Gathering

Sorry to leave all y’al in mid voyage. We didn’t have any mishaps; I just got into the vacation mode so deep that posting fell to the wayside. Everyone has departed Homer and things are getting back to “normal”. I’ll try to catch up with the narrative and then resume normal routine. I believe we were somewhere around Bleigh Reef in the Prince William Sound……………..fade to gray

Yesterday we dropped a shrimp pot on the way to our anchorage, we’ll pick it up today on the way out. Along the way we passed the village of Tatitlek. There were signs of life but we didn’t see any of the famous locals, known throughout Alaska as Tatitlekers.

Here’s the preparation for the shrimp pot:

Chooch “tending” the pot while Roger and Stan set up the 600′ of line.

“Setting” the pot.

Then it was off to anchor for the night. We never got tired of scenes like this. That’s an interesting avalanche track on the left.

This morning we decided to send out a recon team to possibly catch a fish and maybe even pull the pot.

Stan took the dingy and our intrepid hunter/gatherers to check on the pots and maybe snag some salmon the next morning.

After two sets all we got was our bait stripped of all meat. We suspect too long a soak or possibly an sneaky octopus.

We might need to adjust the duration of the set.

Earl and I were very happy to lie around and cheer on the subsistence providers. Here I was required to taste test various concoctions. The two fisted drinking technique I had finely tuned in my youth came in handy. All of said concoctions were quite satisfactory, by the way. 

Then it was nap time.

Stan was eager to show us a cabin they had discovered earlier, so we loaded up for a shore excursion.

  The cabin was pretty neat. It had obviously been “remodeled” several times. There had been a large copper mining operation in this cove and there was evidence of some of the machinery still there. Plus a nice big bear scat, so we didn’t linger. Here’s the “secret” cove, in case any of you would like to visit.

Later on, the galley was quite popular, especially when it was just past cat feeding time. Ash was quite friendly and fascinated by Earl.

While the other kitty, “Crooked Hillary” (she has a crook in her tail), wanted nothing to do with Earl.

I may not have mentioned that Valerie was constantly spoiling us with culinary delights. This was our last breakfast which featured  french toast made from a loaf of Great Harvest’s cinnamon chip bread.

Then it was time to head back to Valdez for one last night and tomorrow’s 10 hour drive back to Homer.  Stan and Valerie are headed for Juneau next. I told them about The Breeze In, which has the best apple fritters in the state, definitely a contender for best in US.  On the way we saw some nice real estate investment opportunities. This quaint fixer upper can probably be snatched up for a song. Maybe they’ll even throw in the state-of-the-art TV antenna.

We got back to Homer in one 10 hour drive. Which was starting to get old for me. Thanks to airline delays and cancellations, I put on 1796 miles before it was over. I’m not complaining; I will do that anytime it avoids commercial air travel and my friends come to visit. This has been the greatest vacation and I didn’t have to endure any airline travel, let alone a redeye.

After we got back Chooch spent a few days with me and, like most of my visitors, got some Earl time.

Claire and Roger hung around for a few more days. Roger got some halibut for the freezer and Claire got to hang some more with Earl.

She never got to see an Alaskan Moose. Here’s one for you Claire; one of this year’s babies I saw right before you left.

We found a new taco cafe on Beluga Lake (Homer’s sea plane base) that was run by a mostly female air taxi.

It was the vacation of a lifetime. Friends since grammar school got together in a unique setting. We got to meet Valerie (a newcomer, she and Stan have only been together some 30 or so years but we think it will work out) and found old connections still held up.

I’m even thinking of a trip for Earl and I in the fall. We’d like to do the Ancorage, Cantwell, Paxon, Glenallen, Anchorage circle and pick up some Dimond Willow sticks from a friend in Gulkana.

We’ll see, the weather and our endurance should be about right come October.

Stay cool.