Swanson Bay to Funter Bay
We checked out Hunter’s Inlet on the way once again hoping
to visit an abandoned cannerybut the chart showed a tricky and rocky entranced.
The details suggested that it not be attempted without “local knowledge” of the
inlet so we moved on.
Thanks to Mike, we no longer have ugly oil being blown all
over the boat deck, our water maker is chugging along and all is right with the
world. What a weight off David’s
shoulders.
We found a spot at the public dock in 18 feet of water.
Diane and Mike wanted to do some fishing so they took off in the dinghy. They
found the waves much too rough and decided to just tour the bay.
Diane bought a sourdough cookbook and starter in Hoonah and
after 36 hours of bubbling batter, she made a scrumptious streusel coffee cake
and yummy brownies. David has used it for sourdough bread baked in the cast
iron pot. We have lots of starter to experiment with during our journey, and I
promised Diane to take photos of whatever we create.
July 9th
Auke Bay, Juneau
Departure 7:00 cloudy
59 degrees
We have continued the practice of running the engine at
higher rpms for at least 30 minutes each day flushing it out. The engine uses
three-times the fuel at the higher speed gaining only 2 additional nautical
miles! No more oil mess makes Mike and David very happy.
We arrived at Auke Bay marina at 10:30 to a
jumbled mess of boats. It has a “first come, first serve” policy with no
guidance from the harbormaster so we cruised slowly between Docks C and D
looking for a spot and none could be found. Diane and I were given the task of
holding on to the big ball fenders and using them if needed as a buffer between
us and any other boat if we got too close.
David’s heart was in his throat
while maneuvering in these tight spaces between docks and boats.
At one point, David yelled down to me to call the private
marina near-by to see if they had space. I was frantically trying to find the
number and was unaware that Diane was rapping on the window trying to get my
attention. I finally looked up to see us coming alongside a fishing boat. I ran
out to find Diane and Mike running around getting fenders set. I tried to get a
line to the captain of the fish boat, and he finally just had to grab it from
my fumbling hands. The captain and his crew were so kind to invite us to raft
up to them and then to help us tie up safely.
We needed to get to the dock in order to walk up to the
office to pay for our moorage. In order to do that, we had to climb on to the
neighboring seiner, walk over nets and around equipment, climb over the side to
another fishing boat and then climb on to the dock. Not an easy feat especially
when you are looking down at the water while navigating the gap between boats.
At one point, I stopped and said, “I’m too afraid.” Everyone helped me through it but during the
rest of the afternoon the idea that we were going to have to repeat that same
process to get back on to our boat, was gnawing away at me.
Lunch was enjoyed at the “Hot Bite” near the marina and then
we hopped on the local bus and took almost a two hour bus ride through Juneau.
Our route did not take us to where the cruise ships dock and downtown area. The
places we traveled through included the shady and run down, pleasant
residential neighborhoods, strip malls and coastline. Not the best
representation of the city, for sure, but still interesting to see. You get a
real cross-section of humanity on the bus, as well.
While walking back to our boat dreading our “crossing”, we
spotted a vacant section of dock just big enough for the Belle. Diane and Mike
stayed at the spot in order to thwart off any boat trying to snatch it. We
thanked our fish captain, and he and his crew helped get us underway saying, “When
you see a spot open, you gotta take it.”
David hesitated to move only because the fishing crew had
been so generous to us, but was glad we talked him into it. We were all
thrilled not to have to scale the bullworks of any boat but our own.
As a surprise, Mike and Diane gifted us a ride on a
helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier early in the evening. We got to their
command center at the airport to find gear all set out for us…pants, jacket,
boots, gloves and fanny pack equipped with water and a granola bar. It was my
first helicopter ride and I got the VIP seat next to the pilot. Have to admit
that I was feeling somewhat apprehensive, but our pilot, Tracey, expertly
provided a smooth and glorious ride. We had a 20 minute tour over hills,
valleys, lakes, waterfalls, and the Mendenhall and Herbert Glaciers discovering
mountain goats and a bear below us.
After landing on the glacier, we were equipped with
“clamp-ons”. We looked like we had bear claws on the bottom of our boots. Armed
with our spikey boots and walking sticks, we hiked on the aquamarine ice with
our guide for about an hour. I was falling behind until I was certain that
those “claws” were indeed going to keep me upright. They were amazing
“grippers”.
It is difficult to describe this incredible experience. I
kept asking myself, “Am I really walking on a glacier? Is this for real?” This
experience will forever be etched in our memories for all its extraordinary
wonder. What a generous and thoughtful gift from Mike and Diane. Without
question, it will remain a highlight of our Alaskan adventure!
Unfortunately, I did have a mishap while on the glacier. Our
guide suggested we pour out our water and fill our water bottles from the
glacier water stream. He was kind enough to do it for me, and when he handed it
back to me, I did not check the cap. When I was getting my “clamp-ons” removed,
the guide pointed out that my fanny pack was leaking. I looked inside to find
my phone taking an icy cold bath. Not a good sign.
Group picture with our trusty pilot, Tracey
July 10th
Juneau
We eagerly awaited the arrival of my brother, Frank, and
Ashley and Ada. There were sheets and towels to wash and the boys had “such a
deal for us”. “If you take the laundry to the laundromat, you can treat
yourself to breakfast at the near-by café.”
Sounded great until we found the café closed for the day!
The men stayed back on the boat draining the oil and
replacing it with new clean 40W oil.
They used a powerful pump to first suck out the old oil and then drained
that into a pail. At one point, the connecting hoses separated, and oil was
shooting out everywhere. Poor Mike stood
up at the wrong time and was hit in the chest with a blast of thick, dirty,
gooey oil. The shirt did not survive, and David could not stop laughing
retelling the story to us.
Frank was picked up at the airport around noon and then we
all headed to the Alaskan Beer Brewery for a tour and tasting. We were given
generous samples of three different beers during our talk and then went to the
bar to order our flight of four other beers. All this on an empty stomach. Not
the best plan, but we all love Alaskan Amber beer!
Brother Butch pouring himself one
Ashley and Ada arrived around 3:30 without Ada’s bag. It took
a flight to Ketchikan instead. We checked again that evening but it had not
appeared. Ashley ended up having to buy pjs and a new outfit for Ada to get her
through the night and into the next day. Luckily, Nana had an extra toothbrush.
Ada arrives sans luggage
We had a full house on the boat with our new arrivals so
Mike and Diane got a hotel room for their last Alaskan night. The two of them
were a fantastic crew willing to pitch in whenever needed no matter the task. Mike’s
mechanical knowledge was invaluable, and Diane was a natural…so much more
relaxed at the helm than me! Thanks for everything, dear friends.
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