Day 26 ~ Cannery Cove, Pybus Bay to Honeydew Cove, Keku Straights

This morning we woke to the grumbling of the anchor chain sliding across the rocks. We had the most anchor/water noise since our trip began. It was 10:45 by the time we departed the bay. Dad suggested that perhaps we should consider going to bed before midnight so we could get up in the morning and get underway a bit earlier. As adults, we fight the concept of going to bed when it is day light. We departed the bay and headed to Kake which has the largest Tlingit community of 715 and the tallest totem pole carved for the 1970 Expo. They talked about being a modern community with wireless internet so we deduced that they would have a liquor store and it would be open on Sunday.

As we approached Kake our internet connection came alive, so I jumped on-line to search for a liquor store in Kake Alaska. What to my wondering eyes appeared….Kake Community Liquor Store!  I waited until the phone coverage caught up with the internet card and called the liquor store and they didn’t answer. Frustrated, I called the local grocery store where I learned that there was a funeral going, hence was closed. We needed a new plan for the next 30 minutes, so we bobbed around while reading books. Finally we made an executive decision and headed towards Honeydew Cove on Kiui Island.

Once on anchor, Dad called Judy to wish her a Happy Birthday and we made adult beverages thrilled that we were no longer on rations. Then we all jumped in the dinghy and went exploring the amazing rock and Island formations. There also were plenty of sandy colored shores with an occasional white clam shell and lots of spooky caves one of which Dad drove us into so I could take some pictures. At one point, Dad beached the boat so he could go take a tinkle in the woods, blaming the cran water all the while. The beach was a very soft ground that was made up of shale and it looked very volcanic. We decided that there must have been a volcano that erupted in the area.

We refreshed our beverages and headed our exploring in the other direction. The new beach was much darker in color than the other one that we stopped in so we decided to stop and hunt for treasures. Dad first found a rope tied in a loop and a plastic bucket. Wendy found a log full of spikes like it had been a part of a log boom. I found a playschool wheel of a kid’s toy and an orange bumper. Wendy found a serious crab buoy and Dad found a 4 point deer rack complete with the skull and teeth of the deer. All this and we had walked less than 50 feet. There was an immense amount of sea life growing in the rocks.

After dinner Wendy noticed this shrine of sticks on the beach. She and Dad decided to go investigate. Dad was being hysterically funny giving Wendy an explanation of what the sticks meant. Then they decided what we really needed to do was have a bonfire on the beach. So much for the “go to bed early plan”!  They came back to the boat to get me and some matches and we were off to the beach. There was a huge snag washed up on the beach that was conveniently located for us to sit on once our fire was built. It didn’t take much effort and our fire was ablaze. Earlier in the evening Wendy was given the duties of changing out the music. As we were sitting on the log, drinking our fire water and listening to the music from the boat, we all agreed on two things, life doesn’t get much better than what we were experiencing and one of the CDs had to go!  We all took turns playing in the fire, until we didn’t have any fire left to play in. As Dad put it, the evening was magical.