2017 Meanderings - Coffman Cove, Alaska - You Can't Go Home Again

Late June to Early August

You and I have had conversations over the years about how Thomas Wolfe’s “You Can’t Go Home Again” philosophy has applied to our own lives, Sis.  It’s only natural that as we grow and change our perceptions of what and where “home” is changes as well.  I think, in a way, the same thing applies to places we visit.  If we had stayed in that same place year-‘round, the day-to-day growth and transformations would seem almost imperceptible.  But somehow we keep returning with our expectations from years ago, and fight within ourselves to not wind up disappointed.  Chris and I have started to see this trend in our love affair with the little town of Coffman Cove in Southeast Alaska.

One of our YouTube episodes above...Are we partly to blame?

Probably one of the biggest ways it has changed since we first came in 2001 is in popularity and the pressures that come with more people knowing about its existence.  Naturally, we have to wonder at our part in that and feel some guilt about our videos and sharing; we most likely inadvertently contributed to its “demise” as a “secret getaway”.  With more people fishing its waters (including commercial fishing boats), the fishing is “less-than” it used to be for sure, however, for someone who has never been there and fished there before, it’s still quite something.  And gone are the days of complete isolation…you have to “work at” finding those places in the Inland Passage where you feel like you’re the only one there, but they do still exist…and we do enjoy them.

A stormy day at the Cove…

Oh, I wish we were Star Trek advanced enough that I could “beam you up and over” there with me, Sis—so that you and I could sit in the boat with that view on a day like this one above (without all the hassle of travel, getting there, getting a place, withstanding all of the rainy weather, etc.).  There are still amazing views there, and we have to shake ourselves at times because our “jaded” memories of a more remote time keep us from fully appreciating that.

A stormy day at the Cove...

Of course, beaming you over also gives us the advantage of picking the perfect day/time to do this!  The weather can turn, and since most of the Prince of Wales Island gets over 100 inches of rainfall per year, it stands to reason that even if you allow a week or 2 (or 3), you could be looking at some amount of soggy days, depending on your luck.

Home Away From Home

This year we had to figure out a different way to be at Coffman Cove because the Oceanview RV Campground we had used for years had closed (luckily we were able to stay the whole summer last year in our trailer at the campground—an affordable way to enjoy the experience one last time there).

The campground "graveyard" as seen this year...

We used several of these camp sites in years past--great views, all!

 We lucked into a month-long home rental, and were amazed to find a place with a great view of the passage (Clarence Strait), like we had at the campground. 

The awesome views from our "back porch"...

From this home base, we were able to get out for boating/fishing trips and take some day trips to other parts of the island.  We have explored pretty much all there is to see on the island and have our favorite “haunts”, but sometimes it’s enjoyable to take a drive and happen into whatever comes our way.

Our Getting-Away Illusion

One of the lessons we have had recently is the realization that what we thought we wanted to get away from on vacations was actually what spiced up the trips every time.  You and I have laughed over the years at how Chris and I avoid people on vacations—get away from it all through isolation.  We STILL have that hilarious “Go Away” welcome mat that you and Jim got us and use it to this day whenever we take our trailer into the wilderness.

But amazingly, we have learned that people actually give our trips the “body”—the memories with substance, you know?

Unexpected Interactions

Before I was able to join Chris this year at the Cove, he had gone up before our reservation kicked in, and got in on some adventures following a room-and-board exchange agreement between him and our buddy Dave Rotman.  I wrote about Dave last year, the guy we had run into at the Post Office when he recognized us from our 2014 video on Coffman Cove:

• He acted as Dave’s “Sous Chef” at times and Dave had him GUIDE some of the folks out for fishing trips, including:

Chris and the Wounded Warrior group ceremony

o   A group of Wounded Warriors who enjoyed Chris so much, they made him an honorary member (with a ceremony and everything, presenting him with a hat).  Chris still gets emotional when talking about it, and I do too!

o   A prison guard from California who kind of intimidated Chris at first (he was big and at the time rather cranky about not catching fish) but became fast buddies when they got into some great fishing.

Chris posing for the $100 shot

o   A professional videography group who make what we consider the perfect living—selling 5-second video of various scenes and wildlife online.  They took video of Chris (he’s holding a salmon up—it’s going for $100), and also asked him to do a voiceover for the promotional video they are creating for Dave.  I got to meet them after I arrived and they were awesome—easy going folks who shared some tips and complimented us (they said they had watched ALL of our videos—gulp!—and when we saw how professional they were, we were almost kind of embarrassed that they had!).

Chris fishing with videographers Scott and Steve

Planned Visits

Dustin, Sheela, Og, Ana

Chris’ son Dustin and his family came up for a week and Dustin introduced them to the Cove that he had visited while we were there the previous year.

Unfortunately, they hit some of the rainier weather that week and Chris felt lucky to have gotten them out on his skiff at all, but the day that allowed for it evidently paid off and they were able to see whales and get the feel of being out there on the water.  They otherwise seemed to enjoy roaming around the island, however soggy it was.

Steve B. and Chris reminisce...

And our friend Steve Biddinger, who introduced us to Coffman Cove way back in 2001, came up for 2 weeks with his buddy Rod and one day the 3 of us (Chris, Steve, me) made a nostalgic fishing trip together on Steve’s boat—the very same one we used 16 years ago.  We actually hauled in quite a few salmon, and enjoyed the usual amount of goofing around/laughing.  

Steve B. shows the cooler full of salmon harvested in 2 hours

Speaking of Hauls…

Well, Sis…you’ll probably wonder what the heck we mean by “less-than” fishing when you see these pictures, because it still is amazing what you can harvest up there…

Dave’s buddy Albert poses next to the 265-pound halibut he caught.  He wanted Dave to post it saying that he (Albert) was 6 feet tall which cracked us up.  He’s actually shorter than me.

