Our top ten list

As our time in Alaska slowly draws to an end, we are beginning to reflect on our experiences and realize some of the things we've taken for granted. In our rush to leave Minneapolis and experience "The Last Frontier" we (I especially) did not expect to feel so homesick. While listening to one of our favorite Minneapolis bands, The Hold Steady, we have formulated our official top ten list of things we miss about home.

10. Breakfast burritos at Spring Street (really any greasy breakfast food from a local establishment)

9. The Quarry (all of our shopping needs located conveniently 2 blocks from our house)

8. Game nights with friends (Adam and Elizabeth)

7. Northeast Minneapolis 

6. The Minnesota Twins

5. Live Music

4. Minnesota Nice (especially while driving)

3. Minnesota Weather (seriously!)

2. Benjamin Street...Our home

1. Family (You never know how much people mean to you until you are 2,000 miles away.)

Famous for a day!

Today the one and only Ketchikan Daily Newspaper printed my bear picture on the front page. Very exciting!

Zip-line

                                                                      

Being part of the tourism industry, we are allowed to try out other tours for free. Much to Jim's dismay, I signed us up for the zip-line. The tour consisted of a super-sized ATV ride up the mountain followed by 8 zip-lines and three bridges. The platforms ranged from 80ft in the air to 140. Jim was not talking to me during our harness fitting but by the end was able to muster a smile and admit that he enjoyed himself. We both decided that although it seems like fun, working at the zip-line is not for us.                       

 

Family visit

I was convinced for awhile that I had jinxed this blog. A few hours after my last post about the dogs, Scout was hit by a car. After a few scary days and an expensive vet bill, Scout is well on his way to a full recovery...minus a toe, however. 

On a happier note, my parents and Uncle Dan came for a visit. They were lucky to have the best weather Ketchikan has seen all summer. Some highlights of the visit included fireweed picking, bear watching, fishing, and the blueberry festival. 

The entire family contributed to making 23 jars of fireweed jelly. All together 16 cups of fireweed were picked. My dad documented the entire process with his digital camera. The trick now will be finding a way to bring all the jars home.

Bear watching is always exciting in Ketchikan but we witnessed something different during their visit. We were accidental witnesses to a bear being euthanized by a state trooper due to an injured leg. People often venture too close to these bears and an injured bear becomes a safety threat. Unfortunately people forget the true power of these animals and must be protected from their own stupidity. 

On our fishing charter we finally caught our first Alaskan Salmon. The weather was beautiful and Herm, our guide, was wonderful. In total we caught 6 salmon and 2 halibut. We enjoyed two separate feasts of salmon and halibut and still have a freezer full of fish. 

Perhaps my favorite part of the visit was the blueberry festival. Described by locals as the

 "peak of the summer" the blueberry festival is a mix of food, art, and music all with a blueberry theme. My mother and I can never pass up shopping and we made our way around the booths with money burning in our pockets. We purchased shirts, a berry picking basket, earrings, native art, and my favorite: a bowl made from a devil's club imprint. I was also able to meet a new favorite author, John Straley. 

Uncle Dan seemed to enjoyed sitting on our deck most of all. He became quite good pals with our dogs and even spotted orcas off the deck right before leaving. 

We enjoyed their visit very much and it was wonderful to have some familiar faces here for awhile. 

The Dogs

Just in case some of you are wondering here is an update on the dogs. This adventure would not have taken place without our little mutts. Because of them we rent a huge three bedroom, two bathroom house, 6 miles from town. I'm not complaining...just stating a fact. 

Scout and Shelby made the trip here like little troopers. They tolerated 40 hours in the car almost as well as we did. Upon arrival, however, we realized that our dogs are "city dogs." Dogs 

in Ketchikan act strangely human; sitting in bars, waiting outside grocery stores, or walking down the street carefully avoiding traffic without being on a leash! Even poodles have been seen walking past our house unaccompanied. Without giving our dogs too much human emotion, I often wonder if they feel ashamed walking down the street in what we affectionately call their "special vests" or their harnesses. Perhaps this is why they continue to pull so hard. 

Current favorite activities for the "city dogs" consist of laying in front of our floor to ceiling windows, hiking around Ward Lake, eating leftover salmon from the boats, and barking at the 3 times daily motorcycle tour. Cold weather and late sunsets have contributed to Scout's newest behavior, insisting on sleeping under the covers between Mom and Dad. 

As wimpy as they are, they are part of our Alaskan experience and it wouldn't be the same without them. 

Fireweed Jelly

After a disastrous salmonberry jam experience, this morning I completed my first successful batch of fireweed jelly. With some help from the wonderfully patient, Jim and a few sunny hours I was able to collect 8 cups of fireweed blooms. Sugar, Lemon juice, and a destroyed kitchen later it was enough for six jars of jelly. Next up: Fireweed honey

The Feast

As I said in a previous post, we frequently visit Herring Cove hoping to see bears. Tonight was quite a show! When we arrived we saw a large bear eating grass along the banks. Other visitors said the bears had been pretty active tonight. As they started to leave another bear was spotted further downstream. A few minutes later a clumsy cub stumbled out of the brush near where we were standing. The cub followed his mother around the grass and through the stream. Jim spotted a salmon that looked like it was in the last stages of spawning swimming back downstream. The mother bear spotted it too! She bounded through the waters and chased the fish for about 100 yards. Luckily the fight ended directly in front of us and we had a fantastic view of mother and cub dragging the salmon off shore for their feast.