2012 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

Alice asked me to write a Christmas message for the blog, so "Merry Christmas"! Oh my, I forgot that this may be read in a school or a public building and that is now against the law to say something that brings Christ into the conversation. As you may have guessed, I am just trying to get your attention. I am starting to realize that I am getting old, because I can remember back, and not that long ago, when you would find Christmas celebrations in schools and city halls across this nation, and the White House had a Christmas tree, not a "Holiday tree". It seems that our government has set a direction for this country that will take God out of any thought and has sided with minorities, be they atheists, gays, or you name it, to turn some people and some churches away from the truth that God did send Christ into the world to provide the way of salvation. When I was young, our country was not the great debtor nation of the world, but we were the great lender nation because we were the greatest nation in the world. We did not hate people who had more than we had, but used their example as a guide to lift ourselves up. Today the government has promoted this class war as a fact that we should hate the rich. The truth is we so need the rich because they are the ones who create jobs for those who want to work! I can't think of one poor person who has created one job until he or she took a big chance and was able to get a loan to start a small business. With hard work it would grow and perhaps become a bigger business. The Bible says the "The fool says in his heart 'There is no God'". The way the laws of our country are going they have changed that quote to say "The fool says in his heart that there is a God'". When I was pastoring I had a saying on the wall which said, "All it takes for evil to win the world is for enough good men to do nothing". I do not want to be one of those, even though I know that not many will read this and fewer will believe what I am saying. I want you to know that I love this country, but am saddened by the direction it is going. Since my retirement I have had the joy of being in Mexico and Central America. What stands out to a Christian there is the fact that you still see the nativity scene in schools and city halls at this time of year. It was so good to see, but at the same time it hurts tp see what we have allowed by not standing up for what we believe here at home. I am afraid for our country because it may be true when our president proclaimed "The USA is no longer a Christian nation". If we, as a nation, have turned our backs on God, then He will turn away from us. The Bible tells us that Christ, being in the form of God, humbled himself and took on the form of man. That is what we celebrate and rejoice about during this holiday season. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. We are also told in the Bible that if we turn from the way that will destroy us and turn back to God, He will have mercy on us and restore us to that place with Him. When you look at Christmas you see people showing LOVE to those they know and love~ family and friends, by giving gifts and cards, and that is the spirit of Christmas. God has shown His love to us and Christians rejoice in that blessing all year long, but especially at this time. Let us, as God's people, keep Christ in Christmas and take time to thank God for his greatest gift of all and show our love in worshipping Him in everything we do. I am sorry I could not say this in a shorter message, but I felt that God wanted these things to be said. In closing, I want to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS. Let us meditate on the rich meaning of that statement. Have a wonderful New Year and let us hope that love will overshadow the hate that is being promoted so strongly today. Your friend, captain and jack of all trades on Grey Wolf. Bill Johnson

Bill Remodels our Stern~

Over the years Grey Wolf has had a grey canvas biminy cover over the back deck.  It was time to replace it again and Bill decided he would rather enclose the back!  You can see the beginning stages of this transformation, with a wooden framing in progress.  Later, the top was covered with plywood and then fiberglassed.

After painting all the wood, Bill began working on the plexiglass windows.  He made sure that the side panels were hinged so they could be raised for various reasons.  He also installed a hinged panel above the existing door to the swim step so the entire back deck could be secured.

Now that it is all finished, what an amazing addition it is! Bill moved some of the storage to the rear and extended the stainless railing so that it is a seamless addition to the roof.  He even installed heavy clear plastic doors over the side walkways and now we can sit on the back deck without a breeze or drop of rain! My magic man did it again!



Two New Babies!

September turned out to be a very eventful month for Alice's children! Baby Oliver arrived in San Diego on 9-11, weighing in at 5 lbs, 9 oz. He is the towhead on the right, above.  The very next day Jack made his debut in Long Beach, weighing in at 6 lbs, 9 oz!  Jack's dad is Alice's older son, Justin, while Oliver's mom is her youngest daughter Melinda~ Alice flew down to inspect these two beautiful babies and to help out, as well.  Needless to say, they have changed and grown since then.  Hmm- maybe we have a good Thanksgiving photo to add here soon...

Cruising South in Beautiful British Columbia~

As we headed south we were impeded in our progress by FOG...  One time we were three hours late leaving our anchorage because of heavy ground level fog.  Another day, we left our anchorage on a bright, clear morning and wound up driving right into pea soup fog out in Queen Charlotte Strait!