Dave and Chris caught the other 2 halibut...both about 80 pounds each...

The crab hauls were virtually nonexistent for us this year, which was hard to take given past years’ bounty.  But the shrimp did not disappoint…we enjoyed several shrimp meals with Dave and the extra “plus” of shrimping that is all of the extra stuff you get in the traps (kind of like the Cracker Jack prizes—NOT!):

The beginnings of a future shrimp cocktail...

Treasures from the Shrimp Trap...

Call it "Hairy Snail #1"

"Hairy Snail #2"

Hermit Crabs

Just so you know...all of these treasures made it back into the ocean unharmed!

Worth-It Views

So, there are still fish to be had up there, and there are plenty of awesome things to see too…like the whales!!

These humpbacks came up during a bubble feed, and I was filming at the time...it scared and thrilled me--amazing!

Or the Flicker that made itself at home in our back yard...

And dolphins love to play with boats--sometimes racing them, sometimes just jumping all around...pretty cool!

Then there are the scenes right outside the harbor that can easily astound...

Eagles are everywhere most times...this one looks to me like he's saying, "Man, I need my nails trimmed!"

This one's not so much impressed by the wet weather...

And there are always heron fishing the bay...

And, as usual, there was no shortage of bear or deer to see!

Excursions and Odd Finds

Sometimes, when we’re not on the boat fishing, Chris and I like to either walk around or drive around and see what we run into.  Sometimes it’s more pretty scenery on the island...

But sometimes, we just have to appreciate some of the unique things—you know you’re like us this way too, Sis—sometimes the odd/different stuff just makes your day, you know?

One of the fun facts about Coffman Cove is the “secret society” of F.R.O.G.s—yes, frogs…see if you can see from this what those letters stand for:

Yep!  And Chris heard about a FROG memorial that had been created in the old campground we frequented, but you’ll have to watch the video (coming soon this winter!) to get the full effect of what we found.

And here’s something you don’t see every day…out in the middle of nowhere off the side of the road:

We posed with it because it looks like we found retirement heaven here and we thought it was amusing, but someone actually took money and time to spray paint this whole boulder a nice shiny shade of gold.

There are the quaint unique features you see every time you drive the island, like this coffee stop place where you’d not expect to find one…

But this time, we happened into something we weren’t expecting at all.  In the town of Thorne Bay, they were having “Thorne Bay Days,” complete with a parade of ATV’s, dressed up motorcycles, and other various vehicles, as well as a queen whom we had the honor of meeting…

They also had a kayak race for people of all ages, and we especially enjoyed following the little guy at the end there with the balloon on the end of his…he was so young that the boaters and paddlers monitoring safety for the race had to keep checking in on him…but he made it to the finish line (after all others had gone around twice) and everybody cheered for him, including ourselves…he was so cute and so determined (probably about 4 years old)!

Unexpected Excursion

Our buddy Dave Rotman not only owns and runs the Bears Den Lodge in Coffman Cove, he’s an appraiser by previous trade (full-time back in his New York days), and he has started building up a base in Alaska.  Anyway, he acquired a couple of appraisals he had to do up in Petersburg and wanted to try and boat up there and back, about 100 miles round trip, and wanted us to come along for safety-in-numbers purposes (he also was in the Coast Guard, so he takes much-appreciated precautions whenever he travels/boats).  We thought he was kind of nuts at first and tried to talk him into the 2-day struggle of ferrying/flying to get the jobs done, but he persisted and we relented…and weren’t sorry a bit.  What an adventure!!!  It did get dicey on the way back (an hour of terror as we fought with waves), but it was an amazing day we will never forget.

Chris talks to a crow at the Petersburg harbor...oddly enough, only the crows in Coffman Cove respond to his caws...

Dave, Chris and I ate lunch at this little place in Petersburg (very good, actually!) and Chris filmed me talking to YOU on the phone there...where I took advantage of the signal.

Communique a la Remote-ville

And Chris got a kick out of taking pictures of me when I was talking to you and Mom…I was checking the phone out whenever I could to see if it was “signal ready” (as with Petersburg above, or here on the ferry below) or I was using the WiFi signal at the Coffman Cove library or Dave’s lodge to get through (not as reliable as the cell signal was, but we got it work a couple of times, didn’t we Sis?).

For a little part of the way on the ferry, there's a cell signal that works...

I'm on the rocking chair in front of the library here, talking to you...

And I told you about this phenomenon last year--this is also where people will sit in their cars and work on their laptops/phones with the library WiFi signal…you’ll sometimes see the whole front and sides of the library lined with cars because even if it’s not open, you can latch into the WiFi.

So Long—Mixed Feelings

So we had to bid good-bye to Coffman Cove once again, and this time with the sense that we probably won’t be able to return here in the same way—definitely not for as long a stay.  But, in spite of the obstacles (the weather, the diminished “stock”, the hassles of getting here), we will probably return for at least a little taste of what makes us breathe a sigh of relief when on the island—the lack of stress, the simplicity, the re-connections with friends we’ve made here.  And Chris would add that one of the special features has to do with the lack of cell signal—you barely ever see people just staring at their phones here and conversations involve LOTS of eye contact.  Surprisingly, that takes away a certain level of stress that we don’t even realize we live with day-in and day-out.

Buddy Steve Biddinger says he’s done…the campground was the true essence of the experience for him (the camaraderie, the campfires, the affordability, etc.), and he just can’t imagine coming back at all.

For us, I guess it comes down to this:

Which traffic would we prefer to face?

Coffman Cove...

...or THIS...?

Yes, I imagine we’ll have to go back for at least a “breath” of the Cove…maybe you’ll want to meet us there, Sis!!