The Salmon Capital of the World

Everybody's got a fishin' story about the one that got away....

Except for me.  I caught all mine.

This is a trip that we've talked about for years with long-time friend and CPA Thad S.  Thad's gone to El Capitan Lodge in Alaska numerous times (as well as his Mexico fishing adventures, his Oregon fishing adventures, and....well, you get the idea).  He's an avid fisherman, and has invited Mr. C along many times before.  Always of interest, but just not the right timing.

Until now.  This is something that captured my attention when he shared with us some of his bounty.  Oh, my goodness, Alaskan salmon that just melts in the mouth.  I can only imagine the Halibut.  Except I don't want to imagine it, I want to taste it!  So I'm on board.  It's a bucket-list kind of thing.

Part of what I love about this lodge is that they make it simple for novices.  They supply the gear.  Even the waterproof bibs & coats & boots.   They take care of the fish cleaning, the fish packaging, and the logistics of getting that beautiful product from their lodge back to your home before it thaws.  So now I'm really on board.

We fly into Ketchikan, Alaska, as an overnight.  This will give us nearly a full 1st day of fishing tomorrow, as we'll take a float plane (very excited!) to the lodge early in the morning.

The airport is on an island, so we must ferry across to the town itself where our hotel is.  We have a few extra hours to kill, so we traverse the little town.  I'm amazed that cruise liners come in here; and we learn that these companies have snatched up nearly all the waterfront businesses as their own.  So what might be perceived as a "boon" for the Ketchikan economy is just the opposite.  Cruise tourist dollars tend to go to cruise companies while in port, and when it's off-tourism season.......these buildings sit empty.  This is something I wouldn't have thought about......

(We heard something similar while in England last year, in the expensive districts like Kensington, where foreigners are buying up flats and entire buildings as investment properties (Russian & Chinese, we were told); but local business are suffering in these neighborhoods because these folks actually live elsewhere.  The local restaurants & coffee shops and neighborhood stores are in a state of decline due to empty neighborhoods.  But that's another story for another day.)

For tonight we discover totem poles, evidently this the Raven Stealing the Sun because.....well, I'm not really sure.  Because he wanted it, I guess.  You really do need the description on this one to "get it".

And the infamous Creek Street Boardwalk -- which served as the Red Light District, back in the early to mid 1900's.  This one's easy to "get".  It was a salty fishing town, with not much entertainment back in the day.  As the saying goes, this is where "Both men and salmon came upstream to spawn".  

Then, to top it off, prohibition came along, and it became the perfect spot for liquor, as well.  Bootleggers would simply wait till nightfall, and then row upstream with their contraband.  Many of these buildings, built out over the water as they were, had secret trap doors in their floor to facilitate clandestine deliveries.

1956 saw the end of all such activities.  Or so they say.

Today, it's an interesting stroll.  Some of these buildings have undergone restoration, but some still wear the original siding & windows, which I think is amazing. They've done a nice job with the history markers on the buildings, making a self-guided tour both do-able and rewarding.

And low and behold, it's a funicular!  Another to add to my International collection.  It would seem to be the univeral best way to navigate steep hillsides like these.

Kauai ~ The Chicken Island

As odd as it may sound, the beautiful Garden Island of Hawaii has another nickname.  

It's also called the Chicken Island.

I remember being so puzzled by this phonomenon when I first visited years ago.  There were feral (wild) chickens everywhere.  And by that, I do mean everywhere.  

Travel Reflections

As I sit by the open window this morning, sipping my Kona coffee, listening to and watching the waves of the Pacific Ocean softly kissing the shoreline of the island of Kauai, I am struck by reflections of our last six (very short) years of travel.

As I pause to contemplate our travels to 13 (foreign) countries so far, (China would make it 14, but I can't count that one here, 'cause my life partner Mr. C was not along for that one); and 6 out of 7 Continents;  the thing that stands out to me the most, with all the peoples of the world, is not our differences, but our similarities.  

Humanity is universally the same, at heart, the world over. 

We love, we laugh, we cry; we play as children and yearn for the freedom of adulthood. We work as adults and yearn for the freedom of childhood.  We worry about our loved ones; we worry about our children; we worry about our aging parents.

