Inside a Cloud

After dropping off our nurse at the hospital, this is the walk we face, back "off the rock" as they say. The O'Connell Bridge is the only ground link between the main city center on Baranof Island and the hospital, university, and airport on Japonski Island. We are walking and talking, and when we pause to take this photo, we drop our phone. So when we reach the top of the bridge, and want to take another picture, we worry about dropping our phone again, because this time it will fall far down, irretrievable in the water.

Carefully, this is the view of Sitka Channel, looking northwest from the bridge. In the opposite direction, we can see the cruise ship that is docked in the sound across from our inn. Consulting a map, we can see that the most direct route to the hospital from our inn would be by boat. But we walk, and at least ten people pass either also walking or biking the bridge. This is a berry foot- and bike-friendly town.

The town also wakes slowly, or more accurately, according to the cruise ship schedules. Without the tourists, there is little reason for most of the shops to open early. Our ultimate destination -- the local library -- doesn't open until 10am, so we have ninety minutes to pass in town. After a short trek, we can take another picture looking back across Sitka Channel at the bridge we just crossed.

A mist rolled into the city while we waited. Nothing seemed to get wet, yet the droplets could be seen floating through the air. Later in the day, the mist came a little heavier. The weather condition was not really rain as much as it was wet. The driver of the public transit called it being inside a cloud. And so it is. When we returned to the inn, we couldn't even see the water in the sound, for all of the cloudy mist.

Sitka National Park

This 113-acre park is the smallest national park in the state. But it is the site of some of the most important events in Alaskan history. And the back entrance is only about one block from our inn, so it is a convenient place to visit.


To the locals, the site is known as Totem Park, because there are many totem poles along the trails in the northern side of the park. Along the bay is a clearing and a grand pole that marks the spot where stood the fort of the native Sheey At'iká tribe of Tlingit who fought and eventually gave way to the Russians in 1804.






We next visited the hatchery and saw numerous indigenous invertebrates, including the sunburst fish and octopus. And just offshore the fish were jumping! Down on the rocks people were casting their lines. Even though our home town is surrounded by a cornfield, we had the distinct feeling that life here was lived more in line with nature.



On we ventured toward the other side of the city. Stopped to look at some bicycles for sale. That may be a purchase we make soon. The walk from our inn was about three miles, and back about two miles. The road along the harbor was noticeably cooler than the more inland roads. And the crows were the size of small bear cubs. Along the way we paused to rest and admire Swan Lake, where we saw four ducks but no swans.

The Tide Is Turning

Once again, the sun came out from the clouds around 7:00pm last night. This is just about the best view of the mountains across the bay that we have seen. And the snow-capped mountains to our immediate south revealed their summits as well.

For this white suburban boy, the secrets of the tides were a mystery. We knew of their existence, but never directly experienced them. Last night we stepped out to the bay to view the high tide. Our initial reaction was amazement. Because the area that we had walked along the night before was gone, all under water. Intrigued, we checked the tide tables and set out this morning to view the low tide. Our findings are displayed below, both images taken from the same location.












If you don't know, the tides come basically twice a day. From the charts, it appears that the levels of high and low tide fluctuate over days in a gentle wave of higher and lower depths. And from unscientific observation, the eagles seem to prefer low tide, probably when whatever goodies the tide brings in are left exposed, and easy pickings. The fishermen are out at all hours, and seem not to have any preference at all. And the fish we have seen that are caught are big, twelve to sixteen inches at least. Must be what makes the eagles and other birds so big, too.

Sights of Sitka

Our first full day in Alaska was spent exploring the city. And this was the first thing we saw out the door: the cruise ship. The walk into town was about two miles. The first place we located (and visited most throughout the day) was the public bathroom. The visitor center did not offer the information we sought about public transportation. Every Community Ride vehicle we saw was going the other direction. Across the street we found the bike rental shop. We decided $20 for two hours per person was too expensive.

The shop owner talked to us about hiking trails. From him we learned that one of the trail heads had been closed, because a bear had just killed a deer and cached it nearby. With the bear guarding his kill, the area was considered especially dangerous. There were three other areas higher in the mountains where he said bears had recently been spotted.

