By Don Quilici
-
Float plane unloading our party and gear at the Pelican dock. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Alaska Seaplanes float plane at the Juneau airport waiting to take our six-member party to Pelican. Photo by Don Quilici -
Our four bedroom guest house built on pilings. Photo by Don Quilici -
Looking one direction on the boardwalk (main street). Photo by Don Quilici -
Looking the opposite direction on the boardwalk. Photo by Don Quilici -
The Village Public Safety officer on his patrol ATV. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Some of the boats docked in the harbor. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Six foot tall Don Quilici next to the Pelican totem pole. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
The general store which has been closed for a long time. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
U.S. Post Office. Photo by Don Quilici -
School and schoolyard. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Lisianski Inlet Cafe. Photo by Don Quilici -
Rose’s Bar and Grill, “The In-Place To Be,” at Pelican. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Don Quilici with Rose Miller, the spry 84 year old bar owner. Photo by Elaine Quilici. -
The gang, left to right: Kirk Jensen, Denis Ryan, Susan and Barry Drury, all of the Yukon, plus Don and Elaine Quilici.
Elaine and I just returned from a fun-filled, 10-day vacation and salt-water fishing trip that included five days in the tiny village of Pelican, Alaska.
Our trip consisted of:
1. Flying from Reno to Seattle to Juneau.
2. Three days of sightseeing in Juneau, the State Capital of Alaska.
3. Taking a day-long boat tour of the Tracy Arm Fjord near Juneau.
4. Taking a walking tour at the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau.
5. Taking a float plane to Pelican with four others in our fishing party.
6. Sightseeing and three days of fishing at Pelican.
7. Taking a float plane back to Juneau.
8. Flying home from Juneau to Seattle to Reno.
Out of touch with the rest of the world:
We were joined on our trip in Juneau and Pelican by good friends Barry and Susan Drury of Watson Lake Yukon, plus new friends Denis Ryan also of Watson Lake and Kirk Jensen of Whitehorse Yukon. This would be our three-day, six-member fishing party. My original plan for this trip had been to submit my usual weekly fishing report and weekly article on schedule while in Pelican. No one would know that we were out of town on a vacation trip.
This has successfully worked in the past when we have traveled to all kinds of far-flung places like Missouri, Tennessee, Las Vegas, Indio California, Goodyear Arizona, Smithers British Columbia, Babine Lake British Columbia, Watson Lake Yukon, Sitka Alaska, Valdez, Alaska, 44 days in Italy and a 19 day honeymoon in Southeast Asia (Hong Kong China, Singapore Malaysia, Bangkok Thailand and Bali Indonesia).
Unfortunately, we ran into a major snag on this trip. We sadly discovered that our cell phones did not work and we could not connect to Hotmail, which I use to submit those reports and articles.
Yipes! We were MIA with no electronic connection to the outside world. I wrote a weekly Outdoor page for 22-plus years for a local newspaper and then a weekly fishing report and a weekly feature article for another 6-plus years for the Internet and never missed a week, until now.
Initially, it was frustrating because you don’t realize how dependent you are on today’s electronic gadgets until they are gone or unusable.
However, we resolved to make the best of the situation and quickly adapted to our new environment. of no cell phones and no Emails.
It was actually very relaxing with no large crowds of people, vehicle traffic, screeching brakes, loud motorcycles, sirens, loud voices, barking dogs, etc.
So if you’re looking for a fun-filled, out-of-the-way, quiet location for a unique vacation look no further than Pelican.
Some miscellaneous information on Pelican, Alaska:
As the crow flies, Pelican is located on the northwest portion of Chichagof Island about 100 miles north of Sitka and about 100 miles west of Juneau.
Is located at the base of 3,000 foot mountains bordering the Lisianski Inlet and it is on a 22 mile long fjord.
Can only be reached by boat or float plane (a 45 minute flight from Juneau).
Is visited twice a month by a ferry from Juneau.
Has a permanent population of about 89 residents. The town’s motto is “Closest To The Fish.”
The people are very friendly and always smile and speak to you when you encounter them on the boardwalk, in Rose’s Bar and Grill, and at the harbor. Its tiny school has 12 students. There is one Village Public Safety Officer (on an ATV).
Electricity is provided by a small hydro-electric plant at the end of town. Main street is actually a wood boardwalk that runs the entire length of town. The boardwalk is used by walkers, joggers, bicycles and ATV’s.
We had to bring groceries from Juneau for our stay in Pelican, because there is no grocery store. Pelican has a small cafe (The Lisianski Inlet Cafe) where we ate breakfast one morning where French Toast and bacon cost $19 not including tip.
There is one bar (Rose’s) which is owned and operated by Rose Miller an 84-year old dynamo. At the grill, a cheeseburger with French Fries cost $19 not including tip. There is a small liquor store across the boardwalk from where we stayed.
We were in a very comfortable four bedroom house with one bathroom, front room, kitchen, and there was also a washer and dryer available to use. That house was built on pilings at the edge of the water, with a great view of the mountains, harbor and boardwalk.
On Sunday, June 21 (Father’s Day) Rose prepared a free dinner for the residents and visitors (including the six in our party) in honor of all fathers.
That superb dinner consisted of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, macaroni salad, pea salad, corn and green beans. It was like eating dinner at home on Thanksgiving Day!
Finally:
We are now back home, safe and sound in Carson City, where we have excellent cell phone service and access to Hotmail. Life is good!
In the weeks ahead, there will be an article on our stay in Juneau, another article on the boat tour we took to the glaciers in the Tracy Arm Fjord and our walking tour at the Mendenhall Glacier and a final article on our highly successful salt water fishing at Pelican.
Stay tuned! Would we go back to Pelican? You bet, in a New York minute!
Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can’t tell you how Elaine and I did on our three days of fishing.
If he grins and says, “Between the two of them, they brought home 150 pounds of frozen fillets of Halibut, King Salmon, Silver Salmon, Ling Cod and Yelloweye,” he could be someone who has been told about our success.
Note:
If Elaine and I eat one pound of fillets for dinner, once a week, our fish supply will last us almost three years. Yahoo!
— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. Don’s wife, Elaine, is the Outdoor photographer. They live in Carson City and can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.