Dorothy and Alice went to Bishop Bay Hot Springs, our third hot springs stop. This springs had a nice shelter built over it and many cruisers had hung memorabilia on the roof and walls to commemorate their visits.  When we were done soaking we conned Bill into taking us to the boat to decorate an old flag and then back to nail it to the wall!

As we traveled down the channel by Campbell River, Dorothy noticed some activity in the water near shore~ as we looked more carefully we saw several orcas playing around! This was such a treat, as the previous 3,000 miles we had seen NO orcas... unfortunately, the photos do not show pristine forests in the background- just houses near the beach~

Ocean Falls is at the end of a long inlet in an out-of-the-way spot in central British Columbia.  Once a thriving mill town of 8,000, there are 35 fulltime residents now.  The dam still operates, providing electric power to four small towns. Like the town, it has seen better days, with damage to the catwalk above the dam. We walked as far out as we could~ 

The last night before we crossed the border in the United States we stayed in  Chemainus, 30 miles north of Victoria on Vancouver Island.  It has a touch of  English influence, and a healthy art and theater atmosphere.  The weather was glorious as we left there to travel on to Roche Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington!  We have traveled 3,156miles since May 15...

HYDABURG: Home of the Haida Indians~

Hydaburg is the largest settlement of Haida Indians in Alaska- pop. 400. The weekend we visited was the annual totem pole raising and this year a woman carver directed the making of this pole AND the women carried it from the carving shed to the totem park!  Haida warrior women!!

Dorothy was so excited to be there that she ran down and grabbed the very top of the pole to help in getting the totem to its permanent resting place.  Alice was standing on the church steps taking photos when she saw her in the crowd- what?  Okay, another photo opp...

Once the pole got to the park, several big ropes were tied to it to assist in lifting it into place.  Both Dorothy and Alice took their place on a rope to steady and lift this beautiful new pole.  It is part of the restoration project that is ongoing, and someday all of the old, peeling poles will be replaced.  They are now made of red cedar, the only wood that can withstand the weather in Alaska.

Following the pole raisings Hydaburg celebrated with potlatches both Friday and Saturday nights.  The food was wonderful, plentiful, and heavily protein: venison, salmon, halibut, shrimp, crab, ham, turkey, wow!  We took our little offerings of food, as well.  Dancing and singing followed, with groups from Klawock, Ketchikan, and Hydaburg performing.  The auditorium was big and it was difficult to get good photos.  Note the woman in the foreground holding her baby who is also wearing a typical Haida hat woven of cedar strips!

Sitka- where Russian, Tlingit and American customs meet.

On our way to Sitka we spotted this Sitka deer, moseying along the bank of the channel we were traveling.  It was a cool, drizzly morning and she seemed oblivious to our presence.  The wildlife, in general, has been sparse this trip.  Oh, lots of humpbacks- NO orcas- and lots and lots of birds of every size and kind.

One of the highlights of walking about in downtown Sitka is St. Michael's Cathedral.  The current edifice replaced the original one which burned.  Although the locals told us this was only the fourth day of sun for their summer, we enjoyed two sunny days during our four day stay!

Hot Springs Heaven~

There are a number of natural hot springs in Alaska and Canada.  The quaint little town of Tenakee Springs, on Chichagof Island, has NO cars but lots of hot springs!  Some people have even tapped this water to heat their homes. In the center of town is a bath house, built over a hot springs of constant 105 degree water.  Dorothy and Alice took advantage of it during women's hours... no suits allowed!

Following our stay in Sitka, on Baranof Island, we went to Warm Springs Bay... where a raging waterfall runs right beside three hot pools: 120, 105, and 100 degrees...    We liked the nice 'cool' one right off of the waterfall- in our suits!  We hope to get to Bishop Bay Hot Springs in B.C., also~

Critters and such...

For some reason, the blogger program we use will not allow us to post our small photos down the righthand side anymore.  Since most of these were saved in small format, we will just share them as a conglomeration on the blog side of the page!  Alice could not resist the urge to pick salmonberries in Tenakee Springs, a small community of 100 on Chichagof Island.  Then she made a cobbler... yum!

This little red squirrel greeted us at the park headquarters when we checked in to Glacier Bay.  We also saw a brown bear from a distance, but did not spot any mountain goats, perhaps because their white coats blend in with the lingering snow.

Blue lupine flourish everywhere this time of year, but the pink variety really fascinated us.  Unfortunately, it is  considered an invasive species not native to Alaska and should be eradicated to prevent taking over where native plants should be... but they are so pretty, we still saw several.

