Trip to Kupreanof Island

I know it has been almost two weeks since my last post, but we are still here/alive/loving it.

I have been busy at the paper covering a number of interesting stories. City council meetings have been fun as there is a no smoking ordinance on the agenda that has had some public outcry and comment periods.

A senate bill that would fulfill some native american land claims has somewhat divided the town with natives on one side and non-natives on the other, it will be really interesting to see what happens.

I have also covered fishing news, a city councilman obituary, suicide prevention, a democratic governor candidate and some other smaller features.

My favorite story so far was talking to a crew shooting a pro ski video. The crew is in town for five weeks and had some amazing photos. I am excited to keep tabs on their progress while they are here.

Erin and I also found a new apartment on the water. We move in April 1.

Last weekend, Orin, Erin and I kayaked across the Wrangell Narrows to Kupreanof Island. Getting there was half the adventure as my paddle broke halfway across as the narrows as we were fighting the extremely strong current. Luckily we were in a double kayak, so Erin (and her old man strength) acted as the motor for most of the journey.




Kupreanof Island is home to only a few hundred, with the majority in the small town of Kake, on the Northwest tip of Kupreanof. We were on the eastern coast in what they call the "town of Kupreanof," a small grouping of cabins with no running water or electricity. We visited a friend (Sara) and her boyfriend (Chris) who turns out to be the mayor!


View of Petersburg from their cabin


They had a campfire

Sara and Chris made pizza dough and provided toppings so that everybody there could make their own pizza. It was a great time with great company. We had to leave earlier than we would have liked because of the tides, but overall it was a very unique and cherished experience.





Later that night Erin and I were talked into judging "island idol," a karaoke competition at the local bar. It was a lot of fun.



Orin and I also had the opportunity to go crabbing with new friends Dana and Dave. They took us out on their skiff to pull crab pots. I had never even seen a Tanner crab, let alone eat one!




(I did pull two pots, but they weren't as successful)

We pulled up to a beautiful waterfall on Kupreanof.




We hope the weather stays nice to allow for more adventures, but this weekend could be filled with packing and moving into our new apartment.

Oh, we splurged and bought XTRAtuffs... they are essential

Petersburg!

So it has been exactly two weeks since Erin and I arrived in Petersburg. I started working the day after we arrived, had some stories in the paper that week (the paper comes out thursday morning), and this week (the 11th) filled the paper.

We arrived to an apartment that was not in the best shape. Unfortunately it was still being worked on (no sink) and the smell of smoke was overwhelming.





We were expecting two beds in the apartment, but they were nowhere to be found, so after a quick phone call south, our bed was being loaded into a container to be shipped up.

(HUGE shout out to my parents who again saved the day by taking our stuff down to Seattle. Erin and I are VERY appreciative and thankful)

We slept on an air mattress and cleaned the apartment from end to end. The sink was installed and tools moved out.

It is small but in an extremely convenient location, everything is within walking distance. I am one block from work, two blocks from the grocery store, and have had a great time being able to go home for lunch.

After hours of cleaning, it is in much better shape and we have unpacked most of our belongings.

Erin likes organization...




Our first dinner in the new apartment

Other than our housing predicament, the people we have met are amazing.

The second night, Orin, the pre-press/organizer/jackofalltrades at the Pilot invited us over to his house for wine and king crab, it was great to meet someone willing to hear our grievances and share the bounty of this great area.

We were fortunate enough to be invited to a potluck at the radio station, as well as another get together which involved a backpack FULL of King Crab!












The weather has been all over the place since we arrived.

The first few days it was overcast and raining, with two days of sun, we then had a beautiful day sunday driving down to the "end of the road," which is seriously a turnaround. We stopped a few times to take some short hikes to a popular fishing spot and a small lake.

Here are some photos.






We got back to town, and it started dumping snow.



Over the next day we got about 6-8 inches of snow that was quickly turned to slush by the rain, which brings me to a side note about Alaskan attire.

One of the first things we noticed about Alaskan footwear is the xtra-tuff boot.



These brown rubber boots are everywhere, we wondered if people knew any other shoe. Until the snow...

Walking around avoiding puddles and slush piles was quite the chore, and walking alongside some alaskans as they plowed through the puddles unknowingly I now realize why they are so prevalent. (I know what my first paycheck is going towards)

While I have been running around trying to put stories together, Erin has found a couple job opportunities in Petersburg. Firstly she found that she could be a substitute teacher in this town, as well as a position with the U.S. forest service. She has volunteered at the school a few days and is waiting to hear back on both.

Petersburg is definitely small, and has been quite a sticker shock. (Everything at the grocery store is about double the price)


After shopping just like i did in college (dented cans and everything), these four bags were over $100...

The first paper that I had stories in also had a picture of me and a little blurb (written by me), I have already had quite a few "aren't you the guy from the paper," experiences, which is kind of fun.



Here is me in my corner office.



Here are a couple of the wildlife encounters we have had...



Sealion...



Other notes:

We felt so spoiled by the hospitality that Erin and I made a curry dinner for eight of my co-workers and their significant others, on friday night. It was cramped in the apartment but overall a great success.