We struggle to make ends meet.  We struggle to make our fortune.  We struggle to make our fortune last.

We wish the best for our children.  We wish the best for each other in retirement.  We wish the best for our aging parents.  And we start all over again by wishing the best for our Grandbabies.

While all this takes many different forms in many different places all over this Mother Earth; the basic truth remains:  

We are all, each of us, all of us, human at heart.  We are universally imperfect.  We are universally wonderful.  

We love, we laugh, we cry.  

And we all live our lives to the best of our ability.

5 Things You May Not Know ~ About Living on an Island

#1 Traffic is horrendous:   I know, you don't think so, right??   But the truth is, there is gridlock everywhere because......there's no other option.  There's usually one road (or highway, or whatever) that goes where you want to go.  There are no "side roads".  If there's a break-down or an accident, or whatever......you sit.  And wait.   Sometimes for hours......And that's a fact.

#2 Supplies are limited to what's on-hand:  It's so weird to go to Safeway and find they are out of XXX.  In fact, there's a big empty spot on the shelf, so you're sure, they're really out-of-stock.  You can ask somebody, but they'll just tell you, they're out-of-stock. 

Then you run to store B) looking for the same item;  then you drive to store C (through the above traffic).  All have identical bare spots on their shelves for that particular item.  Then the truth starts to dawn.....that XXX brand container has not made it to the island as of yet.  Or, perhaps it has arrived, but has not been unloaded as of yet.  Either way, you're not getting XXX, no matter how many stores you drive to.  No matter what you might think, you are now on an island in the middle of the Pacific (or wherever).  And you just have to wait.  And that's a fact.

#3 Fresh vegetables are not what you think:   Fresh produce, on many islands, is limited to the tropical fruits that grow there. Which are awesome.  But if you want, let's say, lettuce for a salad, or other salad ingredients, or fresh veggies like you're used to "back home", like carrots and celery and......you know, the basics.....you are stuck with what came over in a container......And it's not great.  Tropical islands are not a good growing environment for most (common) veggies ~ it's too "tropical".  The temperature is just too temperate.  That's a fact.

#4 Costco is basic, but it's also regional:  I'm always interested to see this, Stateside.  What's common to Costco, but also what's special to each region ('cause in case you haven't figure this out, we are big Costco patrons).  In Utah, for example, they offer big "water processing systems" and "disaster preparation" supplies.  'Cause the Mormon population there believes in stockpiling supplies for harder times.  In Hawaii, they stock huge cases of Spam, and offer whole baby pigs for the spit.  Also, we buy our fresh fish here, because they are supplied by local Hawaii fishermen with daily fresh catch.  So every region has different needs and demands, and.......That's a fact.

#5 Everything is expensive, because everything is shipped in:  I often think of this as I look around, amazed, on an island like Oahu. There is no manufacturing here, so every thing is shipped in.  Every brick, every plumbing part, all the concrete and drywall and glass and carpet and granite and......well, you get my drift.  I'm amazed as I gaze at the high rises and hotels and resorts and homes and stadiums and colleges constructed here;  the entire awesome city of Honolulu; and the impressive military bases like Pearl Harbor. We're on an island ~ not just an island, but the most remote islands in the world.  And that's a fact.

  

But on the upside.......the sunsets are amazing.....Who cares if you were chasing XXX and got stuck in island traffic.......

I think I'll go grill some fresh Ahi from Costco ~ 

Island Hopping: Isola Capri

In the spirit of Island Hopping.......

We are on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, with a reputation of one the

 most beautiful coastlines in the world ~ for good reason.  

Island Hopping: The Taquile Festival

It's a festival, a three-day event for the entire island ~ 

where nobody works, 

and everybody pours into the village square to celebrate.

Island Hopping ~ Isla Taquile

We are on Lake Titicaca today.  

Island Hopping: The Oahu Island Loop

It's time to leave my beloved Hawaii island for awhile.  So we're doing one last loop of the island before we go back to the mainland for the holidays.

Every Island Has a Lighthouse

Every island worth it's sea salt has a lighthouse.

Only in Hawaii

There are some things that you can only find on an island.  

Wally Ho's  Garage and Grill is one of those.

Home in Hawaii

 

Today we are headed “home” to Hawaii.