What a Beautiful Day!!

Today is Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. When living in a tourist town that does not mean we have a three-day weekend. What we did have was a Sunday with only 500 people coming in on a cruise ship so many of the shops were closed. Most importantly, Bill and I had the day off together. He went out to breakfast while I kept going back to sleep. After a little studio cleaning, a nice lunch and a little gardening the sun came out and all clouds in the sky disappeared. Time to take the top off the Jeep and head to Dyea.


The tide was out and we watched herons and eagles near the water and then drove across the Taiya River. Dyea and Taiya are just different spellings of the same word meaning "pack it up". We crossed the bridge on the Taiya at the base of the Chilkoot Trail which the Tlingets had been using long before the gold rush. (The Tlingets were "packing up" fish to trade for caribou with the Tagish. Chilkoot means "basket full of fish.") Today we headed out West Creek towards the California Glacier. With the roof off we could hear the birds chirping and singing. For a while Bill was concerned the springs on the Jeep were squeaking. Nope, just the birds.





We passed our friend, Heidi with her horse trailer and two horses and saw signs she'd been enjoying a nice afternoon riding. She said she'd take me out riding one day--cool! For such a gorgeous day with little happening in town we were surprised to see so few people out there. Maybe there was a little recovering necessary after the beer festival in Haines yesterday.


Here's a sighting of civilization:



We finished our day with a drop by at Jeff and PJ's (from Payson) and admired their gardens, had fresh greens and fruit for dinner, and finished the day with our routine walk to the harbor!

It's a good life.

We Struck Gold...in a way

We've been going for walks each night after dinner and tonight we decided to go up to our organic store, You Say Tomato, to find out if they carry shiratake noodles or could order them for us. They'll let us know about ordering them. While we were there we saw the Produce Club orders bagged and waiting for people to come in and pick up their fresh produce. Our young friend, Andrea came in while we were there and didn't really need her bag of produce so we bought hers and signed up for a bag on June 7. Ooh...very cool. This is what we received. (blurry here but not in person!)


Fuji apples, Avocado, Mandarian, Murcott, Mango, Garlic, Corn, Cucumber, Mushroom, Green Pepper, Swiss Chard, Yellow squash, Red Leaf lettuce.

On Sunday Bill and I went for a drive (yes, I did some quilting on Saturday). I hadn't seen any bears yet and the ice is beginning to melt and the trees are beginning to leaf out and things change so quickly I didn't want to miss seeing ice and bare trees. We saw a weasel, three bears, numerous goats and sheep, an eagle, some ptarmigan, three porcupines and a lot of Canadians returning home after celebrating Victoria Day(s) in Skagway. Here are some great pictures--the colors in the ice were spectacular. This is a picture of Bove Island. I've taken lots and lots of pictures of this island. It's always interesting.








The grass is coming up quickly. It's a good thing because he's eating it quickly.


Above picture is taken from the bridge in Carcross. Yes, that's ice floating in the river. We walked down the boat launch to look at it closer. Brr...that's cold water. Doesn't Bill look comfortable since he's wearing three shirts? He wasn't--it was cold.

The Spell of the Yukon

The Spell of the Yukon
by Robert W. Service
(abridged version)

I wanted the gold, and I sought it;
I scrabbled and mucked like a slave.
Was it famine or scurvy-I fought it;
I hurled my youth into a grave.
I wanted the gold, and I got it-
Came out with a fortune last fall-
Yet somehow life's not what I thought it,
And somehow the gold isn't all.

Nol There's the land. (Have you seen it?)
It's the cussedest land that I know,
From the big, dizzy mountains that screen it
To the deep, deathlike valleys below.
Some say God was tired when He made it,
Some say it's a fine land to shun;
Maybe; but there's some as would trade it
For no land on earth-and I'm one.

