Around Revillagigedo, AK (218NM)

With the Starboard engine now working we head out on our week delayed trip around Revillagigedo (ru-VIL-uh-gi-GAY-doh) island (named by Captain George Vancouver in 1793 after a Count who was the Viceroy of New Spain, now Mexico). We feel fortunate to start out on a nice day that turns slightly cloudy as we enter Misty Fjords National Monument (what do you expect?) and then turns breathtakingly gorgeous for the rest of the first day and the remainder of our trip around the island.

Yahoo! Back at it. We had to wait an extra week, but look at this amazing weather.

Off the East side of the Behm Canal at Rudyerd Bay, Misty Fjords

Harbor Seals waiting for the salmon to swim upstream

Heading back down Rudyerd Bay

Back up Behm Canal to Walker Cove where we tie up to a buoy for the night

This little Grizzly (they call them Brown Bears here) was digging for shellfish on the beach. We had the best time watching him, through our binoculars, feeding and then taking a dip in the water to cool off.

A little kayak ride to shore to fly the drone (pics to come at a later date)

What a glorious place to spend the evening

Happy boaters

Didn’t catch anything but who cares!

The quiet was only disturbed by a rock slide…the rumble and echoing around the valley was amazing. This is the newly exposed rock face.

Larry took this picture in Walker Cove, Misty Fjords the following morning

Heading out of Walker Cove back to the Behm Canal

With all the inflows of fresh water from different sources the color of the Behm Canal continually changes.

After checking out the northernmost area of Burroughs Bay, we head through Behm Narrows and South down the West side of the island to Traitors Cove. This seaplane dock at Margaret Bay also has overnight moorage, so we stayed here for the night.

We take a hike to Margaret Creek Wildlife Observation Site in the Tongass National Forest. No bears to be seen from their odd platform but we know, for obvious reasons (lower right), that they are around.

Sunset at Margaret Bay, our last night in Misty Fjords

Back in Ketchikan, the Salmon have started to come up the creek. As salmon near the mouths of their home streams, they use their navigational senses to pick up temperature changes, the flow of the water and the combination of smells from distinct watersheds etched into their genetic codes. Their senses of smell are thousands of times more acute than those of dogs. A salmon can probably detect one part per trillion by smell, or in martini equivalents, roughly one drop of vermouth in 500,000 barrels of vodka! (general info from a plaque on the River Walk)

Of course, they have yet one more challenge before spawning…making it past the fly fisherman

This Sockeye Salmon has morphed into the “Spawner” stage. Moving from salt to fresh water, they change for this last phase of their lives. This includes larger sharper teeth for combating rivals in the spawning beds. This fish was released back into the creek after its’ photo session.

Really love the Northwest Coast Indigenous formline design of the Haida and Tlingit art. These sign posts are used to indicate the Salmon Walk Trail.

Bon voyage cruise ships! We will not miss you - hulking beasts, belching tourists.

But, we will miss our furry friends from the Thomas Basin Marina. Bluto loves Larry and I think Jaguar was rather fond of me..

Sayonara Ketchikan!!!