Get a cup to go at this unique coffee house Tolkien fans, take note. You don’t need an eagle from Mordor to visit the Heart o’ the Shire. Just catch a flight to Naknek. Heart o’ the Shire, a hobbit-themed coffee shop, sits at milepost 2 of the Alaska Peninsula Highway, a strip of pavement that connects Naknek to King Salmon and nowhere else. The two towns share 850 residents and only one taxi, but the region buzzes each summer with Bristol Bay cannery workers and tourists visiting Katmai National Park and Preserve. That means out-of-town travelers stumble upon the Shire each summer. “It’s kind of fun when people discover you and they’re surprised,” said co-owner Eseta Sherman. Eseta has run the coffeeshop since 2008 alongside her husband, Richard, and their four kids, Maica, Aniva, Bethany, and Jesse. That first season, they operated from a double-wide trailer and a tent.…
Triston Chaney talks about life as a fly fishing guide in Bristol Bay for this piece originally published in Hakai magazine.
An essay exploring the Pebble Mine controversy through the lens of art, instead of as a head on policy debate.
A husband and wife team write about their divergent lives operating a salmon setnet operation in Bristol Bay.
Strength of the Tides aims to empower and celebrate women and other underrepresented genders in the fishing industry.
(from the February 2012 issue)
Planning a trip to Alaska? Or looking for somewhere off the beaten path? Here are some spots that should not be missed.
My first year guiding clients in Bristol Bay
[by Miles Nolte]
Trout brought me to Alaska. I dreamt of fishing for them since childhood but never had the resources. I spent my mid-twenties fishing in Montana. Waiting at a pizza spot covered my necessities: food, rent and gas to reach the local rivers.