We left Wrangell to head down through Zimovia Strait to Frosty Bay.  The weather was nice however we did have to zig and zag through the gill netters.  There so many of them.  When we got to Frosty Bay it was sunny so anchoring was easy.

 

The next day we left LaMouette at Frosty Bay and went aboard Puffin to go to the Anan Bear Observatory.  I had read about the Observatory in a Sunset Magazine a few years ago and was anxious to see the black and grizzly bears.  We anchored Puffin and rowed ashore.  The first ranger met us with his rifle half way up the trail and told us what to do if we encountered bears!  We talked loud and sang many songs, clapping our hands and stomping our feet on the boardwalk.  When we got close to the platform to view the bears in Anan Creek, the  next ranger signaled us to stop.  There was a black bear near the boardwalk.   We waited until the ranger signaled us that we could pass.

 

We spent the next 4 hours in awe and amazement watching black bears catch salmon in the creek.  Later in the day the grizzly bears replaced the black bears for another round of awe and amazement.  There were eagles everywhere.  We cannot explain the feeling to be only a few feet away from grizzly bears as they were catching fish in the stream.  Within the next few days we will be posting the photos.  Like I said before Larry could not help himself in the last posting of pictures.  In his attempt to put the photos into smaller groups, i.e., whales, icebergs, glaciers and bears he removed from our blog the photos and in trying to replace them in those groups, he was denied access to adding more as he had exceeding our monthly limit.  Be patient and check out our blog in August to see the group pictures; i.e., bears, glaciers etc.

 

We returned to Frosty Bay to pick up LaMouette and went to Santa Anna Inlet to anchor for the night.  When we awoke the next morning, the sun was shining and there was blue sky.  We left the anchorage to go to Meyers Chuck with the sun shining.  As we approached Clarence Strait the wind picked up and so did the seas.  We entered the narrow entrance in 20+ knots of wind with 5 foot seas.  We were glad to see the dock.  Puffin arrived shortly thereafter.  After 5 weeks Meyers Chuck was a friendly and secure place to tie up the boats.

 

We stayed one night and decided to head to Ketchikan and headed out into Clarence Strait only to find the conditions a little worse than the day before.  After a short time we all decided to return to the safety of Meyers Chuck spending the day with old friends we had met along the way and new friends at the docks.  Larry baked cookies on the barbeque and they were shared with Puffin.

 

The next day was sunny and the weather conditions had improved.  So we headed for Ketchikan.  By the time we reached Ketchikan it was pouring down rain and it looks like we will be here for the next few days waiting for good conditions before crossing Dixon Entrance.  Alaska has exceeding all of our expectations.  Our adventure will continue as we head to Canada and home.  We will still be updating our blog so keep on checking in with us.

For those of you who are still with us, thank you for looking at all the pictures Larry put on the blog.  The sights here are so unbelievable that it is hard not to want to include all of them.

 

The new docks at Wrangell are not done so we are at the transient dock.  We are rafted to Puffin and most rafts are 3 to 4 boats deep.  There are so many fishing boats here.  Each one different from the next.  Some are in great shape and some are not.  On Saturday, we all spent the day in town.  This town is hurting for something other than fishing to bring in revenue.  We manage to keep busy and leave some tourist money here!  On Sunday we took a taxi to the pictograph beach.  There we walked the beach and the rocks to see the ancient pictographs.  They are not sure whether these rocks were brought here by glacial flow or whether the Indians here did them.  In any event, they took at least a day each of chiseling.

 

Tomorrow we head down Zimovia Strait to Frosty Bay where we will leave LaMouette the next day to travel to the Anan Bear Observatory.  We are hoping for good weather as it has be raining most of today.  Our next big stop will be Ketchikan in 4-5 days.

Monday, July 2nd--Joyce and I spent the day in Juneau shopping.  There are thousands of cruise ship passengers and even more tee shirts with a thousand and one way to say Alaska.  On July 3rd friends we had met at Cannery Cove invited us to her sister's 4th of July party.  From Douglas on the beach we waited almost until midnight as it was not dark enough to see the fire works.  They were spectacular even though a little rain fell.  On the 4th Larry and Steve took the Mt.Roberts Tram while Joyce and I walked around.  From the pictures you can see the view.

 

We left Juneau on July 5th and headed to Auke Bay on the other side of Gastineau Channel.  It took awhile to locate a place for both boats.  This part was not fun.  As you look from the Harbor you can see the Mendenhall Glacier.  It is huge!  After we left Auke Bay we saw the Point Retreat Lighthouse.   This is the farthest North we would travel.  We decided to stop at the State Docks in Funter Bay.  They left a little to be desired as when water hit the docks, some parts of the docks were under water!  It is a good thing we float.   People we met earlier tied up behind us.  We spent the evening on their boat listening to Steve and Van play guitar.  I will not say more as this is Steve's Story.

