What a neat ride! The ferry glides along so smoothly, we can scarcely tell we're on the water. But it sure creates a strong wind. And a cold wind!
This morning, a small pod of humpback whales was snoozing near our port bow. The ferry slowed down so we could get a good view of them. They were floating on top of the water, spouting through their blowholes, so we had a great view. They didn't wake up until they felt the vibration of our props. By then, we were within 100 yards of them. They dove and surfaced several times. It was neat watching them throw their flukes up in the air.
In the afternoon, there was a three-hour layover in Sitka, so passengers were permitted to go ashore. The ferry terminal is nine miles from town, so there were a bunch of tour buses and shuttle buses lined up to take us to town. We had been told the tour buses were $8 and the shuttle buses $5, so we were going to take a shuttle bus, but it turned out a new tour bus had just started competing with the old. The guy running it is a real go-getter. He charges $5 for the tour, which includes everything the $8 tour does, and he was making a strong pitch for passengers. We were lucky to get seats; the bus was nearly full. He was quite a character. He kept up a hilarious commentary as he drove.
Sitka turned out to be a really interesting place. Originally, it was inhabited by Tlingit Indians, famous for their craftsmanship, especially their weaving and their totem poles. In the 17 and 18 hundreds, Sitka was settled by Russians seeking otter pelts, which were worth an amazing $1700 apiece! Sitka was also the site of the ceremony turning Alaska over to the U.S. after the famous purchase.
We visited an old Russian church, a lovely park with totem poles, a museum, a beautiful forest of Sitka pine, and a stream full of salmon, another museum, etc. The guide even treated us to free apple cider. It was a terrific afternoon, and we only wished we could have spent more time there.
No comments:
Post a Comment