this morning, i biked the nine miles from the dock at glacier bay into gustavus, the tiny plane-or-boat-only-accessible town. it was an amazing ride, although i did spend a majority of it watching out for bears and moose (which are apparently worse than bears). the road was straight; just a few turns here and there, and when i say that it’s entirely disconnected from the world, i do mean it in the literal sense – there are no roads into gustavus from the outside.
i left the boat at 6am and rode into town a little past 7am. i rode through muskegs, where the ferns and pines brushed the ground; i passed colourful and ramshackle houses; i crossed the salmon river, a clear, shallow meander to the sea; i rode under tall pines whose branches started well above my head; and i stopped several times to make sure i hadn’t passed the town.
it’s a cloudy morning, but thankfully no rain as of yet. i am prepared with rain gear, a radio, bear mace and extra clothes in case i get cold or wet. wool socks are a blessing in disguise.
i spent my early morning at the fireweed gallery and coffee shop, since nothing else was open. i asked christina, the girl working, what i should do. she recommended the nagoonberry loop, so off i went on my rusty bike. i pedaled down glen ditch road to the trailhead and tucked it under a fallen tree. i sprayed some insect repellent on, and then grabbed my bear mace and headed down the winding trail. there were some beautiful flowers, but the thing i find the most interesting about the temperate rain forest that is southeastern alaska is the forest floors. moss that ranges from dark green to bright green to dark yellow… it just never ceases to amaze me.
there were two benches along the way and i sat on each for a moment to contemplate the scenery around me. i also took a detour onto the wide sandy beach. it started raining on me, and i found myself pulling on my rainpants when i got back to my bike. from there, i turned toward the library, which ended up being closed. no big deal, however, as i really had no reason to go there… just exploring the town!
i decided to head back toward four corners, the “main” part of town (though it really isn’t) and stopped for lunch at the clove hitch cafe, which happens to be attached to the gallery and coffee shop. i sat down and was immediately assailed by maraya, the super friendly (and oddly familiar, though we have never met before) waitress. i desperately wanted a burger and told her as much. it came out piping hot, oozing blue cheese. perfection, no?
after a long lunch (i read a walk in the woods, by bill bryson), i decided to check out the husky ranch – which was also closed (but i went later – more soon) so i turned back and went to the beach instead. of course it decided to start raining again, so i took shelter under the dock (not much shelter) until it dissipated and then i curled up on a bench to read. i ended up snoozing for a short while (the perils of getting used to early afternoon naps!), waking up to voices of returning kayakers. i knew i needed a coffee again, so i pedaled back to the gallery and got another pick-me-up. around 3:30, the sun came out and i took my chances. i paid, threw my backpack over my shoulders and jumped on the bike. i tore off down the road (as fast as i could go with my bicycle-sore-butt) toward the husky ranch. i met the owner chris and played with the lone puppy (scratch, or “puppy”) until she went off with a potential adopter. chris and his employee pointed out all of the huskies and then chris let me into the grounds so i could play with them. i met scratch’s parents, katy and yukon, and their fellow dogs: aurora, polar, tatiana, sweet pea, mika and so many others. really adorable dogs, and i spent altogether way too much time there.
i asked about the possibility of spending some time with them when my contract is up in august, and chris said he’d talk to his wife about it. with that, i said goodbye and biked back toward the lodge. i stopped at the site of an old plane crash, and while i did hike through the woods to it, i was skeeved out and turned back around almost immediately after seeing partial ruins. my ride back was interrupted by my inability to stay on a bike for more than 3 minutes at a time, but as i flew down the hill nearest the lodge, i heard a rustling in the brush and all pain flew out the window. i turned just in time to see the rear end of a rather large moose disappear into the bushes. i crossed the road (moose are dangerous, if you haven’t heard) and slowed. it never reappeared, and while i was immensely disappointed, i was also slightly relieved to not have to spend the last few minutes of my day off running from an angry moose. however, this was my first ever moose. exciting!!
i’m currently sitting at the lodge, basking in the late afternoon sunshine, awaiting my chariot that is the sea bird. she’ll dock around 830, and i will be eagerly waiting on the dock, ready to load my bike and crawl into my tiny bed.