Memories of Alaska

As we reflect on the days we have spent in Alaska, a kaleidoscope of images flow through our memories. Eagles flying over the crystal waters, Amy's finger with her unique crab bite, crazy deer, a plethora of seafood, aching muscles, incredible scenery, delicious food, moose hats, moose socks, rain gear, rain, sunshine, mountains, beer...the list goes on and on and on. And of course the people we met; Aunt Alice, Mike, Dustin, David, Mary, Jack and all the other wonderful people we met and created memories with - they made the trip a truly remarkable experience. Then of course, our home sweet home in Petersburg, the wonderful, fabulous, cozy, quaint Sugar Shack where we spent 9 relaxing days. Alaska said goodbye to us with a gorgeous sunset on our last evening. But it isn't goodbye but "au revoir" because we are definitely coming back to Alaska! We hope you have enjoyed our blog - we sure did. We have included a few pictures that didn't make the initial cut. We would like to share them with you now. Later Gators!

Crab Attack - Amy's finger after crab encounter.

Friday night in downtown Petersburg. Heidi is along to protect us.

Sugar Shack at sunset on our last night.

Panning for gold with a Badger hat. Note to self - hats don't work.

Moose scat - now if we can just find the original owner.

At Last - the Elusive MOOSE!

We finally saw our moose. Well, Amy actually saw it. I was heeding nature's call after a few beers. Luckily, Amy had her camera and was able to get this picture. I can't wait until we get back and enlarge it so we can see more detail. Good work Amy. Who says she is blind without her glasses? We also had a small party for the deer in the neighborhood. Everyone was getting along fine until Patsy crashed the party. She herded all the deer together and then chased them out of the yard. Amy and I were in the middle of the stampede and a bit bewildered by the events. I would post a picture but they are all blurred - don't know how that happened.

A New Convert!

As many of you know, my favorite pastime is drinking beer on my porch in my underwear. Amy has seen the error of her ways (drinking beer with her pants on) and has joined the club. We did have to make some concessions to the weather, notice the hats, sweatshirts and boots. Or in Amy's case, moose slippers. We were partaking of an exceptional local beer from the Alaska Brewery - a lovely amber. They also have an IPA, a stout and seasonal flavors. Gotta go, we have a 24 pack to finish by Saturday.

New Furry Friends

On our way into the harbor, we encountered the Dangerous Sea Lion. Don't be fooled by their calm demeanor! They are resting before they swarm the harbor, trying to steal fish and biting the butts of local fishermen. True Story! Word of advice, don't put any bait in your pockets.

Pop goes the Shrimp Head

Here is Amy with her new friend. She wasn't friends very long. While I was assisting the Captain in guiding our boat, Amy and Mike were 'popping' the heads off the shrimp. The shrimp are of various sizes. The largest are called spotted and you leave their heads on and place them in a container. They remind Amy of lobsters. The spotted shrimp are the most expensive and only experienced shrimpers are allowed to pop their heads - sorry Amy. The pink and the small striped shrimp are given to the locals with their heads on. The larger striped shrimp are decapitated and these are the shrimp that are sold on the dock. The striped shrimp are actually vegetarians. Again, who knew? They eat kelp. The others will eat just about anything. The nets pick up all sorts of stuff, from the shrimp obviously, but also flounder, skaters which are like sting rays, red snappers that have bulging eyes from the pressure change, large pieces of coral, crabs, large barnacles, starfish, and bullheads (see picture below). They have even pulled up a kayak from the bottom. If you lose anything in the ocean, buy a shrimp boat and begin dragging the bottom. We picked up an iceberg (from the Le Conte Glacier) to keep the shrimp chilled. Most convenient - saved us a trip to the local 7-11. Our sorting table full, we head back to harbor. Amy once again shines in her new position of killing seafood. The job pays quite well. If the Controller thing doesn't work out, she has a bright future on a ship in Alaska. Again, who knew she was capable? Note to self - keep on her good side.

Shrimp Happens!

