Off this morning to the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center. This is a great facility that rescues and cares for injured or abandoned birds of prey. As we walked toward the facility we’re greeted by Voltor a 23 year old bald eagle. It was amazing to be so close to one of these beautiful birds. The center is a pioneering wildlife project run by dedicated volunteers. The innovative veterinary medicine here can make a life-or-death difference. The center’s goal is to release rehabilitated birds back into the wild. However, some never recover flight and remain at the centers outdoor facility.
Inside we were given a tour of the flight center. This is a 22 ft area where eagles can recover. The birds receive very little human interaction. Two of the adults were waiting for placement in other facilities (like a zoo) because they could never fly again due to their injuries. There were 2 juveniles in the flight center also, but they were hiding while we were there.
Other areas of the facility held 3 types of hawks, peregrine falcon, and a golden eagle. Then we visited ‘Gilbert’ who is a she! Gilbert, who is a Raven, was adopted by my family when they visited Sitka about 10 years ago. (By the way Gilbert was my maiden name). Well Gilbert has a boyfriend which is an “outside” Raven and it seems she feeds him her food through the wire. Gilbert seems to be doing very well…
Leaving the center it’s time to explore. We took the Halibut Pond Road to the north end of the island. There is only about 14 miles of driveable roads in Sitka. We followed the water to Old Sitka Recreation Area and followed Forest Road 7578 through the forest. There was a picnic area and trail right on Starrigaran Bay, but there was also a posting that a Brown Bear and 2 cubs were spotted on the trail May 19 (2 days ago) so we decided to forgo the picnic.
Unfortunately it’s rainy and foggy today and not good for pictures. We found another Forest Road 7576 which climbed a gravel twisty road up to Harbor Mountain. We got up to about 3000 feet and was stopped by a ‘road closed’ gate. We could see snow further up on the mountain. We walked up the road a little ways and then went back to the car. On a nice day the views would have been terrific. Next stop was the Sea Mountain Golf Course and it is built on the side of a mountain. It would be a real challenge to play this one.
Back in town we walked over to Harry’s Soda Fountain and had ice cream sodas for lunch. Then we hopped in the Jeep and found a nice spot at Sitka Harbor to watch the fishing boats come in. The clouds are starting to lift. We read for a while and enjoyed the view of Sitka Bay.
About 5:30PM we wandered down Katlian St to Ludvigs Bistro. Stephane, who we met in a store yesterday, told us about this place. Her husband is the chef. Ludvigs is a rustic tiny little Mediterranean bistro, as you step through the curtained front door you step into old world ambiance. To the right is a half circle bar painted deep Mediterranean blue with tiled shelf table seating for 8 people. Comfy wooden bar chairs line the shelf. This is the “wine bodega” and is as popular as the bistro area on our left. The bistro walls are painted rustic orange and the bottom half was again Mediterranean blue. Tables provided seating for 16 with a wooden bench running along the far wall. The ceiling is draped with tapestrys. First course was tapas. Ken had scallops and I had prawn fra Diablo and of course a bottle of Spanish wine. It was delish! King Salmon entre’s took us to one of the best meals we’ve had in a long time. Chocolate torte for desert. It was phenomenal…
Waddling back to the hotel we watched TV and called it a night.
Pictures: Meet Voltor, Bald Eagle Pair, Sitka Sound Light, Downtown Sitka, View from our hotel room
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