 

We headed across Chatham Channel to Swanson Harbor.  This Harbor is so tucked away and the weather was warm and sunny.  We are at State Docks for the night.  The State Docks here are free!  In the morning we head to Tenakee Hot Springs.  This little village as you can see from our pictures is funky.  The main street is 3 miles long and 6 feet wide.  We walked to town from the docks to find dinner.  We were told we could get hamburgers at Rosie's Blue Moon Cafe.  When you walked in, the floor space was covered with boxes of soft drinks, beer, and boxes of wine.  In order for her to cook dinner for us, she had to warm up the grills and fryer, peel and cut the potatoes, and then make the burgers. This process took 2-3 hours.  We got great fries but the hamburgers were a little rare.  We decided to leave the Imodium out if we did not die first!!  The next day we spent walking the road and taking pictures.   The waterfront property went for $150,000 while the other side went for $50,000.  While I did laundry that day, 2 young men from the fishing vessel, The Greyling, came in.  They had forgotten their soap and did not want to walk back to the boat so I gave them some soap.   Later that day, they came to LaMouette with 2 huge crabs to thank me.  The crabs were at least 10 inches!  We shared with Steve and Joyce.   They were great!

 

We got up early on July 5th.  There are fog banks everywhere.  As we turn the point all hell breaks loose so we call Puffin and turn back to Pavlof Bay.  The seas had taken a turn for the worse.  We spent 2 nights in this Bay.  When we leave we are able to put up our jib as we go across Peril Strait.  Getting into Cosmos Bay was tricky but oh so beautiful.  On Friday, the 13 we head to Warm Springs Bay on Baranof Island.  Their are more State Docks.  Larry and I head to the hot baths.  There are 3 rooms with locked doors overlooking the huge waterfalls.  Two of the rooms have huge troughs and one had a handmade bath tub out of cedar.  It was hot and wonderful.  The next night all 4 of us were in different bathtubs (you do the math) and Larry said it was not often you could talk to your friends while bathing!!

 

On the 15th we left Warm Springs Bay.  It was foggy and we are greatful we have radar.  As we round the bottom of Admiralty Island, there are many sea lions.  These animals are huge!  Off to our starboard we can see about 20-30 eagles!  There must be good fishing here for them all.    Our next stop was Kake which is a small Tlingit community.  We stop at the fuel docks and learn that there is a funeral in town and we must wait.  Finally we get our fuel and fill up with water.  We ask if they sell ice and they say know.  So the clerk Joanna calls the big grocery store and they are closed but they will give us ice when we get there.  I ask how far it is and Joanna hands me the keys to her Subaru and tells me to take it to the store!  Joyce and I go and when we get the store it is dark but someone opens the door and gives us 3 bags of ice!  What a town!

 

When we leave Kake on the 16th, we pass more eagles.  As we head into Frederick Sound, we see whale spouts.  We motor on over to hear these humpback whales communicating with one another.  They are spouting and fluking.  Then they formed a circle and fed on the fish in the water.  When they do this they come part way out of the water.  We must have watched them for about an hour or so, taking lots of pictures! 

 

We spent the night in Portage Bay and then went on to Petersburg.  It is warm and sunny and we are here for a couple of days.  Our next stop should be Wrangell.

Well, I suppose you are wondering what has happened to us since Prince Rupert.  Wellllllllllllllllllll here goes.

 

We left Prince Rupert in the morning of July 13.  We went through Venn Passage which had many sharp 90 degree turns.  As Puffin and LaMouette headed toward Dundas Island the sun was out and it was flat on the seas.  It was early yet when we entered Chatham Channel.  We called Puffin and decided to head for Foggy Bay which is across Dixon Entrance.  Our first stop in Alaska!  It was glassy smooth when we started across.  About half way the winds picked up.  The swells were 4-5 feet hitting across our beam.  White caps.  Not fun.  We finally got close to Foggy Bay.  Entering was fun (?) because there were breakers and white caps and tide rips and lots of rocks.  But we made it into Foggy Bay where it was flat and peaceful.  We made it to ALASKA!!!!

 

Thursday, June 14th--We leave a comfortable anchorage and head out of Foggy Bay to Ketchikan.  Again it is not an easy trick to get out of Foggy Bay.  There are 2-3 foot waves hitting us broadside for the first couple of hours.  But the sun is shining.  Several huge cruise ships pass us both coming and going to Ketchikan.   Puffin calls us to tell us there are whales ahead!  We see their dorsal fins but are not close enough for pictures.  We moor at Bar Harbor Marina in Ketchikan.  We clear customs.  With our Nexus there is no problem.

 

The next morning we take the city bus to downtown Ketchikan where we go down Creek Street where there used to be many brothels.  There are a lot of  cruise ship passengers.

 

On 6-17 the weather is not good enough to leave so we take the city bus to the Totem Heritage Museum.  These are old totem poles that are being preserved.  We are the only people there.

 

On 6-18 we leave Ketchikan for Meyers Chuck via Clarence Strait which is a huge body of water.  We spot whales and one even flukes for us.  Meyers Chuck has a rocky shallow entrance but is marked well.  We are all tied up at the State Dock.  The State of Alaska provides these docks free.  They are wonderful!  We meet a family of 4 on a Catalina 36 named Wind Dancer from Juneau.  They are on their way to New Zealand taking 3 years to do it all!  Amazing!!

