Everywhere in Homer there is reference to “The Deadliest Catch”. T-shirts, mugs, hats, all carry the quote. I have learned that it is referring to the Discovery Channel’s report on crab fishing. It is known to be difficult & deadly. So now you know, don’t make catching crabs the top of your vocation list.
We had a bit of a technical problem last night before going to bed. Our video camera ate the tape that we have been recording on! Yes, it is sad that the only film I have of Gary reeling in his salmon was destroyed. So we decided we needed to purchase a new one today. Radio Shack was the only techy store that exists in Homer so we now have a very small, hand held, new video cam….. That neither one of us know how to use. This should be interesting.
We have moved on from Homer and retraced our steps back towards Kasilof. Before leaving such a beautiful place we took a ride back up the Skyline Drive so we could take video of what we had seen yesterday. We followed it to the end and also followed another road beyond Homer to its end, just to say we drove to the entire Kenai Peninsula! It was very picturesque even though it was cloudy…. Again! And not that great for pictures. We grabbed a sandwich at McDonald’s this afternoon in Homer and noticed 2 bald eagles sitting at their nest just outside the door! We also saw a few more eagles today in trees and flying around the coastline. We went for a walk along the beach on Homer Spit to see if we could catch a glimpse of those sea otters again. No otters… but we saw a 10-legged star fish! It was hard to leave Homer.
On our way back up Rte 1 we also took a detour to Anchor Point where we found boats being hauled out of the ocean by tractors (skidders)! It was the strangest looking thing. These big rigs drive into the ocean half way up their tires, the boat pulls into a trailer attached to the tractor and it gets lifted out of the water and the tractor backs up onto the beach. The fishermen never get wet! Crazy. Anchor Point ends at the most westerly point on the North American continent accessible by continuous road system.
So we are back in the same camp ground, Crooked Creek, and Gary is going to talk to a “Travis” a guide on the Kasilof River who can take him out for King Salmon fishing. Because he and Gary figured out that they have a mutual friend, Travis is willing to take him out at a good price if the boat is not full. So we’ll see what tomorrow brings. Maybe the 20 remaining pounds that we are waiting for will be caught to send our 100 pounds of fish home?!
Deb, "The Deadliest Catch" is an awesome reality TV show series that airs every year. They go out into the Aleutian Sea between Alaska and Russia and fish for KING crabs, so it's a LOT more dangerous and complicated than you indicate. It's a really great show and can get addicting if you watch a couple and get to know the boat captains.
ReplyDeleteThere's only about 8 of them, and they all have a "group" quota of crabs that they are allowed to catch. So if a couple of boats get filled and can make it back to unload their catch, then even the ones that hardly have anything have to return to port. It's kind of a race against time, very interesting...
One of the featured captains, Captain Phil Harris, just died this February 9 of a massive stroke while offloading crabs at port. This whole season is dedicated to his memory...
I put a link for "The Deadliest Catch" on the links list.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you are only allowed one more stop in Alaska because I'm almost out of letters... then you have to leave the state!!
That tape would have lasted longer if you guys hadn't watched it every night :)
ReplyDelete(Actually, I feel sad for that being lost, but I hide any hints of compassion under a blanket of sarcasm, to express my love guys for you better)