From Baranoff Hot Spring we were on a roll. All day long we were still in constant view of whales and wild life. .Alaska is amazing. My one problem we have had is everything is so big. The mountains are so tall you very seldom get to see the tops. The water passages are so wide many time you can't see the distant shore. And lastly the anchorages are so far apart we spend 10 to 12 hrs a day traveling. Thanks heaven it doesn't get dark till after 11:30 then it is more twilight, and the sun is back up about 4:30.

Red Bluff bay was our next anchorage. It has a very small entrance and the opens up to a long fjord like harbor. The whole bay is nestled in amongst towering mountains on both sides. This is where we saw snow down to the water level. There are portions of the bay that will never see sun.

Once you are in Red Bluff your are anchored in 80 to 90 ft with a stream on one end, and a large bowl surrounding the rest. The picture below shows some of the 13 waterfalls that come out of the bowl

The next morning when I went to check my crab traps I found this bear feeding on grass on shore. I was in deep water and only about 20 ft from him. He was totally indifferent to me and actually turned his butt in my direction just to show he didn't care

Look at his claws. He may be indifferent to me, but I would not want to meet him on shore.

While on our way south again we were treated again and again the wonders of all the wild life The whales were still everywhere.

This guy was actually that close my favorite whale picture is below. Four tales might have put me over the edge.

We arrived in New Kasaan a Haida village that had been moved from a local island back in the thirties. The whole village, totems and long house we moved. The long house was rebuilt, but a Potlach was never held at it new location. Potlaches had been outlawed by the government by then. We meet the tribal leader, mayor, and town spokesman working on his weedeater. I was able to help him fix it and he told us of the history of the area. He said the totems and long house had been moved to just a short distance out of town and we should see them. They are in their originally location in relation to each other  following pictures are a sample of the totems.

The following picture is of the Long House taken from the beach as you would see it arriving by canoe or boat.

Inside are three totems. The middle is the raven. The ravens jaws were hinged with leather so the could move during ceremonies

. There was a large fire pit in the center with sitting all round. In my mind I could imagine the ceremonies that were held there

On our way back to the boat the tribal leader said we had to stop and see the new totem being build by the whole village. It is the first new totem being built in 85 years. They had to hire someone to show them the old ways of carving a totem. Some people resent that but the totem was amazing.

We left New Kazaan  and headed for Ketchikan. Our last stop before leaving the wilderness of Alaska. Of course we were meet with the usual 5 cruise ships and thousands of people.

This time we stay away from the crowds to the north of the town. It was much nicer than our in town experience. We spent two night doing all the things you can only get done in town. Laundry, tourist shopping, fuel, and going out to dinner was on our list. We left Ketchikan and spent our last night in Alaska in a small unnamed cove. Totally surrounded by rocks except our entrance. Our last sunset was totally amazing.

Leaving Alaska made us a little sad. It will be a long time before we return. Alaska is very big country. It will be missed and remembered

The next night we checked back into Canada at Prince Rupert spent on night then moved on to Kumealon Inlet. We had heard that the crabbing was good but we had no idea how good. Helen spent 6 hrs cracking crab!!

Traveling down Greenville channel we saw three wolves on shore, but the weather was so bad we couldn't get a good picture. We finally started to catch Salmon. Probably because I actually had a Canadian license. Any time we wanted a fish  we put the pole in the water and caught a couple. It was great. It couldn't get any better. Crab and Salmon anytime you wanted it.

Notice that all our pictures we have winter clothes on. It never got that warm.

As we were continuing to travel down Greenville Channel we happened upon this, my most amazing picture of how close we came to wild life

This wolf was laying on this rock right next to the channel. I wondered how many people had past and not even seen her. She stayed there even when we got closer. She did not see us as a threat at all. It was only when I whistled that she got up and walked back into the woods. It was an amazing treat to be that close to something so elusive and rare in these times.

On our way to get fuel in Shearwater we ran into a pod of about 100+ Dahl Porpoises. They were feeding and at time totally surrounded us

Once we got fuel we headed off to Oceanfalls. The largest modern ghost in the world. It has been the feature of a couple of TV specials. It was unbelievable to see all the abandoned houses, apartment, and the largest hotel between San Francisco and Juneau. What was even more amazing was to see the picture of the rest of the town that was torn down. It was all cause by government and Crown Z not being able to settle on a deal. The dam is still in operation, but supplies power to only 3 small towns.

  We continued to catch Salmon and crab as we headed south into our home area. Most of the areas we visited I have already posted pictures.

One last picture to show that we were really heading south was of Cape Flattery. Turning the corner on the Pacific Ocean.  Mexico Here We Come!