Our first port stop is Sitka, Alaska. I had arranged for a private tour with a local lady. We just wanted to spend a few hours having her take us to see the area and then hang out on our own. We quickly got off the boat and Debi was waiting to show us around Sitka. She first drove us to the end on the road . . .
. . . and then our tour began as we worked our way back to the town. We made a few stops to enjoy the views and beautiful weather . . .
No matter where we stopped we always seemed to see Mount Edgecumbe, which is a dormant volcano . . .
A quick stop in town . . .
. . . and a walk up to
Baranof Castle State Historic Site for a view of the city . . .
In 1867 at this point, Alaska was officially transferred from Russia to the United States. We drove around town and learned all the landmarks and then headed over to Japonski Island to check out some of the old WWII bunkers. Stairs to somewhere . . .
Colin loves WWII history so I was hoping this would perk him up as I know most of our tours tend to be a bit boring for a teenager. He enjoyed hiking through the brush and weeds and exploring the bunkers; inside, outside, and on top of them! Some were hard to even see and required some creative measures to get to!
The salmon berries were starting to make berries . . .
Another place that we were told was a must see was Fortress of the Bear. It is a privately supported organization that is a safe place for bears that have been rescued due to injury or orphaned. While I prefer to see these animals in the wild, I guess it is good to have a place for the bear that are hurt or abandoned.
I think we enjoyed seeing all the eagles the most!
The last stop of our tour was to the Sitka National Historic Park to visit the totem poles. The trail was well marked and enjoyed walking around enjoying the totem poles, the views, and the weather too.
We walked back to town and found a food truck called Ashmo’s for a quick snack of Rock Fish Tacos!
We still have plenty of time to walk around the downtown area of Sitka before catching the bus back to the boat.
Our afternoon snack was waiting when we returned to our cabin . . .
I am really loving the weather and not at all ready to return home to the triple digits. While we were eating dinner, I whale popped up and we got a good view of his tail entering back into the water. Finally I saw a whale! My dessert tonight was so good . . .
Chocolate Lava Cake with Coffee Ice Cream
Wildlife Today: bear, whale, eagles
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