There's a land where the mountains are nameless,
And the rivers all run God knows where;
There are lives that are erring and aimless,
And deaths that just hang by a hair;
There are hardships that nobody reckons;
There are valleys unpeopled and still,
There's a land-oh, it beckons and beckons,
And I want to go back-and I will.

There's gold, and it's haunting and haunting;
It's luring me on as of old;
Yet it isn't the gold that I'm wanting
So much as just finding the gold.
It's the great, big, broad land 'way up yonder,
It's the forests where silence has lease;
It's the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It's the stillness that fills me with peace.

I've been asked from time-to-time by passengers if I know any Robert Service. So I learned these verses from this poem. The whole thing is too long for me. But these verses resonate with me, so I learned them. Now I am trying to re-learn them for this year.

Peggie suggested that I share some of the fascinating gold rush info from time to time. So I will.

Three plus one equals $forty.

New math?
Quantum math?
Erroneous math?

Nope. Things here are returning to normal. Three bears and a moose with two passengers in the vehicle begets a $40 dollar tip. That is just one more of the reasons I love Skagway.

And now I can quit obsessing about bears. I am up to seven, a good number so I will stop reporting every sighting.

Today is "Be a tourist for a day." day. Locals and seasonals get great deals on various services, so we are again taking a half price helicopter ride. Then we will get our season membership at Jewell Gardens and enjoy free entry all summer.

Of course, a day off isn't all peaches and cream. Peggie is cleaning the apartment, I cleaned and now have to wash the jeep, and we will finish planting our garden. (lettuce) That, and some serious relaxation and it is amazing how fast the time goes.

Number Two!

This is NOT a post about my bathroom habits. Why would you even think that?

I had to go to Whitehorse again for bus repairs. Ironically, Dave was returning to Skagway with a repaired bus, when a large truck tossed a rock through the driver door window. So, back again the next day for the window, and it is my turn. I saw bear number two for the year. But it was a porcupine kind of day. Five of the sticky boogers.
Today, I got to go to Carcross and got the best ever bear sighting! Unfortunately, my duties controlling the bus prevented me from getting any video. Two barely not-cubs were wrestling like puppies by the road. We got to watch until one of the big busses released his air brakes. The psssst scared the bears into the woods likety split. But it was still cool to watch and, of course, the passengers loved it.

Wile E. is that you?

No run today. So unscheduled half day off.
What to do? Go to Dyea, of course.
Watching the seals and scoping for whatever (bears?) and what do I see? A lone coyote on the hunt. I see coyotes at home all the time. But here? He did not want to see me. As I approached, in the jeep, not on foot, he loped away. It was an unusual sighting, and I would have liked it better if he was a wolf, but you get what you get.
The seals are fun. They get up in the fresh water part of the river and slap their tales before they dive. I guess that groups the fish better or something.

Finally! First of this year!

You know what I'm talkin' about.
So I have to get philosophical.
Last year I counted 103 bear sightings. The year before I didn't count, but it must have been about the same. So why is another bear sighting so important and exciting after more than 200?
One way to look at it is: I lived twenty years with no bear sightings. Then saw one. I lived another forty years with no bear sightings. Then saw a hundred or more. Then saw another hundred. So, really, that is barely more than three per year. Not too many.
Or, in terms my family will understand: How many times have you had rocky road pie? Is that too many? Or, is it just as good the next time, and don't you wish it was more often?
Today's bear is the one others have been seeing. I know this because of location and description. One of the things about having hundreds of sightings is the ability to identify individuals. I didn't name this one. Okay, I just did. As I was writing this, the end of the last sentence was going to be "because he didn't have any distinguishing marks." But he did have a distinguishing behavior. He was scrating himself on trees and bushes. So how about Itchy? By the way, a bear scratching on trees and bushes is a really good bear sighting for the passengers. Seeing any behavior other than standing or walking is better.
So as more dandelions sprout and more snow melts and more bears become active, I get to have more fun. Oh, and seeing this bear reminded me of a rule of the road. "If you see something that might be a bear, it isn't; because when you see something that is a bear, there is no doubt."

