Ketchikan to Meyers Chuck

Sadly, Buck left us today to return home to be with his family for a few days. It will be hard to be here without him because he has done so much to hold our group together and keep all of the participants and activities on track. He’s also kept Chef and me in great spirits so we hate to see him go.

The trip to Meyers Chuck was very easy and enjoyable. I was so thrilled when we finally got to “the chuck”. We pulled into the bay, through a very slim cut in the rocks. The water was at low tide, and we could see the two dozen or so houses that sprouted from the rocks around the bay. The public dock was quickly filled and the rest of us dropped anchor in the tiny bay. One of the locals later said to me “I don’t remember when I’ve last seen the chuck so full of boats.”

Meyers Chuck was so unbelievably quaint and perfect - it could have been a backdrop on a soundstage. It is definately one of my very favorite places on the whole trip. Meyers Chuck has a post office, a pay phone and an art gallery where locals display and sell their goods.

Immediately upon arriving in Meyers Chuck, Chef and I found Tomi Marsh, our contact. Tomi is this gorgeous little woman who is incredibly smart, optimistic and energetic. She is also the only female in Alaska to captain her own King crab fishing boat. Chef’s friend, Amy, who connected Chef and me to Tomi, was also onboard Tomi’s huge fishing boat, Savage. Chef and I took a dinghy ride over to Savage, and got a look at the loads of King Salmon, halibut, fresh spot prawns and geoduck that had all been donated for the event by local commercial fishermen. Tomi and Amy had been working all morning, making salads and geoduck ceviche. We helped Tomi load up all the fish, salads, and beer into the dinghy and we went around to “the back chuck” to Greg and Rebecca’s.


Greg and Rebecca are friends of Tomi’s. They are the most beautiful couple. They are very hardworking, warm and very, very generous. They allowed us to use their workshop for our event. Over the last ten years, they cleared land, built a workshop that they use for their woodworking, built a smaller workshop where they paint their woodwork, and have put in an incredible outdoor kitchen and garden. During part of the year they make their living fishing. The other time they make these beautiful wooden bowls. Greg uses wood from stumps that have been logged. He turns them on a huge lathe and Rebecca paints them the most beautiful colors.


Chef, Tomi, Amy, Rebecca and I got all the food prepped. Greg stoked the outdoor oven, prepping it so that he could bake fresh bread. Locals Dan and Carol showed up and added a few dozen crab to the feast. Our guests arrived at 1:30. I’d asked Greg and Rebecca to talk for a while about their home and life in Meyers Chuck. They were both so charming, I think the whole tour just fell in love with them right away. After that, Amy and Tomi spoke about sustainable fishing and fishing in Alaska. While all this was going on, Chef was cooking salmon and halibut using a variety of methods. She steamed some over Sake, added a lemon pepper rub to some and put it on the open fire pit and then put an Indian-inspired rub on another group and put it in the wood burning stove.



Just as Tomi and Amy finished speaking, the food was ready. Chef put it out on the table, and the group gathered round. At nearly the same time, Kassie, one of the locals, pulled up with 20 freshly baked pies loaded onto the floor of her flat bottom boat. Participants ran down to help her bring up all the pies. Every night we give our participants a gift. Tonight’s gift was pie.

After the meal, Greg did a demonstration for everyone so they could see how he turned a wooden bowl. People stayed around until around 4:00, enjoying the incredible meal, the Alaskan beer that Tomi had brought along and taking in the views. Later, folks went off to explore and visit the art gallery. I was so happy to learn that Greg and Rebecca sold three bowls and one pair of tongs. It was at least some sort of repayment for their generosity. Their bowls are beautiful and can be seen at www.welti-rice.com.

After folks had left, we realized we had way too much leftover food. We bagged everything up and Greg and I went around to those locals who were in town (four families) and dropped off fresh halibut, salmon, prawns and pasta salad. It was fun for me to get to meet some really nice folks. It reminded me of the times when Buck and I would drive the dinghy around dropping off gifts at each of the boats.

After we made our rounds, Greg allowed me to see the beautiful home that he, his brother and Rebecca have built. The house was just like their bowls, beautiful, light and artistic. Then he took me over to their latest project. Greg and Rebecca and Dan and Carol bought the old school house and teacher’s house. Don and Carol are fixing the schoolhouse for their personal use. Greg and Rebecca relocated the teacher’s house and are in the process of fixing it up to be used as a rental property. I think it would be incredible to spend a week in their newly updated house once they have it finished. It wouldn’t be that hard to do. A person could fly to Ketchikan, then take a floatplane for a ½ hour flight and land right in the chuck. If any of you are interested in staying in their little house, you can reach them at 907.946.8319 or 907.946.8318, or by mail at: Greg Rice & Rebecca Welti, Island D, Meyers Chuck, Alaska 99903.

By about 8:00 pm, I was totally bushed. I stopped in at the bar and sat like a lump on their couch for the next few hours. While I was there, we were treated to the most amazing sunset. It was made even more perfect when this cute little wooden boat came drifting right through the cut. You could just hear the director shouting “cue the wooden boat!”

I think I’m in love with Meyers Chuck. It was such a beautiful place, filled with the most amazing and generous people. The only thing missing was the man I love. I wish he could have been there to share the day and the people.

I made my way to my berth at about 10:00 pm and just passed out into the deepest sleep.