Quiet Koh Phayam

Having been in Thailand for a duration similar to our stay in Japan, I've gained perspective on the diffences between these countries and their people. To draw an analogy, if each country were a person, the Japanese might resemble a purpose-driven adult with a serious demeanor, dressed in black and focused on getting down to business. In contrast, the Thai people could be likened to a carefree teenager wearing shorts and an 'I love New York' tank top, with a big smile, ready to play. This is, of course, a generalization. Being able to enjoy the differences between two cultures, each with their own type of richness, diversity and history is the reason Moon and I travel. 

Onto Ranong, southwest of Bangkok, on the coast.  Ranong sits a couple miles from the Thai-Myanmar border. Our desire to visit Myanmar, (Burma), has been longstanding. Unfortunately, the country has a troubled history and is currently ruled by a military junta. The US State Department says it’s a no go. Mines, kidnapping and/or arresting foreigners, lousy healthcare, civil unrest, and the military trying to kill off a portion of its ethnic citizenry are a few good reasons to stay away. I suppose when there is news that Starbucks and Mickey Ds start opening up, it’ll be safe for a visit.  

At the docks in Ranong, we stepped onto a a 42 foot speed boat with two 250 hp Yamaha outboards and sped off down the river and out into the Andaman Sea for a quick 40 minute ride to the Island of Koh Phayam. Our other choice was a “ferry” that would have taken. 2 1/4 hours. That piece of work looked like it could have been christened “Dubious”, which would have fit perfectly with its ramshackle appearance. No thank you.  

We arrived at the docks on the east side of the island and headed to our bungalow on the west side via TukTuk, a 3 wheeled motorcycle. There were no cars on this island. So scooters, Tuk Tuks, and small tractor equipment that looks as if it does all the heavy lifting type work on the island.

Our beach bungalow was located on a long, expansive beach that was essentially deserted, save for a handful of people. It stayed that way throughout our trip, a stark contrast to Chiang Mai, which was bustling with humanity from end to end. The fresh salt air, warmth of the sun, and the sand between our toes created an ideal beach experience—relaxing and peaceful.

There were three things this island had in abundance: butterflies, mangy looking dogs, and scooters. I can understand the scooters because it’s the only way to get around and do business here for the 500 or so people that live on the island full time and probably that many visitors during the high season. Thats how everyone gets from one place to another here. It makes sense.  

Then there are the dogs of Koh Phayam. They are everywhere; at the pier, on the streets, in the restaurants, on the beach. They probably outnumber scooters. Their favorite pastime is to lay right in the middle of the street as the scooters whiz by their heads at 20 mph. Those streets are about 2/3s the width of one lane of a Seattle side street, so not very wide at all. And they don’t even flinch. If it were me laying in the middle of the street trying to nap, with scooters zooming by me at 20 mph I’d be a nervous wreck. It’s silly of me to nap in the middle of the road but you get the picture. It’s a delicate dance between the scooters and the dogs.  

Then, there are the dogs of Koh Phayam. They're everywhere; at the pier, in the restaurants, at the beach and in the streets.  They probably outnumber the scooters. Their favorite pastime is lounging right in the middle of the street as scooters whiz by at 20 or 30 mph. These street are about one quarter the width of a Seattle side street, so quite narrow. Surprisingly, they don’t even flinch. If it were me, trying to nap in the middle of the street with scooters zooming by at 20 mph, I'd be a nervous wreck. Admittedly, it’s absurd to nap in the middle of the road, but you get the picture. It's a delicate dance between the scooters and the dogs and each knows their place to stay safe.

Lastly, there were butterflies. Throughout our stay, no matter where we were on the island, they were constantly fluttering about. The hotel manager mentioned that they feed on tiny light purple flowers found on specific bushes, and those bushes are scattered all around the island.

Butterflies everywhere. 

All for now. We left the tranquil atmosphere of Koh Phayam for Phuket, and boy, was that a shock. 

Ed, out.

Oh My, Chiang Mai

We returned to Chiang Mai to experience the celebrations that accompany the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festivals in this northern city of Thailand. Both are coupled together during the full moon at the end of November every year. It is a spectacle of a high order. 

The Loy Kathrong celebration is a show of gratefulness to the Goddess of Water since water is so integral to the Thai way of life. Small floating wreaths of every shape, color and material, about the size of a salad plate are assembled with small flowers and leaves, a small candle in the middle and a couple of stick incense sticking out the top. It’s placed carefully into the water, then given a small nudge and down the river it goes. As it floats away so do grudges, bad luck and maybe a bit of iffy karma which is why th drivers is flooded with these little baskets. 

