Waking to Glaciers, August 24

It was like Christmas this morning!  The Captain said we would be arriving at the Glacier around 6 am.  We set that alarm for 4, peeking out at half hour intervals to see if we had arrived!  I took a million photos!  As we were leaving, we saw seals on a floating ice chunk.

The Margerie Glacier (the pretty one) was 250 feet high. Another 150 feet of that is below water, and it is a mile wide.  In 1966 the dirty Glacier, the Grand Pacific, had retreated almost to the Canadian border, 3-4 miles away.  The Canadians were thrilled, thinking they would have a new port but it has since grown.  Margarie moves FORWARD 6-8 feet per day!  Take THAT, Global Warming fans!

Matt had an excellent post-return idea: he said to wait for hot weather (okay, for us that means 2011!!) and throw a glacier-themed party to show off your photos. You can have little ice cubes shaped like ice bergs or ships!

Tom had found a stone on his mother's grave that he had kept and he left it at the John Hopkins Glacier.  The John Hopkins Glacier is growing and it seemed the appropriate place to show respect for her memory.

There are researchers who live in tents on Johns Hopkins who study the sea otter and harbor seals.  Ships can't come within five miles, because of breeding.  As of July 15, a ship this size or smaller can go into the bay for Johns Hopkins.  Big ships can come in after Sept 1 and it is closed for entry in April.  We were five miles away when we saw the glacier and yet it looked immense!  I can't imagine what it would be like to be at the face. It is 250 feet wide at the base and 12-14 miles long.

We watched a brown bear feeding on a whale carcass that had washed up.  After one bear had his fill, he wandered off a short distance, dug a hole, flopped on his side and went to sleep!

 

Add more eagles, puffin and goat to the critter list!  The Naturalists are listing the birds and animals we've seen and marking it on our travel map. We saw a young eagle.These are a recent addition to the area so for years the eagles here nested on the rocks, and are still seen doing that despite the presence of trees now.  The one we saw, though, was in a tree.  The puffins were floating on the water, and I saw a mountain goat on the hillside.  Most of those are beyond the ability of my lens, but it doesn't matter. I can see them with my eyes and through binoculars and the point is, I saw them.

There was an earthquake in this bay, Tidal Inlet, in 1898 that created a tidal wave and destruction when the side of the mountain came down.  One on the other side created a tidal wave 1700 feet high!  Scientists have studied this area and say it is going to come down again.  I surely don't want to be on a cruise ship in the area when that occurs!

Huna Cultural Interpreter, August 23

The day we explored Icy Strait and Bartlet Cove, a National Park Ranger and a Huna Cultural Interpreter came aboard. The Park Ranger greeted us with "Hut ya aye", which means "I'm doing great in Tlingit. This is the customary greeting as they don't have a word for "hello".  Instead of goodbye, they say "till we meet again." The Ranger was a young woman whose tall, thin exterior housed a wandering soul.  There are 20 Park Ranger/Naturalists in Glacier Bay and she has worked in multiple parks. She has been here three years, seasonally and spends three months of the year working in other National Parks and 3 months traveling abroad. She did mention that the odds in Alaska are 3 men to every woman; however, the odds are good... but the goods are odd!

Consider that only 100 years ago Glacier Bay Park was under ice; it encompasses over 3 million acres in size, roughly the size of the State of Connecticut.  As we made our way into Glacier Bay, we saw sea lions and were joined by otters during dinner.  You could see them floating along on their backs. They are very large!

 

Alice was the Huna interpreter.  She was wonderful. She spoke of their "water way of life".  They had a saying "when the tide is out, the table is set".  The Tlingit did not use surnames; they used descriptive names or the place where something happened.  The Tlingit also had the first tour boats in Alaska!

The white man couldn't put them on a reservation because the villages were too remote to control, so they used a different tactic: assimilation.  Children were sent to boarding schools, and they lost their names. The Huna have lost their home many times.  First they lost their town to the glacier and moved to Huna. In June 14, 1944 they lost the town to fire. This time they put up modular homes so they didn't have to move again. There are 900 people living there now, with 6 churches and a K-6 public school. There is a huge festival in Fairbanks, a reunion and celebration and will next be held in June, 2011.