 

On the 19th we leave Meyers Chuck for Santa Anna Inlet.  As we round the point we again are hit by 2-3 foot waves broadside.  We are almost getting used to this!  The Inlet is calm but raining.  We have a very peaceful night.  In the morning it is still drizzling.  We head to Zimovia Narrows where there were many right angle turns.  One must pay attention to the red and green markers.  Locals had told us to go to Roosevelt Bay for a pretty anchorage.  When Puffin called to say they were anchored we could hear in their voice that it was not the greatest anchorage.  When we got there, we agreed.  We did a very long day to St. Johns Harbor.  We went 50 miles today!

 

On June 21st it is raining as we head across the Strait to Wrangell Narrows.  It gets very very narrow in spots.  There is a tide change in the middle of the narrows so we anchor for the afternoon at Half Moon Bay and watch the fisherman.  I have figured fishing out.  First you let your boat float down a ways.  Then you stand up, rev up your engine, wake all the other boats and go up stream to repeat the process until you catch a fish.  I guess that is why they call it fishing and not catching!  We catch the tide to Petersburg.  The water is flat and the sun is shining!

 

We are moored in North Harbor of Petersberg Marina.  This is a working harbor.  Lots of fishing boats even Desire from our own Squalicum Harbor.  They really do come to Alaska to fish!!  The next evening there is a knock on our hull.  One of the locals caught a lot of crab and would we like 2.  You bet!  We share them with Steve and Joyce.

 

June 23rd is a work day for Larry and Steve as they will change the oil. 

 

June 24th--We are up at 6 a.m. to head off thru Frederick Sound to Portage Bay where we spend a pleasant evening.  On June 25th 6 a.m. comes way too soon.  The Bay is covered with fog but we have our radar and as the day progresses the sun comes out.  We have a great sail (yes, sail) with our jib.  We anchor in Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island.  There are several other boats here.  At dusk we see that there are 2 grizzly bears on shore just minding their own business.  We are surrounded by snowy mountains and waterfalls.  This is so serene.

 

June 26 we have a leisurely morning and then head out.  It is warm and sunny.  As we head out of the Bay, we spot humpback whales.   They are frolicking in the water.  Breeching! Splashing their fins.  Fluking!  One whale came about 20 feet from LaMouette!  Then we have dolphins surfing by the bow of LaMouette.  What a day.  We anchor in Good Island Nook in Gambier Bay.  It is so very calm and peaceful.  It is still hard to go to sleep at 10 p.m. with it being as bright as day.

 

June 27th finds us heading to Tracy Arm Cove to see icebergs.  We encounter more whales.  Again we are amazed.  We put our jib up again as we sail into the Cove.  As we enter the Cove we can see icebergs!  They are so very blue.  One even has an eagle sitting on it.  Don't they get cold feet?  Larry and Steve head out to get bergie bits for our iceboxes!

 

On the 28th we leave LaMouette at anchor and board Puffin to see if we can get to Sawyer Glacier up Tracy Arm.  There are so many icebergs each a different blue.  Some as big as boats--some as big as houses!  The sun is shining and there is blue sky as we enter the canyons.  The canyons got very narrow and Steve maneuvered Puffin expertly through the icebergs.  We got to the S curve where we started seeing boats turning around.  It must have been a big day for the glacier in calving as Tracy Arm's icebergs blocked the channel.  We turned around not willing to risk Puffin.  But we were not disappointed.  Sometimes the destination is not as important as the journey!

 

We left Tracy Arm Cove the morning of the 29th where we left for Taku Harbor.  There is another State Dock and Puffin and LaMouette tie up there.  There was an abandoned cannery there and a Forest Service Cabin.  We have decided to spend 2 nights here.  We meet some wonderful people from Juneau.  One, the head of the Department of Transportation for the State of Alaska offers us the use of one of his cars while we are in Juneau.  Every one is so very friendly, helpful and kind.

 

On July 1st we are off to Juneau, our goal!  We are passed by many cruise ships.  One must go under the Juneau-Douglas Bridge in order to get into the Harbor.  It's clearance is 50 feet at high tide.   As LaMouette motors towards the bridge the gauge on the bridge says it is low tide with a clearance of 60 feet.  We make it!  And so does Puffin.  We are moored in Harris Harbor where our slips are a little short for Puffin but even for LaMouette!  Juneau is supposed to get a lot of rain but yesterday and today it is just cloudy.  Behind the city are huge snow capped mountains.  What a view to wake up to.

 

Last year when Larry and I sat down to plan this journey, Juneau was the destination.  We cannot believe we are here!  We will be here thru the 4th of July.  There will be fireworks in Gastineau Channel on the 3rd.  What a trip!  We will be starting our journey back to Bellingham but will visit many new spots along the Inside Passage including the Anan Bear Observatory, Wrangell and many more so keep tuning in. 

 

 

 LaMouette--she is an old boat but she is a good old boat!!