Legend has it that it’s also a romantic exercise because it seemed to be performed by couples making goo goo eyes at each other. So I did my best goo goo eyes impression at Moon, (as she rolled her eyes at me).Then we set our floating basket off down the river, grateful to the Goddess of Water for her continued existence and grateful for each other as we enjoy our travels and adventures together.  

Yi Peng is a festival commonly celebrated to expunge bad luck one might have acquired along life’s path.  This process entails lighting a waxy candle-like ring in the bottom of rice paper lantern held together by bamboo. The heat fills the lantern until it starts to rise. The lanterns are carried away into the sky along with those luck problems. It is also a moment to say a prayer for all your ancestors that have passed before you. Basically, the river that runs through Chiang Mai is filled with small floating flower baskets and the skies are full of lighted lanterns and fireworks. The joyous atmosphere is filled with an anticipation that prayers will be conveyed, wishes will be granted and luck will be more favorable. The whole occasion is pretty impressive. 

I took this photo from the internet. I had a million chances to take photos of every type of these showy little baskets but ended up with none. Bad blogger! I picked this particular photo because Terry made one that looked almost like this one.  

Not a great photo of the Loy Krathong, but you probably get the idea. 

 

Good luck lanterns being released into the sky.

Unfortunately, there was a downside that we experienced in Chiang Mai at the time of the festivals. There seemed to be an over abundance of folks wishing to relieve themselves of their lousy luck. Trying to get back to the hotel was clostraphobic. We were surrounded on all sides by heat, people, cars, motorbikes and everyone moved at a snails pace. Crowded would be an understatement. People gridlock would be a term I would use to describe it. To be in that close proximity for so long with seemingly nowhere to turn for relief was a little creepy. We finally returned to the hotel and were relieved.  

  

Thailand is full of temples, Buddhist Temples. They are everywhere. The Thailand Dept. of Religious Affairs estimates that 92% of Thais are Buddhists, 5% are Muslim and 1+% are Christian.  At its basic level Buddhism teaches practitioners to let go of attachment, cultivate compassion and practice mindfulness. (Who wouldn’t think that would be a step in the right direction?) There are massive temples, small temples, street corner shrines, temples in the middle of nowhere and famous ones smack dab in the middle of cities. It’s a sign of the spiritual nature of the Thai people and is thought to be less of a religion than a way of life. It does give off a sense of reverence even in the chaos of a big city like Bangkok. The Thai peoples’ graciousness, their happiness and easy smiles, and their pleasing attitude toward others is a nice welcome to those of us who like to visit here. 
 

  

In the second and third photo is what’s call a chedi or supra and this one is gold plated. It’s a sight to see, having been here for more than 500 years

We met our friends in Chiang Mai for the purpose of enjoying the Loi Krathong and LiPeng Festivals together. Maxx and Kay, Scott,Terry and I took time out to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a Buddhist temple. It is 3500 feet above Chiang Mai. The road to get there makes the perilous winding road from Kahului to Hanna on Maui look like a straight line. Heading up the mountain with the road twisting and turning was like a E ride at Disneyland. 

As per Wikipedia, this small Dio Suthep temple was built in 1383s. It’s been decorated and redecorated and expanded numerous time since then. It seems as if there are temples within temples and shrines within shrines here. There is something for every one. There are Buddhas standing, sitting, laying on his side and one holding a sign that read, “Call here to find out what Buddha wants for you”. I was kidding about the last one. That’s probably blasphemous and I don’t want any bad karma, really, I was just kidding. 

The road to the temple was finally built in 1935. Here’s what I’m thinking…for 552 years the good residence of Chiang Mai climbed 3500 feet up the mountain to give thanks to Buddha and offer prayers. Back then, following the Buddha’s path was not without its perils and sacrifice. Even in todays’ world, we observed 3 monks walking up the road as we headed down the mountain after our visit. Truth be told, if I were one of those months, I’d put my thumb out for a ride to the top. But, when picturing that scenario, a monk thumbing a ride just doesn’t seem right, does it?  

Working safety here in Thailand can be a bit dicey. Here are a couple of workers that are hooking up who knows what in a fur ball of tangled electrical lines. The bamboo ladder, which has metal steps, was leaned against the whole mess as the hookup proceeded. I watched them do this twice as they moved down the street. Moon and I worked with the injured worker population for years and visiting many worksites. We observed many unsafe practices. This one is a real doozy. This photo might be on the cover of The WA State Dept of Labor and Industries pamphlet with a caption, “Don’t do this, ever”. 