It is springtime in Alaska...

...and it is NOT forty below, Johnny Horton.
Over the last three days the cottonwoods, birches, aspens, and whatever else grows here have leafed out. The snow is starting to melt quickly with new waterfalls all along the highway.
We both had the day off since there was no ship today. It is the last "no ship day" until Sep 4th.
We finally hiked to Lower Dewey Lake. It is the easiest of the thirteen Skagway hiking trails. With warm temperatures and sunshine and no ship, we were not the only ones on the trail. Afterward we ran into someone who told us there was a humpback in the harbor. We planned to go up to Yukon but we detoured to the harbor. We saw the spouts confirming the whale's presence, but it was across the harbor more than a mile away. Then we went over the summit. We saw the resident sheep on Sheep Mountain, and some other sheep and goats along the way. No bears or other large mammals.
By the way, you can get a look at what we look at without waiting for us to post photos. There is a sight called Skagway Alaska Webcams. There are two cameras down at the south end of town. They both show similar shots. One is in Fraser, BC. Fraser is the customs station 20 miles away. One is in Carcross, YT. It is 65 miles north of here. One is in Whitehorse, capital of YT and 110 miles north of here.

Lots of sunshine and a day off--and not 100 degrees!

Yesterday was housecleaning day--a studio apartment is just right! And time to plant the garden--five tubs is just right! And a warm summer day--67 degrees is just right! And today is another beautiful day--both of us off is just right!

 

Today?

I have been over the summit on ten of the twelve days we have been here. It has snowed on me all ten times. That is just a little excessive for May.
But today is the payoff. The sun is bright, the sky is blue, and all that snow is sparkling. Temperature is supposed to be in the sixties!
I was in the laundry/gas station yesterday after my two mountain tours. Other drivers were coming in with tales of bear sightings. So I am betting on today. If I am going to beat last year's 103 bears, it is time to get started.
Keep your fingers crossed for me, but don't hold your breath.
Peggie did some Googleresearch last night and I think Jane is right, that was a land otter on the Dyea road.
One of our new drivers is a 23 year old woman from Idaho named Conrad. When she learned about John Conrad, who developed a silver mine on a mountain he named Montana, founded a town he called Conrad City, and named another mountain Conrad, she did some family research and discovered that he was her great, great, great grandfather. She had no idea before she came up here.

New Photo Album

I decided to put together an album of a few photos of the ferry, our apartment and our view from our front door.

We've had a few days break from ships but lots and lots of "getting ready" work. Ships begin in earnest tomorrow. Trish arrives tomorrow and is bringing us rockfish, red snapper and halibut. Yum!

No walks tonight but Bill had an Outing and some Encounters, Casey. Stay tuned.

Another episode of why we like Skagway...