The Alaska Marine Highway

Getting to Petersburg was one of the easiest/most convenient moves/commutes I have ever had. After a few days of packing and dealing with AML, all we had to do was drive onto a ferry in Bellingham, and two days and four hours later we arrived in Petersburg.

Our ferry was the Malaspina, a dark blue ferry bearing the Alaska flag on its mast. The Malaspina was supposed to have been decommissioned in 1997, but was still in use over 13 years later!!!. Despite this fact, it was in pretty decent shape and we had a very enjoyable voyage. One person we met said they really enjoyed the "forced relaxation."








(Some people choose to camp on the deck instead of pay for a stateroom. There was only one brave soul on the Malaspina)

While I was on the ferry, I wrote a few blog entries...

Friday February 26, 2010
So I’m here laying in my bunk the first evening, trying to visualize what Petersburg is going to be like, the opportunities that await Erin and I, and all I can say is “I’m excited.” Definitely a little nervous, but excited.

Oh and I haven’t written a single thing in the past 6 months, so I figured I might get out the laptop and dust off the keyboard.

I also feel a little nauseas, not sure if it is from food I ate, or the slow rocking of the boat. I have been known to get seasick, if I get seasick on this ride I know commercial fishing or crabbing is not my calling.

We started today with more packing and shuffling of our stuff — left behind our TV AND microwave due to room constraints in the Honda… how will we survive?

Finished packing around 12:30, food and beer were the last items into the car, and I need to throw out another THANK YOU to my mom for picking out some tasty treats for the ride. (Especially after seeing the prices for dinner on the ferry) Not only did she get us snacks, she also got us a new comforter, mattress cover and blanket, I am a pretty lucky kid to say the least.

After stopping at Wal-Mart (last time we are going to be there for a bit) to pick up a case of beer (present for Broch and Katie for all the help) we arrived at the Bellingham ferry terminal at 3:04 — not too bad for my fashionably late self.

Waited in line among an eclectic group of cars, some of which had some especially creative tarp jobs, and plenty of stuff strapped to roofs. All the cars were packed to the brim (we weren’t too different).

Unknown to us we were going to sit in line for almost 2 hours with excitement creeping up, along the need to pee, but I was unwilling to risk setting out for a bathroom and miss loading!

We finally loaded onto the Malaspina, a ferry that has been in commission since 1963 servicing the inside passage. One document I read said that the Malaspina was set for decommission in 1997! I hope we make it.

Stateroom 147 is cozy and comfortable, two bunks, sink, toilet, shower and closet. No window, but I don’t plan on spending too much time here anyways.






(Got a little bored in the stateroom)

After a quick tour, sandwich, and a beer, Erin and I decided a nap was in order, as we were up until almost 3 AM the previous night (morning) packing the car.

Day two: February 27, 2010

Rather uneventful as we were on the ferry all day.
Woke up an had no way of checking the time, as both Erin and I use cell phones as clocks, and with no service comes no clock… After searching the boat for a clock, found one in the cafeteria (8:30) and grabbed some coffee.

Just a few minutes after sipping the piping hot and much needed cup of joe, the captain got on the loud speaker to warn that we would be encountering our first of three “open ocean areas” and warned those that need to take motion sickness drugs to pop some pills. After a little worrying and reassurance from Erin (who has never been on the open ocean, but was extremely calm) I decided against pills, and after the hour of extra rolling, found that I had no troubles at all.



We watched This Is It, read books, played cribbage, watched the scenery slip by and took pictures. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL AREA.









Although I have seen this area in the past, this time is special. The extreme change visible from ocean level to snow level on some mountains is incredible. Add to this the beautiful weather and sun, along with calm water and you have a pretty great concoction of awe-inspiring beauty.

I had a fun time trying to figure out exactly where we are on the detailed map outside the observation deck, I had it down for awhile as we made two 90 degree turns before our second “open ocean area” a 40 minute session of 8-10 foot rolling waves that made it a little difficult to walk in a straight line.

Went into the stateroom for a snack and beer and managed to miss sunset on this beautiful day… oh well, hopefully we will have many a beautiful sunset in Petersburg.



No special wildlife spotted yet, just seagulls and ducks… Did see some pretty extreme chunks of wood floating in the water, and some spectacular waterfalls. Oh and one log that I thought was a bear from a ways out. Although it is pretty early in the year for bear sightings.

(Side note: We later heard from some other passengers that there was a school of dolphins that day that we somehow missed!!!)

Had our one meal from the cafeteria tonight… fish and chips… I’m stuffed and off to bed. Tomorrow is Ketchikan in the morning, so we have to figure out some method of an alarm.

(Alaska cribbage count… Keith 2, Erin 1)



The next day was extremely windy and rainy, at least 10 foot white caps and waves crashing over the boat. An extreme change from the calm sunny day that precluded it.



We walked around Ketchikan, although not much was open on a Sunday. We found a coffee shop with internet, and walked around the touristy areas (didn't have to spend a dime!!). Also found a nice interpretive center that was open before a quick jaunt back to the boat.









We took tons of photos, here are a few more of my favorites.







Erin and I made it into Petersburg at about 11 p.m. Sunday night. No seasickness to report, although we both felt swaying like we were on a boat for the next 2-3 days.

Here is our first view of Petersburg.



Next blog post: First week in Petersburg