The restaurants here have funny names and those often cater to tourists. Our favorite, where we had breakfast each morning, was Butter is Better. They had a complete section of Fred McMurray. Remember My Three Sons? Our other favorite with killer biscuits and gravy was Bella Goose.  

All for now.  Ed out. 

Osaka on a fast train.

 One last thing about the big city of Tokyo. There must be some sort of unwritten rule for keeping cars in like-new condition here, because every vehicle in this city looks as if it came right off the showroom floor. They’re so clean they might even be hygienic. Commercial or personal, it didn’t seem to matter. I observed a street sweeper whose whole working existence is to pick up and clear away dust, dirt and debris. It’s supposed to look like Snoopy’s buddy Pig-Pen but is was clean as a whistle. How is that even possible?

Onto Osaka on a Bullet Train or Shinkansen as the Japanese have coined it. Japan was the first country in the world to build dedicated rail lines for high speed travel. The Shinkansen zips along this high speed railway line a a shopping 176 mph. As a comparison, the train from Seattle to Vancouver, BC, covers 120 miles in 3 hours and 58 miles at the snail’s speed of 30 mph. If you booked a reservation on a Shinkansen out of Seattle, (if they had one), where could you go in that amount of time?  San Francisco would be an easy reach with enough time left over to grab some chocolates in Ghirardelli Square down at the waterfront. The ride was an enjoyable experience as we flew by the towns and countryside, albeit a dizzying one. 

Our first full day in a new city brought to light a few differences between the people of Tokyo and those in Osaka. The residents of Tokyo are generally stoic and reserved and made eye contact only by accident then quickly looked away. Smiling seem to be forbidden and probably only happens in public if a player wins a bundle on a game of Pachinko. And they’re a quiet bunch. With a gazillion folks jockeying for space on a train or subway in a big enclosed hallway, it’s oddly quiet. Cram 120 or more of those same  folks into a subway car and the decibel level goes from oddly quiet to soundproof-room quiet. Weird but truc. A pin drop would sound like a firecracker here. When riding the Osaka transit, it’s a much lighter atmosphere.

Pachinko Hall.

Osaka folks, on the other hand, seem more relaxed.  They smile easier, are more chatty, and just don’t seem to have an “all business, all the time” kind of demeanor. They actually laugh here, out loud. I observed it myself. They wear different colored clothing, like they’re not afraid of getting a ticket for wearring something other than black like they seem to do in Tokyo. There were many more families out and about in Osaka as compared to Tokyo. And that’s where you see the smiles and hear the laughter most often.   

Everybody rides a bike here in Osaka, young and old, (and I mean old). It’s a means of transportation and exercise.  Moon and I chuckled when we saw a women riding an old rusty bike, who had to be in her 90s. And it wasn’t unusual to see a rider put groceries in the basket attached to the handlebars, throw the kid in the back bucket seat then hop on and peddle away. All this was done on a busy crowded sidewalk. It’s easy to wander aimlessly here because everything is new, there’s people everywhere, and the fragrance from the food stalls is alluring. But, it’s necessary to keep one eye on the sidewalk to avoid a nasty bike-tire-in-the-stomach scenario. I cant’t remember seeing a bike in downtown Tokyo.  

We toured the Osaka Castle in all its splendor. It’s an historical building 400 years old and still standing, although it’s been rebuilt several times. It’s one of the few things that wasn’t bombed during World Wars Two. 

We took a boat trip around the moat, with its high walls. It was obvious that the inhabitants of the castle wanted to keep any outsiders…out. 

At the other end of the spectrum from an ancient castle is the New Abeno Harukus building in Osaka. It was the tallest building in Japan at a height of 300 meters. If you are metrically challenged, that’s almost 1000 feet up. The tallest, anyway, until 3 days ago when the new Mori Building opened in Tokyo, which scrapes the sky at 330 meters, roughly 100 feet taller than the old champ in Osaka. Regardless, the view in Abeno Harukus was out of this world.  One floor down from the top was an outdoor mini-park where Moon and I sat down for a rest and to take in the view of Osaka. 

Wide angle shot of downtown Osaka taken with my i-phone.

Abeno Harukus Building.

While we were siting taking in the view, I took a picture of the sky’s reflection in the window. 

Many hotels in Japan have a thing they do that’s sort of, charming? Instead of providing each room with an entire basket of incidentals, those items are placed in a case near the first floor elevators. They’re free. A guest only takes what they need. So we’ll call it the Honor Case of Incidentals. The case includes mouthwash, combs, mesh wash clothes, shampoo and conditioner, coffee, toothbrushes and toothpaste, face cleanser, towelettes, body cream, toothpicks (what?), razors, and probably a couple things I missed. I know what you’re thinking, “this situation is ripe for abuse”. We spied such a situation when a woman loaded a bundle of items into her bag. She seemed to have a special affinity with the mesh wash clothes. Now, watching someone take more than they need because it’s free, I don’t know, it’s just wrong. And irritating to boot. That’s all I gotta say about that.  

