Dad's Last Trip to Alaska!

Well this summer has been crazy here in southeast Alaska. I've been working outside for a total of about 70 days between May 30th and August 28th and I'm going back out for another 3 weeks tomorrow in the rainiest coldest summer on record. I'm truly hoping that Fall is more like a late summer:) There's been days so cold, windy and rainy that my coworker would lay face down behind a rock to avoid the wind and rain despite the fact that we work on Admiralty island with one of the densest populations of Alaskan Brown Bears in North America. I guess the risk of a surprise close encounter is overshadowed by the need to avoid the numbing cold.lol

My family came out here in July to dispose of my dad's ashes and they only saw the sun briefly the entire week(maybe 4 or 5 hours combined) but the first time was when we were putting Dad's remains out to sea which allowed my brother in law Paul to take some great photos. My sister used her new Apple PC to make a beautiful video of the memorable day. You can see the video from the link I'm attaching to my "favorites" on this website on the right hand side. When you see how "sunny" the photos are you'll realize the kind of summer we had here.

There were some truly awesome days that felt like paradise (4 or 5) though. Like the day the family and I went to Tracy Arm aboard a tour boat and got to see the harbor seals hauled out on the ice with the glacier calving in the background and the boat navigating the canyons working its way through the ice and then inching up so close to waterfalls that some folks on the bow of the boat were actually able to dunk their heads under the icy cold water. I managed to catch some dungeoness crabs and halibut while watching humpback whales, Orca, sea lions, seals, harbor porpoise and Dalls porpoises all during the two or three nice days. I guess that's the reward we get for living in someplace so beautiful and remote and tolerating the bugs and the rainiest summer in decades! Anyway that's all for now. I'll try to add some photos next chance I get although that might not be until later this fall the way things have been going. I hope things are well in your neck of the woods!