(Read more about Khutze Inlet & view the photos.)
Whales, porpoise and bears. Oh my, what a day for an extended cruise: up Seaforth Channel from Bella Bella, in through the tight and shallow entrance to Reid Passage. Next, up Percival Narrows into the Mathieson Channel (porpoises!), through Oscar Passage and into the wider Finlayson Channel (whales!), then past Klemtu along the Tolme Channel, and take a right up Graham Reach into Kutze Inlet (bears!). Sunshine, waterfalls and postcard-perfect panoramas all along the way. Is this the ultimate cruising destination or what?...
In yesterday's Log Blog entry we wrote that more than one Tour participant has commented to us that there may have been an over-emphasis on food in some of our earlier entries. Crab feeds, shrimp dinners, potlucks and, of course, cooking classes by Grand Tour guest chef Becky Selengut have been featured in our daily accountings from the Inside Passage. But Becky disputes that food has stolen the limelight, and to prove her point has written a stirring account of today's travels - one that deftly balances both our cruising and culinary highlights - for her own blog.
In fact, her words were so on-the-money perfect that with her permission we are recounting them here:
What dish to pair with wildlife sightings?
Matching the right wine with the right food is the subject of numerous books and esoteric conversations. But what food does one pair with the most amazing wildlife sightings? What wine holds up to drop-dead gorgeous scenery? I'm pretty sure that what the boys over on Sea Gate are eating can't possibly suffice. Last time I checked they were still working their way through a Costco-sized bag of garlic bagel chips and potato salad. I heard Larry last night mention pulverizing the bagel chips and crusting some fish with it. That should use up about 1/18th of the bag.
Today we anchored in Khutze Inlet, B.C., one of the most beautiful places I've had the privilege to see in my whole life. We spent as much time as we could before we froze to death out on the bow watching the view. It was a complete 360-degree panoramic, each angle more stunning than the next. It felt as if, at any moment, the director would storm by and the scenery would roll past and we would realize we were on a Hollywood back lot. Surely we're the extras in this movie. The star? That big brown bear eating grass stage left. (Not kidding!) The stunt man? That eagle swooping overhead - apparently there's no shortage of stuntmen in this region; eagles are the Inside Passage's local pigeon. The stage crew? Those slick seals popping their heads up all around us.
Which way to turn? There are waterfalls in front of us, grassy marsh with bear to our left, seals and white-capped mountains behind us, and all our twinkling boats to the right.
Indeed, what kind of dinner could one possibly prepare to pair with all this beauty?
Certainly something more inspiring than bagel chips. Sorry Larry.
I thought about what the bear might like: salmon, honey, berries, greens. And then I thought about what I have left on the boat, it being the mid-way point on the trip and my produce supply has dwindled down to a mere shadow of its former self. I decided to make one of my signature dishes. A tribute to this beauty should be matched by a meal that I would be proud to put my name behind. In fact, a meal I have recently taught in several classes around the Seattle area. The salmon was roasted in a low oven with just a simple cloak of olive oil, salt and pepper. Thyme leaves were scattered generously under and on top of the fish. Red wine was reduced in a sauté pan with stock, fennel seeds, thyme, honey, pepper and shallots. Fennel bulb, potato and red onion were sliced, slicked with olive oil, seasoned and roasted. The wine reduction was strained and mounted with butter and the meal was served with bruschetta and flowing wine and finished with a lovely cinnamon ice cream (thanks Dana B for the recipe). A meal fit for a bear and a fitting tribute to this lovely place.
(Thank you Becky! We couldn't have said it better ourselves. And in letting you do it, we got to sit here and eat the ice cream instead…)
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> GRAND TOUR HOME
> ROUTE MAP
> LOG BLOG
- Day 1: Nanaimo
- Day 2: Pender Harbour
- Day 3: Prideaux Haven
- Day 4: Shoal Bay
- Day 5: Lagoon Cove
- Day 6: Sullivan Bay
- Day 7: Sullivan Bay
- Day 8: Sullivan Bay
- Day 9: Duncanby Landing
- Day 10: Shearwater
- Day 11: Khutze Inlet
- Day 12: Klewnuggit Inlet
- Day 13: Prince Rupert
- Day 14: Foggy Bay
- Day 15: Ketchikan
- Day 16: Ketchikan
- Day 17: Meyers Chuck
- Day 18: Santa Anna Inlet
- Day 19: Wrangell
- Day 20: Wrangell
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