All we saw today were berries. Along the road and throughout the state park we found wild salmon berries. We were told they are especially abundant this season. The one we ate was slightly tart. We also sampled a chocolate chip cookie from two local children who had a dockside table displaying their goods.

After an expensive lunch in one of the two downtown hotels, we strolled the main streets and visited a few shops. Though Sitka has only about twenty miles of roads, and a single traffic light, it has the second largest total area of any incorporated area in the United States, nearly six times the size of the largest city in the lower states, Jacksonville, Florida.

Of course, a book fancier can not resist a visit to the local bookshop. This one offered a small assortment of new books, including a lovely selection of local interest, as well as a small cafe in the rear.

We ventured next down to the docks. All the bays are fully stocked with boats. Here we saw the cruise ship shuttle loading and unloading tourists. Also a family bringing their groceries down from town to their docked houseboat. A different route home led us into the national park. We followed the trails and found lots of berries, dense forest, and a memorial to Russian soldiers who died fighting natives in the early 1800s.
Now, at 7:00pm, the sun has finally emerged from the clouds. We are headed out to the bay again to look for bald eagles.

They are everywhere. Four of them in the trees above our head. Three of them across the bay on the tree tops. A man in the bay caught a fish about fourteen inches long. The eagles are huge and amazing.


Until tomorrow, goodnight from Alaska!

North of Expectations

The trip begins with eight hours of air travel.

Alaska Air makes it all easy. The website is quick and simple. From there, we made reservations, checked our bags, and selected our seats. At the airport, all we had to do was get our bags tagged. And all this at the best price we could find.

North of expectations is the newest marketing tagline for Alaska Air. The flight and service was as expected for us, but did not exceed our expectations. Neither did it disappoint. And the plane we had for the first leg of the trip was one of their newest. Drinks and a cookie were complimentary; everything else (from snacks to personal digEplayers) cost $6, credit or debit only.

Our ninety minute layover was in Seattle. It might well have been any metropolitan city for all we knew. One major airport looks like another. The terminal in Sitka, however, was strictly a single building the size of a small primary school.

Our lodgings are brand new, and don't have a complimentary shuttle. We had to call a local taxi. The woman who picked us up was the owner of the business, and wonderfully kind. She gave us lots of information while taking us to our inn. Since we don't have a car, she will likely get more of our business.

Our room has a small refrigerator and microwave. After settling in, we decided our first order of business was to go hunting. Thank goodness for Google, whose maps we used to find our location and directions to the nearest grocery. So we packed our umbrella and reusable bags and set off for food.

Weather at landing was cool, in the sixties, with rain. The rain quickly ended, but the clouds have stayed. We strolled the one mile to the small grocery, past the post office, trailer park, raptor center, national park, and rows of homes. Prices were expensive, and we had to lug everything, so we purchased only the basics.

But we are in Alaska! So far, we have seen a lot of trees, a lot of people on bicycles, and a lot of water. Tomorrow after a good night's rest we intend to check out some of the city, including the public transit, and investigate bicycle and car rental options. Probably four or more hours of daylight remain today, but we are going to rest and read up on some of the local activites. A full day of travel and brand new experiences have left us weary.

But we are in Alaska!

Turning the Page

We had a great four years, but the time had come to sell the bookshop. Thankfully, we found a buyer. And what is even better, even though he is from out of town, he will be keeping the shop open in our community. That is a big win for local lovers of books.

What new adventures await this book fancier? We will be using this blog to do some feature writing that goes beyond the cover of a book. A big part of the reason for selling the bookshop was to enable us to do some traveling. So we are proud to announce our first trip begins Wednesday.

Destination: Sitka, Alaska.

We have never been to Alaska, so this will be an exciting new chapter in our life. We hope you will come back to join us as we recount our experience. Bon voyage!

Bad Traffic, by Simon Lewis

The illuminated signs outside the bus window all said the same thing -- 'You do not understand.'

