December and Long Cold Winter of 2008

This has been one of the coldest winters in the memory of many "old timers" on San Juan Island.


The winter sunset casts a golden hue on the blanket of snow at South Beach.

The 10,778 ft. snow covered cone of the Mt. Baker volcano looms in the distance.

Oct. 31st Halloween In Friday Harbor

Halloween is a very special day in Friday Harbor.

Costumed school children parade by our house on their way to the festivities in town.


Little Goblins gather on the front porch with their threats of "Trick or Treat!"

An old witch has taken residence on the front porch holding her eyeball to scare away the little creatures that come out on Halloween night.

A Quick Trip Around San Juan Island.

There is still a hint of color on the plants at Pelindaba Lavender Farm

This will be the final harvest before winter.

This Island Farmer has a great sense of humor!

It is good to back! I look forward to checking up on the foxes at South Beach on San Juan Island. It is really great to see this little red fox again

I caught the fox by surprise.


The island is ablaze with Autumn colors.

It is great to see "Mona" again!

The Harvest Moon is rising on this crisp Autumn evening with Mt.Baker in the distance.

Sept. 24th - Home Sweet Home!

Our 3,800 mile, six month odyssey has come to it's end!
We have completed the circle.
We will savor the wonderful memories and during the winter we will plan our next adventure.


It was difficult to leave "Seventh Heaven". She has been our home and refuge for the last six months protecting us from wind and rain, high seas and icebergs. She has taken us amongst the creatures of the deep and allowed us to see the incredible beauty of the north. She is now in her winter berth at Roche Harbor.

Sept 16th - 23rd Heading Home!

We retraced our passage south stopping at Campbell River for two nights and Comox for one night. Our next port was Nanaimo for one night. In the morning we timed the tide for Dodd Narrows and with the wind and currents with us, we bypassed two scheduled stops at Maple Bay and Genoa Bay and headed for home!

Sept.15th - Johnstone Strait to Port Neville

As we passed by Blackfish Sound near Robsin Bight we came upon a pod of Orcas.


We have often seen them in this area.


It was a beautiful day and the current was in our favor.


We always enjoy seeing Lorna when we stop at Port Neville. She is the Post Mistress and curator of her family's store, now a museum, founded in 1924. She is the granddaughter of the first settler that came there in 1891. She lives in this remote place alone now that her only daughter is married and living in Campbell River. Her smiling face is a welcome sight when she greets you at the dock and helps with the lines.


In the morning we waited for the fog to clear.


To our amazement a ethereal "fogbow" appeared, a "rainbow" without color. This brilliant apparition looked as if you passed under it, you would enter the world beyond. The superstitious side of me took it as a "good sign" to leave for our passage through Seymour Narrows.
According to Wikipedia: "A fog bow is similar to a rainbow, but because of the very small size of water droplets that cause fog, smaller than 0.05 mm, the fog bow has no colors and appears white. Fogbows are sometimes called "white rainbows" or "cloudbows". Mariners sometimes call them "sea-dogs."

Sept. 13 - A Real Northwest Feast!

It has become customary to have a seafood feast at Kathleen and Jim's in Sointula.

The menu included:
Louie's Fresh Cooked Crab
Kevin's Fresh Coho Salmon with Sesame and Honey, Giant Grilled White Spot Prawns
Kathleen's Jicama Coleslaw, Smoked Salmon and Halibut, Cheese and Crackers and Sangria
Mary's Balsamic and Mandarin Orange Salad and Apple Pie with Vanilla Yogurt
Jim made Cappuccinos to top it all off. Simply Wonderful


The setting sun overlooking Rough Bay from the deck where the silhoette of a bird sculpture slowly fades into the darkness. Good Night Sointula and see you next year!

Sept. 11th - A Visit to Sointula

Upon arrival to Sointula I was invited to join a group of "Hearty Finnish" residents of Sointula to hike a 10K out to the west side of Vancouver Island to San Josef Bay. It is located just below Cape Scott, the northern most tip of Vancouver Island facing the Pacific Ocean. Early in the 19th century there were several Scandinavian settlements in this wilderness that failed due to the harsh conditions.

We hiked through the lush rain forest along a well marked trail.

There are a myriad of plants laden with berries and blooms.

Mystical formations abound as we continued on the trail expecting to see a gnome or a fairy peek out from under a tree.

A variety of mushrooms grow in the damp rich soil of the forest floor.

As we rounded a curve we could see the first glimpses of the San Josef Bay and hear the pounding surf of the Pacific Ocean.

Alas, the "outside" or the open ocean. After sailing the inside passage for a long time a new sense of freedom and openness overtook me!

As I hiked the beach, I came upon volcanic plumbs extruded through the sand from some ancient eruption.

I spent hours beachcombing on the smooth sandy beach.

Gulls rested and a mirror like reflection was created in the sand as the gentle waves broke on the beach.

We hiked back to the logging road and as we drove out we encountered this huge black bear! At first we thought he might charge the car but we stopped and rolled up the windows.