The coolest thing across Japan that is consistent, whether in Osaka or Tokyo or anywhere else in this country is the bowing.  Everybody bows here.  It’s a sign of recognition and respect. It’s displayed in their behavior and attitude toward others and in the environment of their lives. A bow can mean many things, such as “hello”, “excuse me”, “thank you” and “good bye”, but those are only a few of many other possibilities. It’s refreshing, really. 

By the way, when we return back home and any of you need one of those nifty mesh wash clothes or one of those handy little plastic fold-up combs, let me know because I have a bunch of ‘em. Test me.   

Tokyo Transit

Our plane landed in Tokyo Narita Airport, which is 1 1/2 hours away from Tokyo, so that’s kind of a misnomer. We took the train, which is pretty much the easiest and most convenient way to get to Tokyo proper and our hotel.  Easy is relative, however, after an 11 hour flight my brain was functioning at a level between a highly tuned biological machine and a bowl of potato salad. Good thing Moon was there to save us both. 

We checked into Park Hotel Tokyo which is on the 25 to 34 floors of executive office building, There seems to be quite a few hotels that take up space in offices building here. The Park’s claim to fame? They present the works of Japanese based artists on every wall, table and open space. They even hand over some of the rooms to artist so they can create art, whether it’s a painting or sculpture or whatever the process is for them. It’s like staying in a museum except the price of admission is a bit more than your average entrance price to MOMA. It was a delight, every day. 

Tokyo ranked 3rd best transit metropolis in the world with its abundance of trains, subways and buses. Getting to the correct train or subway platform can be a bit daunting. A passenger must navigate a labyrinth of tunnels, hallways, platforms, gates, stairs, escalators, and elevators. All this is hodgepodged together and intertwined on seven different levels, 4 floors below ground and 3 floors above. It’s complicated and always busy. We’ll have it down pat just about the time we’re ready to leave Tokyo.

Everybody dresses in black here so colorful attire is a no go. Occasionally a dark gray or dark green is seen but they would be an outlier from the norm. I left my aloha shirts in the closet. When looking out over the sea of humanity in the train or subway station it looks much like everyone just came back from a funeral or they’re headed to one. And in those stations the majority of them are looking, head down, at their iPhones. According to the Tokyo travel guide 5.98 million people use the transit system every day. With so many folks looking at their phones while going this way and that, it seems impossible there wouldn’t be passenger pileups or people crashiing into each other, somewhere…but no. While they’re perusing the internet or texting maybe a little sonar/radar avoidance app pops up an alert telling them to alter their course. Or maybe they’re all just intuitive, like a murmuration of starlings, each changing speed and direction in awareness of the transit community around them. Who knows?

We headed to Shibuya crossing which is supposed to be the busiest foot traffic crossing in the world. An area of shopping malls, restaurants and people watching and a big screen TV, sort of like a Times Square like atmosphere. It’s become known as the Shibuya Scramble because 24 hours per day an average of 2000 pedestrians ramble across the intersection every 2 minutes from every direction.  That’s a couple million crossings per day. That’s a lot of steps. 

A shout out to all the Japanese who helped us navigate the transit system. They made it their life’s work ensuring we got to the correct train or subway, by literally, walking us to the gate or plateform. One fellow gave us a “follow me sign” after we showed him our Google Maps. Off he went as we tried to keep up. Yesterday morning, this particular guy walked 100 yards out of his way, up some stairs to an elevator and out onto a platform, then pointed to the gate we were supposed to take. All this with a smile and a bow, like we did him a favor. This happened with other people, not just this one guy. Since it happened that often I did a little research to find out if it was common. This type of behavior is identified as Omoiyari. It is one of the core values in Japanese culture where everyone tries to make life a little easier  for others. It’s something our world could use a little more of at this point in time, that’s for sure. We were grateful for the help. 

Up and out the door at 5:00 a.m to catch the fish market auction in a massively huge building near the waterfront. Everything from the smallest shrimp to 300 pound tuna are auctioned daily. We barely got in to see the last tuna auction and should have left an hour earlier. 

Toyosu market is the center of the universe in terms of Bluefin Tuna. It’s prized here in Japan more than anywhere else in the world and they’re willing to pay dearly for it. That would be $2.

