Author: wall2wallblue

This morning we’re heading another 6 miles up Laredo Inlet to Alston Cove. It’s still raining off and on, but not enough to ruin the beautiful scenery along the way.

As soon as we had the anchor down I launched my kayak and went to check out Blee Creek.

 

 

There is a large grassy area and drying mud flat at the head of the cove.  Hiding in the tall grass and Yarrow I spotted these Canadian Honkers.

 

 

 

Along the shore was this beautiful Greater Yellowlegs posing for the camera.

 

 

There was no way to get any farther up Blee Creek because of the rapids.

 

 

So, I paddled all along the shoreline, where I spotted this lovely waterfall.

 

 

 

 

There are lots of little islets to explore in Quigley.  So, this morning I set out to paddle around all of them.

 

 

Then, I headed up Quigley Creek.  It wasn’t a very high tide, so I didn’t get very far.

 

 

 

I found these cute little Sanderlings in one of the coves.  They were  in constant motion, running like mad over all the rocks, hunting for low tide goodies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running alongside the Sanderlings was this Semipalmated Plover.

 

 

 

There aren’t many wildflowers left, so I was pleased to get a shot of this lacy Yarrow.

 

 

 

 

 

With only 5 miles to go to Quigley Creek Cove, we were able to sleep in this morning — Yay!  It’s still raining off and on, but once again, no wind. 

As we were pulling the anchor, I saw this Red Throated Grebe paddling along the shore.

 

At the entrance to Thistle Passage, I spotted this deer swimming for the opposite shore.  This has really been the year of the deer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’d never been to Quigley before.  It’s beautiful!  And, we had it all to ourselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s going to be a long run today, with 80 miles to cover, which means we have to get an early start.  At first light we have the anchor up and are underway for Corney Cove, in Meyers Passage.  It’s raining, but once again we have flat calm seas. 

As we head into Wright Sound a Humpback Whale appears right on our bow!  I was able to get this shot through the windshield.

 

 

Heading into McKay Reach I noticed this barge.  I’m fascinated that the rocks maintain their perfect pyramids.  It looks very precarious, but Al assures me it’s all very stable….amazing.

 

 

In McKay Reach I spotted another whale feeding along the shore.

 

 

 

With all the rain we’ve been having, the waterfalls were really spectacular.

As we got into Tolmie Channel we spotted another whale.  I was only able to get a shot of his tail, however.

 

 

We were fortunate to have the current going with us most of the way, and consequently we made Corney Cove in just under 10 hours.  Normally, we would have kept going to Quigley, in Laredo Inlet, but this year we’re taking it easier and enjoying it more.  We’ve never anchored in Corney Cove before, since we’re usually headed in the opposite direction in Meyers Passage.  Corney was pleasant, but not memorable.

 

 

It’s still raining this morning, but, thankfully, the seas are flat calm when we head back to Cameron Cove this morning.  Doesn’t look like the rain is ever going to stop, but that’s O.K., just as long as there’s no wind with it. 

When we got to Cameron, the anchorage was empty.  I guess it’s getting late enough in the season that a lot of boats have already headed home.  We spent the day recovering from the trauma of yesterday’s storm.

It’s raining this morning, and windy.  We don’t have the storm force winds that were forecasted, but the wind is gusting to 30 knots.  Weighing heavily on our minds is the storm we rode out here about ten years ago, when the wind blew out the Eisenglass on the flybridge, straightened the hook on the anchor chain, and blew the wind cups right off the anemometer.  The anchor held during that storm, so we’re confident we won’t drag anchor.  But, we still worry.  The howling of the wind messes with our minds. 

When the wind started picking up around mid-morning, driving the rain sideways, we were seeing gusts over 50 knots.   Our eyes were riveted on the wind speed indicator.  It started looking like we were in for a monsoon.  The wind speed indicator was now pegged at 60 knots.  Then, all of a sudden the boat started heeling over, from side to side as we were whipped around on the anchor. The wind was blowing so much water off the surface of the water that the seas were solid white for about 15 feet above the surface. We figured we must be getting gusts well over 80 knots.  Then, thankfully, the wind dropped to a steady 30 to 40 knots for the rest of the day.  By dark, it looked like the worst was over. 

We’ve decided that there must be a venturi effect created when the wind blows through the little islands just outside this anchorage.  Whatever the cause of these Devil Winds, we don’t ever want to experience them again.  As Al said when the storm was over, “Chapple Inlet has seen the last of us.”

It’s foggy this morning when pull the anchor, headed for Chapple Inlet.  Al assures me he has at least a half mile of visibility with his new “fog” glasses.  I’m just hoping the fog won’t get any worse before we get there.  Luckily, we only have about 14 miles to go.

The fog lifted after about an hour, and by the time we reached Chapple, we had good visibility.  We decided to anchor at the bitter end, since a big storm is supposed to arrive tonight.  There are no other boats in the inlet.

I managed to get a paddle in, but the wind picked up quite a bit, so I didn’t get too far from the boat.

This Kingfisher led me on a merry chase before I managed to get this shot.

 

 

This little Murrelet stopped fishing long enough to pose for me.

 

 

And, I managed to get a shot of this Loon.

 

 

 

Just before I got back to the boat, I saw this Yellowlegs and a Seagull sharing a rock.

 

 

 

 

On another little islet, I spotted this American Robin in deep shade.

 

 

The wind finally picked up to about 15  knots, with gusts over 20 knots, so I headed back to the boat, just in case that storm arrived early.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It rained most of the day,  There weren’t many photo ops other than this Loon who had caught a very nice fish.

 

 

 

Today I decided  to check out the river at high tide.  I wasn’t expecting to see much wildlife, but was pleased to find this Lesser Yellowlegs

 

 

 

 

 

At first I thought the tiny birds that seemed to be gathered around him were baby Yellowlegs.  However, when I checked out my Audubon Field Guide I discovered that they were Sanderlings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was more water in the river than when we were here last year, but I still wasn’t able to get that much farther up before I ran out of water.  When it got down to about a foot, I decided I’d better turn around.

 

 

 

I wanted to be in Cameron Cove for the last day of the spring tide, which is today.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t leave MacDonald any later than 0530 hrs, or the tide would be too low to get out the entrance.  Much as I hate leaving before dawn, it did make it possible for me to get a shot of the setting moon and the rising sun as we left MacDonald.

 

 

 

 

It’s only 14 miles to Cameron Cove, so I had plenty of time after we arrived to get in a paddle at low tide.  I’ve found that low tide is when you’re most likely to see wildlife.  While I was suiting up, Al spotted a bear on the beach turning rocks.  I was afraid he’d be gone by the time I got my kayak launched. Luckily,  he was obviously finding some good stuff under those rocks, because he worked those rocks for almost two hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crabs seemed to be one of his favorites.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually, Mr. Bear decided he wanted some salad to go with his seafood.  So,  headed for a grassy section of the beach.

 

 

 

 

While I was photographing the bear, Al called me on my VHF.  “There’s a deer on your left.”  I turned around, and sure enough a deer was standing there, looking very nervous.

 

 

 

 

 

It didn’t take long for her to size up the situation and decide she’d better get moving.

 

 

I decided to follow her.  She was headed for the river.  I found her working her way across the drying mud flats of low tide.

 

 

 

Then she spotted me and gave me this last pose before heading for the trees.