RV ALASKA - Seals, Sea Lions and . . . Professional Fish Filleters?

Sobering Thoughts – In a previous post, I had mentioned the big yellow streak running down my back that has been limiting our outdoor activities to some degree.  I know there are other experience-seekers out there who are way more adventurous than I am.  And I say, to each his own.  We all make our own choices, and I respect theirs.  My choices reflect what I believe to be right for me, and I have no regrets about the life experiences I may have missed due to my aversion to risk.

That being said, when it comes to an expedition to western Canada and/or Alaska, I would caution those who would choose this type of journey to become knowledgeable about the areas through which they’ll be traveling and be extremely respectful of nature and its power as they pass through.  The day after we drove by Copper Center on our way to Valdez, a 65-year-old woman from Pennsylvania died near there from injuries she sustained in a rafting accident on the Klutina River.  The raft she and three others were riding in was pinned against debris from a landslide and the raft rolled over.  Just two weeks earlier, a 67-year-old woman from North Carolina died on a rafting trip on the Nenana River near Denali National Park when she fell out of a raft, expired and couldn’t be revived.  (The fact that I am in the same decade of life as these two women was not lost on me.)  On June 30^th, a young woman out jogging with her dog in Haines Junction (Yukon, British Columbia) came upon a group of grizzlies.  Her dog broke free of its leash and chased the sows.  The male turned his attention toward the young woman and attacked her.  (The fact that we had gassed up in the small town of Haines Junction just three days before the attack was not lost on me either.)  Luckily, the young woman was able to escape when the bear was distracted by her dog, and she managed to call for help after she had gotten away.  She remained hospitalized a week later due to her injuries, but she’ll be okay.  This young woman had been raised in the bush and grew up with a solid knowledge and understanding of wildlife.  She doesn’t blame the bear, her dog or herself, but believes that the incident was just a matter of bad timing.  She knows she was incredibly fortunate to have survived the attack – and I’m sure her husband and her baby daughter are very happy that she did.  These three tragedies occurred within a two-week span of time.

Nature is what it is; it will never bow to the power humans believe they have over it.  There is no place for ignorance or inattentiveness here.  Nature offers no apologies for its behavior and it exhibits no remorse.  It extends no sympathy for our mistakes, and does not pause to allow us time to lick our wounds.  By all means, choose a life rich in adventure, but, first, cloak yourself in knowledge, manage risk to the best of your ability, and only then go forth and embrace the outdoors with joy and enthusiasm.  Op-ed over.  On with the post!

Valdez Summary – Alan and I arrived in the port city of Valdez on the evening of July 6^th.  We spent the next two days exploring the town and its environs, and had such a good time that we extended our stay another day.  Valdez is a relatively small city with a population of less than 4,000, and I can see how the town may close in on anyone looking for bigger and better things than Alan and I were.  But the two of us liked Valdez a lot because of what we found there – water, boats and wildlife.  The salmon rolls were pretty amazing, too.

Date(s) – July 7^th – July 9^th

Total Miles Traveled to Date – 9,523

Wildlife Sightings to Date –15 more eagles over the course of our three days in Valdez, bringing our total to 22 (including 2 fledglings); 4 swans, 3 Steller sea lions, 12 harbor seals, 1 sea otter, 1 cow moose; 1 grizzly sow with 2 cubs; 1 back end of a grizzly bear, 6 black bears; 1 snowshoe hare; 3 rabbits (including one very fast bunny that just managed to cross the road safely); several small herds of bison with at least 2 dozen young calves; 9 deer (2 of them bucks with their racks covered in velvet); 9 mountain goats (including 3 tiny and adorable kids); 23 bighorn sheep; 62 elk (including 7 calves that hadn’t yet lost their spots and a number of bull elk with full racks covered in velvet); several small herds of pronghorn antelope (including 2 mamas with 3 newborn fawns between them); 3 great blue herons; dozens of American white pelicans; at least a half dozen families of adult geese with goslings; and several dozen ducks (with lots of little ducklings).

Highlight(s) – Ah, where to begin?  Despite all of the activity that takes place in and around Valdez, it really has a casual, laid-back atmosphere.  In Valdez, it’s all about the fishing.  (Well, that and oil, since Valdez is the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.)  Fishing charters are extremely popular, as are boat tours, hiking, the hatchery and the museum.  Not only did we enjoy ourselves thoroughly, but we’d definitely go back again if we return to Alaska to explore on our own.