25 million dollars for a 612 pound Bluefin tuna. The tuna caught off the coast of Japan have just the right about of fat content that’s supposed to be the best tasting in the world. 

Of course, we had to have some. So at 7 o’clock in the morning we were seating at a sushi counter enjoying some of the best tasting tuna in the world. Once we had the opportunity of tasting the fish here, all others will probably pale in comparison. It was delicious.  Fun Fact: we chatted with the sushi chef who told us the knife he used to prepare our meals was purchased 40 years ago and he’s used it ever since. 

My mouth is watering even now, just thinking about this experience. 
 

I’m a cloud watching kind of guy. This picture was taken of clouds in the late afternoon hanging over the Tokyo skyline. The coloring and shading of the clouds was gorgeous. It’s going on my computer’s startup screen when I return home. 

All for now. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. 

Ed and Moon

Sent from my iPad

Leaving home

Well, we’re shedding all the responsibilities of Seattle home life after all these past month’s preparation for our trip. It’s a pretty exhilarating experience. 

We headed to our gate at SeaTac to find our trip starting with a bang. Moon and I were upgraded to first class on Alaska. So my thoughts of a quick meal or snack, a cocktail for Moon, water in those charming little eco-friendly milk cartons and a warm “thank you for flying Alaska Airlines” flew through my head. However, on a 24 minute flight from Seattle to Vancouver, a first class passenger gets a roomier seat and a smile. I could sit on a metal stool for 24 minutes and be perfectly happy, but I’m not complaining. Anyway, after takeoff we ascended to altitude for the first 15 minutes of the flight when the PA comes alive with, “our bathrooms are now locked” (Yikes!), “please bring your seat backs to their...”, you know the drill. I think the light rail from SaeTac to SoDo takes longer. But, we are finally on our way and thrilled about it all. 

After disembarking the plane and entering Vancouver International Airport it was a breeze moving through customs with our Nexus cards. We booked a room in Fairmont Hotel which is connected to the airport. It as only about a 100 yards from where we would check our luggage the next morning. The room for our one night stay overlooked the runway. There is something calming about watching the planes, large and small, come and go. It was a nice touch to our first day of traveling. 

We were hungry, so being an adventuresome lot we visited a kiosk outside of baggage claim named Japandogs. The woman manning the kiosk was hopping up and down trying to stay warm in the 40 degree weather. She didn’t seem to find the humor in my asking if she was chilly.  Her attire would have been right at home in Homer Alaska in the dead of winter. Anyway, she handed us one pork dog with onions and seaweed and an unknown special sauce and one pork dog with chopped daikon radish, these purple pickle things and some kind of mayo/wasabi concoction. When in Rome, eh’? They weren’t bad.  

Off to Japan tomorrow.  Stay tuned.  Ed out. 

Bay of Pillars: Part one

 

As Ruthie Jeanne moved out of the Southern Chatham Strait into the Bay of Pillars, we saw a big lodge just inside the entrance. According to our navigational info, the owner of the lodge will occasionally contacts boaters passing by via VHF and ask if they’d like to chat and take a tour of his property. I slowed as we passed the lodge hoping we’d get a call on the VHF, but none came. A little disappointed, we moved on.

The Bay of Pillars was so named because of its steepled rocks pillars, like someone stuck them upright into the bottom of the bay. Often times there is a clue on the depth sounder of the bottom beginning to rise so there is ample time to slow, stop or avoid a shoal or unexpected rocky area. On a marine chart, with due diligence, it’s easy to set the boat’s course to navigate around such areas. But in the Bay of Pillars there was a caution on the charts to look out for “uncharted obstructions”, like the pillars. Slowing as we entered this area, Terry was on the bow, watching for any obstacles in our path.  

We navigated through the ½ mile long narrow pass, some area only 40 or 50 feet wide. It was a little hair raising at times. Then it opened up into a big land locked body of water 3 miles long and 2 miles wide. This was our first trip through this area so everything was new. We didn’t have the luxury of prior experience to help us through the narrows. Piloting back out to the entrance a couple days later was a piece of cake.

Big Bay after navigating the skinny entrance.  Beautiful place.

When we first entered the big bay, we spotted 50 or more sea otters, some with pups perched on the stomachs. A group of sea otters is called a colony or raft. When we saw all of them together is looked like one big raft. These creatures are so cute and so endearingly playful I could watch them all day. However, as I mentioned before the otters have wreaked havoc on the marine environment of many bays, coves, and inlets in SE Alaska.