South Marble Rock, Glacier Bay, is home to many Stellar sea lions.  It was humorous to hear the bulls carrying on, bullying each other, and even sliding off for a quick dip.  Getting back up on the rocks is another story!

Bill was able to capture a piece of an iceberg off our back swimstep while we were parked in front of Margerie Glacier.  Thank goodness Alice's lips did not freeze to this sizable chunk!  We melted it and drank a bit of the 200 year old water... how did it taste?   A bit old.... seriously...

The captain was a happy camper once we managed to arrived at our destination!  He had been so impressed with the glaciers on our cruise to Alaska in 2008 that he was determined to give Dorothy the same awesome experience~

We have probably seen more than 50 whales on this trip, but few up close and fewer doing anything more than spouting and rolling their backs above the water.  As we left Glacier Bay we met a pod of four up close and personal!  Still no breeching, but some nice tail action to wave to us on our way out~ we keep seeing humpbacks, but no orcas yet.

Glacier Bay National Park!!!

There is an abundance of wildlife in Glacier Bay, including 240 species of birds, but our main goal was to see as many glaciers as we could in the five days we had allotted to us.  The glaciers shown represent different varieties (there are four), with the first glacier we saw being Casement Glacier,  a hanging glacier, no longer to thewater.

Riggs Glacier is just barely tidewater at this point in time.  We were not able to drive up to the actual face of this one, as there was a non-motorized zone at the 59th parallel, so this is the shot we could get.  It is a huge glacial field, but the snout is shrinking back and soon will be landlocked, like many others.

Margerie Glacier is one of the furthest to reach, but is the prime postcard example.  We drove through huge iceberg fields and almost turned back, before managing to navigate our way through and see this stunning sight. This glacier is actively calving, and we saw it break off twice in the half hour we were there, just 1/2 mile off.  It is 250 feet tall and a mile wide!

The above photo of Margerie shows the layers of rock and sediment which the ice has dug out in its descent to the sea.  Behind the two smiling ice queens, you can see the cleaner portion of Margerie.  In spite of the fog that day and the miserable ice conditions, the sky lightened up upon our arrival and Heaven smiled on us for our efforts to see this magnificent place.

Reid Glacier, located at the head of Reid Inlet, is what Alice calls the old Grandpa of the glaciers.  It appears to be covered with a solid layer of sediment which has a light brown appearance.  Since it is receding rapidly, there is only one place on the snout that still calves... look along the bottom center to see pieces broken off.  They were lying on a beach.  The whole experience of seeing these and other glaciers in our travels combined to make our trip to Glacier Bay one that we will never forget!

Best Laid Plans Go Awry...

With high hopes for a special visit to Glacier Bay National Park, we headed toward the entrance on the morning of July 3, 2012.  Alice had gotten the permit some time ago and then contacted park headquarters to check in upon our approach.  Only one mile later we heard a terrible sound and soon learned that the fresh water pump to the engine had failed!  There was only one option for us: traveling about ten miles to the small town of Gustavus on the north shore of Icy Strait!  Bill added water at least eight times to make sure the engine was kept cool. 

In addition to the blow of not getting to go into the park on the date of our permit, we found ourselves beached in the harbor at Gustavus the following morning!  We had the dock nearest to shore and a minus 4 foot low tide had truly left us high and dry with our keel stuck in the mud. (Note stern out of water) This could have been devastating, but we were blessed to suffer no damage from this little accident.

That afternoon, several people on the dock helped Bill pull the boat around from the shallow side to the deeper side- pulled, because we were afraid to turn the engine back on... Bill then got busy taking the broken pump off and locating a replacement, which had to be flown in from Anchorage via Juneau.  We were in port for six days before we were repaired.  Thank goodness for Bill's mechanical expertise!!

While the tide was so low the eagles had a ball finding dead goodies on shore.  And the shoreline was VERY close to the boat.  This photo was taken by Alice from the bow of our boat one morning when the eagles flocked in.  We have learned so much about eagles, including the fact that this bird is at least five years old, as that is when the head and tail turn white!

We had some interesting critters while we passed the time in Gustavus: this darling otter lived there all by himself.  It appears that he is asking a blessing on the poor crab he is about to devour, one leg at a time!  There was a big bull sea lion who hung out in the harbor too, and who put on quite a show throwing his catch around before eating it.

Since we were in Gustavus for the 4th of July, Dorothy and Alice went into the tiny town to join in their festivities, one of which was a parade.  They not only went one way on the street, but turned around and came back in order to make it longer!  This tractor is pulling children from the local LDS Church. The banner reads:  Your Family Roots- Are Your Digging Them?