We decided we would take after dinner walks as many evenings as the weather will allow. And we are being generous with the weather: ie; mist or wind is allowable, downpour and gales are not. So, anyway, if we go east, we hit the hillside in one block and must turn north or south. If we go west, we hit the airport in three blocks and must turn north or south. So we ususally just go north or south to begin with. Mostly we have gone north. Last night we headed south. Bitter (for us Arizonans) wind in our faces. We stopped at the Bonanza Bar and Grill to see if our new (met on the ferry) friend Andrea was working. She was there, so we said hi, talked a bit, and continued to the waterfront. No seals or otters playing there. On the way back, the wind is behind us, so less unpleasant. We looked through the windows of a newly redone building only to discover that it is a Junior Ranger Activity Room run by the NPS. Lots of kid activity stuff in there. It made us smile. As we turned to continue a couple, man and woman, that is, passed us and she said, "You look happy!" So I said, "We were just looking at the kid stuff in here." End of conversation, they move on down the street, and we continue looking in windows as we head home. Just as we get a half block from home the couple reappears across the street and we begin a shouted conversation of the "What do you do here?" variety. Simultaneously, we decide it would be easier if we cross the street, and they did, too. So, it turns out they are first timers, they are not a couple, and they live in a warren of mini apartments upstairs above a store. "Would we like to see?" Sure. We are curious about the kinds of living arrangement others are in. Upstairs we meet four other women and another man who all share individual small bedrooms, but a common kitchen and living area. They all work for one of the jewelry companies, all are here for the first time, and all are from Southern California. They are excited to meet us and as interterested in us as we are in them. We had a great time, then we had to leave because they were sitting down to eat. But we will see them again. They were all really nice, one is a fellow teacher, two are from other countries, but Americans.
So this week, we had Thanksgiving dinner with one diverse group, met another one on the street, and encountered others from past years. That is one episode.
This year we also both have new coworkers. My two are women. One worked here ten years ago, felt the tug, and has returned. I think she is thirty something. She lives in a small camp trailer she has parked on private property of someone she knew before. The other is early twenties. She lives in a tent at Mountain View. I like both of them. I think the passengers will also like them. They both have previous driving experience.
I have to go to Whitehorse today. It will be my third trip since arriving last week. I also went to Carcross yesterday to a driver orientation at Caribou Crossing. So far I have seen no animal larger than a porcupine on these trips. Other drivers have seen black bears, grizzlies, caribou, moose, whatever. Oh, I have seen Dall Sheep on Sheep Mountain. Waaaay, up high. That hardly counts. So I am hoping for a fruitful trip today.
Up here, the tree line is at about 2800 feet. Not coincidentally, that is the current snow line as well. It creates a surreal situation when driving north. The summit, at 3292 feet is snowbound. Heading into Canada the road slowly descends so that in less than ten miles the snow is gone. But the big lakes are still ice covered. The ice looks out of place in a forest that is otherwise snow free. On returning to Skagway, there is quite literally a point at which you come around a curve from forest into a treeless, snow covered landscape. When the sun is out, it is blinding and spectacular. We are still getting fresh snow as recently as yesterday. So the peaks are still looking like Alpine wonderland. The snowmobile tracks all around the summit keep getting re-covered, so only the most recent stand out on the slopes.
Stay tuned for future episodes....in which I spot bears!!!

