2 Bears, 1 Whale... and a tipped kayak

Today at work was... interesting. To start things off, one couple came early and had to be directed to a later trip for a few reasons. Other than that, the morning was great. We had 24 guests in the first group and 15 in the second. The couple we directed to the later trip came back drunk, but they were nice about it so it wasn't a problem taking them out. On our way out to the float house we saw a humpback whale. It was my first. A few minutes later we saw two bears, a mother and cub, grazing in a small field of grass. I figured the day couldn't get better and was feeling really optimistic. I was right. The day wouldn't get better. I took my first group out today with another inexperienced guide and it was rocky, to say the best. We didn't do as well as I had hoped. Everyone was patient though, and I thought we were doing ok. Unfortunately, everything continued to go downhill. We were running late so we had to hurry everyone back. In the process, a couple was having issues and I left them with the other guide in order to head back with the other kayakers. As I was almost to the float house, I heard the other guide yelling and figured he needed help getting them back so I sent Justin after them. Then I saw Mike (my boss) speed by in the coast guard boat. At that point I knew they had flipped. It was bad. We got them back and dressed in warm clothes, but since they were older, a little overweight and the man was Russian, it was not the most idyllic situation. The other guests understood, but things were a little tense. After dropping every one off at their respective tenders, Mike laid into us. He was not happy with how we handled the situation. Today went from great to horrible to kind of funny. The fore-mentioned drunk couple tipped us and told us to go buy ourselves some drinks to take off the edge and a Swiss gentleman took pity on me and gave me ten bucks. The entire situation could have been better, but I made an extra twenty bucks so I guess it's ok.

Sunday Stroll in Sitka

This Sunday we took a nice little stroll around an old coast guard post. It was nice and the view was great. The most interesting part of the afternoon however, was when Justin and his sister, Brandi and Taylor tricked Curt and me into eating china caps. They are basically snails with green blood. I almost threw up several times and I died when the Albee's told us they themselves had never eaten these nasty creatures themselves. It was gross and this is one experience I'm not glad I've gone through.

However, the weather was great and the day was beautiful. And it was nice spending the day with some friends.

Walk Through Totem Park

Today we took a nice little stroll through Totem Park (so named after the many totem poles hanging about). We saw several eagles and took a nice stroll on the beach. It was absolutely beautiful. I finally bought a nice (super cute, teal) base layer and it made all the difference.

This log on the right was humongous. And that is the city back on the horizon. We found some crabs, muscles and clam shells hanging out along the shore. Nothing too exciting, except that one crab did try to climb up my sleeve. I wasn't too thrilled on that so like any sane girl, I screamed and flailed my arms about trying to dislodge the foreign object from my clothing. It was rainy in the morning, but by the afternoon it was clear and beautiful.

Gorgeous Weather!

Today is BEAUTIFUL!!!! I know I've been saying how pretty Sitka is, but this beats the charts. It's still cold, but for a day in Alaska, I couldn't ask for a better time. The sun is out, the sky is blue and the eagles are swooping overhead. The fact that so many days this summer will be dismal make this day all the better. To add on top of it all, I got a second job in Del Sol. Yes, the Del Sol where the items change colors in the sun. Today is perfect.

First Day of Work

Being a kayak tour guide is going to be AWESOME!!! Today was our first day and it was great. We had two groups (both of which contained some LDS people) and we were thrown right in the thick of things. It was rainy and miserable the first half of the day, but the second half was beautiful and sunny. It was warm and probably perfect. Mike, my boss, seems like a really cool guy. He really likes me so far and even bought me a sandwich today. It's really good that he likes me and that he thinks I'm a hard worker because this means I'll get more hours (and I need all the hours I can get). So far the homesickness hasn't set in, and I really hope it remains that way. I just need to find some good kids to hang out with and that will really help things. I do wish I had packed better under layers, but unfortunately I don't have much in that department (much I'm sure to my mother's surprise). So I guess I will have to see what I can get. Everything is twice as expensive so it'll take awhile to save up the money to get what I need. I did buy a really cute hat today though, and it will match my ski coat wonderfully this winter. I'm loving this town and it's a really good experience for me. There is so much I can learn here, and I hope I don't pass up an opportunities.

Alaska

I can't believe that I'm actually here. I am in Sitka, AK!! It's so pretty up here, everything is green and there are pine trees surrounding us on all sides. My favorite part so far is that you have the ocean on one side and half a mile in-land you are hiking up a mountain. We've been warned about all the brown bears we need to avoid, and I have to admit, I'm more than a little apprehensive. But so far so good. My friend's uncle told us we could borrow his hand gun any time we go hiking just so we have something (although I don't know how much a pistol would do against a bear). Yesterday we went exploring on bikes and rode from one end of town to the other. It's a really small little town, the population is 9,000, and everything except for the bars and a few restaurants closes at 6. The funny thing is, it's still light until ten and that will only be for a few more weeks. By the time June comes around we'll have constant light. On our bike ride we saw an eagle, and even though they're common here, it was still fun to say I've seen my first Alaskan eagle. I have a feeling I'm going to love it here. I'm currently staying in my friend's mom's house, but I'm going to see if I can change that up. While it is really kind of her to let us crash here, I'd rather find an apartment and get settled. I don't feel that I can really unpack and get comfortable because I'll be moving in two weeks. It doesn't help that they have cats and cat fur EVERYWHERE. It's so gross! Growing up we never had cats, and I've decided I'm grateful to Annette for having cat allergies. They are nasty, whiny, smelly creatures. But all in all, Sitka is going to be a really fun place to live.