Our personal experience was this: in the areas we anchored where there were otters, we didn’t catch any fish, clams or crab. Our walks on the beach where there were literally hundreds of thousands of clam shells, we found no live clams. The evidence of the otters destructive digging was plain to see, as there were divots in the beach about the size of a medium to large bowls as far as the eye could see. When an otter digs a clam, they store a rock in a pouch underneath their arm. It lays the clam on its stomach and uses the rock to crack open mollusks and clams. Pretty clever for a sea otter.

Not a great photo, but hey, it's only an iPhone. 

At the other end of the big bay, we entered a small cove where there was more protection from the wind and waves that existed in the larger bay. Over the next couple of days, we observed a young male moose with a tiny rack and spindly legs, and later 3 females walking together down the beach. They were munching on bushes and small trees. We never observed them grazing on shrubs or grass along the ground. Each of them stared at us for a long while, probably wondering if we were a menace or just harmless gawkers.

Another not so great picture. No those aren't horses.  

When anchored and settled in, we noticed white jellyfish all over the cove. Their sizes were as small as a baseball and as big as a bowling ball, slowing moving along with whatever current there was in the cove. They were relaxing to watch as they did their slow dance through the water. 

(According to ScubaNews the Alaskan jellies are Moon Jellyfish. They use long harpoon-like tenacles to sting prey and feed on planktonic fish and invertebrates. A group of jellies is identified as a smack and the group can number in the thousands. Fun fact: Jellyfish are edible. (Yuck) They can be prepared many ways, including drying and then shredded or sliced thinly and tossed with sugar, soy sauce, or oil and vinegar for a salad.)

Hope all is well with you.

Ed Out. 

Leaving Petersburg Behind

 

We left Petersburg and got a glimpse of the upper end of Le Conte Glacier, 

where we visited the day before. 

We left the Petersburg Marina and motored out into Frederick Sound, headed for a big anchorage named Thomas Bay, we could see the upper end of Le Conte Glacier as we headed west. Thomas Bay looked like a great place to get some crab.  However, we were warned by fellow boaters in Petersburg that the commercial crabbing season opened a day before so there might be slim pickings.  I chatted with a guy that used to crab commercially. His observation was that each year there were fewer and fewer crab to go around for the commercial guys. They had to “fish on top of each other”,’ meaning the pots were close together and no one could really get a prized catch. His take was that the sea otter reintroduction is killing the Dungeness crab fishery.

(After googling the topic, I found that sea otters were reintroduced to Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington in 1965 after being hunted to extinction in the 1800 and 1900s. The British, Canadians, Americans and First Nation traders were all involved in wiping out the sea otter colonies. After the reintroduction the population has come roaring back. But there are consequences to their return in the form of a marine environment becoming out of balance.  

Unfortunately, at the top of the meal menu for sea otters is Dungeness crab and their appetite is a voracious one for that particular fare. They also dine on sea urchins, gooey ducks, clams, sea cucumbers, sea stars, chitons, octopus, squid, rock scallops and mussels. They weigh 35 to 90 pounds and eat 20-30% of their body weight per day. It doesn’t take long to understand how the otter can adversely affect the environment along the shores of the bays and inlets and how it affects those in the fishing industry trying to make a living catching crab On one hand the otter was brought back from extinction, which is probably a good thing and they're now a protected species. On the other hand, they have completely depleted the marine stocks in many of the inland bays and coves. There are now studies to devise plans for mitigating their adverse effects. And that only means one thing, fewer sea otters.)

We entered Thomas Bay and noticed hundreds of crab pots. A little disappointing, but there will be one or two for us at some point because we knew there were crab in the area. It was tough finding an unobstructed spot to anchor and not tangle with the crab buoys. Our original plan was to spend two days here, but we moved on the next day in search of a more comfortable anchorage and fewer crab pots. We didn’t see otters in this bay, a little unusual.

Thomas Bay. Difficult to see but there were hundreds of pot in and 

around us. If you are looking at this on an iphone/ipad, zoom in and you'll see.

A different view when heading out of Thomas Bay. 

And did we ever hit the jackpot with the next anchorage. Off of Donkey Bay, there’s a anchorage identified as Cannery Cove. It’s nestled in a big mountainous bowl with waterfalls, steep structure, a variety of trees, sharp gullies cut by snow and runoff and snowcapped ridges. Just can’t beat the view of a lowland valley that shot straight up. One of the most beautiful place Moon and have ever seen. I took a dozen pictures in an attempt to show off this gorgeous spot but none of them did it justice. I’ll include a couple but just know I couldn’t quite capture the beauty of the place with my iPhone.

