Quiet Islands

Monday, 18 May 2015

We rise again early, though this time after sleeping a good 8 hours, to a little more wildlife watching before breakfast. Then suiting up for more adventures on the lovely George Island. 

We take the Zodiac out to the shore, and have a great time kayaking ... Barney and I are getting the hang of it now. We see some amazing starfish and anemones up close, cormorants, and an eagle soaring overhead. After the walk, we take the "medium" walk up too the summit to see the WWII gun which was placed there in anticipation of a possible Japanese invasion - there was a rather bloody battle on two of the Aleutian Islands, so this was not so extreme as one might think. 

Then we met a woman who has lived for 40 years in the tiny (12 people year-round) village of Elfin Cove. Though she and many others raised their children there, in the late 1990s the state government closed their one-room school and the young people all moved away. It's primarily a fishing refueling stop as well as a popular spot for sport fishing with lots of summer rental cabins. The entire village has only boardwalks, no sidewalks, no streets,and the only access is by boat or plan (no cars). 

The former schoolhouse was converted into a tiny historical museum, filled with artifacts of life there. They only got electricity 30 years ago, and internet fairly recently. The museum has old washing boards and wringers, old salmon canning tools, embroidered linens, books, old wooden school desks and more. Many of the artifacts looked just like something that would have been in my grandmothers' homes.

We motor over to the Inian Islands, and go for a spectacular 90-minute DIBS (Zodiac) ride. We see Steller sea lions lounging on the rocks ... what  a treat to see them fully-grown and healthy, after only seeing ones that were sick, injured or malnourished at the Marine Mammal Center. It ha been amazing to see how many people know of TMMC on this trip, which is great. Huge flocks of cormorants and gulls are nearby. Otters play in the water, and a group of young sea lions jump in the water and pay and put on quite a show for us.Everywhere around us is beautiful scenery, including the Fairweather Mountains, which apparently are not that often seen due to fog. We saw at least half a dozen eagles in trees or flying overhead. It was a wonderful trip.

Afterwards, we tried out the marine shower which was quite nice, and I rinsed out a few things. A nice dinner of tofu curry and crab cakes, followed by a visit to the bridge to chat with the first mate, and see a a beautiful sunset. In all a truly wonderful day. Barney has already gone to sleep, and I am next.