It’s another beautiful day in the neighborhood for Mother Goose! The fleet awoke to the calm waters of Excursion Inlet. Before getting underway for Elfin Cove, Bonum Vitae pulled up a few more crabs! Underway the fleet saw humpbacks fluking and sea lions swimming in the tidelines. At one point the fleet passed over a hundred sea otters rafted up, floating side by side amid the wide channel. Around this time of year, female sea otters will group together forming large rafts, called nurseries, for the protection of their newborn babies. What a fantastic sight to see so many sea otters thriving after near extinction!

As the fleet neared Elfin Cove a fog bank appeared, shrouding our destination in mystery. Carefully we pressed on until the misty tree line of Elfin Cove appeared, almost magically out of the fog. It easy to tell why Ruth Swanson, founder of the post office in 1935, picked elves as the town’s namesake. Hidden in the misty fjords, the town’s bright colored houses and boats peak out from overgrown brushes and moss laden trees all tied together with a creaking boardwalk and the sheer determination of Elfin Cove’s residents. We had to see for ourselves if the rumors of elves were true, and upon arriving went for a walk through the town and into the forest.  We were richly rewarded with copious garden gnomes and an enchanting waterfall surrounded by a lush forest loaded with salmon berry plants. The bright yellow and red salmon berries provided a tantalizing trail side treat enjoyed by everyone. Most of all by Walker, who went after salmon berries with bear like enthusiasm and dexterity! While we might not have seen any elves in the woods, Elfin Cove certainly cast a spell over all of our hearts.