We are off! After an early breakfast in Seattle, we took the shuttle bus to the airport where we met up with the rest of the family. Bags checked and through security, we grabbed lunch, as our Lindblad guide recommended. She informed us that there would be nothing but snacks on the bus during our tour of Sitka. The flight was uneventful until we came into airspace near Sitka: the mountains started, and when we landed, it was almost like we landed in the water. The runway started at the last second… it was really a beautiful sight to behold.
Sitka airport only have one runway, and it’s a really small airport, but pretty crowded. Our bags came quickly and we passed them on to the people who would transport them to the boat for us. Our afternoon in Sitka began when we boarded a bus for a city tour. When I say “city,” I mean “small town.” Sitka – as our guide Tim informed us – is the largest city by LAND MASS in the USA. By population, it’s really just a village.
Tim took us on a short driving tour because we were early, and he showed us some of the WW2 evidence of the city, as well as the Russian old city blockades. Our first stop was the raptor centre. A raptor is a bird of prey: owls, ospreys, falcons, eagles and hawks. The centre takes injured birds and rehabs them to release into the wild. We got to walk through the training centre, which is indoors, but mimics the outdoors with a slatted roof – so precipitation gets through – and one way windows so that the birds don’t get used to people. They also have several large “cages” outside for the birds to live and fly around in. During our talk with a trainer and his bird Volta, the bird scared several times and I have a pretty cool video of him flying over me in the front row.
We took some time to walk through the woods where we met a Lindblad naturalist. He’s not on our boat, but he told us – and showed us – that bears scratch themselves on the trees. he showed us the bear hair that gets stuck in the bark… I still can’t decide if he’s b************* or not.
Our second stop was back in town at the St Micael’s Russian Orthodox church. The second bus driver’s guide, Cliff, was able to give some history on the church and some of the icons in it. The first church in town burned down when a fire started in town, and the congregation started a chain to remove their icons in time. Most of their icons were painted on wood and then they needed to find a way to preserve them: they are covered in a decorated sheet metal – everything but the flesh.
We had some time in town, so I first went with half of the family to Ernie’s Old Time Saloon for a beer, and then I opted to walk around the town, where I got to see a float plane land.
Our last stop was the Sitka National Park, or the Totem Park because of it’s many totem poles. I walked along the shore and then into the visitor centre. Our guides also gave a short talk on the tribal importance of totems. They either tell a story or the lineage of the tribe. Stories are also not ours to tell unless we are part of the tribe.
From Totem Park, we went to the ship. It’s a small room, but comfortable for two people. It’s maybe 10×10, and the bathroom is literally a toilet and a shower in one. Our room opens on to the deck, so we walk directly outside… it’s very lovely.
Before and after dinner, most of us spent time on the bow enjoying the sunset and the warmish temps. We saw plenty of bald eagles and some seals, but no bears (this is what I want!).