Thorne Bay - The Sweet Stuff from Slip 108

 

The nice folks in Thorne Bay have welcomed us. Naturally, they are curious about the boat, sailors, and dog that seem to be sticking around. Most cruisers come in for a day or two and then leave.  We just keep taking pictures from our slip (all of pics in this post), and now that we signed up for a year the word is getting around. 

Zach and Rose, the harbormaster and city hall finance manager, helped us get the electric meter in our name. Waylon (14) and his granddad Joe (happens to be Rose's better half) keep showing us the silver salmon they catch. I'm working on having Waylon take me out fishing. Cindy and Dave, locals here for over 15 years, brought us a couple of Dungeness crabs, and told us if we needed anything at all to just call. 

Tami (mom), Taylor, and Maddie (young daughters) run a little coffee shop that just opened. It's the only spot in town to sit down for some service. Connie grows some flowers and herbs on her porch near the grocery store. She's a fun character and gave us some basil and dill plants for the boat. Kerri, at Adventure Alaska Southeast, has car rentals when the lodge is not full with guests. We'll pick one up Friday for a tour of the island, and hopefully the laundromat in Craig will be open as well. And then there is Judy and her dog Ramble. She is a Coast Guard captain that worked in these waters for 50 years. She took an old Coast Guard barge and had a gorgeous house boat built on it. She also has a beautiful 50 foot trawler that she says "she just can't give up." She had bow and stern thrusters installed on the boat, because she says "my old friends can't get off their walkers or canes fast enough to help dock the boat." 

Beyond all of this, Mark, a tennis friend of Del in Texas, has set us up with contacts across the island. The school superintendent here in Thorne Bay and Hydaburg are expecting to meet us. And Mark's friend Matt has also been helpful with lots of information. It's only been a week, but we understand why so many are touched by this SE Alaska community.

Sometimes all you have to do is take yourself out of the hustle and bustle. When you do, good things open up in front of you. People here remind us that a great life does not have to be that complicated. These folks find so much simple pleasure in this place - fishing, hunting, spending time on boats, talking with their neighbors, and just being outside. We are glad Iolair's spot is down at the end of the dock -- the view from the slip says it all. Brian, an old rafting friend of ours, used to say "each day on a float trip peels off another layer of the onion. It takes a good 5 days to get down to the sweet stuff."