But He did and what a blessing we had. Not only was it the most clear, pristine day we had in almost a month, but it was warm (64 degrees), no wind and our friend Rick invited us to go on a boat ride to the neighboring island of Unga.
Waaaahoooo!!! I have bugged people for 2 1\2 years to take me over there to explore and today was our day!!
I've never changed clothes, packed and scooted out the door so fast in all my days here. But in 15 minutes, I had gear, food, water, extra clothes, TWO cameras, 3 batteries, lip balm....but no sunscreen....oops..
As we were pulling out of the harbor, Pavloff and the Sister volcanoes were peaking over Unga as if they were standing guard and watching over us.
Between us and Unga, we watched whales spout, breach and roll along both shorelines. Occasionally we would watch one come out of the water like a torpedo and splash in the ocean, stunning the fish so the rest of the pod could feed.
As we got nearer to Unga, Rick pointed out the Elephant Rock formation along the rugged shoreline.
Long-necked Cormorants, fat and colorful puffins, and noisy gulls flew over our head or dove in the cold waters around us, keeping us entertained along the way. A few eagles even soared around us checking the visitors out.
And then the first glimpse of Unga Village, long abandoned, but still weathering the Aleutian winds and climate.
The church walls have collapsed, but the steeple still shouts its presence. Several of the elders here were married in this church while they still lived on Unga. At one time there were over 5000 people who lived here and after I saw the place, I wondered, "WHY DID THEY MOVE?"
The tide was low when we got here so we did a little beach combing, rock climbing and even had a picnic on the warm sand. PB & J never tasted so good! We picked up a bunch of beach glass for souveniers and considered it our way of beach-clean up as well.
The remains of the school here look pretty modern still. The last residents left here around 1964 when the new harbor was built over in Sand Point. What memories they must have and stories I would love to hear.
A bird's eye view of the cove inlet and the gorgeous God-given day we had!
Of course a photo of self to again prove (to myself) I was really fortunate enough to be here.
More sea birds enjoying the day and the rocky perch.
And away we went, this time we are heading over to Squaw Harbor, where there are still some people living and being more like care-takers of the place.
Skipper Rick and crewman James out enjoying the sun and conversation......uuuuhhhhh....who's driving the boat????
Squaw Harbor and the old processing plant. All the worn red still makes for a colorful scene to welcome new and old visitors alike.
Amazing!
What a beautiful sandy beach...I think I would like to live here...for a while that is!! I'm sure the winds and rain make it here, too.
The sea lions were sunning themselves minding their own business and then we show up. They heard us and dove into the water before we could get too close.
And the trip back was no less enjoyable. Doesn't our new airport terminal look beautiful?
And look, Pavloff and the Sister are still watching over us as were return. What an absolutely amazing day, thank you Rick and James for the trip of a lifetime! All of this right in our backyard!
Home sweet home and another glorious day added to my Aleutian adventure!! TYG!!!
