We are back down in British Columbia!  It's been quite awhile since we've had internet access, so we have some catching up to do...
We left Wrangell on July 18th and anchored out in Santa Anna Inlet, then spent a night in Ketchikan, then another anchored night near the Alaska-Canadian border, and finally cleared customs in Prince Rupert on the 21st, which was a Sunday.  We needed a minor repair to our dinghy outboard, and had that taken care of on Monday, then were off on Tuesday the 23rd to Hartley Bay, which is a First Nation (native) village. We then anchored in Mary Cove, working our way south, and then spent two nights in Codville Lagoon.  The weather report was not good for crossing Queen Charlotte Sound, so we were spending more time "up north" than we would normally have.  But, we had fun along the way! Our next stop was to Namu, an very unique, funky, community!  We enjoyed it.  Then to Dawson's Landing in River's Inlet, where they were catching fish but we didn't stay long enough to fish.  We got up at 5:00 AM and were headed out by 5:30, and had a good crossing of Queen Charlotte and arrived in Sullivan Bay about 2:00 PM today.  A VERY long day in the fog...
So, our Alaska adventure is drawing to a close.  We will now head down to the Desolation Sound area to join some of our boating friends for some relaxation in the sun before we head home.
It has been such a rewarding experience to write this blog, and I have so enjoyed all the comments I have received - thank you so much!  This will be my last entry.  Enjoy the rest of the summer!

We had a great cruise in flat-calm waters from Petersburg to Wrangell.  Once in Wrangell, we were able to secure reservations for the next day for a guided tour to Anan Wildlife Observatory, on a 27-foot jetboat.  Our guide was a third-generation Alaskan with extensive knowledge about the area, and particularly the observatory.  Anan Creek has the largest run of pink salmon returning to spawn in Alaska.  It is also very unusual in that both brown and black bears come here to feed on the salmon.  Interestingly, the black bears have total respect for the brown bears, who are king of the forest, and they will not go in to the creek to feed if a brown bear is present! 
A permit is required to visit the area, issued by USFS.  Only 60 permits are issued per day, and they are reserved in some cases many months in advance.  For good reason - it is an unbelievable experience!  After arriving on the beach in the bay, we received a briefing by one of the local rangers, then walked about 1/2 mile up a boardwalk trail to the viewing deck at the falls, where the bears feed.  Bears are present everywhere, and our guide (rangers too) carry weapons, although they are very unlikely ever to be used. 
It was truly an unbelievable experience, and I hope our photos give you some idea of how special this place is.  Besides the bears, the eagles also put on quite a show, waiting and hoping to get some of the "leftovers".
We are off tomorrow to head down towards Ketchikan, expecting to be in Ketchikan in a few days. 

We have lots of catching up to do!  We have been out of cell phone/internet service for so often, it is hard to keep up,,,
We arrived in Auke Bay, Juneau, on Saturday, July 6th.  It was good to be in a big town and be able to get groceries etc, and Dave was happy to get the boat washed.  We also both got hair cuts (it had been almost 7 weeks) so now we have some not-so-great haircuts to grow out...  While we were in Juneau we decided to take a day tour to Tracy Arm to view Sawyer Glacier.  We are SO glad we did this rather than try to anchor there ourselves and navigate through the ice.  Dave certainly enjoyed it a lot more than he would have if he had been skippering our own boat through all that ice!  Plus, we never would have taken our boat so close to the glacier.  It was really a great experience and we hope our pictures do it justice. 
We left Auke Bay and headed for Taku Harbor on Wednesday, July 9th.  Did great crabbing there!  Someone we met there highly recommended we go up Seymour Canal to Windfall Harbor.  It was out of our way, but we decided to try it.  It did not measure up to the billing, but as they say, "nothing ventured, nothing gained".  So then we went back to Pybus Bay, where we had been earlier in our trip, and then finally today back to Petersburg.  We plan to go to Wrangell tomorrow, and that will be a new port that we look forward to visiting.  The picture above was taken today just before we arrived in Petersburg.  So beautiful!  We say so many humpback whales along the way today, as we have almost every day.  They are really quite a sight.  Everytrhing up here is larger than life!!

We left Sitka on June 27th and headed north, where we anchored in Kalinen Bay on Salisbury Sound.  We fished while we were there, but no luck.  I am not the best fishing buddy for Dave, but I am trying, and he is patient!
On July 1 we headed north up the outside, with the Pacific Ocean on our port for about 35 miles. Once again, smooth waters.  We entered Lisianski Strait that took us to Lisianski Inlet, and our destination of Pelican.  When we pulled into the docks at Pelican, a local fisherman noted our home port was Anacortes, and asked if we knew Tom and Mini Reink, who used to live in Anacortes.  We did!  The next morning they came down to the dock, and we learned that they are living year-round in this small community - population 120 in the summer, 40 in the winter.  They gave us a tour of the town and showed us their lovely home overlooking the inlet.  Most of the town is connected via a wide boardwalk, and the mode of transportation is 4-wheel ATV's.  We enjoyed our stay there so much!  We fished just across from town on the inlet, but again, no luck. I am starting to wonder if I am bad luck...
Off then to Elfin Cove for one night, which is another small community with boardwalks.  Then on to Hoonah, which is where we are today on the 4th of July.  This is an old Tlingit fishing village that has become a cruise ship stopover, so tourism has replaced fishing as the main industry here.  We fished for halibut today, but again, no luck.  Lost more tackle, and also the anchor off our tender (it got stuck and we had to cut the line).  Not doing too well in the fishing department...
We had 3 days of pretty steady rain, but it has let up today and we are hopeful for some more sunshine.  We had had such good weather up until then. 
We are headed to Juneau (actually, Auke Bay) tomorrow, with a night at anchor in Funter Bay.  Will spend a few days in Juneau, so will post more then!