Cherry Blossom Candy Leaf

When we boarded the ferry to leave Sitka, we met up with the Jasons, friends of Sasha's friend, Ryan. They taught me to play rummy and we played a match for 4 hours. This ferry was super fancy, and it even had a wood inlay design of a compass on what could have been a dance floor. This was a fast ferry with no rooms.

When we arrived in Juneau, Ryan was there to meet us. His boyfriend Rick has some property off the coast of Juneau in a magical place called Shelter Island. So the boys had already arranged to go there. Sasha and I decided to tag-along. So before we dropped off our things at the B&B, we headed to Safeway to stock up on provisions, such as food for dinner and beer. Then we headed to the Bed and Breakfast in suburban Juneau, dropped off our bags, packed a few belongings and headed off to the unexpected.

We drove to the sea and waited for Ryan to row the raft to get the boat that would take us to Shelter Island. Below is a picture of me with the adorable Jasons from San Francisco.


As we waited, what I thought was a grizzly bear approached. But, luckily for us, it was just an enormous and friendly dog.



So we boarded the boat for a thirty minute ride to the cabin on Shelter Island. I had heard descriptions of the place. Our night was described as a luxury camping experience, but this does not say much. One man's luxury camping, is another man's night as a P.O.W. I had known these things: There was bedding, some sort of an organic garden and a hot tub heated by a wood burning stove. I also knew that I didn't need to worry about breakfast and that we would be back in the afternoon the following day because Ryan was preparing for his job at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp for children. So I thought even if it wasn't a good experience, it would be an adventure and it would be a short one.

Below is a picture of Sasha and Ryan with a "captain's expression" and another with Sasha and Jason as they talked in one end of the boat.




When we arrived at the beach on Shelter Island, it was beginning to get dark. We had to walk about half a mile or so to the property along a path paved in planks over muskeg, which is like a swamp or bog. The word "swamp" however sounds unappealing. Really, it's a clearing in the forest where water is found below a moss and plant covered ground. We arrived in time to eat sandwiches and enjoy some music and a campfire.

When everyone was getting ready for bed, Sasha and I decided to take advantage of the hot tub. Sasha got in her suit and I in my underwear and Sasha's long t-shirt. I was surprised at how hot it was (112 degrees!) and could only get into it up to my butt. I have never been in water so hot. Once we got our legs in, we couldn't move them because the burning hot sting would begin. It was so strange because the chilly air made me want to jump in, but the boiling water kept me from doing it. We hung out for an hour or so, hoping the Jasons would join us. They never did, but the hot tub experience was still a perfect end to a lovely evening.



We prepared to go to bed in the gnome home, where Ryan set up our beds. He was such a wonderful host and it was such a cute and cozy little space just for us.

As we laid down to go to sleep, we took some pictures that really demonstrate our joy and delight in the experience thus far on Shelter Island.





Because we arrived at dusk, I had no idea what this place even really looked like. It was amazing! The first photo is a sample of the wood plank path that started at the beach and continued beyond the cabin up to the tent on the hill where the boys slept.


The next photo shows you the gnome home where Sasha and I slept.

This is the hot tub during the day. There are snow capped mountains in the distance. Directly behind the tub, Rick is digging a pool for cold dips before or after the hot tub. The bench in the background is in the next picture. There is a gorgeous view.

Here are the boys enjoying the tub in the early afternoon at 94 degrees.

Here is a photo of the cabin that Ryan and Rick sleep in and live in during the summer. It is the newest and largest structure on the property. It is one room with a wood burning stove and, as you can see, is a work in progress. Because all of the structures are made from trees and lumber that come from the island, it must take quite a while to carry materials and supplies from place to place and prepare the raw materials for building.

The view from inside their cabin.


Rick is also proud of his organic garden. The vegetables they eat come from here.

Here is Rick in the green house in the garden.

Below are photos of the muskeg's beautiful plants and flowers.



The more common blue forget-me-nots along with the pink.


More muskeg-try not say the word. Muskeg, muskeg, muskeg...



Here is the bathroom they built. Rick encourages guests to go in the woods, but for those who feel comforted by a toilet seat, the bathroom is available.

Here is breakfast with delicious french toast. You can see the kitchen in the background. It even has running water for rinsing dishes via pipes connected to the ponds.

The Jasons slept in a large tent that was the first sleeping area at Shelter Island. When I walked up their in the morning I had no idea how they managed it at night. It was a steep climb. The path was cut down trees that lay against the mountainside with carefully cut notches to resemble a staircase. The view was unbelievable. You could see the ocean and the snowy mountains. The boys even saw a cruise ship go by in the dark.

Here is a picture of Jason taking the path down toward the kitchen area. It is much steeper than it looks.

Here is the view from their tent.



In the afternoon, we headed back to Juneau. Sasha and Ryan kayaked back and left much earlier, so we were lucky to get to stay on Shelter a bit longer. Below are pictures from the beach prior to our departure on a sunny, sparkling day.



We ended up on Auke Bay and it was so gorgeous that we returned there later on in the journey.



Shelter Island was one of my favorite parts of the trip!

If you would like to visit Shelter Island, Rick provides opportunities for people to stay on his property, providing food and shelter in exchange for 5 hours a day in labor of some kind. If the Alaskan muskeg is not your thing, other organic farmers around the world provide similar opportunities. For U.S. organic farms, go to http://www.wwoofusa.org/directory.html. For chances to do similar work around the world, go to http://www.wwoof.org/.