'Yakin

Well I finally managed to go on an overnight kayaking trip last weekend. I went with my boss Aaron and three other friends. Saturday morning we took the ferry up to Mt. Wright. My friend Jon Funcke from Iowa who is working up here was supposed to come. Well he slept in and missed the ferry. Luckily there was a new girl employee on the ferry and we convinced her to come with us. So I would have to say it was an upgrade. We camped on an island right across from Mt. Wright called Garforth Island. It is only about a 10 minute 'yak across to the island. We got there and set up camp right away. After that I went exploring on the island. I managed to hike on the beach until one point where I had to bushwhack it through the woods because I couldn't climb on the rocks. After about 20 minutes I came out of the woods to find an abandoned shack. It was surreal. It reminded me of the Blair Witch Project. I came back to the campsite with an ax that was inside of it. A little while after that we all decided to kayak up to Adams Inlet. Thankfully we rode high tide into it so we barely had to paddle. We caught low tide on the way out so we were able to be pushed back to the island. The trip was one of the funnest things I have ever done. The next day we barely made it to the pickup point before the ferry got there. Next week a friend and I are going back out on the ocean and staying out for three days. That should be fun as well. Cheers.

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Back At It

It has been awhile since I posted because I hadn't done much but work. This week had some new adventures. Monday I went kayaking with a friend for the first time. The short trip turned out to be over 3 and a half hours. I really enjoyed myself. We paddled out of the cove and then over to Lester Island where we happen to see a black bear eating. We stopped in a kelp forest so the current wouldn't move us. While we were sitting there another bear came out. This one was a cinnamon black bear. We made noise to get their attention but they just looked at us and then went back to eating. It was awesome. On Friday all of the employees went out on our boat for dinner and a cruise. We went down to Pt. Adolphus, which is the prime spot for seeing whales. Thankfully they were their eating so I got to see my first humpback in the wild. Most of the time they would just come only so far as to see their dorsal fin. But a few times they would stick their tail out of the water when they dove. Very cool! Today a friend and I went hiking along the Bartlett River. It was good to get out since its been in the upper 60s the last 3 days. Tomorrow we are going on a all day kayaking trip. The weather is going to be the same so I am pumped. Until next time. Cheers...

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All Alone In Alaska?....I Think Not

It has been about 3 weeks now from when I first touched down in "The Last Frontier". So far things have been going great. My first impressions of Alaska were the shear size of it. Everything seems so large. I flew from Denver to Juneau. Juneau is situated in a little valley by the ocean. It looked smaller than I expected it to be. My flight to Gustavus was in a small, five seater plane. Thankfully the skies were clear so we got to fly over the mountains. Usually if the aren't you have to fly around them. Gustavus is a pretty small town. The population is less than 300. Glacier Bay National Park is located at the end of Mountain View Road. The park is 10 miles from Gustavus. I was able to see a moose while driving to work on my second day. Here is the picture.



I have also seen bald eagles. Last week while driving to work I got a premonition that I was going to see something cool. Sure enough as I came around a corner I saw my first black bear. It looked like it weighed around 175 pounds and would have been almost waist high on me. It was in the road sitting. As I slowed down it walked to the shoulder and into the forest. Of course I didn't have my camera. I hope it won't be the last time I see one. I few days ago I see a river otter cross the road. Thursday we discovered it is living under my building. We saw it go under there and now it smells like fish in a few rooms. Lately I have been really busy getting the lodge up and running. We have gotten about 20 employees so far with more to arrive this week. The lodge opens May 24. Today a few employees and I got some kayaks up and running. I am hoping to get out in the water this week. I am also hoping to get some pictures taken of the forest and surrounding area. Cheers.

Back In The Bay

Well I figured that I might as well pass the time before I hit the road again to post some blogs from time to time with my journeys across this great land. It has been a little of a year since I moved from the Bay Area. Time sure flies. I have been wanting to come back to visit some friends and ex co-workers before my father and I started building a new house in Jefferson. There was no better time than now. I arrived in San Francisco the 10 of August. My flight was delayed in leaving Denver because of a thunderstorm that rolled through. That caused my arrival time to be 45 minutes late. My old roommate and friend, KC was their to pick me up though. Its good to be back here. We have spent our time going to some old sites in the City and around the North Bay. The weather hasn't been as hot as I was hoping but at least there is no humidity like in Iowa. The highlights of the trip has been seeing one of my favorite bands, Hot Buttered Rum String Band, in Petaluma last Friday. For those that haven't heard of them, and I presume there are quite a few, they are a bluegrass band from the Bay Area. Some other highlights have been going to Stinson Beach, Point Reyes, and Bodega Bay. I love going out to those places and just relaxing especially if the wind is cooperating so I can play some frisbee. The only day that that happened was at Point Reyes. Most of my time here the last ten days have been hanging out and riding KC's bike around Novato. I was hoping to take the bus to various places but the transit system is only good for people leaving early in the morning and returning at night. But its been good to just relax with a good book, 1984 by Orson Welles, and enjoy the beautiful weather by the pool. I'm leaving Saturday. It will be good because I have spent way more cash than I was expecting and the house that my father and I are building is ready to be started. My next journey will be back to my second home, Ft. Collins, CO, in October to see my favorite band Widespread Panic. Below are pictures from my time here. Until next time......

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