Hoonah-lulu

I spent 5 days in Hoonah- from Sunday until Thursday, although only part of Sunday and part of Thursday. We moored the FV Jerry B there for 4 years, but Paul remembers it better than I do since I joined him in Elfin Cove due to school and family obligations. The dock is full of fishing boats, mostly trollers. Trollers drag lines and use gear, like hootchies or spoons. The fish bite and are reeled in. I also saw crab pots and long line gear on the boats and docks. Hoonah's dock is built and maintained by the state so it's well lit and has bathrooms, showers and a laundromat.

Hoonah has about 700 people, but only 125 in the school. Usually, a good rule of thumb is that the community is 3 times the size of the school, so 100 students in the school means about 300 in the village. You can see that there are lots more adults in Hoonah. One person described it as becoming a retirement village. In my opinion, there are several reasons. One reason is that when the kids grow up in Alaska, many leave the state for jobs elsewhere. Mine both did. Many folks in Hoonah came as young people (fishermen, teachers, loggers, etc.) and just stayed. There kids grew up and moved out though since all of those occupations are reduced or gone. Another reason for Hoonah's adult ratio is that there is a good ferry schedule and services there, allowing people from elsewhere in Alaska to move there without foregoing a clinic, restaurants, good fishing, private land for sale, part-time job, beautiful scenery, quiet lifestyle with easy and inexpensive access to Juneau for a hospital, college and shopping.

While I was there, I stayed in the Whale Watcher B&B. From the window, I could saw killer whales and a humpback whale. From the Galley restaurant window, I also saw a huge sea lion close into shore. I had coffee every morning at Nina's and bought groceries at the little store on the wharf. The town had everything including indoor seating at the airport, a massage parlor, a beauty parlor, video rental and cell phone service. Internet was sparse though- only the bar, The Office advertised wifi and the school's net was irregular at best.