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The Fearsome Foursome |
PASSAGE NORTH - -----A twenty-two-foot boat is a small boat. There are those who think it is too small for two people to comfortably cruise for extended periods -- so how about four persons? -- for five weeks? -- in Alaska?
There are lots of pictures so you may need to click the refresh button a few times if you don't have high-speed -- it's worth it! |
FOUR ON A BOAT
- -----iIn July, 2006 my father and I drove up to Prince Rupert, BC to join my grandparents on their boat, Halcyon, for five weeks of cruising in Alaska. Yep, it was cozy. I slept on a cot in the cockpit, and I was snug as a bug in a rug! Halcyon has a 'camper back' covering the top and sides of the cockpit, so it was like being in a floating tent.
- -----iDad slept on the cabin floor, on an air mattress, and was comfy (he said -- and he sure slept well, so I guess he was). My grandparents slept in their usual v-berth. So all were fine (except Grandpa, sometimes, can sure snore!).
- -----iDuring the day, there was no problem with space -- there were three seats in the cabin, and Dad and I could share one -- or I curled up in the v-berth sometimes with my games or a movie on my "electronic gizmo," as Grandpa called it.
Me, And My PSP
- -----iGrandpa let me do a lot of the driving, and I really enjoyed that. It was tough watching for logs in the water, but he kept a sharp eye over my shoulder.
Capt. Bryce at the Helm, Sir!
- -----Of course, we ate well, with Grandma doing most of the cooking and Chris, my friend on Rana Verde, often doing a grilled dinner for us all.
Notice, there are five for our steak dinner!
(Of course, you might also notice that my steak is already gone -- kids know about 'first things first')
- -----iAnother thing I learned about travel on Halcyon. We eat out whenever we can, and that's part of the fun. Walking up into a town and finding a good place for a meal. And, man, did we eat!
Now, There's a Meal for a Kid!
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Only Better Might be a Pizza with boating friends!! (Notice what looks like a beer in front of me. Well, it is! After all, we're in Alaska, and up here us kids drink beer!
Well, Weinhard's Root Beer (or Cream Soda -- both are my favorites)
- -----iWhile in town scouting out a restaurant, we checked out the library. Now, my home is Tucson, and believe me, we don't have signs like that in our hometown library!
- -----iI learned a lot about living aboard. Sure, it was a bit crowded, but never a problem. We learned to easily walk around each other -- and Dad was a great help acting as a shower!
- -----iIt didn't get dark much in Alaska since it was summer. But, sometimes, when we stayed up late, we'd get in some heavy competition with UNO. Grandma's good!
See What I Mean? Grandma has one card and don't even look at my hand
You Know Those T-shirts that say, "My Folks Went to Alaska, and all I got was this T-shirt"? Well, I Went to Alaska, and Look at the Great T-shirt I got!
- -----iSo, what did we do all day? Well, some days I went fishing (often with my friend, Chris). That was one of the best things about the trip.
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Looks Like Tucson, Right?
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Now There's A Fish
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JAWS!
- -----iAnd some days we pulled crab pots. Although we didn't get many crabs, we sure had some other critters in the pot.
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A Halibut?
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The Catchers and the Cooking. "What do you think? Good Enough To Eat, Bryce?" Lip Smacking Good!
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An Award From Grandma
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Somedays I Fished with Grandma; Other Times We Went Wading -- in ALASKA -- brrr! -Grandma's Tough!
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A Kid Can Always Find A Swing
- -----iOne of my favorite activites was rowing the dinghy around -- sometimes fishing, other times to get to shore, and sometimes just to hang around on the water.
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- -----iI learned about some of the native cultures, also. We visited several totem parks.
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Strong Man Totem and the Watchman
- -----iNow for a few other activities. We just happened to land in Wrangell for the 4th of July (good timing, Grandpa). I had some fun with a can of blue string spray -- Happy 4th!
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Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma - All Decorated for the Fourth
My Turn! Fair is Fair
- -----iAnd, Dad and I became famous in the egg-tossing contest. We got all the way to the finals!
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Farther, f-a-r-t-h-e-r, -f - a - r - t - h - e - r, ---if---ia---ir---it---ih---ie---is---it
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Good Technique, eh? Just Stay Calm! Grandma's Technique -- Sqoooosh!
- ----At the logging show, they mounded up huge piles of sawdust and hid money in the piles!! Felt like I was (sorta) mining for gold in Alaska -- anyway, I made a pile and it was fun. Some of the coins were even gold!
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--- ----And of course the fireworks display was incredible.
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-- ----There's lots more to talk about, like whales, orcas, porcupines, bears, starfish, a jet boat ride up the Stikine, and those quiet things I'll always remember about a great time together with my Dad and grandparents --Four on a Boat!
(8/06)
