Category: The DayBook

The blue sky didn’t last long. But I ditched Zoom yoga to enjoy it. Yoga class would have been problematic anyway do to defective WiFi and lack of space in the room. 

Today’s adventure was a trek to the Eagle Rehab facility and retirement home. Sort of like where I live. They have rehabbed and released 540 eagles in the last 40 years. Doesn’t sound like very many until you remember how few eagles we had in 1980. 

Eagles that can not be returned to the wild are sent to zoos and some are trained to go out with a handler to schools etc.  when these show and tell eagles get too old to stand the stress of meeting 2nd graders, they come back to Sitka to live out their days in the retirement home. Captive eagles live to be about 40. 

Walking on one of the well manicured trails I came upon a pile of bear shit that was fresh enough to have me humming a happy tune until I got back into a more civilized part of the refuge. 

When I was leaving the eagle place I see a doe with a tiny fawn.  The doe gives a whistle and bounces off into the trees. Apparently, the fawn hasn’t learned it is supposed to follow quickly when momma whistles So fawn starts heading up the road to visit with me. Not good. I try shooing the fawn into the woods. That didn’t work. I try continuing on my way to the highway. The fawn follows me. Not good. After about 10 minutes of shooing and yelling, I get the fawn heading towards momma. Hopefully she will reinforce “when I whistle don’t stop and visit”.

Enough excitement already. Loop back to town through the park to see if any one is working on the totem. They aren’t. 

Managed a real lunch today. Salmon chowder and an excellent scone. There  are a couple of places to get a little something for lunch. Plus two food trucks that look pretty good.  Haven’t broken the dinner puzzle yet. The food trucks are just lunch. This trip really isn’t about food and goodness knows that I haven’t lost any weight. 

Feeling more kindly towards Sitka this evening. It didn’t rain all day. However it was not warm sunny and toasty either. I overheard a woman at a coffee shop saying that she had to get out and tend to her crab pots before the big storm came. I hope there isn’t going to be a big storm or even a little one. But people that tend crab pots are usually smarter than  I am about big storms.

Went out to Sitka National historical Park this morning. Listen to a ranger talk and decided to go for a walk in the park with a woman I’ve met on the plane yesterday. We figured that since there was a sign warning us about bears we would be safer if there were two of us and we were chatting as we walked so we walkie-talkied in the park. We did not see any bears. My companion was disappointed. I wasn’t. But we did see some eagles. And some tiny tiny little orchids. We would not have spied them except the Ranger told us to look for them. And we found some awesome big slugs. And lots of totem poles. 

After about 2 hours of walking, my young friend and I part company. She headed off up a hill and I discovered a coffee shop. 

Last night t had cheese and crackers and dried cherries for dinner. Maybe that’s going’s to be dinner again today. Peanut butter and banana sandwich was breakfast and coffee, hard boiled egg and an oatmeal cookie was lunch. I did see a taco truck. Maybe it is still outside. And, there’s always beers and bar snacks at the saloon downstairs.  

It’s is always a hoot to fly around Alaska on the little planes. Two planes for me today. Did I ever show my ID? No. Did I have anything X-rayed or inspected? No. Did I have to wear a mask? No.  Did anyone wear a mask? No.  But they did weigh my stuff. (Still 15 pounds). The planes don’t leave on time. They leave when all the passengers arrive. And when the pilot wants to. 

Not roaring overjoyed with Sitka at this instant. It is cold and rainy and bereft of places to eat. But my room over the saloon is fine. It has a microwave and fridge so I can always Lean Cuisine it if I don’t find a suitable place to eat. 

 It is impossible to complain about the weather. Or anything for that matter. A piece of one of my teeth sort of flaked off this morning. But, I choose to believe, that it isn’t serious. Because, what can I do? It’s not like they have dentists up here. Will make an appointment to see the dentist when I return, eat carefully, and hope for the best.  It’s not an age related problem. I have had teeth crap out all over the world for the last 50 years. 

leaving early tomorrow morning for Sitka by way of Juneau on a tiny plane. The question remains, am I going to go to the solstice party 2 miles outside of town or not?  It’s the 2mile walk home after more than a couple of beers. 

Next stop Sitka. 

PS. Decide to pass on the solstice party. 

The Little old lady traveler is taking the day off today. This is about the halfway point in my travels. And it is cool and cloudy today. An excellent day for lounging around and reading. and for doing a little laundry. So no big adventures today. No hikes. Just a little stroll around town.

 It is prime rib night at the restaurant that’s open tonight. But, I am thinking about a salad. Apparently they grow their own greens on the roof. Which if it is true is great. Bet the will not be any avocado in the salad. 

Had a marvelous day today. I left my little old lady comfort zone and went for a real hike around Lower Dewey Lake. 

I had cell coverage the entire way. And gps.  I didn’t see any one after I started looping around the lake. It was great. When we get old we start thinking that we can’t do stuff. What if I fall, says the brain? Listen to your body says the yoga teacher. Be afraid. Be very afraid says the asylum.  Well. Screw that shit. This little “moderate” hike was a DIY one day Outward Bound course. 