This is the essence of the experience of Inspector Ma Jian, a Chinese policeman searching for his troubled daughter in England, in the new thriller Bad Traffic, by Simon Lewis.

In the middle of the night, Jian receives a call from his daughter, pleading for help. She is abruptly cut off, and her phone rendered inoperable. With no other information available, Jian sets off to find her. All he knows is her address at university, but he quickly discovers she had dropped her classes and moved out three months earlier. He has no idea where else to look for her, or how to reach her. Unable to speak, read, write, or even understand English, Jian faces an impossible task.

His experience as a police officer helps him discover a cold trail. But his troubles multiply. He finds his daughter's phone, on which is saved a brief video of her being stabbed to death. The images give him a clue to identifying her killer, and revenge becomes his goal. He must summon all his wits and experience to overcome an endless series of pitfalls and setbacks, and then just to survive.

Merging into this storyline is a subplot involving Ding Ming, a young Chinese peasant who has been smuggled into England to work as little more than an indentured slave. The promise of a wage incomparable in China lures him and others into this illegal bargain. But the exorbitant fee for smuggling, and the expenses for food and lodging, mean he will be working for twenty years before paying off his debt.

Ding Ming has studied English, but his language skill is a crude utility. His path crosses with Jian, who uses Ding Ming as a translator and guide. Ding Ming's confusion increases, as he is unable to tell who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. At times he thinks Jian will help him, and at other times he thinks he would be better off with his gang master. Whatever situation he finds himself in, he soon worries that the other is preferable.

Though the signs at the beginning of the novel tell Jian that he does not understand, he has no doubts. He knows what crimes have been committed, and he knows what he must do. He does not struggle with questions of morality, or even legality. He struggles with himself, the realisation that he did not have a close relationship with his daughter, and therefore has failed her. Ding Ming, however, is never clear about what is right or what is wrong. The place where he is taken to work was known in China as Gold Mountain, but all he sees is mud. This mud comes to symbolise his outlook on events. In his desire to make things work, he rationalises everything. Ding Ming is the one who does not understand.

This is the spot of our disappointment with the novel. Though the story begins and ends with Jian, much of the middle is given over to Ding Ming. Even when the two characters are together, events are often related through Ding Ming. Jian has 37 scenes totaling 145 pages; Ding Ming has 26 scenes totaling 115 pages; and three other characters combine for 19 scenes totaling 90 pages. The result is that Jian narrates only 45% of the scenes in the novel, or 41% of the pages. The book cover states "An Inspector Jian Novel" but there is simply not enough of Inspector Jian to justify this for us. It is that subtitle that creates unfulfilled expectations for us, and ultimately disappoints.

Inspector Jian is an interesting character more than capable of carrying an entire novel. A jian is an ancient Chinese double-edged straight sword, and this weapon captures the inspector's personality. He is no supercop, but a flawed man who has superficial relationships with his daughter and his lovers, who believes the end justifies the means, and who has a tarnished past. Fully exploring the costs of knowledge, instead of displaying the foibles of naivete, could have resulted in a much richer story.

This is a minor flaw in an otherwise compelling novel. Mr. Lewis has written a very accessible book. Short, declarative sentences make the writing clear and concise. Combined with scenes that average no more than five pages, the pace is swift. The lead characters can be thoughtful and reflective, yet they are always active, never captured in a dull moment. Any of us could find ourselves faced with similar situations, making up for failures, or compensating for inadequacies. The universal threats lend an immediacy to the story, and give the reader reason to cheer for the compromised protagonists.

Near the end, as Ding Ming blames himself for all the troubles that have occurred, he decides the reason for his suffering is so that others might benefit. He was a poor man and the lot of a poor man was the consumption of bitterness.... This echoes throughout the novel, in all of the characters. They all have ambitions that exceed their abilities. The nefarious characters prey upon these ambitions. In Ding Ming, and Jian's daughter, and several of the minor characters, we see how easily they become victims, how thin the line is that separates good from evil, and what a slippery slope to doom lies on the other side of that line. It is often too easy to take advantage of what is foreign to us, but that is only because we do not understand.