He continued along the road and then slipped into the forest.

Further down the logging road we encountered this young bear eating clover along side the road. He paid no attention to us and just kept about his business.

Out in the middle of nowhere was the welcome sight of the "The Scarlet Ibis Pub". I am sure it is there for the convenience of the loggers that work in the area. After all of those bear sightings we were ready for one of Canada's hearty meals and a hard cider!

This is definitely a meal for a logger or in this case a 10K hiker.

I couldn't resist taking a photo of a plate of Canadian Poutine! Surely this will put the pounds back on that were lost hiking 10K.

The Long Journey Home

We felt as if Neptune himself had sent this magical escort.
As we sailed down Fitz Hugh Sound we encountered a pod of about 100 White Sided Dolphins jumping and diving in the brilliant blue water.



Soon others joined us racing in the bow wake.



They played with us for over an hour.



I almost fell in hanging over the bow as one rolled on it's side to look at the red headed creature looking back.



Then just as they appeared, they disappeared moving away at lightening speed.



We pulled into Duncanby Landing off of Rivers Inlet to prepare for our crossing of Queen Charlotte Sound to Vancouver Island.



A playful otter greeted us.



We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and settled in for the night.

Aug. 28th - Farewell to Alaska!

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Our weather window has arrived and we will slip through a brief opening after waiting 10 days in Ketchikan. We feel a sense of sadness as we untie the lines at dawns first light. We begin our passage south and will leave the beauty of Alaska behind. As autumn approaches the message is brought by the howling winds, the pounding rain and the raging seas that the veil is dropping and the treasures that we have so enjoyed will become inaccessible behind it.
Salmon will spawn and die and then be reborn again. The wildlife that feasts upon their remains will return to their dens and nests nourished for the long winter ahead. Rivers of ice will thicken in the winter snow storms hopefully enough to sustain them in the coming seasons. Rain soaked residents will go on about their business in the land of the midnight sun and the winter darkness.
We will remember with delight what the “The Last Frontier” has given us. The thrill of seeing our first iceberg! We felt a spiritual experience of seeing nature’s wonders at their best in Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay. We witnessed iceberg sculptures carved by calving glaciers for our eyes only at that moment in time, never to be seen again. How can one forget seeing a stealth grey wolf in the wild pursuing an awkward young moose or the magnificence of a group of Humpback Whales bubble feeding off of Point Adolphus? We felt sheer and utter joy seeing the whimsical Tufted Puffins of St. Lazarius Island bobbing in the surf. We will never forget the multitude of Bald Eagles we saw soaring and diving in their mating rituals. Then there are the bears that we watched for hours, mothering and teaching their young. I was in awe when I saw my first Grizzly with her twin cubs feeding along a river choked with spawning salmon.

In our dreams we will sail along the fijords lined with snow capped peaks where no man has walked before and remember the remarkable warm and generous people we have met whom have chosen this land of extremes to live in.
Farewell Alaska and we hope to meet again!


Our Chart Plotter displays the US - Canadian Border.

Aug. 20th - Waiting Out A Gale Alaskan Style!

The day after we arrived in Ketchikan, to our surprise Sharon and Dick aboard our sister ship "Last Resort" arrived and docked close by. Vern and Joy on "M/V Wine Time" who so graciously greeted and helped us tie up when we arrived, joined in and we all became instant friends. They have shown us real Alaskan hospitality!
The weather forecast was grim with "Small Craft Warnings", "Gale Warnings" and "Rain", lots and lots of "Rain". For the last week the wind has howled gusting to 38 knots in the slip. Dixon Entrance which is open to the Gulf of Alaska had 11 to 14ft. seas and gusts to 40 knots. It takes more than that to get a bunch of sailors down. So what did we do, ya ask? We had a PARTY!


We gathered in the cockpit of "Last Resort".


We had variety of wonderful cheese, Scallops Picata with Garlic Toast, Shrimp with 4 different dipping sauces, wine, beer and of course Louie's diet soda.


Vern is an excellent chef and created Fresh Spring Rolls with a delicious dipping sauce and a thermos full of hot Saki.


There were lots of stories, laughs and hugs.

Vern and Joy are residents of Ketchikan and have a permanent slip at Bar Harbor.

There are many colorful boats in the fishing fleet docked in Bar Harbor.


The next day Joy took Sharon and me sightseeing around Ketchikan. We visited Totem Bight Park. This is a reconstructed typical Native Clan House of the 19th C. It is one large room with a central fireplace and could house 30 to 50 people.


In 1938 the U.S. Forest Services began a project to salvage, reconstruct and create Totem Poles a tradition which was dying out. They brought together older native craftsmen to restore old poles and carve new ones and thus passed on skills to younger generations.

This is haunting image on an old pole being restored.

I really enjoyed this newer pole with a whimsical bear on top followed by it's footprints.

Our afternoon was topped off with a visit to Salmon Falls Lodge for lunch. We had a view of the waterfall from our table.