You are supposed to marry the opposite moiety. There is a moiety such as Raven or Eagle and underneath that are the clans, and the the houses. Young people are still told to marry the opposite clan. If you marry the same moiety, you lose status. You don't know who close the line is.  However, if you marry outside they adopt you in to the opposite clan and you don't lose status!  They haven't used a Shaman for some time.  When the government took singing and dancing, they took the Shaman and the practice has not returned.

The first born goes to live with the mother's brother to take instruction.  Alice went to live with her grandmother for three years. It was quite interesting to listen to Alice talk about a culture that still retains many of the aspects of its history.

Alaska Trivia Quiz

We didn't have anything going on this afternoon, so they handed out a quiz that kept people busy for awhile.  It was pretty funny because groups would work together, hovering secretively over their resources.  I found alot of the answers in my notes and also on the map of Alaska in our booklets. However, there were some I just couldn't find in the resource books. At first I thought this was a rumor, but apparently it was true that the family group from the LaCrosse, Wisconsin area actually took resource books and sat on them and/or hid them so others could not use them.  They won the contest.  I think that is just sad and so contrary to every other experience I had on this trip.  How desperate is that, to cheat on a quiz?  If you ever read this, I hope you know what a pathetic bunch of losers you are. You ruined a fun experience for many people. Grow up . Or at least move to a state that honors your small minded self-centeredness.  You don't belong in Wisconsin.

1.  What is Alaska's largest private sector employer?
      A. FISHING

2.  What day is Alaska Day?
      A.  OCTOBER 18

3.  The U.S. Flag was raised for the first time in what city after the sale of the Alaska territory?
      A.  SITKA

4.  How much of Alaska lies within the Artic Circle?
     A.  1/3

5.  How many of the highest peaks in the U.S. are in Alaska (out of 20)?   
     A.  17

6.  What is the record high temperature in Alaska history?
     A.  100 F in 1915

7.  What is the record low in temperature in Alaska history?
     A.  -80 F in 1971

8.  What is the largest national forest in the U.S.?
     A.  TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST

9.  What would you be eating if you were served "muktuk" for dinner?
     A.  WHALE BLUBBER

10.  How many volcanos are in Alaska?
      A.  MORE THAN 70 ACTIVE

11.  How many national parks in Alaska?
       A.  15

12.  What is the State Motto?
       A.  NORTH TO THE FUTURE
13.  What is the state bird?
       A.  WILLOW PTARMIGAN

14.  What is the state flower?
       A.  FORGET-ME-NOT

15.  What is the state fish?
       A.  KING SALMON

16.  What is the state tree?
      A.  SITKA SPRUCE

17.  What is the state gem?
       A.  JADE

18.  What is the state mineral?
       A.  GOLD

19.  What is the state fossil?
       A.  WOOLY MAMMOTH

20.  What is the state insect?
       A.  FOUR SPOT SKIMMER DRAGON FLY

21.  What is the state sport?
       A.  DOG MUSHING

22.  When was Alaska purchased?
       A.  1867 (March 30)

23.  By whom?
      A.  UNITED STATES

24.  For how much?
      A.  $7,200,000

25.  It was known by America as?
      A.  SEWARD'S FOLLY

26.  There have been four major rushes in Alaska's history; what are they?
      A.  Fur, Gold, Oil, and Timber

27.  On what day did the big 1964 earthquake occur?
      A. March 27, Good Friday

28.  How many times could Rhode Island fit into the State of Alaska?
      A.  479

Whales

Despite the rain, if someone sees a whale, we're running like Pavlov's dogs, with cameras!  There was another joyful breaching over and over, but the whale was too far out by the time I noticed.  I have lens envy.

Roy

We had lunch with Roy, a retired photography teacher and portrait photographer.  He had made the most beautiful slide show of the photos he had taken on this cruise, set to music. His photographs were so lovely that I asked him jokingly if he was on the same trip we were!

I asked what equipment he uses and carries, since obviously he knows what he is doing!  I need to get a stabilizing vest harness, a monopod and a shooting rest.  Roy uses a MacBook Pro with a 13 inch screen for working on his photos and has an Epson portable hard drive for storage.  He carries a macro lens , 11o mm, dedicated; an 18-120 zoom and a 120-400 zoom.  He uses Lightbox and Iphoto, part of the Ilife series.  He told me about something called ice, where he can drag the focus of the histogram to the center and pop the color.  He also said that on a regular TV screen you only see 80% of the colors and he uses an NEC EIZO Hp monitor with 16 mil colors.  NIK software and Sharpener Pro is also good, and he reminded me to work on duplicate images.