Eldred Rock

Eldred Rock is located in the center of Lynn Canal.  The peaceful scene we enjoyed as we cruised past, with the charming lighthouse and other outbuildings, does not reflect the terrible accident which occurred here in 1918.  This is the site of Alaska's worst maritime disaster.  A steamer bound from Skagway to Juneau hit this reef and 350 people were lost.  Sadly, Juneau authorites sent out rescue boats, but the weather prohibited them from offloading the passengers.  When they returned to the reef the next morning, all that showed was a portion of the mast of the vessel~

CRABPOT JACKPOT!

After Bill took Alice ashore Sunday to go to church he put out our crab pot... with 3 chicken thighs as bait. Several hours later he pulled it and, much to our surprise, found 10-11 crabs in it! (We could never decide whether there were 10 or 11...) After throwing back the females and the small ones, we had five nice males to cook up!  They were big enough that we could only do two at a time, so it took a while.  Then came the job of getting to the meat.  Dorothy and Alice worked a while, and then we ate dinner.  Dorothy finished the rest of the job Monday morning. So far we have had CRAB, crab cakes, and will use the rest for a crab and pasta dish Alice plans on fixing and a unique version of a Denver omelet that we have decided to call the Haines omelet, in honor of the location of our first big catch!This one is almost 11 inches across!

Five Things Southeasterners Have to Give Up:

This is excerpted from an Alaska magazine: 
1. Give up the idea that you are going to be able to pop into the store without seeing anyone you know.
2. Give up on having a perfect lawn.
3. Give up on planning an outdoor party.
4.Give up on wearing dressy clothing.
5.Give up weather envy: forget reading weather reports for other places!
After all, wishing to be elsewhere can't help you when the weather's bad.  It's much better to think of other things we don't have, like tornadoes, ticks, or big snakes~

On the hook in Haines, Alaska

This is our eighth day on the hook in Haines, Alaska!  We came in when the winds were blowing 30 knots and we could not get tied down in the marina, SO we have been dancing around the crab pots in Portage Cove ever since.  A guy came by to harvest his pot Sunday and then we realized it was tangled on our anchor chain... ugh.  Between Bill raising part of the chain and the man working from his dinghy, they finally freed it.  The weekend was beautiful, with Saturday hitting 91 degrees, if you can imagine that!!  Then Monday it turned ugly and we did not get to go on north to Skagway.  It was just as

well, as Bill has had a really terrible sinus infection.  He is just now beginning to feel better, after a week.  We were entertained yesterday by the weekly arrival of the one cruise line that docks here: Holland America, and it was especially interesting for us since we came to Alaska in 2008 on the Zaandam.  The Statendam, shown here, is a sister ship to the Zaandam.

A fishing we will go~

Bill bought an Alaskan fishing license and a salmon stamp, too, in hopes of getting halibut, salmon and crabs.  We are equipped to do all three, but at this point have caught nothing.  At the anchorage shown above we dropped the crab pot and put out the halibut pole, as you can see...  However, we got nothing.  As we have talked with locals about catching salmon we have been informed that you must troll at about 2 knots with your bait about 30 feet down.  We cannot travel that slowly, so maybe one day Bill will try to catch a salmon using the dinghy.  At any rate, we sure hope we catch SOMETHING.  Otherwise, the out-of-state license will be a very expensive venture.

Three cheers for Juneau~

Dorothy and Alice have prowled the town and one day had lunch at the Red Dog Saloon, one of the remaining buildings from Gold Rush Days!  Our local-made root beer and pulled pork sandwiches really hit the spot.  Great service, too, even though a big sign on the wall said: " If you are not happy with our standards for food and service, then lower your standards!"  As I am typing this blog in the downtown public library, I am also watching the fourth cruise ship of the day pull in towards the dock.  We were here on the Zaandam in 2008.  It sure is neat to be able to be doing Southeast on our own boat this year.  What a different perspective it gives us!

On Traveling to Alaska...

"There is one word of advice to be given those intending to visit Alaska for pleasure, for sightseeing. If you are old, go by all means. But if you are young, wait. The scenery of Alaska is much grander than anything of the kind in the world, and it is not well to dull one's capacity for enjoyment by seeing the finest first." Henry Gannett 1899 Well, there you have it, folks! This must be why we are here... We ARE old and now we are seeing the finest the world has to offer! Mr. Gannet's quote was posted in the Wrangell City Museum.

