A 5AM wake up call this morning so we could catch the ferry to Sitka. Leaving the RV behind in the park we quietly drove the Jeep to the terminal. We leave Auke Bay on the Fairweather again as we sail out of Stephens Passage and around the north tip of Admiralty Island. Our 4 hour trip winds around small islands with granite rock boundaries and trees clumped in the middle. Then route today is very narrow and not one the cruise ships can take. Soon we move into the Lynn Canal and across Chatham Strait. The mountains surround us at first and then give way to forest and numerous inlets we’d love to explore!Our ship today is a catamaran type vessel about 250 ft long and turns on a dime. The captain warns you when they'll make a turn so you can be sitting down. We make a sweeping turn into Perilous Strait gliding between the north end of Baranof Island and Chichagof Island with the Moore mountains towering above us.
The sky is clear blue and the views are phenomenal! The strait got narrower as we dodged between the small islands. Then we reached the Sergius & Kakut narrows. The land seemed like it was so close we could touch it. Finally we reached Sitka witch sits on the southwest side of Baranof Island facing the Gulf of Alaska.
We found our way to the Totem Square Inn in downtown. It’s 1:30pm and I asked at the front desk about the performance schedule for the New Archangel Dancers who we wanted to see. We learned the show was at 2PM and they would not perform again for another 5 days…so we hurried off to catch them. The dancers are local women who have learned authentic Russian folk dances in order to keep Sitka’s Russian history alive. They are very good. They performed 5 dances in the ½ hour show. Each dance had a specific costume from vibrant floral prints of Russia, to the Georgian gowns and earth tones of Armenia, they lent both color and authenticity to the dances being performed.
Leaving the show we drove to the National Historic Park. The ranger gave us a presentation on Sitka’s history and the battles between the Russian explorers and local First Nations. We walked the Totem trail reading the signs about the history of the Tlingits and Haida people. To be truthful we are getting a little “Totemed out”, but we do learn new things each place we go. We learned the Russians first arrived in 1799, but the Tlingits were wary of them. They understood that submission to the Russians meant giving up their culture. In 1802 they attacked and killed all of the Russians. However in 1804 the Russians returned. The Tlingits fought for 6 days, but running out of gunpowder an flint they abandoned their fort and fled silently in the night. Sitka soon became the Russian capital of territory Alaska and a center for the Russian fur trade. However, overhunting reduced the number of sea otters, and the Russian interest in the new world waned. In 1867, the Russians sold territorial Alaska to the US. There are many reminders of the Russian past still visible today in Sitka.
We roamed along the quiet rainforest trail which led along the beach of Sitka Sound. It’s busy here today - 2 cruise ships are in port. Sitka is different than the other ports. The ships have to dock in the sound away from town. We sat on a bench along the sound watching the water taxis take folks back and forth.
We left the park about 3PM and headed for the Raptor Center. This was one of the main attractions we wanted to visit. When we arrived we found out they closed at 4PM so we decided to wait until tomorrow.
Back to the Inn we went. It was time to explore the downtown area. There were lots of stores with Russian and Native art work as well as Alaska shirts. Some of the art is very intricate and ranges from wood carved totems, hand painted figurines, and the delicate Russian dolls. An old bookstore caught our eye and we spent some time strolling among it’s shelves. Further up the road was St Michael’s Cathedral. It’s onion-shaped dome and fantastic exterior dominate the skyline. Once inside you are surrounded by historical books, photographs, ceremonial robes and one of the finest collections of Russian Orthodox icons in existence. It is really beautiful.
We sat on a bench across from the cathedral on the main street and watched the town close up for the night. Yup ships are gone and it’s 6PM! We finally wandered down the empty street and found a Chinese restaurant - “Kenny’s Wok” - across from the Inn…of course we had dinner there.
We are so lucky it was another fun day!
Pictures: (right to left) New Archangel Dancers, National Historic Park Totem, St Michaels Cathedral
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