The beauty of Cannery Cove

The only down side to Cannery Cove was the dime sized horseflies. They dive bomb the unsuspected in Kevlar Armor and a nasty disposition. Their bite is worse than a mosquito but not as bad as a bee. The good news? They land like they just jumped off a 5-step porch so it’s pretty easy to know they are there, and they’re slow. The problem with whacking these pesky little buggers is they just won’t roll over and die. They have to be nailed, spot on, or the next thing you know they’re up jumping around swearing a blue streak. I had to go after them again with the fly swatter to finish the job. Unfortunately, those  pesky flies always called in reinforcements. This was a great anchorage, so taking the good with the bad is the order of the day

We left Cannery Cove and headed for Security Inlet. Along the way near a smallish islet, there were the spotted harbor seals with their elegant coats of light gray, accented with black spots, the usual black harbor seals and sea lions aplenty. As we passed this islet a humpback surprised us by rolling over near the boat. Then minutes later, like it was a slow-motion video, the whale came straight up out of the water about 8 feet with its mouth open. Probably, the huge creature got just what they wanted, a herring breakfast. And the herring were everywhere in this area so it wasn’t surprising that it supported so much of the wildlife we were able to observe.  

Mouth closed, sinking back down into the deep blue. 

We left beauty of Cannery Cove for Security Bay on Kuiu Island, (pronounced Kwee ooh). The bay’s name was kind of a misnomer because the wind blew through there like it was going to push us back to Petersburg. But the anchor was set well enough and the boat remained in one spot, swinging one way then the other. After the nauseousness from the wide swings went away, it was relaxing. This area had many small islands and islets and sea otters with their pups were everywhere. Funny, they call a group of sea otters a raft, more about that later. We would have stayed another day if it wasn’t for the wind.

3:45 a.m. in Security Bay after the winds died down and a smooth ride out into Fredric Sound. 

Up early the next day, we left at 3:45 to catch a good tide and rounded the NW side of Kuiu Island where the outgoing tide was headed south down North Chatham Strait and the water in Fredric Sound was headed west, and there the two met. And boy did they. Yikes. The meeting caused some rough and confused seas which threw us around quite a bit. I looked at Moon and said, “this wasn’t in the NOAA weather report!”. The experience made me think of the times I had many beers and got up on a mechanical bull, like the 1980’s Urban Cowboy days, up and down until I fell off. Lucky for us after a hairy ride we found calmer waters. We had a plan B and Plan C anchorage if the water was too much for us but didn’t need them. We were able to make it into the Bay of Pillars, an anchorage we were anticipating without any more circus-ride type seas.  

That’s it for now. Hope all your seas are calm. 

Ed Out

Petersburg and Le Conte Glacier

We left Wrangell on a sunny morning and headed out towards Petersburg, our most northern port on the trip. We decided against Juneau, Sitka, Skagway and other ports north of Petersburg so we wouldn’t have to hurry. Juneau is another 110 miles from here and others are farther. Constantly, moving from place to place is tiring and one anchorage starts to look that all the rest. Two- and three-day stops have been thrown in and a weather day here and there so we have the opportunity to enjoy our travels. We didn’t want to make this trip like work used to be.

Anyway, Ruthie Jeanne headed west through Sumner Strait to an open anchorage identified as Saint John Harbor, on Zarembo Island. The area around the harbor is US Forest Service land. They have a dock, so we tied up and went for a walk on a well-traveled road. A USFS truck with two passengers passed us and then we were met by a Forest Service guy who was walking to the dock. He and the other 2 guys were headed home to Petersburg and another crew would boat in to man the “administrative center” on the island. Seemed a little strange to have an admin center where the only occupants of the entire island were housed in the admin center, a total of 4 was my guess.

On our walk we noticed 5 or 6 cars by the side of the road that looked like they’d been there for a while. We asked him about the vehicles. Apparently, hunters barge them over to the island then go hunting in them. There are 48 miles of service roads around the island. When the hunters were finished  they'd leave, but the cars would stay until the next hunting seasons. They would then boat over to the island and off they would go in their vehicles on another hunt.

We had a couple of nice relaxing days there, caught 1 crab that was a keeper, and fished with no results except cornering 3 flounder in the crab trap.  We were joined by 3 other boats for the night in a calm bay. This is a stopover anchorage for boats waiting to catch the best tide up Wrangell Narrows to Petersburg since the Narrows can be a bit difficult to navigate. We left Wrangell far behind and I haven't quite figured out why they named the waterway up to Petersburg, Wrangell Narrows. It's nowhere near Wrangell. 

Our last evening in St. Johns Harbor.

Sumner Strait at 3:15 a.m. after leaving our anchorage in St. John's Harbor.

