Heading north on the Blue Canoe (Alaska
Marine Highway Service) This picture is taken out of Juneau with the Mendenhal glacier in
the background.Back in Alaska again!
Once again we have decided to head North to Alaska! No copious quantities of incessant ramblings this time. No endless roaming. We have found the spot we love and see no point in traveling. We are here in Haines for the summer, and we are big on pictures! Stop in to SEE what is happening in our lives as it happens. Thumbnails will give you the option for closer looks. Brief annotations will fill you in on what is going on. This will be a work in progress as long as we are making progress. Do drop in!
(Turns out we have so many photos that it has become necessary to break this pictorial up into sections, hence, please use the following index or links to be found elsewhere on this page.)
Heading north on the Blue Canoe (Alaska
Marine Highway Service) This picture is taken out of Juneau with the Mendenhal glacier in
the background.
Views along the Lynn Canal include hanging valleys which channeled tributary glaciers into the larger glacier which carved North America's largest fjord. The Eldred Rock Lighthouse is a well known landmark on the approach to Haines. The Davidson Glacier signals our arrival.
We are comfortably situated in a small cabin directly on the water overlooking the Lynn Canal. This is a view from our deck. Common neighbors include several bald eagles. loons and a blue heron, a mama moose with calf, porpoise and humpback whales who can occasionally be seen playing in the canal.
A recent acquisition is a foldable Klepper Aerius II expedition kayak. The first picture shows the entire kayak packed in three bags. The second picture shows the wood frame. The frame assembles by clipping and snapping pieces in place. What a snap! The third shot is the finished product with skin. All we need now is water!
We had fun making this purchase from Herr Peter, of Klepper West, in Somerset, California. Good luck finding his little shop, but if you do you will have his full attention and expertise. This amounts to a winning combination and a fine product.
July 2: Time to kayak. Joining us are our friends Fred and Madeleine.
Preparing to launch, but launching lunch?
Fun and grandeur on Chilkoot Lake.
At
the head of the lake, we stop for a snack of smoked salmon, apples, canned cheese
(imported yet!) and a proper christening of our new Klepper craft with the finest
Zinfandel. Keeping our eyes out for bear and moose and squirrel, all of whom have left
tracks on the beach.
Haven't I seen
this fellow on a quarter somewhere? A quick trip through the woods leads us to the glory
hole, a primordial corner of the world which is the Sockeye salmon's favorite
spawnacatorium. Nobody frivolitating yet, but the run is soon to come.
A full day finds us returning home, with no let
up for photo ops.
July 4 - Visit the collection of photos of parades, mud volleyball, kid's olympics, and the infamous Chilkoot River Run.
July 8 - Nothing much going on...just bicycle riding, hiking, kayaking, attempts at fishing, some reading in the evening, miscellaneous what-not. Meanwhile, while we find something worth photographing, here are some views from the front yard. The bird in shot #3 is an eagle in flight.
July 10 - "...and my baby's goin' fishin' too!" (These pictures consist of 2 bytes)
Dolly Varden for dinner! Two is the limit on Chilkoot River, and Carolyn got both of them. That's okay, we can come back tomorrow!
July 13 - Haines is, amongst other qualities, a community of artists. We have seen the work of John Svenson throughout our travels in Southeast Alaska. We now have the great pleasure to be one of John's neighbors, as his gallery is just up the road. John sponsors the work of many local artists, which can be viewed at this gallery, or on his website at Extremedreams.com . If you tire of looking at great art, you can enjoy the great view of Rainbow Glacier from the back deck of the gallery.
After visiting John and Shannon, we head off for a hike up Mount Riley. The following panorama is not a Rorschaulk, (which confused QuickStitch, necessitating some work in Photoshop), rather a view from up high of the Chilkat River on the left, and the Lynn Canal on the right. Haines may be seen in the saddle dividing the two.
Views from up high were in abundance.
A view of Davidson
Glacier, or what is left of it. The terminal moraine now forms the broad flat expanse at
its base. Less than 100 years ago, it extended far out into the Chilkat River.
Our trip to Porcupine - Travel with us up the Dalton Trail to the site of Haine's historic gold fields.
the Tsirku Cannery
Jim Szymanski has provided visitors a unique opportunity to view a working model of a salmon cannery. I was so impressed by the quality of this exhibit, I took pictures of each piece of the line and present them on their own page. Take a virtual tour of the Tsirku Cannery.
Seduction Point
The town of Haines lies upon the Chilkat Peninsula. At the end of the peninsula lies the rock known as Seduction Point, where one can view where the Chilkat River Estuary and the Lynn Canal meet, and where whales play. We may yet succeed in completing the 14 mile round trip, but today a short break in bad weather allowed us a brief reprieve from our walls and a welcome enjoyment of thick woods and glacial views.
The Wild Iris
Fred and Madeleine Shields host one of Haines' finest galleries located in historic Fort Seward. Their gallery houses Fred's original jewlery (a diamond and cobolto-calcite pendent is shown), Madeleine's prints and printed wear, and Eskimo art. Fred's uniquely versitile hospitality makes visitors from around the world feel right at home. Madeleine's garden is world class and attracts the attention and praise of many visitors. Come visit her garden for yourself.
Waltzing Rapinsky Join us for a hike up Haines' home town hill. The best views of town!
Join us for dinner and hikes in the Yukon Territory
August 2 - We were just returning from our trip into the Yukon, when a couple of nefarious characters arrived at the airport. Wayne and Swace have completed a two week whirlwind tour of Alaska, ranging from the Brooks Range, to the Kenai, and over to Haines. We showed them around a little, looking for bear, moose, and eagle ... about the only things they didn't get to see from their plane.
Sorry to see the boys go, but we
won't be far behind them.
Ciao for
now!
August 5 - the last entry! We have had a wonderful six weeks in Alaska, but must board our boat in two days to return to the lower 48, where another year of work awaits. Alaska awaits as well. We have already made arrangements to return to our little cabin on the cove next summer. Thanks for having joined us! See you back in town. :~)
