Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Sitka, 6\15-6\17 (24 photos), by Jennifer Bowne


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Sitka, Alaska: June 15-16

We arrived at 3:15am and had a much easier time setting up camp in what was only a slight drizzle. After driving to the end of the island, we found a beautiful trail to hike called "Indian River," which took us through thick, lush rain forest. In the afternoon we walked around the small downtown to view the historic sites. Sitka was the capitol of Russian America, so many of the stores sell nesting dolls and other Russian souvenirs and the town is full of buildings with Russian history and architecture. Overall, we have found Sitka much more enjoyable than Ketchikan. The houses are tidier and prettier, and it caters less to the cruise-ship crowd (i.e. fewer t-shirt and trinket shops, and more art galleries and cafes). The quality of artwork and craftsmanship is much higher here, although so are the prices to reflect this! Last night we attended the Sitka Music Festival, a concert of chamber music in the community center where the stage was backed by a 180 degree view of the Sitka Harbor and the mountains beyond. Today we began with a dance performance by a Russian dance troupe. Then we walked over to the Native Alaskan Cultural Center for a traditional Tlingit (native tribal) dance show. Next was the Raptor Center, a rehabilitation center for injured raptors, where we arrived just in time to see a bald eagle up close who had was permanently disabled and lives at the center. They are enormous, several feet high, but only weigh about 12 pounds. We walked around the grounds and observed many bald & golden eagles, ravens, owls, hawks, and other raptors recovering from various injuries, including collisions with cars and gunshot wounds. There were even several wild eagles flying around - we assuming they were visiting their friends and helping with their recovery! Tomorrow morning we'll go on a ranger-led hike around the Sitka National Historic Park, and then board the ferry to Juneau.

Ferry to Sitka, 6\14\2010 (16 photos), by Jennifer Bowne


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Ferry to Sitka: June 14

The journey began at 12:30am when our alarm went off inside our tent. It's amazing we even heard the alarm over the thundering roar of the rain! Have you ever tried putting away a tent, sleeping bags, and pads in the pitch dark in the middle of a downpour? We have...it's not fun! We were barely able to fit everything into the car because our stuff was in such disarray, and everything was completely soaked. We ended up jamming the dripping wet tent into the back of the car without attempting to fold it up! We had to arrive at the ferry terminal at 1:15am, but couldn't board until just before our 3:15am departure. We were pleasantly surprised to find a very comfy cabin with bunk beds and our own bathroom and shower. After drying off and sleeping for a few hours, we were rejuvenated and ready to see some of the beautiful Inside Passage (the protected coastline along Southeastern Alaska). During our 24-hour ferry ride, the sun finally came out. The scenery was gorgeous with snow-capped mountains behind blue water and green forested hills. We saw both humpback and killer whales (but we couldn't get good photos of either one), and several eagles feasting on salmon.

Ketchikan, 6\12 & 6\13 (24 photos), by Jennifer Bowne


I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
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Ketchikan, Alaska: June 12-13

When we arrived on the ferry, the first place we visited was Saxman Village, a native Alaskan community of Tlingit Indians. We lucked out when we talked to a local and were invited to view an inter-tribal meeting/celebration where there was native singing and dancing. The meeting took place in what appeared to be the local high school gym and the entertainment was staged solely for the local tribe and guests without any anticipation that outsiders/tourists would attend. We slipped in through a side door after a local tribe member told us to pretend we were part of his family if anyone asked, and we just tried to lay low and blend in despite the fact that we are clearly not of native Alaskan descent and were not dressed in traditional Tlingit garb! We had a classic "are we having fun yet?" moment as we attempted to set up our tent in a driving wind and rain storm...this was after we had to shoo away a local homeless woman who had obviously set up long-term "housing" in our campsite. The night got even more interesting when, just as we were about to turn in, we discovered that our rain flap was not meant to function in the cyclone-like deluge that this Southeast Alaskan rainforest had dished out. Our sleeping bags and pads were drenched and our tent was raining from within! After somehow surviving the night, we had a respite from the rain for a few hours the next morning and took advantage of the nicer weather to go ziplining and repelling through the Tongass National Forest. For the remainder of the day we walked around downtown and enjoyed the town, despite the continuing rain, before turning in early to get a few hours sleep before waking at 1:15am to catch the ferry to Sitka.