Alaska Live, July 17th - 27th. Just the tip of the iceberg.

[A&L_Ont]

Thanks for posting your zip line ride! My husband did it 10 years ago so this brought back memories. When they took the bus up to the top of the hill, a bear and her cub were on the trail so they had to sit on the bus for over and hour, waiting for them to pass.

 

 

 

If I remember there are something like 1 bear for every three square miles of land. I’m glad we didn’t have to wait like he did.

Edited July 25, 2018 by A&L_Ont

[BonnieJB]

A few picks from zip lining. You ride a bus through the community to get to the top of the mountain. Along the way you learn of the Island’s history. It takes around 45 minutes from the bottom to the top.

 

 

Then a short five minute walk down this path that makes you feel like like a mountain goat.

 

 

And finally you get harnessed in and you are off. 90 seconds later you are at the bottom and look something like this.

 

 

 

 

What a great photo of Owen! Did you sign up in advance or can you sign up on the day?

[A&L_Ont]

Next up ship photos.

 

 

 

This never gets old.

 

 

 

 

[ramja96]

 

Is this RCI's version of "Pull my finger"?:confused:

[A&L_Ont]

What a great photo of Owen! Did you sign up in advance or can you sign up on the day?

 

 

 

We booked our tours in advance but I’m fairly sure you can do it the day of.

[A&L_Ont]

Is this RCI's version of "Pull my finger"?:confused:

 

 

 

Either that or somewhere else. LOL

[A&L_Ont]

Today we are in

 

[reallyitsmema]

Great picture of Owen!

 

Wish we were in Ketchikan again too. If you are looking for a good lunch place, Dwyer's has the best crab bisque! It is run by the family that owns the Brenna A on Deadliest Catch.

[A&L_Ont]

Now a little history on Icy Strait. It’s main industry was the fishery. The originally packed salmon here. When that industry slowed down the got into logging until there was a downturn in that. That is when the got into tourism. They started with a a decent number of ships visiting and have grown every year. They now have multiple cruise lines coming, and they are open from May to September for visitors.

 

900 people in in the native community and all of them have a family member that work there. A great example, our bus driver’s wife is the bar tender at the crab shack. Actually I miss spoke. There are 901 people in town. The driver’s niece just had a baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[A&L_Ont]

Here are a few pictures of the port area. Sharon and Art, my FIL who has since passed on, had both been to Icy Strait before. She had comment on how much it had changed since her last visit. It has become more developed and polished. Many of the buildings that they are using are intact the old canary buildings.

 

We stopped and the friendship fire, to which they had thrown in a wood chip together. Sharon and it did the same in his honour.

 

 

A few crew members were making s’mores at the friendship fire.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m going bear back. LOL.

 

[A&L_Ont]

We are almost there. Civilization and a cell tour. That’s how I could post 30 pics in 5 minutes.

 

[A&L_Ont]

The fog as rolled in. There is a dense fog advisory for today, until 9am. Hopefully our float plane ride to Neets Bay is still a go. We are hoping to see the salmon run and bear catching them.

 

 

 

[A&L_Ont]

[A&L_Ont]

Today’s forecast. It is almost always rain here.

 

[A&L_Ont]

On a bus waiting to go. Just waiting on a few stragglers.

 

[joand452]

That is the best pic of Owen! Hope you print and frame it—it will forever be a reminder of one of the best times of his young life.

 

 

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[suesnake2002]

If this doesn't get a reply clr, I'm sending out a search party

 

I’m going bear back. LOL.

 

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[packerpegster]

Ride um cowboy!! [emoji2][emoji106]

 

 

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[A&L_Ont]

A few found photos from last night.

 

Owens dessert from last night at Chops.

 

 

Our winnings.

 

 

 

The pic I wanted to end with last night.

 

[pspercy]

On the Zipline you caught up with the others, so you have some control of your speed?

DW wants to do one but is leery about the landing at the end having had back surgery and so on.

[A&L_Ont]

We are just flaked out on the balcony after leaving the WJ. Our bear watching was successful. We saw three different black bears, eagles, and even a few salmon. One issue is that with no rain the salmon aren’t running to the normal levels. No salmon means less bears. They said all they need is some rain and it will bring them on.

 

That being said how can’t we enjoy the weather here today. It is normally overcast, rainy or cloudy 320 days if the year. This is my view as type right now.

 

 

[A&L_Ont]

On the Zipline you caught up with the others, so you have some control of your speed?

DW wants to do one but is leery about the landing at the end having had back surgery and so on.

 

 

 

Speed is determined by body mass. In this case I was the winner and yet the loser. As for the stoppage I found it to be some what abrupt but not in a painful way.

[A&L_Ont]

When we docked this was beside us. If you watched the first few seasons of The Deadliest Catch you might recognize this boat. I was able to grab a few better pics as she just sailed out past us now. Want to do an excursion about crab fishing, they have you covered.

 

 

And the float plane skimmed on by.

 

 

 

 

Here is the Ballad in the morning. You can see how the deck has been adapted to run the tour.

 

[A&L_Ont]

As for the Neets Bay excursion we were dropped at a float plane dock and headed for our plane.

 

 

Our plane is slightly younger than Sharon, and only built 100 miles from where we live.

 

 

The pilot needed a co-pilot so guess who offered.

 

 

 

This is only a portion of the scenery we saw over the 30 minutes of flight time.

 

 

We then rounded a corner and came upon Neets Bay.

 

[A&L_Ont]

We docked

 

 

And headed towards the hatchery.

 

 

 

We walked along a bush path and saw numerous signs of the black bear. Yes, they do crap in the woods.

 

 

They also like to climb trees. Those are claw marks that you are seeing on the trunk.

 

 

And they can climb high.