Even with our limited knowledge of shrimping (all learned from watching the movie Forrest Gump) we found shrimp. This is the shrimp we caught during our first drag. They don't look anything like they do in the store. Apparently, shrimp have heads. Who knew? Amy says they are "fiesty suckers". They jump around and are hard to hang on to. Amy and Mike donned their "shrimping gear" to help out while I returned to the Captain's chair to help guide our vessel to our next shrimping location. Plus someone had to keep an eye out for icebergs - literally.

I Know Everything There is to Know about Shrimpin'

Here I am, the Shrimp Boat Captain that I have always dreamed of being. I am checking the waters for shrimp. Unfortunately, they are not found on the surface. Bubba never mentioned that. We needed to be on board the shrimp boat by 4 am. We didn't get a chance to take a shower but the shrimp didn't seem to mind. We enjoyed the quiet time on the water before we hauled in our first catch.

The eagles were diving for herring and the water was as smooth as glass. We didn't see any whales, apparently they don't like herring. Who knew? We have several more hours before we haul in the nets. I need to go below and study the charts or whatever a shrimp boat captain does.

The Day After - OUCH!

This is how we would like to remember our trip up Petersburg Mountain. What we would like to forget is the pain we have been enduring since. On Wednesday, Amy and I walked like we had a stick placed in a sensitive area. We were the entertainment for the family. We used the day as our relaxing day and tried to catch up on reading while we were downing ibuprofen and cursing the fact I left my vicodin at home. Lesson learned - flat landers need to incorporate more vertical slopes when working out.

Stand back Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. Back to our blog. We gleefully (see picture) prepare for our ascent of Petersburg Mountain. The mountain is located across the narrows on Kupernauf Island. We are guessing on the spelling of Kupernauf.

(See picture of mountain from boat dock - we are hiking to the summit covered by clouds). After the boat ride, we begin by walking 3 miles to the trail head. We have the option of taking the skiff to the trail head but once again, tides are a factor and we decide to walk. Soon we are at the trail head. We start our ascent and soon we are peeling off our layers. I ran out of layers to peel off within 30 minutes. It was quite warm in the woods. New hobby - naked mountain climbing. Luckily, reason prevailed and we continued up. It was a difficult trail. At times, we passed mountain goats taking a break on the climb up. More than once I asked if this was the trail - and it was. Soon we were in agonizing pain - okay that was just me. Again did I mention mountain goats taking a break?

Amy has waited 23 years to hike this mountain and I am not going to let her down. I continue to put one foot in front of the other and soon I am walking out the door......sorry, flashback to a Christmas special. The boys and Mike, sure footed Alaskans, bound up the trail as Amy and I slowly crawl - okay again just me. We met some young Forest Service workers that are working on a new trail to the top of the mountain. At one time I asked why do they need a new trail. I now know, they really do need a new trail. In fact they just need a trail. Dustin was my trusty sherpa, carrying my pack up the mountain. Only downside was my water was in the pack. Thankfully, they stopped every so often and we would catch up and get some water. When I thought I couldn't go another foot, we suddenly begin to see snow. We are almost there....I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Another hundred steps straight up and we are there - well apparently almost there. Amy and I rejoice that we have reached the top of the mountain. Mike informs us that no, we have an additional vertical ascent before we reach the summit (see picture) One small problem, there is so much snow, we can barely find the trail and the cable that is used for the final vertical climb is not visible. Darn, we can't go any further. I am so upset!!! Well, more like relieved. We have a quick snack and the boys begin sliding down the snow. Thinking this is an ingenious way to get down the mountain, Amy and I give it a try. (See lovely starfish picture below - I'm the one with the moose hat) Unfortunately, we run out of snow and we now have snow up our pants and our sleeves. However, a wet butt will come in handy when we reach the middle of the descent - see peeling of layers story above. We return to the trail and begin our descent. I thought it was painful going up - going down is no picnic either. It actually hurts more. Our legs are fatigued from the ascent and the trail looks even more challenging from above. I actually slide on my butt many times because I couldn't find a good foothold and when I thought I found one, it moved and I ended up sliding on my butt again. Mike and the boys are of course miles ahead of us. We know we have to get down this mountain so we begin our one step at a time program. What seems like forever passes when we finally reach the trail the Forest Service workers are constructing. They graciously allow us to use the new trail they have been working on instead of returning on the old trail we used for our ascent. It was amazing, log stairs, flat boards connecting the log stairs and then steps with actual rocks and not mud in between. It was like being upgraded from coach to Super Duper First Class. It literally saved my life. We continued down the mountain, still at a slow pace because all of our muscles were rebelling against us. I talked my knees into continuing the journey and they reluctantly accepted. Amy and I were never happier in our lives than when we reached the trail head again and only had 3 miles of glorious flat hiking left. We kept plodding on and finally, 45 minutes later, we arrive back where we started. While putting all our layers back on, I notice information about the trail and the hike. According to the US Forest Service, the hike up Petersburg Mountain is rated MOST DIFFICULT! Enough said. Note to self - always check difficulty rating of proposed hike!!! With aching muscles, we roll into the skiff, and return to Petersburg. Our chauffer, Aunt Alice, meets us at the harbor and whisks us to her home. The next 15 minutes are spent trying to get our boots off. We then make the wise decision to blog instead of returning to the Sugar Shack where a jacuzzi tub awaits us along with a cold Alaskan Amber. Seeing the error of our ways, BYE!

