Now there's a logistics problem. Because of the arrival of Sonya we need to get seven people back to Cordova. But the float planes only take three people each. After some negotiation a solution is achieved - since I'm going on a later plane, I can stay a bit longer and head into Cordova on the Dancing Bear with Fred and Max. I'm happy with this, since it gives me longer in Alice Cove, and also means I get a ride on Fred's boat. He's also going to drive me to the airport.
The float planes arrive. Jim, Bruce, and Sonya take the first one, and its all hugs and handshakes as we part. The engine roars and they're out of the Cove. We next see them in the air and on their way. LauraLee, Laura, and Diane get on the second plane. The pilot is the same guy who brought us here. We say our bye-byes and soon they're off too.
There's some tidying up to do so I try and help Rebecca with it, but she knows what she's doing and I'm probably only getting in the way. I sit up in the cabin and rest a while as Lori does the vacuum cleaning and Randall grinds fresh coffee. He's also backing up this weeks data to CDROM. Fred is over on the Dancing Bear sorting things out.
Randall cooks up some burritos for lunch, my last meal in the cabin. I say my goodbyes to Randall, Lori and Rebecca at the cabin and head down to the shore. Fred takes me and my bags on his small inflatable boat out to the Dancing Bear, where I climb aboard. Barney arrives and Maxine gets in. Fred fires up the engine and takes the boat out of the cove.
We climb up to the top deck and watch the sea. There's a few otters about and its great to get a different view. From this angle you can see them underwater with their coats shimmering with all the trapped air, leaving a stream of bubbles behind them.
Soot from the engine is speckling my coat. Maxine hands out Hershey's Chocolate Kisses.
It takes about 40 minutes to get to Cordova. First we see it in the distance as a few buildings on the shore, and then with a great cloud of seagulls in front of us, swarming round the fish canning plant. We get through the gulls without getting bombed, and Fred takes the boat into the harbour and stops at his dock. We get off and head for Fred's car.
Fred drops Maxine off at a friend's house and then takes me out to the airport. I have plenty of time before my flight - its actually the same plane that took the others but it has been to Anchorage and back by the time I get it. I say my thank-yous and goodbyes to Fred, and he drives off. I'm back on my own again.
I'm sitting in the lounge next to the coke and candy machine. There in the tray of the candy machine is an unclaimed Snickers bar. This makes me smile, since for the past ten days we've been on strict Snickers rations in the hut. I leave it for some children to find later.
With half and hour to the plane's arrival a few people start to arrive. It seems a lot of them have been here hunting and fishing, since they have guns and fishing rods to check in. There are cooler boxes that must be packed full of salmon judging by the weight.
The plane arrives on time, and we all get on. I relax and listen to the conversation going on behind me. One guy had got to Cordova late, and offered someone a cooler of salmon to get him to the airport in time.
As the sun sinks we get stunning views of the high Alaskan mountains, turning pink and purple. The glaciers shimmer below us. We stop at Yakutat and Juneau, arriving at Seattle in darkness. Dave Howes meets me at the baggage claim, and we drive back to his house where I sleep on a proper mattress under a real roof for the first time in 10 days.
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