I took these photographs in Southeast Alaska during the summers of 2006 -2008 for my book, Glaciers, Bears and Totems: Sailing in Search of the Real Southeast Alaska (Harbour Publishing, 2010).

Stories of Alaska as “the last frontier” abound in Seattle, reminders of the time when boosterism turned Seattle into the place to outfit for the Klondike gold rush.  Inspired by these stories, my husband Steve and I sailed for Southeast Alaska in our 44’ sailboat, Osprey. But in a land where giant cruise ships make glaciers look small and storekeepers mine gold from the pockets of tourists, we sometimes found it hard to discern the real Alaska from its façade. The book, Glaciers, Bears and Totems, and these photographs represent our search for the real Southeast Alaska.

These photographs were on display at the Center for Wooden Boats from October 31, 2010 to January 16, 2011.