Awwwww

We awake early on Tuesday in preparation of our ascent of the Petersburg Mountain. But first, check out Bambi. Isn't he/she adorable? Amy found the fawn while doing some yard work at the Sugar Shack. Patsy once again was in the yard, eating the flora when Amy found the fauna. Joke for all you botany geeks.

Journey to the End of the World - Dundunda!!

Again, the dundunda is suppose to be the sound of danger. We began our trip to the end of the road by stopping off at the new ferry terminal at the south end of the island. We then went to Green's campground where we enjoyed the scenery and the boys (Dustin and David) enjoyed the nets. The nets were suspended above the ground in the treese. The boys looked like monkeys. No sign of the elusive moose anywhere. We continued to the end of the road where we didn't find a moose but we did find some bear scat. That is what the picture above is. It proves that the old saying about a bear and the woods is no, they prefer to scat in the road. We returned to the cars and our next stop was Wilson's creek where we picked up our landscaping supplies (rocks for Aunt Alice's garden at the Sugar Shack). Back into the cars and we stop next at Ohmer Creek. At the this location, we attempted to revisit our youth and skip rocks. Dustin and David attempted to teach us the proper form for throwing rocks. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough rocks on the beach for Amy and myself to learn how to properly throw a skipper. (See picture to left) Next stop is Man Made Hole. The location is much prettier than its name. Back into the cars and the next stop is the fish hatchery. We viewed very teeny tiny King Salmon aka the Chinook. Amy and I selected 2 of them and we plan to return in the future to catch them when they weigh more than 1 ounce. Back into the cars and we are off to Blind River Rapids. This is a lovely location with a boardwalk over the muskeg. We walked down to the rapids and several fisherman were attempted to catch the Salmon. Again it has something to do with tides so Amy and I are clueless. When it is low tide and water is going out, salmon get caught in pools making them supposedly easier to catch. Tide comes in, salmon can move around, harder to catch. Much easier to buy a salmon at Coastal Cold Storage. We jump back into the cars and race to Petersburg. Tonight is the night we celebrate Jack's 17th birthday. He is leaving on Tuesday for a 10 day trip with the YCC. They will be repairing a cabin and constructing a new outhouse. Thank you Jack. We do enjoy a nice outhouse when we are in the bush. Dinner consisted of salmon patties, hot dogs and brats, potato salad, chip and dip and both pie and cake. Jack grilled all the meat. Apparently, it is a custom in Alaska to cook your own Birthday Dinner. Good thing we live in Wisconsin. (I won't mention the cheesy potato birthday incident Mom). Gifts were opened, laughter ensued, and we ate way too much. Once again, we drag our sorry, tired, bloated bodies back to the Sugar Shack.