Roy was one of many extremely talented photographers on this trip who were willing to teach and share with others.

Deer

from The Tlingit, an introduction to their Culture and History.
by Wallace M. Olson

...there were killings and counter-killings.  If they reached a point where both sides wanted peace, they could organize a "deer ceremony".  Deer were considered the most peaceful of all animals.  A few men on each side were selected as "deer".  In a mock battle, the "deer" were captured by their opposites and held prisoner.  After four days, the "deer" were set free and there was a feast to celebrate the peace treaty.  By holding the men as hostages and not killing them, both sides indicated that they really wanted a truce.

In researching the concept of "deer" as hostages, a Tlingit anthropologist found the practice was observed by other Northwest Coast people as well.  When the first Europeans arrived in the area, they reported that whenever Tlingit approached a ship they put their arms out to the side and called for "deer."  They wanted to exchange hostages to insure peace during the time they were trading.

Rainy Day for a DIB, August 23

We actually discovered we were a day ahead!  I thought we had to pack tonight but found a day reprieve! Today is raining and overcast.  The clouds look like steam rising from the mountains.  I saw more mudslide scars and am recognizing them in the landscape, a trail of light green in the dark around it.

We had another DIB op today.  The "D" stands for the inventor's name and the rest is "inflatable boat".  I referred to them as zodiacs, but I believe that is the name of a particular type, as well. Many people canceled from the earlier list due to the weather.  Tom and I had appropriate rain gear, so it was no problem.  The water was choppy but that was fun! You know, I had purchased dramamine for this trip, unsure if I would have a problem on the water but I never needed it.  In fact, I rather enjoyed it when I felt a little chop! 

The group before us saw a brown bear and Tom's group also saw a brown bear and a sea otter.  We only saw eagles.  It was raining and there was spray, in addition to the instability of the platform, so taking photographs was difficult. I put a baggie around my camera but by the end the lens was too fogged. It was fun, just for the scenery. One group said their guide picked up a starfish and it was eating a mussel! I saw a starfish (red) yesterday when we were kayaking and I wish I could have gotten closer for a photo, but we hurried past.  Tom's little Nikon coolpix has been very handy on this trip.

Tom tries to kill me in a Sea Kayak

Sitka is also a temperate rain forest, receiving 90 inches of rain annually. The change agent is wind.  Our kayaking guide was from Maryland and is 24 years old. Typical of other Alaskans we have met, he holds at least three jobs!  Alaskans are Northern Jamaicans!

I don't know why I thought sea kayaking would be a good idea. Tom and I tried canoeing together once, and it ended with me crossing my arms and sitting in the bow of the boat after tiring of having Tom alternate and overpower my strokes. We looked like a drunken snake on the water.  Apparently I had some vision that being in a two person kayak in the sea would be easier?

The Kayak tour guides complimented us on our gear and said Cruise West people are always properly prepared. We wore our rain gear, as had been suggested.

We had a brief safety speech which immediately set off bells and whistles for me. First, getting in the darned thing requires a contortionist.  You have to balance on the back of the seat, extend your legs and then lift your butt over the seat back while at the same time keeping the spray skirt clear, and slide in.  Don't bend your knees or you will be left with a knee to your chest and no way to free yourself. Eventually heavy equipment will arrive and between that and a tub of butter, will pop you out.

But I digress. The safety briefing magnified my anxiety.  You are instructed to pull the skirt taut around the lips of the kayak around you.  If you capsize, the guide told us, pull the web handle at the front of the skirt.  Okay, I can do this! But then he adds, "... and if that doesn't work..." WHAT?? What do you mean "if that doesn't work?!"  If I am abruptly flipped into icy water I want to know that my life saving maneuver will work!  So the guide continues, "if the handle pull doesn't free you, grasp the skirt with both hands and pull up."  But wait! As Ron Popeil says: there's more! If that doesn't work, and you are by this time upside down in the water, push yourself out and the difference of your weight in the water will pop you free.  After all that and the guide, David, had the balls to add "don't panic."  To which I say, "not very likely!"

One funny moment occurred when David was adjusting Tom's spray skirt and Tom said "I can't say I've ever had a man look under my skirt before!"  That was to be the last time I laughed for the next several hours of my life.

