The month of November is always a little rainy, but this one has seemed biblical. There have been a few breaks in the rain to dash out for a hike or to snap some photos. When we do, we do live in a gorgeous wet place.
Whales are always awesome and it's been fun and interesting to plot our sightings for HappyWhale.com - an online whale identification website for years now. It was great to hear world-renowned whale biologists are using this "citizen science" tool for their work tracking whales across the Pacific Ocean at the 2019 Sitka WhaleFest.
In case you're wondering how it works: They use facial-recognition software to identify the whales from their tail markings and dorsal fins/patches. It works for orca and humpback whales, and I'm sure could be used on other species as well. And perhaps someday, we can hold a beauty contest for 'Cooper', 'Jackson Pollock', 'Sasha' and the rest of "our" whales - just like those bigfat bears at Katmai National Park..
In what has become a BOB tradition, we are once again famous in the Hot Springs Village, Arkansas vicinity. Art and Marna make sure to bring a copy of the Village Voice each time they come aboard the BOB. The last issue was 2013. Amazingly, they haven't aged a bit, and the fishing was certainly better on the most recent trip. Thank you!
Speaking of this beautiful and unique place - we are dismayed to see that the Forest Service has proposed severely weakening the protected status of the Tongass National Forest. This is the place we fish, explore, recreate in, and love with all our hearts. We don't often ask folks to get active for a cause, but this one is pretty worrying and would greatly affect what we can offer as a business dependant on an intact forest.
If you feel like we do, the comment deadline on exempting Alaska from the Roadless Area Conservation Rule is Dec. 17.
We support the "No Action" alternative, and wholeheartedly support the current roadless designations for Alaska.
One new item that will likely show up for brunch aboard the BOB next summer is shrimp & grits. You'll just have to trust us how good it is until then... Or email us and we'll send you the recipe.
One sight we see a lot of in Sitka in the fall are piles of crab and shrimp pots roaming around in the backs of rusty pickups as the seasons close for winter. We hope you can find some wild-caught salmon or shrimp in your local market, but in case you can't - our friends at Sitka Salmon Shares can help out filling your Thanksgiving or Christmas table.
As always, we are hoping you can join us this year (or the next) on a trip in the Inside Passage of Alaska. Our calendar is filling fast, but don't let that dissuade you from a trip this summer. Our May, June and September trips are incredible, and this season the weather was amazing all summer (though we do admit it was a bit cooler at the glaciers).
Typically, we see drier months in the early summer, lots of bears wandering the rivers with great fishing in September.
