Alaskan Beauty

The flurry of activity surrounding the graduation ceremonies finally subsided and gave us a chance to catch our breath.  It was time for our niece and her family - and us - to take a break and spend some time kickin' back and enjoying all that had taken place and all that surrounded us.  So we packed up some snacks and headed down to St. Paul Harbor for an excursion in the beautiful waters nearby.  Oh - before we go, take a look out the living room window.  Note the point of land at the top right side of the picture.  We'll come back and talk about it a little more shortly.  For now, though, we took the main road back into town and down to Shelikof Ramp at St. Paul Harbor where Matt's boat is docked.  The marina is absolutely chock-full of every kind of boat imaginable.  Many are pleasure craft but the vast majority earn their living in these waters!  Even before you get to the boats, though, you are in for a treat.  The harbor is owned by the people of Kodiak and they have not missed the opportunity to make sure we know all of the thought that has gone into the planning for the facility and the ongoing awareness of the importance of the marine environment here.  Signs describe the sea life in the harbor and tell about marine research that continues constantly - ensuring that the health of the waters and of the habitat that is home for some amazing creatures.  You could spend an hour just walking around and educating yourself on this wonderful place - but - we've got traveling to do!  So we loaded up and cast off for distant points.  Even before we got more than a few hundred yards away from our slip, though, we were treated to a rare and beautiful sight - a baby eagle in a nest among the craggy rocks of the jetty which protects the moorings.  I guess mom was a little late with lunch and the chick was trying to hurry her along.  It was a great beginning to our trip!!  As we continued Wesward across the harbor the distant snow-capped mountains gave me the impression that we were facing the mainland and that we were looking at the big peaks of the Alaska chain.  Well ... we weren't but they were impressive anyway.  In the center was the 2282 foot Kashevarof Mountain surrounded by a host of other icy peaks including Center Mountain and Raymond Peak.  The vessels we saw as we cruised slowly along reminded us of the countless seagoing folks who braved these waters centuries ago in search of new and exciting lands.  They certainly found them here!!  But in addition to the "big guys" we also saw many smaller craft - including a surprising number of kayaks.  Two we came across were quite interesting.  At first I thought they were just folks out for an afternoon 'paddle' but, as we observed the pair it became obvious that their interest in the objects that dotted the harbor was more than casual.  Soon we saw them inspecting floating buoys that mark the channels and the lights they held.  They also took significant interest in the Stellar Sea Lion population hanging out on rocky promontories around the harbor.  Virtually everywhere we looked there was some new and fascinating sight.  Animals were quite prominent with Sea Otters, Seals, Sea Lions, Eagles, Seagulls, Hawks and countless others at every turn.  One of our favorites was a beautiful variation of a friend we have seen in other waters in the Northwest and also on the New England coast.  It was a Crested Puffin.  It was a bit bigger than the Puffins we had seen before and it sported a 'hair-do' that made it look like it had been hanging out with the 'surfer dudes' down in California!!  A very cool bird.  Oh - if you have ever watched a Puffin try to get airborne it is accomplished only with a mighty flailing of wings and splashing of feet!  That is because they are heavy!  Puffins have solid bones (as opposed to hollow ones in most birds) to help them submerge and chase down fish!!  Wow.  The topography of the shoreline varied dramatically from wide, sandy beaches to craggy cliffs and rugged columns rising from the surf.  The islands immediately offshore contained beautiful stands of Sitka Spruce and perfect places for an overnight camp-out or for a lazy afternoon picnic.  They also provided places where adventurous souls who wanted to avoid paying a mooring fee at the marina could tie their boat up at high tide and leave it high and dry a few hours later.   The weather was unbelievably mild and the skies a sparkling blue.  Combined with the sights and sounds of the bay they provided an idyllic setting for pondering the beauty of our planet and our good fortune in being able to experience it with wonderful people.  Linda took her turn at the helm and performed her navigational duties quite well.  We sailed along peacefully, taking time out for a picnic in one of the secluded coves on an island.  Even in our temporary resting-spot the view was simply spectacular.  You couldn't make this stuff up, folks.  As enchanting as our cruise was, the afternoon was moving along and we decided to go see if we could spot where the kids were hanging out.  We knew they had been talking about the possibility of going 'jet-skiing' with some friends so we set out to find them.  As we moved out of the cove we had stopped in for our lunch we moved past a section of high cliffs.  Looking up we spotted a beautiful and inspiring sight - two Bald Eagles perched together at the top of the rocks.  This symbol of our country never fails to make me feel good and they are an elegant and powerful representative.  With the 'spacious skies' along wth the 'purple mountain majesties' the presence of this majestic pair was perfect.  We soon approached the location of the home of the friends the kids were visiting and it wasn't long before we saw a lot of activity near the shore.  Within seconds the kids had also spotted us and they quickly headed out to take advantage of the wake behind our boat.  Now this was quite a treat, folks.  I mean, here we are  in Alaska for goodness sakes - and people are out on jet skis like it was Lake Wateree back home!  I'm not sure how they go about practicing to ride those things but, believe me, these kids were not novices on them.  We spent quite a while being dazzled by their skill and daring.  I'm talking about boys and girls!!!  These kids are downright intrepid.  But pretty soon we realized that we needed to get back home to begin preparing for dinner.  So we bid the kids goodbye and headed back to the marina.  Matt resumed the helm and the crew started getting the boat shipshape for mooring.  We did have to take a time out for an "Aunt-Niece" photo-op.  There's way too much stuff left to talk about to try to get it all into this post so we'll close for now so we can get it out to you.  We'll be back soon, though, so hang in there.  When we do get back we'll return to the mysterious comments we made at the beginning of this post about the point of land across Mill Bay from our niece's home.  It holds an interesting story and one that is rather fitting as we celebrate Memorial Day.  So, be sure to come on back so we can share it with you.  See ya.