So, off we went into the water and I was immediately terrified.  I absolutely hated the feeling of being secured to a vessel that could flip over.  The skirt also made it impossible to twist around and see what your partner, or anyone else, was doing. I could only look forward. And forward of me was nothing but water.  I didn't like it one bit. I started out advising Tom of rocks and ships and such but each time he said, "I know, I see it" and ultimately I gave up and decided to allow him to guide us to certain death.

Shortly after we began, an older couple began to struggle and the man lost his pedals for the rudder so David towed hem for the remainder of the trip. That meant that for the entire trip, they were far behind and we did not have the benefit of hearing the narrative.  It also meant his statement that if the other safety mechanisms didn't work he would be near enough to see we were in trouble was a flat out lie.  That was extremely worrisome to me. I like to know where we are going, where we are supposed to be. Is being out here in this open channel with a large boat approaching a good thing?

Tom was having his own struggles with rudder pedals out of sync.  He claims now that he was not intentionally torturing me.  Shortly after shoving off, he saw a sea lion and when he mentioned it later, I thought it was sitting on a rock. He said it was big as a black bear and he didn't point it out for fearing of frightening me.  That was probably a good decision, as I was in DefComIII at that moment. However, when he later clarified that it was in the water and had popped its head up for a look-see, I was very glad he hadn't told me!

I was sure I was going to die, sure we would roll over and be trapped and no one would know.  And I especially did not like that Tom and I repeatedly ended up way out in open water, away from the others, who were hugging the shore.  I wanted to be with them!! Tom told me we were being swept out to sea.  Every time I saw a boat approaching the fright would rise up in me again.

I think it would have been pleasant if the guide would have been with us, or if Tom ever steered us to the shoreline. As it was, I was never sure if we were in a safe place.  With each stroke I said "I hate this, I hate this" and my only goal was to survive.  What I hated was the absolute loss of control. I couldn't steer and I didn't know if where we were was a good place and I didn't know where we were going.  On the way back, I repeatedly asked where we were going, what to aim toward as a goal. Tom was frustrated and said "the same way we came."  The problem was that on the way out I was so single mindedly focused on Point A to Point B that I didn't have a big picture of what "the same way " was.

I did relax a little on the way back and we floated awhile as we drank our water and at the cookies they provided.  I also took a few photos, including the traditional "front of kayak" view.  I even enjoyed the wake. A little.

That ended with having to race the boats across the channel.  The time of day our sea kayaking tour was had scheduled was badly timed for the return of the fishing vessels.

In hindsight, I would be willing to try a single kayak in the future. Just not in a shipping lane in the ocean!

Sitka, August 22

We saw several boats with seine circle nets out, and a fleet heading out with their seine boats, and 440 hp engines, towing behind.  The housing of Sitka appears to be built long and narrow, extending only a couple blocks. Most are on the water or, if not, built up high enough to see the water.  I did see the Sitka mobile home park!  There is a big boat moored here, the "Blue Moon" out of George Town, carrying a British flag.  I saw several landslide scars and wonder if they worry about being swept away?

We ate breakfast with a couple from Australia and the woman was wearing a sweater of possum and merino! It was very soft, like cashmere.  They use possum fur in garments there. I don't recall ever seeing it used here, or people proudly saying "feel my possum sweater!"  Maybe possum is the great overlooked resource!

Sitka is incredible! We got a later start to the day, debarking at 10.  Every time you leave the ship you have to move your room number over and upon return you must show your photo ID to re board the ship, and move your number back.  Jokingly, I mentioned TSA's fascination with my suitcases and so KC teases me every time I board!  I'm getting paranoid, thinking I must be on their watch list or something! I was checked both directions on my flight to Germany, and on two legs of my journey here!  Next time, I am going to lay out some giant, stinky underwear on top for them to sort through! Take that!

Arriving in Sitka was interesting, watching the fishing vessels unloading.  The first thing we did was to watch a Native dance presentation.  They were very good and I was happy that there were no warnings against taking photos or video. However, at the end they announced that we were asked not to publish them on the internet!  The last dance invited people from the audience to go down to the floor and participate with the dancers.  Well, I couldn't pass that by! It was great fun!  Tom stayed in his seat, preferring to be the photographer.  I did learn a valuable new phrase in Tlingit:  it is pronounced "E shawn" and you drop your voice on the shawn part.  It means "poor baby".

