May 14th brings the arrival of Judy to Petersburg. Judy is our Anacortes hiking and traveling buddy. Judy’s arrival is celebrated with a spaghetti dinner. She will crew for Earl on M/V Hey You.
Our arrival in Petersburg marks the end of solitude and wildlife viewing and the beginning of camaraderie and fun times at the Petersburg Little Norway Festival. The town is teaming with Vikings & Valkyries; Norwegians in their finest bunads (national costumes) and sweaters; and Fidalgo Yacht Club members.
Petersburg is a town of ~3000 people. It appeared that every one of them participated in the festival events. Their community pride in the community more than apparent. The festival is a major fund raising event for school programs and other local events.
Judy and I participated in the 7K race. I finished 2nd among the 60 and over women. I won’t deny being a little sore for a few days afterwards, but it was worth it. A young red headed lad of about nine years served as my tour guide through part of the race. “This is where you can often see whales” he said as we passed a point overlooking Wrangell Narrows. “That’s unusual”, he commented as we came upon four deer watching us run by.
You will notice that there are plenty of children in Petersburg. It looks like most of them participate in the Norwegian dance troop. For a video of the kids at the pageant in the high school:
Eating events were constant throughout the festival weekend. Friday, we had the fashion show and luncheon at the Sons of Norway Hall. Saturday brought halibut beer bits at the Moose Lodge and an “all you can eat shrimp for dinner” at the PFI Cookhouse. Sunday’s Rotary seafood bake at Sandy Beach left us so full that we just had appetizers and drinks on the dock to finish off the day.
For those of you concerned about my supply of rhubarb, it is true that the Anacortes supply of strawberry rhubarb sauce is almost gone. But fear not, Grant and Lila, honored as the “Citizens of the Year” brought us a new supply of rhubarb. I would have to agree that they are “the best”! We met Grant through Jan & Jerry on Cosmos Place three years ago in Petersburg. It turns out Grant has a cousin who farms near my home town in Iowa. Small world!
All good things must come to an end. We joined Carlinda and Hey You in leaving on Monday, May 18th. Back out into the wilds we go. Two nights in Thomas Bay gave us time to unwind and enjoy some kayaking and a good game of Mexican Train on Carlinda.
Hey You, Carlinda and Phase III at anchor in Thomas Basin
Back in 1971 when we were married we never would have guessed that 44 years later we would be celebrating our anniversary in the beauty and quiet of Hobart bay. A rock fish, flounder and 6 crabs were our reward for choosing this bay. David, Earl and Judy all saw a black bear, but I wasn’t quick enough to spot the elusive guy. Needing to stretch our legs, Judy and I walked the “beach” while David fished. Wild flowers graced the bluffs. The mud flats were a good place to spot animal tracks and we are pretty sure we spotted moose tracks. Darn, now I am thinking of ice cream. I will have to hang on until Juneau!
Phase III from behind the buttercups Moose track (my boot for scale)
I love it when the porpoise come and play in our bow wake. If you would like to see the view from the bow of the boat check out: http://youtu.be/ABsJvIvoIRw
Tracy Arm Cove is an anchorage I have been looking forward to. The cove is our staging point for cruising up Tracy arm to “ooh and ah” over the icebergs, sheer rock walls and glaciers. It is also a good anchorage for bear spotting. Earl did the honors of taking us along with Carl, Linda and Judy up Tracy Arm. The arm was surprisingly free of icebergs and we were able to approach close to north Sawyer glacier. The glacier obliged us by calving a few times. A sound like a gunshot would be followed by falling ice and then a big splash. We gathered on the fly bridge in our stocking caps to wait for the next “gunshot”, all the time enjoying the vivid green of the trees contrasted with the grey and red of the rocks and the white and blue of the glacier. For a moment I was Ansel Adams and John Muir rolled into one.
Tracy Arm North Sawyer Glacier
Back in the anchorage it was time to relax. That didn’t last long as David spotted a brown bear walking the beach. This was the same beach where we had stretched our legs the day before. Earl did the honor of taking me over in his dinghy for some photos. I didn’t know that bears ate barnacles. Maybe they taste like potato chips, crunchy and salty.
Tracy Arm brown bear video http://youtu.be/ZdQajFSUr0E
Our next stop was the marine park dock at Taku Harbor. Taku Harbor once was a very active cannery site. Pilings and rusting pieces of machinery greet us now. There is a cabin for use by park visitors and the “famous” tree swing. After a month on the boat we are easily amused. The dock provides the perfect base for a “potluck dinner”.
From Taku Harbor it is on to Juneau where we will find stores, laundry, fuel and wifi!
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