Probably the biggest highlight for us was simply hanging around the harbors, talking with the professional fish filleters and watching the charter boats come in and unload their clients’ prize catches.  Yup, these fish filleters are definitely professionals, and we could easily tell the difference between their skills and those of others who had just caught their own fish and were using the community fish cleaning stations to clean and fillet them.  When we first arrived at the harbor, Denny and Jim were working on 180 Copper River Reds (salmon) that a father and son had brought down to them from Chitina.  (In case you’re wondering, the pros charge $2.00 per fish to fillet a salmon, $3.00 per fish to fillet a larger fish and 15 cents per pound to fillet a halibut.  The father and son said it’s worth it for them to bring the fish down to the pros in Valdez because they work about five times faster.)  The father and son live with their families up near Denali, and make an annual trip to Chitina to fish for salmon that will stock their freezers.  In chatting with them, we learned how strict (and complicated) Alaska’s fishing regulations are, and the facts they shared with us were confirmed by Denny and Jim, the professional fish filleters.  For example, the family had caught their 180 salmon using a dipnet, but Alan and I couldn’t use a dipnet to catch fish because we’re not residents of Alaska.  My guess is that fishing guides are popular up here not only because they know the best places to fish, but also due to their knowledge of Alaska’s Fish and Game regulations.  We got the impression that you don’t want to get on the wrong side of Fish and Game.  There are many groups of people who fish up here – commercial fishermen (and women) who ply the waters to supply the seafood industry, indigenous peoples who fish for subsistence and tourists who set out to reel in a trophy fish “this big” and ship the processed fish back home, perhaps to share with family and friends.  The Department of Fish and Game keeps a very close eye on everyone to be sure all the players follow the rules.  Speaking of trophy fish, at the time we were in Valdez and watching the Halibut Derby Leaderboard, the largest halibut taken the week before was just over 180 lbs.  That is one big fish!

Alan and I hit a marine wildlife trifecta in Valdez, spotting harbor seals, Steller sea lions and one sea otter.  The seals and two sea lions were spotted at the Solomon Gulch Hatchery where they impatiently waited at the weir for salmon that had come to spawn there.  The sea otter was dining on his back and hanging out near the municipal docks, as was the third sea lion.  Eagles were often seen flying overhead or stealing fish scraps that the filleters had washed down the drains into a catch basin for the seagulls.

Valdez had an abundance of picnic tables, benches and public restrooms available, both at the municipal docks and at the small and large boat harbors where we spent most of our time, so it was a pleasure just to wander around and for as long as we wanted.  There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Valdez but, if you’re looking for fancy, this might not be your kind of town.  Small, casual dining spots seemed to dominate the restaurant scene, and we decided to try lunch from “The Potato” on our first day in town.  We both had a salmon roll, and they were excellent!  Lunch doesn’t often come with a prettier view than the one we had from a picnic table on the deck at the harbor, so we were truly happy campers.  Alan doesn’t normally go for salmon as much as I do, but he was the one who wanted to go back for another salmon roll for lunch on day two.

On day three, we were blessed with fairly decent weather (for a change!) and we biked around town, past all of the docks and the harbors.  We also visited the Valdez Museum and Historical Archives during our stay, and found wonderful exhibits on the history of the town, including the gold rush, the earthquake of 1964 and the Exxon Valdez oil spill.  It doesn’t take much to make us happy, and I realize that the type of poking around and exploring we like to do wouldn’t appeal to everyone.  Truthfully, we couldn’t seem to stay away from the professional fish filleters, enjoying both the education and the entertainment.  If you type “Pat Olson, Professional Fish Filleter” into a search engine and watch the 2015 YouTube video by FightReelz, you’ll see Pat working at the fish filleting station on the harbor in Valdez – right where we saw him, Denny and Jim.  Honestly, his jokes were just as bad in person as they were on the video, but when he told a young girl that he’d give her $10.00 for kissing one of the fish he was about to fillet, Alan and I both laughed – at the horrified and disgusted look on the poor kid’s face.

Lowlight(s) – The “Tsunami Evacuation Route” signs.  Really.  After a while, they had me looking over my shoulder.  Beyond that, we’re still having trouble with the tight spaces in campgrounds up here.  We tend to keep to ourselves which is a little more difficult when your neighbors are “this” close.  Of course, we’ve been friendly to our fellow campers, and have met some very nice folks.  Still, we like our space and are feeling slightly claustrophobic here at the KOA in Valdez.  The only other lowlight has been the weather - consistent clouds and intermittent showers.  If this is normal summer weather in Alaska, you can bet that I’m never moving up here.

Laugh(s) of the Day – The snack foods in the “Snakbox” vending machine at the Municipal docks were all fairly common items – except for the . . .

Campground(s) – Spent all four nights at the Valdez KOA!

Pic(s) of the Day

The light colored fish are halibut; the orange ones are rockfish.  That's the best I can do for ya.

Professional fish filleter, Denny, working on a Copper River Red Salmon

The scraps go to the birds!

This big guy complained loudly whenever the other sea lion got too close to "his" spot.

And this little seal very quietly enjoyed his catch off to the side, out of the fray.

We LOVED the time we spent around the harbors of Valdez!

Up Next – From Valdez, Alan and I had planned to move on to the Kenai Peninsula, but we had no reservations anywhere, and I knew the salmon would soon be starting to run in earnest on the Peninsula.  That meant reservations would be harder to come by if I didn’t book something soon.  (This flying by the seat of your pants stuff is for the birds!)  On our second day in Valdez, I spent some time researching campgrounds on the Kenai Peninsula.  Before we left the port city of Valdez, I had booked a week in Cooper Landing with “an old friend.”

True Confessions – We now have reservations in place for every single night up to and including August 8th, as well as plans for the few days after that as we prep for our return to the States.  My stress level has dropped to zero, and I’m sleeping much better at night.  Let’s face it: I’m just not a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of girl.