The historic walk was filled so we opted to stay in town and wander around. Sitka is a nice place to shop. There are many little shops, not kitschy, and they are locally owned.  There were more places to visit than we had time for.  We shopped and then had lunch at Victoria's, which, we were told, is where the fishermen go when they come in to eat.  We had the halibut fish n chips dinner for $18.95.  Nothing is cheap here, though you would expect the fish would be. On the other hand, maybe they recognize that the way to earn a living is to pay what their product is truly worth. 

I walked up the hill to the Russian Cemetery while Tom scooted back to the ship with our bags.  The Russian cemetery was eerie. It was up the hill where the street dead-ends but with no formal entrance, just a sign listing cemetery rules and a Russian cross leaning against it. I didn't go far as we didn't have time.  The graves were old and covered in moss, untended. I felt like an interloper.

August 21

Oh my gosh!  The humpbacks were going crazy!  They were blowing and breaching and tail flipping!  There was quite a large group of them and everyone was on deck, taking pictures!  One blew out of his spout and made a noise so close to the ship that it startled me!  Such a sight!  It's funny, though, because initially we were thrilled to see a tail flip from half a mile away but now we're jaded and demand they breach next to the ship!

Dinner was incredible!  I tried the salmon soup and it was surprisingly delicious!  The dungeness crab was so fresh, apparently picked up when we stopped in Petersberg.  Remember that I am not--or was not-- a fish lover.  The fish I've eaten on this trip has been so incredibly fresh and delicious that I've been converted!  I'm not sure that means I'm ready to embrace the Friday Fish Fry, but at least I'm open to a good piece of halibut.

...the dining room was evacuated in favor of watching seven or eight black bears on the short, fishing salmon from a small stream inlet.  It was too dark and too far away for my camera.

We were so blessed to have two wonderful naturalists on board for the duration of the voyage.  They added another dimension of knowledge.  (from the Cruise West booklet)  Janine Kuehn moved to Alaska when she was 14 years old and earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry. She used her scientific education as an employee with the U.S. Forest Service collecting field data and spending time in the Colville National Forest in Eastern Washington.  After earning a Masters degree in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho, she returned to eastern Washington to investigate the environmental impacts of dam removal on riverine ecosystems.

JD Trebec worked as a naturalist while attending Texas A&M and New Mexico State University for his undergrad and graduate degrees in Geography. He served as an interpretive ranger for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, a guide for the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ (hey! I've been there!) and his passion is ethnobotany-- the study of the relationships between people and plants and the traditional use of plants. 

The naturalists on-board and the guides throughout the trip were all extremely knowledgable and contributed hugely to the flavor.  This is what I was searching for when I knew I did not want the Big-Box, Floating City cruise.  They were very inspirational, as well, and all so in love with what they do.  If they weren't, they did a convincing job of faking it!

JD gave the evening talk on August 21.  I learned that black bears are found in all states but Hawaii.  Frederick Sound separates the north and south regions.  In the south, red cedar is dominant and so is the black bear.  In the north, it is yellow cedar and brown bears.  The island of AnAn, where we saw the bears, has the highest density in the world!

There is one brown bear per acre on the Admiralty Islands (ABC Islands) which we are circumnavigating now.  Brown bears run off the smaller black bear where they exist.  Look for the large hump on the shoulders of the brown bear.  Grizzly bears are the same animal but are called brown bears on the coast.  The bears on the coast are well fed with salmon, while the interior bears struggle to find food and to the joke was that Grizzlys are scrawny, hungry brown bears with a bad attitude!  They spend alot of time digging, so they have a scoop face with a stop, like a labrador and a hump; black bears have a roman nose.  Brown bears live in more open areas. 

Salmon have to change entirely when they head out to the ocean.  Who knew? Certainly not me!  They have to change from a freshwater fish to a saltwater fish, which is called smoltification. In the ocean they absorb Nitrogen 15 while they eat.  They find their way back not only to their own stream, but the same place they were hatched, and then transform themselves again!  Once they reach the home stream, they do not eat again. Their only goal is to breed and spawn. Well, if you're going to breed, you want to look as attractive as possible, so the males develop a hump back, a hook nose and jagged teeth! Clearly, it's a salmon thang! Their bodies are starting to fall apart, with no fuel coming in and everything being expended to their final quest. Pacific salmon breed only once.  But as the bears, eagles, and seals eat the salmon and discard them or expel them in scat, the Nitrogen 15 is being redeposited.  Salmon need cold, clear water shaded by trees in order to spawn... and the trees are fed by Nitrogen 15.  It's the circle of life, Simba!