And I got a couples of great lake shots.

This is totally Skagway  

By 5pm I was more than ready for an unfashionably early dinner at the brewery, where  I had great fish tacos and maybe one too many beers.  All the while enjoying the end of a great day in Alaska in the summer.  

 

Today’s so called hike was to Lower Reid Falls. It was splendid. You don’t really see it until you are right on it. It’s about two miles from where I am staying. Most of the hike was on the sidewalk. Which brings up today’s mystery. 

Why does  Skagway have such great sidewalks? Guess it’s the same reason that Hawai’i has an Interstate highway. Three of them actually. 

You can not get rid of stuff in Skagway. Anything.  Cars, water heaters, washing machines, old clothes, building materials. Anything. So all manner of stuff ends up in yards. 

 I should feel guilty about staying inside on a fine warm sunny summer evening.  But, I am old. Cheese, crackers, dried cherries, and coffee for dinner and I will read a book until I fall asleep. Grateful that I can still travel albeit at a much slower pace. 

I believe this raven lives in a big cedar across the street. He/she has a lot to say. The Tlingit people to whom this land belongs are from the Raven clan. The raven is responsible for the order of the universe. I would say we need more ravens to whip us humans into shape. 

Cloudy, damp, cool day today but I needed some rest. So it’s all good. Zoom yoga today. And a small walk for lunch. Grilled cheese and a flat white at the Glacial Coffee House, a fine establishment. 

And, I may even make it out for dinner tonight. But not at the coffee shop. It closes at 1:30. Dinner will have to be at a saloon. I can do that. 

These used to be stuck together and they were housing for summer workers. They have been sawed up and are going to be put on a barge and off the will go to become tiny houses. If they survive the process. 

Big thanks to whoever parked the vintage red truck.  Today was another glorious day. 65 and sunny. So I was out enjoying it. Tomorrow morning it could be damp and chilly. In fact it’s clouding up now. It’s 6:30. 

Big event of the morning was breakfast after my easy hike. Basically the same hike as yesterday. I figure that “easy” is age appropriate for me. 

 I ran into this mess of dogs along the way. Wonder if they were visiting a friend in the “Pet Cemetery”? Skagway doesn’t seem like the kinda town that would have a dog walking service. But this lady had a dozen dogs. Well mannered dogs, I might add. 

Since it was still nice this afternoon I headed out again. This time to the docks. 

My phone keeps telling me about storms and flooding in falls church. Doesn’t it know that I am in Skagway.? That it is in Skagway? And that I live on the 11th floor when I am in falls church?

Carlton said that this sign told him all he needed to know about when to get to Skagway and when to get out. 

Nothing open for dinner tonight so I had cheese, crackers, dried cherries for dinner. Planning on yogurt and cookies for a bedtime snack. Kinda my normal travel eating is to get most of my daily calories in at breakfast. Then snack my way through the rest of the day. 

But, it’s Alaska. Why shouldn’t it be cold. I head out in quest of my lodgings. What if it’s not there? What if it’s awful? What’s Plan B?  Plan B was to race back to the ferry. But no worries lodging was found and it’s great. 

There are a lot more shops than there were 20 years ago. The park service has restored more buildings. But there’s no people. 

Well, there are some people.  Enough to have a small town “go fund me” event for some deserving soul.  It was sponsored by the local brewery. The barbecue and beers were good but I was cold. Back to my room and bed. By the way sunset is at about 10:30 and it comes up at about 3:30. 

After a modest 5,000 calorie breakfast, I head out on a little hike.  Fortunately, I have trained on the Asylum Wilderness Trail! 

I pick Cemetery.  I run into a few people and dogs. I believe in the scheme of hikes, this would be considered easy. But it was enough for me.

It was 65 degrees and wonderful today. 

We are still in Canadian waters and and there is a bit of cell service. And I have a great travel plan, so a little update 

I seem to have been upgraded. I was expecting a tiny room with a port hole. I got a tiny room with 2 large picture windows. The crew walks around outside my windows. But I decided not to worry about them. Just to change clothes in the smallest bathroom on the planet. 

Critter report as of 8am – 2 pods of dolphin and 1 small whale. 

We hit open ocean in a couple of hours. Hoping for smooth seas. There’s 3 chunks of open ocean along the way. Thinking about that is what Carlton called “wreckage of the future”. 

The ferry is running at 25 percent capacity which makes for a very fine experience. Capacity goes to 100 percent next week. 

Anyhow, so far so good.

It’s about 2pm now. So far. So great. 

The elderly Blue Canoe arrived on schedule.  It’s about 400 feet long by my guess. I plan on reading, people watching, critter watching and deck walking. Will be able to get off for a couple of hours on Friday evening. There are several patches of open ocean to contend with. I volunteered for this adventure. Pretty sure I’ll be happy to land on dry land in Skagway on Saturday afternoon. 

no posting until cell or WiFi service is restored  

laissez le bon temps rouler