New and Old … Parting Ways With Friends In Pelican

Saturday, June 19

We all had a chuckle when we were headed to the “airport” in Pelican with Lydia, Cade and Eric … who were taking a seaplane to Juneau to connect with their flight home to Virginia.

Forget security. And don't worry about that liquid hand cream in your carry-on! The airport is a floating dock, one float over from Engelenbak. As we all gathered there waiting for the seaplane to fly in, an electric cart came wheeling down the dock to the plane carrying everyone’s luggage.

They couldn’t have chosen a better day to fly. Crystal clear and sunny, a rarity in Alaska … and at Roland’s suggestion, Eric was able to take the front seat next to the pilot … talk about the ride of a lifetime! With Cade still in his life vest, we watched everyone strap themselves in and off they went … floating past Engelenbak before making a u-turn, skimming down the surface of Lisianski Inlet, and then slowly lifting from the water and disappearing behind the steep coastlines of the inlet. So began their 40-minute aerial jaunt to Juneau, a course that took us one week with many twists and turns in Engelenbak. It was a delight having them on board for the week, and I hope Cade retains many good memories of his new experiences in Alaska.

We spent the rest of that afternoon at the Lisianski Inlet Café, having a bite to eat and taking advantage of their Wi-Fi to catch up on emails and upload the blog.

For such a short time in Pelican, we had made some wonderful acquaintances, including Keith and Deb, owners of Cross Sound Seafoods, a small family-owned business specializing in hook-and-line caught salmon and halibut, who we ran into again at the café. Keith gave us some great advise for our crossing of the Gulf of Alaska and Deb had given us some halibut the day before which we look forward to tasting at a future date.

We also enjoyed the company of John & Bliss, owners of the deep blue steel trawler Morning Mist docked next to us, and invited them for cocktails where they shared stories of their travels between Alaska and their ranch in Prescott, AZ.

For dinner that evening we walked to the top of the boat harbor to the Highliner Lodge, an intimate fishing lodge with a chef who could rival some of the best in most cities … I especially was in love with his starter … grilled scallops with a tomato avocado relish. If you’re ever looking for a serious charter fishing vacation in a delightfully remote location with great hosts and a wonderful cook… I highly suggest the Highliner. Owners Jill and Steve Daniels, winter in Sitka and head to Pelican for a short season …. the lodge is open June through August. We enjoyed hearing the colorful history of the lodge since they bought it in 2002 … and the evolution of their business.

In just two days … we indeed were charmed by Pelican, its unique setting and some of the folks we’d met there. It’s one town we hope to return to!