North and South Sawyer Glaciers

Although both glaciers are tidewater glaciers, we were thwarted in our effort to get to the face of No. Sawyer.  We could see the upper edge of it creeping down the mountainside and had to be satisfied with this photo, as it enters the fjord past the point where there were just too many icebergs for us to handle!

However, Bill's efforts were rewarded with the stunning view of South Sawyer Glacier, shown above!  There was a pinkish cast to it, in addition to the traditional blue hue that glacial ice develops over time.  This photo does not begin to do it justice.  We have no idea how high the face of this glacier is, but do know that some are more than 100 feet tall.  This one sure looks like it would be that or more~  This is not the end of our glacier adventure.  We hope to see Mendenhall Glacier, just north of Juneau and Glacier Bay has a mere 12 tidewater glaciers and 4 more hanging glaciers (those which have receded to be landbound).  There WILL be another chapter on glaciers...

Icebergs, Icebergs, Everywhere!

On June 14, 2012, we ventured into Holkham Bay and then up Tracy Arm Fjord to get a look at both North and South Sawyer Glaciers.  We had no idea what to expect, other than that the Carnival cruise ship ahead of us was also going in and we overheard the conversation between them and a Forest Ranger saying the iceberg condition was 'good'...  It seemed strange

to think that we were following this huge vessel up the fjord, and, of course, they left us in a cloud of - not dust- but ocean spray!  Bill was determined to get to the end so we could see the glaciers, so he carefully guided Grey Wolf around tiny ice blocks on up to house size icebergs, and that was on the surface.  The blue photo above shows the top of an iceberg the size of our boat,

 above the water line! The gray sculptured iceberg shows how much earth and rock a glacier can pick up in its descent down a mountainside!  By the time we neared the face of No. Sawyer, the channel was full of icebergs, and we stopped.  Right behind us came a tour boat which plowed right on through.  Of course, the pilot knew just what to do...

Dorothy's Wildlife Trip

Upon our arrival in Prince Rupert, northernmost city on the B.C. coast, we checked in to the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club.  Then Dorothy and I took off to check out to town.  We came across an office where tours were being advertised~  Dorothy has been dying to see bears and even imagined a couple on the shore as we traveled (rocks or shadows). A seven hour catamaran tour was offered for the next day, but the price was $199!  Then the lady said she would be willing to give a discount.  Alice spoke up and said, "Well, if it were $100 that would be fair." And the lady agreed to give Dorothy the tour for $100~ she was not disappointed, seeing a dozen bears, lots of harbor seals, and many, many bald eagles. The crew even fed chicken to the eagles so they would swoop down for photo opps.  Dorothy got great photos, as seen above!

Waterfalls Galore~

  One day as we were traveling through British Columbia, Dorothy spotted an article in our guide regarding waterfalls. Thus began our waterfall adventure ~ The next day we headed out in search of Lacy Falls. On our way we saw many other falls, unnamed on the map, but large enough to warrant photographing. THEN we came to Lacy Falls, and what a treat that was: bright sun, close up access thanks to Bill, and a feast for our eyes. Dorothy and Alice stood on the bow of the boat taking every possible angle of photo. By the time we left waterfall country we had named several of them: Firemen Falls, Lady Falls, Shoestring Falls, Baby Falls, Split Falls, Long Tall Sally Falls, etc.  What a show the snowmelt gave us!

The Great Adventure North Begins

On May 15, 2012, Grey Wolf and her crew of three pulled out of Chinook Landing Marina in Tacoma, WA, headed for Alaska and points in between!  Our first three nights on anchor were in Washington state.  Then we checked into Canada in Bedwell Harbour, So. Pender Island. We had U.S. potatoes on board and were told to hurry up and cook them all so we could keep them!  Nothing like eating a ten lb. bag in a hurry!! Since then we have been traveling north along the coast of British Columbia.  Even though Bill's new GPS was supposed to cover the coastal areas throughout, by the time we reached Campbell River it had given up on any details. We had to wait three days to pick up new GPS cards, since stores were not open on Sunday and the following Monday was a national holiday... We whiled away our time on anchor by working on a 1000 piece butterfly puzzle!  We really did do 2/3 of it, but the centers of the wings finally got to us and Alice just piled the remaining pieces in the middle and took a photo- looks pretty good, right?  After calculating tides and currents with a new tide book, we headed north again.  Some nights we anchored alone, with the most in one anchorage being five boats.  The night in Cutter Cove found us by ourselves in a most pristine and isolated place akin to a land when time began!  We bundled up and put the dinghy in the water so we could enjoy this solitary place~