I'll explain.
This entire island runs on tourists and salmon.
If you are not waking up at the crack of dawn to go to the cannery your day will revolve around the cruise ships that come in.
And everyone tells corny jokes, everyone is yelling and laughing, everyone is so damn friendly and if they weren't so personable it would be freaky.
And they all seem to know each other, even the cross walk guys are a riot.
(Two of them, bantering back and forth at the top of their lungs)
"JAYWALKER!!!"
"THAT IS SO IRRESPONSIBLE!"
"SOoooO IRRESPONSIBLE"
"HE HAS A CROSS WALK RIGHT THERE!"
"JUST RIGHT THERE!"
. .. . . .
"THANK YOU!"
They provide zip lining and lumberjack shows, they have little airplanes you can ride in to go see the island from the sky, bear walks and totem pole adventures, rain deer to kiss and all the crab you can eat.
But this means that the town organizes it all.
The boat comes in, and all the 'guests' get off . .
The girl with the sign gears them towards the right bus, the bus driver welcomes them to the bus, the man with the walkie-talkie gives them the OK, the bus driver takes you to the destination, there is someone to great you when you get off the bus, you do your activity and then back on the bus that takes you back to the boat.
And all of these people that you interact with are packing you full, FULL of jokes and smiles, and they all are in love with each other.
The lumber jack boys all have their own house and everyday they put on three shows, and at night they drink and do manly things. (and they have made a lumberjack 2014 Calendar you can buy that features them, so funny)
The bear walk boys are a little farther out of town, we picked up one hitch hiking today, fishermen, all hippies.
The canopy (zip liners), UNIMOG drivers, (Drive these massive tuck/busses) Port security,
They are all buddies with their groups, yet buddies with everyone.
And the best part about the entire thing is the average age of these cruise goers is 108, they have come on these cruises to die.
And so they eat. it. up. They buy all the souvenirs, they go see the bears, and today I witnessed the old folks being strapped to a wire and sore across the forrest tops.
You can't help but be happy here, you can't help but join in with your own cheesy jokes.
And then the cruise ships leave and the town dies down, the stores close, the busses are returned to the yard, and the dock, that was once filled with lines of people and hustle and bustle is dead.
And the town prepares for the next day.
This is the summer for them.
It almost feels like a movie set at the end of the day, a massive show they put on.
And at the end of the day it is the few, the hardcore who remain, to sit and have a drink or head to bed.
So today we lived among them. . .
We met shawn at the deck, he ended up spending the entire day with us, (He is a UNIMOG driver) and just wanted to tag along.
It was onto ED's bus, this loud man that is a perfect mix of the Dad from My Girl, and Brian Regan.
"if you have never been sprayed on by a whale, just take a babies' dirty dipper, set it in warm water for about a week, then dump it on your head. . .. It kinda feels like that"
Then it was to the zip liner crew, Joe who quickly make a nickname for me after I got smart by given him my full name when asked "MJ"
After it was the gift shop laddies who give Andie a hard time because she can't count.
Back in town on another rowdy bus, to arrive at the Lumberjack show.
Basically, boys dressed in flannel and suspenders who yell "YO-HO" and are, according to Andie, "professional athletes" and they divide the crowed into two teams, and the boys compete in the most manly events of chopping trees down and climbing trees, and running on logs.
The entire time they are joking back and forth, and laughing it up. It was so funny.
(And because Andie may or may-not have dated one of the lumber jacks we got the special treatment)
Then the busses had about gone, at 5:00 the day is over, so we got some burgers and went on a walk to a lake running into the zipline boys.
This town holds such a crazy vibe. I stole some of Andie's pictures, she loves filters. .
And some of mine, from our lake walkabout . . .
I ate three different types of berries, and Dad found a poisonous massive leaf to bring home.
And you think it is kind of strange at first that everyone here calls the woods a 'rain forest' until you get up in em, they are beautiful, covered in moss and full of life, and then the term 'rain forest' sounds perfect.
More pictures maybe, sometime, I'm on a serious picture overload. And I'm not mad about it.
Staying in the driver's house tonight so I can do some laundry, the folks are at the hotel, just Andie and I tonight!
In a house full of drivers, with little dorm rooms and a massive kitchen, and four bathrooms. People here of all shapes and sizes, in all age ranges, all friendly, all thrilled to see I was here.
This little island is truly unlike any place I have ever been.
1 comments:
that picture of dad walking away with the leaf is GOLD!
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