June 13, 2018 - Day 12: Ketchikan to Meyers Chuck

Today: we cruised just 33 miles in just over 4 hours time.  Now that we're in Alaska, our pace will slow down.  We are three days ahead of schedule, with a week to get to Sitka; and another week from there to get to Juneau.

One last look at the marina in Ketchikan before we lose the hustle-bustle of a tourist hot spot and

seek more solitude to match our new-found pace to slow down...

Bald Eagles are EVERYWHERE in Ketchikan, like Seagulls in Anacortes.  Seems like they sit atop nearly every vertical post, streetlight, and sign in Ketchikan...

Hmmm...the Ketchikan Duck Tour, not unlike the Ketchikan Crab Boat Tour: tourism run amok!  But how often do you see FOUR Bald Eagles perched together?  That's Ketchikan's good side.

Glen does the finishing touches on fixing the mast light after collective team effort of troubleshooting among Glen, Peggy, and Mark.

Heading out of the Ketchikan marina...

We know we'll be seeing more floatplanes, and in fact we have booked passage on one and chartered another for tours based out of Juneau later in the trip.  But it will be nice to leave the busy-ness of Ketchikan behind and seek more tranquil settings as we set a course North to Meyers Chuck

Fishing remains a strong industry in Ketchikan, and it is fascinating to observe the activities of the fishing fleet...

Near town, lots of evidence of another historical source of commerce in Alaska as huge sections of timber have been logged...

Now that we are in Alaska, time to exchange the "courtesy" Canadian flag and fly the "Inside Passage" burgee instead.  This custom burgee blends the themes of the flags of Alaska and British Columbia, and includes the colors of the flags of the United States, Canada, and Washington State.

Heading out of the marina - next stop: Meyers Chuck

A light rain squall in the distance, but we were blessed with another day of mostly sunny weather:

Rounding into the very narrow opening to Meyers Chuck, with small public dock and friendly, hospitable residents.  Some of the locals keep their fishing boat on the dock, and it is fun to get some of the local history up close and personal...

After successive days in Prince Rupert and Ketchikan, it was nice to get away from cities and walking Moxie through parking lots and getting onto a hiking trail with the crew....

The locals have a lot of creative talent, as well as a great sense of humor as evidenced by some of the local "yard art" on display.  There is also a very classy, small art gallery in this tiny town of around two dozen homes.

A Great Blue Heron...

A huge spider web alongside the trail that measured around 30' x 40':

The scenic trail took us past our tugs moored on the public dock, through a very dense forest, and out to a rugged beach with great views of the vast tidal pools

The trail also provides a walking tour past many of the eclectic homes in Meyers Chuck, that range from the "Under-Progress-For-Two-Decades" appearance to Cute-and-Cozy to the truly palatial and magnificent:

 

 

 Lining the small bay is the local Post Office and homes that define "Waterfront View"...

It has been remarkable how we have been able to keep our tiny flotilla together at each destination, whether by anchoring or even on the docks.  We tend to draw a lot of curiosity from locals and fellow boaters as we look like some sort of Ranger Tug Parade.

Note the extreme height of the dock pilings, towering some 20 to 30 feet over our boats.  This is to accommodate the extreme 20+ foot tidal changes experienced in these northern latitudes.  This adds significant challenge to anchoring, as we experience at our next stop at Thoms Place.

It is also fun to tie-up next to a genuine "working tug" that provided the aesthetic inspiration behind our little cruising tugs.  The owner of this tug lives across the bay at the "Post Office", and his wife bakes amazing sweet rolls to sell to visiting boaters which we will sample the next morning.  These hearty and industrious Alaskans do what they can to scratch out a living in this "final frontier"...

Peggy and I continue to turn to each other periodically and proclaim: WE ARE DOING IT…WE ARE IN ALASKA!  These are the “pinch me, I must be dreaming” moments.

Next stop: Thoms Place, where we try out our fishing and crabbing skills for the first time on this journey now that our pace has slowed...

~Mark

Editor's note: my apologies for the often disjointed formatting of this blog.  It is not my intention to use multiple font styles and colors, arrange pictures or descriptions centered sometimes, but flush left or right other times, and leave huge gaps of space scattered throughout.  The blog program seems to have a creative mind of its own, and the control-freak that I am is going crazy wrestling with it!  I've got places to go, views to take in, and pictures to take, so forgive the formatting and just enjoy "as is" as I'd rather not waste more time on correcting these format challenges.  ~Mark