The end of the season...

The summer tourist season is slowly coming to an end. There will be no more days of moving 15 double kayaks to the launch. These days, it's more like 4 or 5. In a few weeks, we'll be cleaning everything up.

It's also the time of year in Sitka when a smelly mist begins to rise over Indian River: the smell of rotting salmon flesh. The poor pink salmon are beginning to die off. Whenever you walk through Totem Park, you have to hold your nose. And cover your ears. The seagulls have moved in to feast on the dead fish, and all day they squawk with joy. Or greed.

The other day I took my camera to work to do a little documentation, since I have a little spare time on my hands.

Whenever a cruise ship comes to town, the local vendors come down to Crescent Harbor. They line up along the sidewalk, hoping to make a buck. There are a couple van tours, a few private boat tours, some walking tours, and the poor guys that have to hand out coupons and flyers for local shops and restaurants. Tourism has suffered a little, because of the poor economy, so things have been a little tense this summer. There has been lots of drama among the vendors: badmouthing each other, turning each other in for violations, etc. We stay out of it, but it's kind of fun to hear all the local gossip.

 There is no cruise ship dock in Sitka, so the cruise companies have to lighter people to shore on "tender" boats (the little boat below with an orange top.)

 One of our tour groups out in the sound:

 There are 3 full time guides (Dana, Stephanie, and Mitch), a shore rep/guide (Skeeter), a reserve guide (Matt, he's a school teacher and guides part time), and 2 tour managers (Me and Alison's daughter Maggie.) Maggie and I are usually the first to arrive and we get all the equipment ready. Then the guides trickle in and get ready for their tours.
Launching tours is always hectic. Everything seems to happen very fast, back to back. Once the last tour leaves, there is a little pause. We stop to catch a breath, straighten up the bus, and wait for the first tour to come back. I love this time. You feel like you've really earned a rest.
Here's Dana, sitting on the breakwall waiting for a tour to come back:

 And here they are:

 And there's a fishing boat: a purseiner. The purseiners catch the lesser quality salmon: chums and pinks. They use a large net to scoop them all out. It's really cool to watch them fish.

 Trollers are the boats that catch the high quality salmon: King, Coho, and Sockeye. Trollers catch individual fish and fillet them as soon as they are caught. There is a real art to this. They have to do it a certain way so that the flesh isn't damage and the fillet is perfect. This is the best fish you can get, and it's expensive. I think a 30 lb King brings in about $100. So if you catch 20 King in one day....
Fishing is a very lucrative job. It's very hard work and it's a hard lifestyle, but the people who do it seem to really love it. I know a lot of the fishermen here will work for the summer season and take the rest of the year off. If it's a good season, you can make $20-50,000. That's plenty to live on until next season. When the season ends, you head south: Oregon, California, Mexico, Hawaii, or New Zealand.
Some of our kayakers with the lighthouse in the background:

 Crescent Harbor:

 Dana and Skeeter clean and put away some kayaks at the end of the day. (I helped after took the picture.)

 The crew putting gear away. Dana, Stephanie, Skeeter, and Mitch:

 Alison arrives as we're cleaning up to hear about our day and talk about the plan for tomorrow.

 Mitch plays with Willow while Skeeter talks to Alison.

 Everyone's favorite pup! Willow:

Well, there's only a month left. It's been a long summer and I'm looking forward to the roadtrip home. I haven't made definite plans yet, but I'm hoping to stop in Bellingham, WA; The Teton National Forest, and St. Louis, MO to visit Bitty, one of our friends here in Sitka.
Talk to you soon!