Its not enough to just go on a cruise in Alaska;
you have to walk the shore line, kayak in a secluded bay around
seals and whales, and spend time hiking through the largest
temperate rain forest in North America, the Tongass
Rain Forest.
Of course, no day is complete without a helicopter
jaunt to the summit of a million-year-old river of ice called
a glacier.
...And, oh yeah, the eagles flock to the local
beach like they were seagulls.
Nestled in the little one-store town of Gustavus
is a quaint, family-owned establishment known as the Gustavus
Inn, where accommodations are so cozy and inviting that it could
be mistaken for a Thanksgiving retreat to
your grandmother's.
After a busy day of biking and kayaking through
regions so desolate that even the seals are lonely, what could
be more comforting than a freshly fluffed bed? Next morning,
it was a war of the senses as my body wanted to stay hunkered
down in the covers while my nose was seduced by aromas of the
world's
best breakfast.
Come mid-day, I was more than ready for an
unusual, pickled snack, a local specialty freshly made from
bull kelp... which around here is called bulb kelp.
I also had the chance to forge the shoreline
with a naturalist friend who taught me that when the tide is
out, you can find all you need to eat. His phrasing, like his
advice, was priceless: "When the tide's out, the table
is set."
...where I assembled a smart
sushi roll of smoked salmon, horse tail, and goose tongue -
all wrapped with ribbon kelp. What better way to finish a meal
prepared in a state once referred to as "Seward's Icebox,"
than to serve a Baked Alaska Chocolate Dessert up on top of
a glacier...!
