(Our summer home, 1998)
Good River Bed & Breakfast
Robbin modeling an Alaskan swim suit |
Begun as a homesteading community, Gustavus
has a mostly white population. The land it is built upon lay under a glacier
only 200 years ago. All around Gustavus are mountains that plunge vertical
from their peaks to the water. As glaciers came through and then melted
back, they carved the raw rock that stood in their way like a fleet of
bulldozers. The results are steep cliffs and deep water. The tops of the
mountains can stay covered with snow while the lower elevations support
a lush rain forest. Waterfalls can be seen curling down bare rock to nourish
the plant life below. And amidst all this grandeur and extreme lies a few
acres of flat land known as Gustavus. As the glacier receded it deposited
the rocks it had grated away in one place: Gustavus.
Gustavus was a quiet and peaceful town located at the mouth of Glacier Bay. Quiet and peaceful, that is, until the tourists came. All winter long, the 300 or so year-round residents exist in their own world. The National Park is closed. The ferry and jet don't come in. It is everything one might expect from such an isolated place. But with summer, comes the opening of the park. The day it opens, the ferry begins trips to Gustavus and the jet soon after. The tourists come like gum balls from a burst dispenser. The tourists bounce in, and bounce out, dressed in happy, flavorful colors. They scatter, looking for the "Alaskan Experience," and the summer season begins. It makes for an interesting place to live, even for a little while. We know all about tourists now, as our job that summer was to run a beautiful bed and breakfast. It only had four rooms and a separate cabin, but it kept us busy enough. I would get up at 5:30 or so to begin getting breakfast ready. I would bake bread and/or muffins, get out the homemade granola, etc. I usually ate breakfast with the early-rising guests. Robbin was often up in time to catch the more relaxed ones for a meal. The rest of the morning was spent cleaning. But by afternoon, we were usually done for the day, barring any major projects. We could head off to pick berries, or kayaking, fishing, hiking, exploring, or visiting. It was fabulous. We'll go back one day, I hope. Find out more about visiting Gustavus at the Good River Bed and Breakfast. |
Our favorite visitor |