It's a Fawn

We now know why Patsy was unable to join us for breakfast - apparently she was in labor. Later that morning, we saw Patsy and her new bundle of joy or rather her new bundle of fur. Meet Bambi (we were low on sleep when we named it). Doe and fawn are doing well. We would love to help Patsy with her new baby but we are off on our next adventure - journey to the end of the road. Dundunda!!! That is a pathetic attempt at trying to spell out a sound of danger. Work with me people.

Patsy the Deer Part 2

After Patsy declined our first invitation to breakfast, on Monday Amy tried to entice her to join us. As they walked to the cabin, Patsy remember a previous commitment and we have a rain check for later in the week. Today's agenda includes touring the island. We are going to the end of the road and hope to see the elusive moose.

We are Saved!

Fortunately, Mike was with us and he had a better plan. We are going to walk down the coast to see if Don and Jenny are home (his closest neighbors). Amy gets to put down her stick and we are off. Mike says it is only 20 minutes to their house. 35 aching minutes later, we stumble upon their cabin. It is wonderful. Don and Jenny built it themselves. We can't even build a log cabin with Lincoln Logs and they build one from scratch. We arrived wet, cold, hungry and with sore feet. Did I mention the coast is actually just rocks? Lots and lots of rocks. They quickly whisked us upstairs. Jenny fed us hot chocolate and homemade donuts. It is amazing how resourceful everyone in Alaska is. Amy and I would last a week, tops. After a lovely snack and recipe sharing, we head back to the boat. The tide is coming in and we should be able to embark. We arrive back at the cabin and the boat is actually further out of the water than when we left. Zoinks. Okay Amy, find your stick. No, it isn't time to panic just yet. The tide is coming in and we just need to be patient. We occupy ourselves by replacing Mike's haul out line. I would explain it to you but I have no idea what it actually does. Something about the boat and tides which is why we don't get it. It took 5 of us to replace the rope - believe it or not it was only after Amy joined us were we able to pull the rope through the underwater anchor thingy. I would use technical terms but you land lovers wouldn't understand. The rope is replaced and the tide is in. YIPPEEE! I don't have to share my M&Ms. We climb into the boat and head back to Petersburg. We are tired and cold and guess what? It starts to rain. Now we are tired, cold and wet. Well just our faces, we are covered in latex or gore-tex or something waterproof. We arrive back in the harbor safe and off to Aunt Alice's where a warm meal awaits. Adventure over. Note to self - get a tide book.

No Tide like Low Tide

Well, apparently the tide has a lot to do with what you can and can't do and where you should and shouldn't go. We spent just a little too much time in the woods looking for a moose. During this time, the tide went out. Here I am with boots full of cold ocean water trying to get our boat off the rocks. Lori vs. the Pacific Ocean - guess who won? Now its time for Plan B - wait until the tide returns. Thankfully I never venture anywhere without chocolate. However, with 5 of us, the M&Ms won't be enough. Time to send Amy into the woods with a sharp stick.

Ignorance is Bliss

With the visit to the cabin complete, Amy and I posed for a picture in our waterproof clothing. We are as happy as Dungeness crabs with a salmon. The ocean was as smooth as glass and if you can believe it, it had actually stopped raining. We searched for whales but we didn't see any. Apparently it has something to do with low tide. To two flatlanders from the lower 48, who cares about low tide.

Little House in the Big Woods

We visited Mike's cabin on the eastern shores of Mitkof Island. It took us about 30 minutes in his boat. For the boat trip, we were both decked out in the latest in waterproof clothing. I had on rubber bibs, my Gore-tex rain jacket and Amy had her rainsuit. We arrived safely and visited the cabin. All building supplies for the cabin had to be brought by boat and then hauled up the hill. We explored the area around the cabin in search of the elusive moose. No luck finding a moose but we did find moose droppings. If anyone would care for a copy of the moose droppings picture, please send $1 and SASE to me.

The Wild Life

We awoke on Sunday, relaxed and hungry! We made delicious chocolate chip pancakes. You don't care but we loved them! As we were waiting for a ride, a deer (Patsy) wandered into our yard. I tried to talk her into joining us for pancakes, but she doesn't like chocolate. Next time we will have to make macadamia pancakes - apparently they are her favorite. Who knew? Our ride appeared and we were off to church. We visited the Petersburg Baptist Church where we enjoyed the sermon and the brownies. We then returned to Aunt Alice's house to finish off the halibut bites. Our big adventure for the day is to visit Mike's cabin on Frederick Sound across from the Le Conte glacier.