Remember the salmon names by thinking of your hand:

Chum-   sounds like thumb
Sockeye-     you can sock someone in the eye with index finger
King-  the middle finger is the biggest, the King
Silver- you might wear a silver ring
Pink- pinky finger
<-----------------------------------------------------------
But then it gets more complicated! Salmon have two names!  This is how to remember their nicknames:

Chum-  who is man's best friend? a DOG
Sockeye-  if you sock someone in the eye it turns RED
King- is called the CHINOOK because a King can have quite an attitude and be a schnook
Silver-  the lone ranger says COHO silver, away!
Pink- if you bend your pinky over it has a hump... HUMPIES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------->

Salmon are Anadromous, meaning they have the ability to live in the two environments, salt and fresh water.
Aelvin are eggs and fry or parr are the baby fish.

The average farmed salmon steak is nearly 10x higher in PCBs than the wild ones because the pellets they are fed accumulate those toxins.  The feedlots destroy sea beds, spread sickness to the wild population such as sea lice, as they pass through that area.  Farm fish have a grey colored meat so it is DYED pink to make it look palatable.  Alaska salmon, on the other hand, is a sustainable resource.

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS EAT FARM FISH!!!!

lesson with Sean O'Connor

We were invited to bring our cameras to the on-board photographer, Sean O'Connor, to review so that he could give us critiques or suggestions.  He pronounced my photos as having "good composition." He pointed out that I should look for the flashing white or black areas in my photo and consider it a "hole in the frame.'  Also, watch for camera shake.  Since I don't have a tripod or monopod, providing a stable platform needs to be a consideration.  

 Sean liked one particular photograph of what he called a "foss helibore" , which means "wind twisted wood."  I just knew I liked the way it looked!  Those helibores are exposed to the wind, often above the tree line.  Sean suggested that I should leave a 30% outside edge for cropping, so that I don't lose important parts of the image.  Instead, I filled the frame with exactly the photo I wanted to see, with no border.

In the areas we walked in with many trees, where everything is green, underexposre by approximately 2/3 stop using the +/- button.  Moving the wheel to the right is under-exposed, and to the left, over-exposed.  3 turns on the wheel is 1 stop.  For the aperature and shutter, under-expose "hotter" colors.

Later in the trip, I spoke with several other guests regarding their opinion of Sean and the photography option.  One gentleman was very generous and said that he did not view this as an instructional cruise (which had been my opinion) but that there would be many photographers on board, with whom he could compare notes on technique and equipment.  The advertisement for the water portion of the trip was billed as a "photography cruise" and said that a Pentax representative would be on board for seminars and instruction, and that we could use that equipment or our own.  This was not the case. 

Another man was much more critical.  He was a more experienced photographer than myself, and was very unhappy over what he felt was a representation of what was promised.  He felt that Sean was unprepared for this type of instruction and did not satisfy even the most basic rules in presentation, which is to ensure your audio-visual equipment works!  The seminars did not address the needs of the group and were instead a self-promotion:  hire me, see my projects, buy the equipment I'm promoting.  He made sure to tell of his dissatisfaction in his review of the trip.

In my opinion, it did not deliver the promised product.  Tom noted that while there were a number of folks with the mega-lens, etc, there were also quite a few SLR folks.  He thought it would have been more helpful to offer different seminars geared to those needs.  For the SLR folks, how to frame a photo and work with basic exposures, etc would have been helpful.  We never did receive information on photo storage and other programs which was promised.  Sean was very disorganized in his presentation, from the AV failure to a simple lack of focus in his speaking.  He clearly has an artistic skill and is excited about his projects, but seeing them did not improve my photography skills.

Being the total auto-focus geek I am, I did learn to step outside the "green zone", however, and that was a good thing for me.  I learned a couple new tricks and tried them out with success, so it was not a total failure; it just could have been much better.

BridgeTour, 8/21

We were offered the chance to get a tour of the Bridge. I wasn't sure I was terribly interested but I hated not to take advantage of anything that was offered, so I went.  I'm glad I did. I learned that the mates are also Captains-- they all have a Captain's license.  Beth was a coastal researcher, K.C. came from NOAH, Louis ran fishing boats and the absent one worked tall ships. K.C. has captained yachts and owns a ship in San Francisco. The ships have AIS and can identify and call out to them by radio to determine which side to pass on. They said it is much more difficult with fishing vessles without AIS as they all have huge sodium lights that create night blindness and it makes it hard to determine their distance.

