Bjorklund Log: Alaska Trip Day 49

7/4/11

Gustavus, AK

Miles Travelled: 23

We were worried about weather when we left this morning. The trollers came in to Hoonah last night and one of them told us it was because a blow was supposed to come up. We watched the weather report (so easy on my iphone when I have service!) and based on the forecast for 20 kt winds from the SE today and only supposed to build tomorrow, we decided to get a move on this morning and made tracks for Gustavus. Fortunately the winds were very calm, and actually by the time we got to Gustavus, it looked like the winds had died even further out in Icy Strait. I don’t know if the weather they were expecting didn’t happen, or if it got delayed or what, but we’re not complaining!

By the Porpoise Islands we were visited by 2 Dahl’s Porpoise (I know, how appropriate!) and it was SO much fun to watch their acrobatic antics. We typically don’t go fast enough for them to be interested in playing in our bow wave, but we were the only boat out there, so maybe they thought we were interesting enough. It sure was fun to watch them! We were also buzzed by a hummingbird when we were 3 nm from any land, and it was headed across Icy Strait. I don’t know what it was doing, but there isn’t any food out there for a hummingbird, so I hope it was okay!

Our arrival in Gustavus coincided with nap time. It was great to know we would be at a dock and the boys wouldn’t be interrupted in their sleep by boat handling maneuvers, but a current kicked up and slowed our progress just enough that we arrived at the dock about 5 minutes after they should have been in bed, and Lars let us know it! We got them to bed as quickly as possible, but not after our arrival in Gustavus was announced by a screaming toddler. Lars needed some help falling asleep because he was so worked up, but they ended up having a decent nap, not great, but enough to keep them going.

While they were napping, a local guy named Vince arrived at the dock on his skiff and he was interested in our boat, so we had a nice long talk with him. He was a long liner fisherman, though it sounds as if he is mostly retired now. Last year he bought a sailboat in LaConner and brought it up and he’s planning on being a “yachter” now. It was a real pleasure to meet him. He was so friendly and welcoming and even offered to lend us a car when we got into town after the boys woke up. He gave us his 4 digit phone number to contact him. Gustavus is feeling like a great place to be.

Once the boys woke up, we loaded them up in the carriers and headed to town. Well, we didn’t realize quite how far town was. Due to the retreating glaciers and their massive weight, the land around Gustavus is rebounding 1” a year or more, so land keeps being added, and after being in SE Alaska where everything is built on the side of a cliff, it felt like we were in the prairies of Canada. So much flat space! And what beautiful space it is! The lupine and grasses and wild flowers with the mountains surrounding glacier bay in the background, wow. Just beautiful. The setting caused a feeling of elation, but so did the fact that we were here, one day from Glacier Bay made us practically giddy. Then a guy pulled up in an antique pickup truck and offered us a ride in the bed. The truck was all decked out for the 4^th of July parade (which we had missed, but we understood there were lots of other festivities to enjoy). We are in a friendly place for sure!

We walked over to the park where the party was, and man oh man did we come to the right place for 4^th of July fun! There was a fundraising BBQ at the volunteer fire department, and the boy scout troop had homemade root beer for free (it was gone by the time we got there, too bad), there was a booth to buy bling for your XTRATUFF boots as a fundraiser for the Gustavus community center (the idea being so that you would be able to distinguish your pair of XTRATUFF boots from a pile of them at a party), an ice cream booth (best ice cream we’ve had this trip!), and lots of other fun things. The main attraction were the games, when we got there they were hot and heavy into competing in races where 2-4 people stood on 2 planks, one for each foot, the planks had lines on them to hold onto and as a team you needed to be coordinated enough to move forward, and then turn around. We saw lots of falling over and lots of laughing. Then I looked over and saw someone I used to work with. What a small world! On the walk from the boat I told Tor about this guy Dave who I used to work with who had told me that his dream was to do the same sort of trip we were doing with his family, but in addition he had family in Gustavus. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him in Gustavus and I was there after making the trip on my boat. It was so great to see him, and meet his family. They come up every year for the 4^th of July and amazingly enough we ran into him here. If I ever run into someone I hardly know in a similar situation, I only hope I can show them half of the hospitality we were shown.

Dave and his wife Bobbi talked with us, introduced us to friends and family, shared their beer and insect repellent with us, offered us snacks for the boys and showers at Grandma’s house, and when it was all said and done, gave us a ride back to the boat. It was truly a spectacular day, and I can’t think of a better way to have spent the 4^th of July.

Tomorrow we go into Glacier Bay park! We will go to boater orientation at 8:00am and hopefully find laundry facilities and wifi to post, then we will have 6 days to enjoy the park.