The next morning the alarm clock went off at 2:30 a.m. so the boat could be warmed up and everything stowed away. The anchor was pulled and we were on our way by 3:00 a.m. (I can't remember the last time I was up at 3:00 except to head to the bathroom.) Amazingly, it was light out at 3:00 a.m. with sunrise at 4:00 a.m. Meeting a high tide in Wrangell Narrows was important so there was enough water under us to alleviate the worry that we could bottom out. It is a relatively skinny and shallow waterway. There were plenty of buoys and range markers to keep us in the channel, one that is periodically dredged to allow for safe passage. Our map suggested we should not stray from the channel or risk mayhem to our boat’s hull.

A few fishing lodges dotted the shoreline and houses started to pop up on each shore the closer we got to Petersburg. Finally, we could see the town in the distance and were glad to pull into for a few days, close to land and somewhere to get a little exercise and do some hiking.

Petersburg Marina where they "hot birth" slips. 

The marina does something called “hot berthing”, which means the tenants leave their slip for a period of time and the Harbormaster rents out their slip while they’re gone. Unfortunately, the boat normally in our slip had a run in with a rock that poked a hole in her hull. She was taken out of the water for a fix to the fiberglass. Lucky for us because we got a slip, not so lucky for the slips tenants. Within southeast Alaska there are so many waterways and so many rocks and floating logs, that I’m always aware of what the consequences are of not paying attention. 

From the vantage point of a hike we took above the town. 

Petersburg is a great little town on Mikof Island that is surrounded by very tall snowcapped mountains and sits in the central part of the Alaska panhandle. The community prides themselves on family values, community support, and the independent Alaskan spirit. Most of the folks in Petersburg are fisherman or support the fishing industry. The fisheries include salmon, herring, halibut, black cod, and shrimp/prawns. Commercial fishing boats landed $52 million pounds of seafood last year with a value of $50 million. She ranks 20^th in the US in terms of value by catch. Not bad for a town of 3000.

Speaking of the independent spirit, here is a vending machine that usually houses food, 

pop or candy. When the marine store is closed you can get items for your chainsaw. 

Insert your credit card and get engine oil, chain oil, chain, and different types of spark 

plugs. Independence at it's best. 

The town was founded by a Norwegian immigrant named Peter Buschman, (hence, Petersburg) and is known as “Little Norway”. European explorers settled here and based their livelihood on, you guessed it, fishing, canneries, and sawmills. Icebergs from nearby La Conte Glacier provided the ice to cool the fish before canning.

This iceberg was so blue and so clear it almost didn't look real. 

Size was about 10 ft tall and 70 ft long.

Not so blue but bigger. 

They come in all shapes and sizes. 

This was a challenge for the pilot to move us closer to the glacier. 

As you can see there are thousands of little icebergs in the way.

An awesome sight up close.

Moon and I went on a 12-person tour to Le Conte Glacier with Scott and Shelly. The boat was an aluminum boat with two 400 hp jets. Wouldn't want a prop sticking down in the water with all this ice. The glacier is the southern most glacier in the northern hemisphere that calves into the sea. The bay is over 800 feet deep and is flooded with small to large icebergs. Harbor seals birth their young on some of those icebergs and we observed many of the mothers with their pups. We saw small areas calve into the water but not really anything spectacular. Not until we were about to leave did we see a huge sheet of ice the size of a building calve off sideways from the glacier.  It was so big it almost looked like it was falling in slow motion. We could hear it and feel it crash into the water and rode its wave up and down when it rolled our way. It was an awesome sight. We got our money’s worth. Seek Alaska Tours out of Petersburg is the group that leads this trip if you are ever interested.  

                                       

A mother and pup watching us closely. 

Hope you have enjoyed our travels so far. Terry took a video of a portion of the glacier calving that won't work in this blog. If you'd like us to send it to you respond with an email and we'll give it a try. That said, we're leaving tomorrow and won't be have any cell/wifi reception for another 10 or more days. We're headed for Craig, Alaska on Prince of Wales Island. If we come back to Alaska, it would be a pleasure to visit Petersburg again. 

We'll be losing some crew in Petersburg. Shelly left two days ago. She was our liaison to the folks in Petersburg and all boat people on the dock. She had her ear to the hum of the dock and passed that info on to us. She was my nemesis while we played Bananas. Scott left yesterday. He is my boat hero besides being a great crew. When stuff inevitably broke or stopped working, his approach was to solve a puzzle. My approach was to freak out and complain like a spoiled10 year old that swore like a stevedore. I hope I can learned to approach problems like he does at some point in my life. We will miss them both. 

Hope all is well with you and the problems you face are miniscule. 

Ed out.