At night a deckhand is on the bridge with binoculars, looking for logs, etc, as all the computer screes take the Captain's night vision.  They work 4 hour shifts.  Beth said she works midnight-4 and was the one who took us through the Wrangell Narrows at night.  I had gotten up to see "Christmas Tree Lane' but it was so foggy I could barely see one marker light at a time, but I saw how carefully and slowly we were moving and how narrow it really was.  They have no steering wheel; there is a joystick!  Beth said that Captain Louis sits behind directs them, or cracks jokes!  While not really a breath-taking event for anyone who doesn't own a boat, it was still interesting to see the view from the Bridge.

Walking with Dinosaurs, 8/21

We participated in another Rain Forest walk, this time along the Ohmer Creek Trail.  The rainforest is on such a grand scale, you can imagine Dinosaurs walking there.  With the giant skunk cabbage leaves and overturned trees with root systems larger than a car, everything green with moss, you think that if you were still and listened carefully you might catch a glimpse of a prehistoric beast moving through the forest.  We nibbled on a variety of berries.  I'm beginning to recognize the edible from the poisonous without assistance, but still wait to be told something is safe before popping it in my mouth.  Except the blueberries. Those I eat whereever I find them!

Ohmer Creek is a temperate rain forest.  We followed a wooden boardwalk across the muskeg.  Muskeg is the spaghum moss and is very absorbent. We also saw an interesting plant called  "sun dew", with lovely pink flowers, down in the peat and the muskeg.  This deceptive little darling acts like a venus fly trap!  People in this area pick them and put them in their kitchens because the plant eats fruit flies!

As always, I dawdle along, photographing and listing the plants I see so that I can look them up later.  On this walk we saw: deer heart (false lily of the valley), skunk cabbage, splash cup fungus, devil's club, elderberry, huckleberry, blueberry, watermelon berry (twisted stalk), bunch berry, dogwood, and currant.

On our drive to the rainforest walk, we saw a Sitka deer and a porcupine alongside the road. Our driver came there to work in the cannery.  There were 7 men to 1 woman and that sounded pretty good until she learned that quantity didn't equal quality!!  She was just about to leave when she met her husband, a local boy. 

There is an area of the highway they call the Big Dipper, where each year's graduating class paints their names on the road.  They can still use studded tires there, too, so the names get worn off.  Petersburg gets around 90 inches of snow and about 110 inches of rain annually, so there ends up being alot of slush!  All the kids in the town learn to swim since they are surrounded by water, and they have a large pool facility. They have never had an accidental drowning.

The Petersburg industry is fishing.  The town has approximately 1000 people.  The big cruise ships can't go there, as they can't fit through the Wrangell Narrows. There is no mill in Petersburg and the one in Wrangell closed, so you have to send wood out to be planed.  Residents can harvest a certain amount of wood for firewood or building. Selective logging is done, taking trees here and there, but no clear-cutting.  They don't have to plant, as the trees re-seed themselves. Homes outside the town are served with electricity but not water; those people must collect it or have it delivered.  The water wagon seems to be a symbol of life in many parts of Alaska. 

For kids who go to school in Petersburg, gym is alternated with "wet" and "dry" months, meaning one month you work in the pool and the next you do land sports.  Those who play sports have to travel 8 hours to Juneau, stay in the homes of their competitors, then ferry 8 hours back! The road in Petersburg is 38 miles long and dead-ends.  The only way in is boat or plane.

Sons of Norway, August 8/21

Oh, I so wish I had videotaped this!  We visited the Sons of Norway Hall as our first stop of the day and were greeted by children in traditional Norwegian costume.  After we were seated, pairs of children were dispatched to visit with our tables and we had the most adorable little blond girl and her cousin. This group celebrates Norway's freedom from Sweden and their Independence Day is in May.  In the early days, no Swedes were allowed in the Hall! Now the dancing is open to all the children there.  We were served lefse, almond puff and scorpa and I bought a Norwegian cookbook so perhaps I can surprise my father someday with a recipe or two.

Traveler Truths

There is no such thing as bad weather---only bad clothes.