Just for the Halibut

We don't have a picture yet of a halibut, we plan on fishing on Wednesday, so we are using this photo from Ketchikan. Saturday we explored the sprawling metropolis of Petersburg. That took 15 minutes, no just kidding. I bought some lovely boots that you will see in later photos and we went grocery shopping -YIKES!!! If we lived here, we would be extremely skinny unless we ran over a moose and had meat for the year. Now for the halibut. Dinner was a special treat - deep fried beer battered halibut bites without the beer. Amy and I were unwilling to share our Alaskan Amber beer ($20 for a 12 pack). We met a lovely couple from "up the river" which means the Stikine River. Earl and Mary Benitz regaled us with tales from the back country. Earl likes to watch the wolves from the outhouse and Mary has seen plenty of moose. She views them from her house - not the outhouse. They promise we will see a moose if we stay with them so next time we are heading up river for a few days. The evening ended with a rousing game of Pictionary. Ask Amy how she draws a Moo. Ms. CPA was stumped with that one and being from Wisconsin, shame, shame, shame on you. (Amy speaking - in defense, I'm with Mrs. Einstein herself, who has used more words I can't understand than you would believe. I was trying to complicate the "moo" and well . . . okay, can I say I was drunk from the halibut? . . . . ) Remember readers, the halibut batter was without beer. Nice try Amy! My team won, naturally, even with my pathetic drawings and the words we were given. Try drawing a turnstile or margarine - not as easy as it sounds. We headed back to the Sugar Shack where we tried to drink beer on the porch in our underwear. Sorry readers, the pictures were too dark so we need to try again in the daylight - anytime between 4 am and 10 pm.

Crabalicious

Revenge is sweet!. Amy is gleefully gnawing on the crab that attacked her. We returned to harbor after our successful crab hunt and Amy learned how to "harbor dress" a crab. You begin by ripping off the shell, followed by breaking it in half and then ripping off its lungs. You then place it in a bucket and take it home. Mike was kind enough to boil up the crab. We then spent a lovely hour spraying crab and shell all over the dining room. Thankfully Amy and I wear glasses so we had protective eye gear. The crab that we manage to extract from the legs was quite delicious! After 4 legs, we were so tired that they had to take us back to the cabin and tuck us in. We are planning on eating more crab on Saturday when Aunt Alice makes us her famous crab melts.

Master and Commander of the Crab

The boat trip was a rousing success. We saw humpback whales!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sure they remember me from Maui. We checked 5 pots and we caught a total of 30 crabs. We now know how to hold a crab or in Amy's case not hold a crab. She still has 10 fingers but one has a lovely smiley face bruise courtesy of Mr. Crab. We can tell a female crab from a male crab and no, it is not what you think. Here is Amy, the new crabmaster with her favorite crab. Notice she ripped a leg off. It was all we could do to keep her from eating the raw crab. Apparently, it was in retribution of the pincer attack that resulted in the bruised finger. Don't get Amy angry is all I can say. She is ready to send her resume to the boat Northwestern to land a job as a greenhorn. If you watch the show Deadliest Catch, you know what that means. I don't watch it because it isn't on PBS. We are heading home on the "bouncy" seas to boil up some crab.

Ahoy Mateys!!

Our first nautical adventure of the trip. Amy and I are off to check the crab "pots" with Mike and Dustin. Mike is kind enough to take two Deadliest Catch wannabees out on the ocean to check his crab pots. FYI, they are not pots but actual round wired cages baited with salmon or cod and then placed on the ocean floor attached to a float by a rope. Wearing our new hats and PFDs, we are out in search of the elusive Dungeness crab.

Sugar Shack at Last!

