July 15-16
Hi All,
Seaflower Cove was a double WOW!!!! Woody is the manager of the Ocean Beauty Cannery for the past 25 years…..the Cannery is 101 years old. Woody is well known, highly respected by his employees, fisherman and officials, and loves to entertain cruisers….a very similar experience as meeting Art in Mailbox Cove on Unalaska….Alaska has some very unique and intriguing people for sure!!!! Art hosted us for almost 4 hours….we first had a great discussion in his office where he showed us his photography collection….he has some amazing pictures of the Cannery and wildlife in the area.
He showed us how to take our dinghy down Rodman Reach ~3 miles and then hike along the shoreline over 2 beaches to some ancient petroglyphs….he estimates they are 500-2000 years old drawn by the Aleut Native Tribe….wow, ok, we are in!!! But, he goes on….watch out for the bears….oh, really….yes, he then showed us some wonderful pictures of a huge grizzly that came upon him while he was alone looking at the petroglyphs….like the bear has his head down ready to charge….Woody said, well, that’s life…didn’t expect to end like this….he took a step back, the bear took a step forward…gulp….but then he took some pictures….he says he really doesn’t remember doing that except he was shaking so much he barely could get the lens cap off….well, the flash charger made a beep which scared this 1000-lb+ bear and he ran off…..Woody has pictures of the bear running off…..Woody then sat down and had a moment or 2 and felt one with the ancient tribe….this was not his day to go on!!!!
Woody gave us an exceptional tour….and amazingly this Plant did not have a fish odor like the Trident Plant in Sand Point or the ones in Dutch Harbor….the place was immaculate. Woody is also an artist and throughout the Plant are carvings and paintings of various sea life and native tribal art….amazing!! The Plant employs 200 people, has a 90% return rate, Filipinos, Mexicans and some natives, only does salmon, opens in May, closes in September, and can process up to 300,000 pounds/day. Last year they did >21million pounds of salmon….this year to date they have only done 400,000 pounds…..yep, a very bad season. We happened to be there the day after a 2-day fishing period….wow, 20+ boats unloading…..he then took us to the sorting and cleaning operation….got to see the “Iron Clink” in action….this was a machine invented in 1903 to cut the salmon head off, squash out the guts/eggs, and then cut all the fins off…..this machine was maybe 40 years old….does 90 salmon/min….wow, wow, wow!!! From there we saw the freezing operation….-30*F (that was cold….we only did ice cream to -20*F)….and then the canning operation….filling, sealing, cooking and storage.
Woody has started a museum as he has collected many items over the years and once the word got out people are bringing him other items….one item is a 100 year old 20′ wooden fishing boat which he has restored…..many tools, old washing machines, et al!!
Woody then invited us to lunch….no salmon however….but he loves Dreyer’s ice cream….I knew this man was ok:)))) That day the Plant was being audited for food safety by an outside company. They passed with top grades. The inspector, Woody’s boss in from Seattle, and the Assistant Quality Manager in charge of food safety all had lunch with us…..amazing group and lots of Alaskan stories. In fact, the Quality Manager was still in College and doing internships with Ocean Beauty for the past 4 summers…last year she was at a Native Cannery 400 miles up the Yukon River….wow!!!
Woody then took us on a ATV tour of the hills surrounding the Cannery….amazing views and it was SUNNY!!! He stops along the path and say look into those bushes….last week we saw a +1000-lb bear eating a smaller bear….maybe only 700-lbs…..the big male couldn’t stand up he had eaten so much….yikes!!!!
OK….time to go….enjoy the petroglyphs….say, what are the odds of greeting a bear….hmmm, maybe 50/50….gulp!!! Well….ok then, lets go….we stop by Mystic to get some supplies….mainly an air horn…as if:)))) A lovely dinghy ride…maybe 3 miles….see sonme eagles and lots of gulls….but the tide is low….we get caught up in some grass but eventually make it to the shore….maybe 1/2 mile from the end….we secure the dinghy but then we look and say how much more does the tide come up….hmmm, maybe another 8-10’….so we reanchor the anchor way up the shore…..it will turn out we only had 3′ to spare…..15′ tides in this area!!!
We make it to where we start up but we see no path….Woody had said there would be a deer path….maybe a 20-30 minutes hike over 2 beaches….so, I go climbing off and eventually make it to the top of a small hill and see the path…..Kathy yells back to me it’s too steep so she is staying but for me to go on….oh great, me and Mr Bear….but I’m motivated so off I go. So what is the trick to not surprising a bear….well, you talk to it as you go….like the Mountain Man in Jeremiah Johnson….so, I had this 30 minute loud conversation with me and the bear….oh, hi Mr Bear, how are we doing today, hope you are not too hungry, how is the summer going, I hear not too many salmon, I see the berries are getting ripe, etc…..Fortunately I saw no bears….just a very shy/curious deer but I did see both bear and deer tracks along the shore!! The petroglyphs were amazing, very faded but if you took your time you could just barely make out the shapes….whales, salmon, people…wow, wow, wow!!! I stayed maybe 30 min, had a beer and watched the nature show & petroglyphs imagining someone 500 years ago doing the same…and of course, continuing to yell out every now and then and constantly looking over my shoulder:)))
I eventually make it back….learned Kathy had made it part way so she did get to see some amazing views. We then put together a gift pack for Woody….I took it in to give to him and left it in his office as he was busy….then went to pick up the crab trap….3 big dungeness crabs….perfect for dinner….also, 4 baby halibut….we decided to throw those back but could have made a meal off them!!!
Just an incredible day…..we will remember meeting Woody forever as well as my conversation with the bears!!!
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
GO MYSTIC GO!!
PS: Wrote this blog at Alpine Cove in Deadman’s Bay/Fiord…..our next stop!
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