Notes from a Ramblin' man

These comments may seem a little disjointed (ramblin') because we are just a little unsettled after settling in.
We arrived on Monday, got moved in, mostly, and seems like we got right to work. The first ship, Disney Wonder came in on Friday. Dave hired two new drivers this year, but neither one was here yet. So it was just the two of us to do three tours. Guess who did two? Saturday, the Carnival Spirit was in. Guess who got to do two tours again. Now it may seem like two tours in one day is great because you get twice as much in tips, right? Wrong. The shorter, in town tours are not as much fun because there is less scenery and fewer opportunities to spot wildlife. And doing two back-to-backs two days in a row makes it easy to forget what you said and if you've left anything out. Also, the tips are actually less, per person, than on the longer tours. So, I much prefer the long trips. But so does Dave, and he is the boss, so he gets to choose. Keeping a positive attitude, I am glad to do the local tours because it made me refresh myself on the details of the Gold Rush and get reoriented in the town. That said, when both new drivers are here and trained, I want to go to the Yukon as much as I can.
Today is Sunday, Mothers' Day. We were invited to Mothers' Day Brunch at the Stowaway with our card playing buddies. It was our first get together with them, so it was great to get caught up with everybody's lives. And the Stowaway had a special menu for the day which was quite good. They have a new head chef this year and it will be interesting to see what changes.
We were also invited to a Thanksgiving (yes with turkey and all the usual trimmings) potluck with a mixed group of local and seasonal people. We knew one person well, had just met the hosts, and expected to meet a bunch of new folks. There were about 15 people, and we already knew half a dozen from past years by face, even if we didn't know names. People who work at the bank, or at stores, at restaurants, or in one case, another driver. So it was very pleasant to talk with a new set of people and get to learn some new stories. For instance, the house is haunted by the ghost of the son of the previous owners. He is not a poltergeist, and doesn't do anything scary. But they are aware of him, and have seen him in reflections in the window glass. He did not join us for dinner, as far as I know.
I have not seen any bears yet. The food looks pretty scarce, and there is still a lot of snow on the ground. Two other drivers have seen bears this week.
On the ferry up, we saw a few humpbacks, quite a few orcas, and more porpoises than we could accurately count. We had one day of low clouds, rain, and no visibility, but mostly it was a scenic ride.
Yesterday, we went to Dyea for the first time just to check it out. On the way over we stopped for a sea otter in the road. It seemed confused about what it was doing and where it was going. It was very ungainly on land considering how graceful they are in the water. We looked at the sea, and it was full of seals. Really. We don't know how many we saw in the next mile, since they dive and pop up in a new spot, but there must have been fifty or so. We wondered if they frightened the otter out of the water. Today at breakfast somebody suggested that the candlefish may be running up the river, attracting the seals. (If an otter out of water is good blog fodder, how does anybody learn to pronounce or spell in English?)
On a related note, the local newspaper contained a story about five seals and sea lions found dead, apparently shot, in the harbor and in Dyea. It is a mystery. It is a mystery to me how anybody could get away with something like that in a community as small as Skagway. When I was growing up in Cottonwood (a bigger town than this) there would have been half a dozen suspects who could quickly be run down.
So, anyway, it is still late winter in Dyea. yellow grass and leafless trees. The creek where we watch grizzlies catch salmon doesn't have enough water to get your socks wet. It is all still tied up in the white stuff on the mountain. The Skagway River is also clear and shallow. On Saturday morning we were getting dusted with snow flakes at the summit. On Saturday afternoon, the sun was three quarters out and the peaks were blindingly visible. I saw two little girls playing in a sprinkler on my way home. I was comfortable in my three shirts and gortex rain coat. Today as Peggie and I trudged home from the potluck against the chilly wind in our coats and scarves, we encountered a local kid in shorts and t-shirt riding her trike on the fine spring day. I hope we will become a little better acclimated soon.
There are no ships in until Thursday, but we both have work to do. I will go to Whitehorse twice in three days to get busses. I will take the new drivers along for training. I am now the old experienced one. Weird. I feel comfortable, but not like I'm the old guy. (I don't need any smart alecky comments on that)

Time to make the donuts!

That's our expression for "set the alarm and go to work". We arrived in Skagway on Monday afternoon after a calm and restful 3 days on the ferry. We picked up our key for the apartment and found out that we both had Tuesday off and that was going to make moving in a little bit easier. Our apartment is about 3 feet wider than our previous one and has lots of windows. It's freshly painted and has a new kitchen--a double sink, cupboards on both sides of the sink, a regular refrigerator and a tiny stove. We have room for a small round table and two chairs at the foot of the bed so we can have meals at a real table. The head of the bed fits against the wall and there is room for both of us to sit in the living room and get up and move without making the other one stand up and move first. Our location is still just as convenient as last year. We're about 10 feet farther away from the library but about 10 feet closer to the post office. Not a bad trade.

We both went back to work today. Bill went up to Whitehorse to pick up one of the busses and I worked learning the mailout system at the quilt shop. I'll have a new assortment of duties this year and that will be interesting.

We've enjoyed seeing friends and finding out what everyone's been up to and learning about where they spent their winter vacation. It's very much like going back to school in the fall and greeting everyone again. We're still working out the normal glitches-no internet yet and we had to get a PO box this year instead of using general delivery. We''ll send that address out shortly.

Bill's mom is home from the hospital and we have our fingers crossed for Casey's new job.

And, in case you're interested, it was 44 degrees here yesterday and it rained.