We made it to Petersburg. It took us 56 hours by auto, plane and ferry but we are here. We were met at the ferry landing by Aunt Alice and Mike. They chauffered us to our home for the next 9 days, the infamous "Sugar Shack". Dear Readers, it is anything but a shack. We have a jacuzzi bathtub, chocolate on our pillows, incredible views of the Narrows and it is bigger than both our houses. Meet our neighbors, George and Martha Eagle. They enjoy fishing, pleasure flying, long walks on the beach and dining on fresh crab on our lower lanai. We met them our first morning - how nice of them to visit us so soon. I do hope they keep it down at night, we want to relax and enjoy our vacation.

Bon Voyage

Amy and I boarded the M/V Taku for Petersburg. We had a lovely cell, I mean cabin. Check out my cell mate in the lower bunk - she had one too many Alaskan Ambers on the trip! It was a nice cabin and we were able to nap so thanks Mom for the extra $$$. It was a 10 hour trip and we had ample time to view the scenery, eat halibut burgers and of course sample the local beer. Alaska Amber Rocks!!! I love it so much that I am going to marry it, just call me Mrs. Alaska Amber. We tried very hard to stay up past 10 but we are still on Central Standard Time.

Farewell Ketchikan

Sorry, faithful readers that I haven't posted anything lately but Amy and I have been very busy. Where do I begin? Let's start with leaving Ketchikan. We had a lovely 20 hour stay in Ketchikan but it rained most of the day. As you can see from the photo of Amy drying her pants. It only stopped when Amy and I boarded the ferry. We had a lovely stay but we are off to Petersburg.

Day 2 of Amy & Lori's Alaskan Adventure

Yes it is day 2 of our great Alaskan adventure and we awake much too early - our bodies are still on Central Standard Time. Looking out the window, we are greeted with typical Alaskan weather - it is cloudy and raining. When we landed yesterday it was a bright and balmy 55 degrees. The good news is that I met someone. He is warm and fuzzy and we are getting along famously. It's just his fish breath that I have an issue with. Gotta go, my turn for the shower and then its off to see what kind of trouble we can get into. Later Gators.

Are We There Yet?

Yes we are - we finally made it!!!! It seemed like forever but suddenly we were landing in Ketchikan. Amy had trouble with security at O'Hare. Apparently, they have never seen anyone with so much chocolate. We made several new friends on our trip to Ketchikan. Shout out to my new peep Betty! It was a very long day so I am going to quickly wrap up what happened - Amy can't work hair dryer, Lori forgot to put Sponge Bob in car, couldn't find ticket counter, Amy stopped by security (see above), met Betty, flew to Seattle, saw big mountain, had trouble ordering bagels, found Maui chips, flew to Ketchikan, landed on island, not alot of women, ferry from island to taxi, taxi to hotel, on second floor no elevator, luggage very very heavy, quaint plumbing in room, went for walk, found moose hats, bought moose hats, talked each other out of buying moose pjs, went for another walk, found a Thai restaurant but didn't go in because they spell Thai without a H. Not really sure if they are Thai so went to another restaurant. Had a beer, that explains this blog. Had soup (um um good) and creme brulee for dessert. It is only 8:52 pm Alaskan time but we are sooooooooooooooo tired. It is still very light outside but we are going to sleep now.

And the Vacation Begins .... I said the Vacation Begins!

Here I am trying to convince Amy to leave her desk. It is now 5:20 pm and vacation officially started at 5:00 pm. However, Amy must be working on Alaskan time already and she believes it is only 2:30 pm. My next option is to delete her network computer accounts. Try to do work when you can't login!

Lori & Amy's Big Adventure - Alaska 2008

The countdown has begun - 25 hours and 30 minutes until we hit the road heading south for Chicago. From Chicago, we fly to Seattle where we board our connecting flight to the lovely city of Ketchikan. Total travel time is 9 hours and a mere 2,391 miles. My only concern is have we packed enough chocolate for the flight. Let's do the math - an average of 3 chocolate snacks per hour times 9 hours equals 27 chocolate snacks per person times two travelers equals 54 chocolate snacks. Zoinks - we need to make a quick stop at Woodman's or better yet Wilmar's before we hit the road. We may need to jettison a sweatshirt or two to make room. Could be a problem for Amy - I wonder if she is packing her space heater? Note to self - pick up travel space heater for Amy's Christmas present.