The sky had darkened; the strait appeared thickly dimpled with dark depressions of shadowy water; the cabin was lit up by the bright and colorful GPS map before me. On the 17 inch color monitor, I noted our location, water depth, and lay of the land. The absence of light didn't obscure the beauty of this territory. It was hauntingly beautiful. I felt confident until skill was required to moor the boat. I left that task to the captain. He masterfully 'parked' the Destination in its berth and then secured her to the dock with ropes. We were 'home'.

While Dennis busied himself with cleaning, butchering and vacuum packing his client's fish, we ventured 'up town' to Rosie's for a bite to eat. There it was - Pelican's World Famous bar and restaurant replete with a gaudy array of Christmas lights announcing the fact it was open for business. The matronly Rosie, herself, was busy cooking up a storm. We seated ourselves at an available table; stretched out and relaxed; taking in the sights and sounds of this raucous, pioneer-spirited eatery. Talk about local color! This place was packed with hardworking and hard-playing commercial fishermen conversing about their day's catch, weather, women and sports. A big screen television had sports on; an assortment of 60's hits was playing from the jute box; and nearly everyone there had longish hair - it was a surrealistic moment. Felt like I had stepped through a time warp and found myself back 35 years ago! Knowingly, Dennis' guests looked at me and grinned. "Great isn't it!" "Like being back in the old west!" Shaking my head, as if to wake myself from a dream, I answered, "Yes.. it is great!" Rosie came to the counter and took our orders. Having eyed the jaw-challenging beef burgers with thick fresh tomatoes earlier, there was no doubt in my mind what I wanted. The 'boys' agreed, so we all ordered the same thing. Rosie seemed pleased with the ease of the order and returned to the stove. These burgers weren't your garden variety burger made from frozen patties. These babies were home made jobbies. Thick, juicy, and tasty! And included a side order of homemade fries. We all ordered beer and launched into our burgers and cold Alaskan Amber with gusto. It was a fun introduction to Pelican.

After dinner and lively conversation, the 'boys' walked me down the sturdy wooden boardwalk to Dennis' home. The door was unlocked so I let myself in while Dennis' guests said good night and left for their apartment up town.

The next morning. 5:00 am. Dennis was up bright and early. I awoke to the sound of sausage and eggs sizzling on the grill, fresh coffee percolating, and the homey smell of pancakes warming in the oven. "Breakfast'll be ready in 10 minutes....take a quick shower and let's eat!", Dennis announced. I dashed into the bathroom, took a quick hot shower, and readied myself for the early morning feast. I normally avoid a big, calorie-rich breakfast, but succumbed to the temptation after breathing in the tasty aromas that wafted through Dennis' modest abode.

There was a knock at the front door; I opened it, and in stepped Dennis' clients for breakfast. I stood with the door open and peered outside to survey the weather. "Hey there 'cap' looks like we have a nice day on our hands!" I offered my early morning weather report. "Suppose to be nice for the next few days." Dennis replied; adding, "close the door and let's eat!" The door was closed before he completed his sentence since I was raring to dig into the spread he had laid out for us. It was awesome! Wouldn't you know besides being a top-notch guide and host, he had acquired considerable cooking skills over the years. "Golly Dennis! Think you cooked enough?" I punctuated my sarcastic remark by rolling my eyes. He smiled and laughed: "Yeah, it's hard to gauge everyone's appetite, so faulted on the side of excess.." Earlier, while laying in bed, my senses were figuring out what Dennis had congered up for breakfast, they had missed smoked salmon on the menu; but there it was, stacks of savory salmon morsels. They were the perfect compliment along with the fluffy scrambled eggs or eggs over-easy (he had both!). The fluffy pancakes were golden brown and impregnated with blueberries. And he had heated up maple syrup in the micro. I must have been hungrier than I imagined! I wolfed down my breakfast in record time and then apologized to Dennis for bolting down the excellent meal. "Sorry Dennis, guess I was really hungry..." "Don't worry about it.....want another plate full?" My smile was his answer and two seconds later I was staring at another hot, heaping plateful of cakes, sausage, bacon, hash browns, orange slices, and yes - smoked king salmon! Though embarrassed to say, I have never been fuller in my life.

This being the off-season, work that would normally have been performed by other businesses; such as taking care of the fish, fell on Dennis wide shoulders. And he had pulled up the slack without complaint. Not having had an opportunity to confer with his clients over dinner last night, he did so now. "Let's plan the day." Dennis advised. "What'ch ya want to target?" he queried. Their answer surprised me. "Irv and I discussed that last night....we would like to take a day for sightseeing", Ron offered. "Sightseeing it is then!" Dennis agreed while clearing the 'licked-clean' plates from the messy table. "You guys relax for a spell while I wash the dishes...it'll take only a moment." "We always have the option of fishing.." he finished.