There are no problems, only opportunities.

Reading List

Stickeen-  John Muir

Ordinary Wolves-  Seth Kantner

John Muir Life and Work, edited by Sally M. Miller

Wilderness Medicines- Eleanor G. Viereck

The Tlingit- An Introduction to Their Culture and History- Wallace M Olson

Syd Wright, August 20

We had the most amazing presentation this evening. I am so sorry that this man is dead and can no longer address the Cruise West groups as he did in the past.  I can only imagine how fascinating he was in person.  We watched a videotape, created in a Cruise West lounge similar to the one we were in (Spirit of 98) and it seemed he was there in the room.  So much so that when the videotape image asked a question, people in our room answered!

We purchased a copy of the video that was shown, "Syd Wright's Alaska: A Tribute to His Memory".  A portion of the proceeds are donated to the Syd Wright Memorial Fund, providing scholarship assistance to the youth of Petersburg.  Cruise West is a principal supporter and I highly recommend this video. 

Syd was so captivating to listen to!  He told stories that had people chuckling out loud, and sitting on the edge of their seats as he related Tlingit history and facts of the Alaska fishing industry.  His overwhelming admiration for those who shaped the state was evident.  He said "We are here by virtue of the meeting of two dynamic individuals: Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir."

Well, we Wisconsinites can be proud to claim that John Muir grew up in Portage, Wisconsin.  The founding of the Department of Natural Resources and the Conservation Congress was based on the philosophy of John Muir and Aldo Leopold, with the intention of protecting the natural resources from political influence. I believe we have strayed from that notion and need to move back toward the place where we understand " the value of wilderness beyond extractive resources."

Syd spoke of fishing for sustainability.  The fishermen of Alaska seem to understand this.  Management creates impediments to efficiency to maintain sustainability.  If you allowed fishermen to be as efficient as they could, they would strip the resources.  So you make rules and set limits.  For example, there are a limited number of certificates for gill netting.  It costs approximately $35,000 for a limited entry certificate and it is held in perpetuity until you sell your certificate.

Shrimp are managed by poundage because they are hermaphroditic!  All of them start out as males but after 2-3 years, become females! who knew?  Syd interspersed such information with a touch of humor. It was from him that I learned that the Norwegians were clever fellows who invented the toilet seat; but the Germans cut the hole in it!

He spoke fondly of the Tlingit culture.  Tlingit art is anthropomorphic.  Humans give feminine characteristics to the things we admire most.  For the Tlingit, one of those things is Mother Cedar.  The bentwood box is made from a cut of cedar, scored in four places, steamed so the corners bend up into the box shape, and secured. The box is waterproof.  Yellow cedar is very important to the culture and Syd told the story of the Creation of the Cedar Tree.  Three maidens were tricked by Raven and were turned into cedars; cedars are like women...graceful, they smell good and they are useful around the house!

The last battle of the Civil War was fought in Alaska because of whaling!  The Confederates decided that if they could sink the whaling fleet, they would take down the oil industry.  They sank over 30 ships.  On his way down the coast to take San Francisco, the Captain saw a newspaper that said the Civil War had been over for 9 months at the time he sank the ships! 

When the lights came up at the end of the evening, I was disappointed that Syd was not really in the room but I am quite certain I felt him there.

The Book Faeries

Every evening while we are eating dinner and attending lectures, the "book faeries" come to our rooms and leave itineraries and guide sheets for the next day. Our rooms are never locked; we're in and out of them all day long and can run in a minute from one end of the boat to the other, so there is really no need. Each evening we return to our rooms to find information about what we will see and do the following day, pages to add to the leather binder from Cruise West.

The people of Alaska

A striking difference in this state is the depth of knowledge about, and the pride in their state by those who live here.  We have not yet encountered one person who doesn't love this state.  If I asked a kid in Wisconsin what they think about our state, my question would likely be met with something like "I can't wait to get the heck out of here."  In Alaska, they might go away but they know they are coming back.  And so many others have moved there from elsewhere, speaking reverently of their desire to live in Alaska.  To be in a country where the people take such pride in their being is the best advertising I can think of.  The people we have met also know details about the state.. history, culture and wildlife.  True, we also hear that alcoholism is a big problem and perhaps those people have a different outlook, but the folks we encountered, working three jobs in order to stay here and loving it, are all very self reliant people who work hard for what they have.  I admire that.