Sitka  57.05 N 135.34 W

After yet another night of being tossed around on the high seas of the Gulf of Alaska we woke to a glorious sunny day, after too many days of cold, high wind, fog, and high seas and sailed into Sitka Sound ringed by volcanoes including the looming Mt Edgecombe. Our ship blustered her way through the local fishing fleet taking advantage of the fine conditions.

Sitka’s claim to fame is that Russia sold Alaska to the USA for US$7 million before realizing that under tons of snow, there was a fortune of GOLD to be had! Bargain! Cue the Alaskan Gold Rush.

Sitka is only accessible by sea and air. The Tlingit people inhabited this land for millennia before the Russians invaded, built their homes and church, enslaved the native people and then forcibly converted them to the orthodox religion.

 Despite this, they left a rich culture, especially totem poles which we saw while visiting the National Historic Park.  There were signs everywhere to beware of bears as it is their active time, gathering food before they hibernate. Also in abundance were bear proof trash bins. The river that runs through the park was packed full of spawning salmon, so there was a feast to be had.

We visited the National Raptor Centre where a group of dedicated people work to rehabilitate injured raptors including the Bald Eagle and the Snowy owl (Hedwig to the Potter fans).

The Russian Orthodox Church was sadly closed today, so we couldn’t have a peek inside. So it was back to the ship, and a restorative G&T before going to dinner.

Tomorrow its Wrangell. The weather forecast is miserable, cold and wet.

Stay tuned ……

Ilze.