A First - 6/2

The hot springs were awesome!  They were easily as hot as I keep my hot tubs - roughly 104F.  The hot water runs over a waterfall and into a series of pools.  In the third pool the hot water mixes with surges of sea water at high tide, so the temperature ebbs and flows around you, hot one moment and deliciously cool the next.  We had the springs to ourselves for an hour or so before a gaggle of old ladies showed up from the fishing lodge across the bay.  We made a hasty retreat and left them to it.

It was such a treat to get clean.  The weather has been too crappy to take a shower on the stern for almost a week.  Usually we like to rinse off and wash our hair every few days, but it hasn’t been happening.

It was really nice to get a hike in too: 2.5 miles round trip.  My legs needed it.

We decided not to spend a second night at Hot Springs Cove tonight.  As nice as the springs and the cellular service was, it was more appealing to head to the next anchorage for the night, away from float planes, water taxis, fishing boats and people.  So we're at Young Cove, a tiny placid little thing with bears on the shoreline. Vi spotted one, of course, then told me it was on the left side of the boat.  So I searched and searched with the binoculars and finally found a mama bear and her cub foraging in the grass.  When Vi admitted she meant the right side of the boat, I claimed credit for finally spotting two bears before Vi did - a first!