Adventures in Bettles Bay — John H. Nabors Jr.

John Nabors' second youth adventure story is about an eleven-year old boy and his grandfather during a visit to relatives in Anchorage, Alaska. This story features the boy on a four-day trip into the wilderness of Prince William Sound in Alaska. The uncle's new pleasure boat can sleep 4 to 5 people. The grandson along with his grandfather, are invited to join his uncle on the trip in his boat. His twelve year-old cousin and his thirteen year old sister make up the crew. The uncle and cousins launch the boat and begin the adventure from Whittier, Alaska, a small city perched at the end of Passage Canal, a 600-foot deep fjord at the western end of Price William Sound. The destination of the crew of cousins is Bettles Lagoon in Bettles Bay, a bay north on the west side of Port Wells. The Lagoon is a quiet anchorage surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Another boating family joins the host family in Bettles Bay a day later in their own boat. The father brings his twin girls who are in the seventh grade and are friends of the seventh grade cousin. The story quickly becomes a story of three seventh grade girls and their interaction with the younger boys. The story includes true stories of errant boat launches and the rescue of another boater who had severed his fingertips on a crab trap puller. Other experiences include crab trapping, shrimping, an encounter with a mother bear and her cub, and the exploration of a seasonal placer gold mine. The group of three girls and two boys explore the face of Coxe glacier and retrieve glacial ice for the boat's ice chests. The book includes many maps and photographs of the area and historical documents about the locations of the glaciers 100 years ago. Tidal tables are included to describe the affect on their activities by high and low tides and the tidal flows. Reference information is also included about wildlife in Prince William Sound. The book is suitable for youth aged 10 - 14.