to speak) in the large valley between the two peaks above before finally setting for the night.

The next day we packed up and had 17 miles to make it to the ferry dock. The road we were on was not frequently traveled, and it was raining. We did not encounter any wildlife at the campground and were not even thinking about it, when we looked up into the eyes of a black bear in the brush. Luckily, It was just as startled as we were and quickly turned around and dashed into the woods.

A few more pictures from the Southeast:

A totem pole in Wrangell

Fires are hard to make in the rain

Humpback!

Cute Alaskan home

Liar's dice on the boat across the gulf to the Kenai peninsula...

Vocabulary word second:

Portage (edited from dictionary.com)-
The backbreaking carrying of boats and supplies overland between two (hopefully nearby) waterways or around an obstacle (like beaver dams and fallen trees) to navigation.

The pictures below are from a four day canoeing trip on the Swan Lake system, where we came to know the word portage so well. This lake system is extensive, and the 11 lakes we paddled are only a small part of all the backcountry to be covered. Rainbow trout, salmon, and other fish and swans were abundant, as were the mosquitos. This trip was definitely one of the highlights of our time here in Alaska. It just so happened that one of our friends from Mississippi, Owen Dicks, lives on the Kenai Peninsula. He showed us a great time and true Southern hospitality.

We came in the West Entrance and came down the Moose River 17 miles.

Vocab word third:

Freighter - an old aluminum canoe that weighs at least 60 pounds and has been taken off of enbankments 20 feet high with any number of leaks, rented from Big D.

Vocab word fourth:

Big D - "They don't call me Big D 'cause I'm big, they call me Big D 'cause I'm MEAN!"

We met Clint shooting pool next door from Owen with some old Alaskans. Clint insisted upon us taking his 'freighter' instead of renting from a local business as planned. He gave us a 100 dollar bill to give to his wife Big D in order to make her believe that we were renting the canoe. He said we could just leave him a case of Miller Lite under the canoe and that would be perfect. Big D had a handshake that rivaled any man we have ever met, and spoke the above quote while squeezing. They warned us of the leaks and with a caulking gun and a tube of marine sealant, we headed out.

Starting down the Moose River

Camp on Day 2

Swan Lake with faint mountains

Calm Sunset

The Sucker Hole

A water portage

David's vegetarian catch (24")

A portage sign

Julia

The Freighter!

Julia

The world record in a freighter

Hanging out at Owen's was really nice. We ate some great food and got ourselves cleaned up and rested. Above, Owen is cooking up some Salmon which he caught.

Susie Q

Owen's spread

A nice fire

Owen and girlfriend Sandy

Alaska sky, 11PM

On the road to Seward

Right before catching a ride in an RV

Caribou (Reindeer)

Julia

Cubs playing together

Brown bears in the bath

Moose!

Fawn!

Porcupine! (OK, we were dropped off at a conservatory one afternoon...)

Here are some pictures of where we currently are, Seward. We havn't seen the sun since we took these photos a couple days ago. Tomorrow we will go out on a boat to see some huge glaciers, and watch them cave into the water. Orcas have been forming superpods in the bays, so we are hoping to see some. After Seward, we will go to Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, and possibly Birch Lake, where some family friends have a cabin.