Rambling North America

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27 lipca 2017
Rambling North America Rambling Bears
Leaving Australia - stage 1 Honolulu
27 lipca 2017, Australia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
The same procedure as always when going overseas - the train down to Sydney and out to the airport. It was a red-eye flight to Honolulu and we arrived in Honolulu earlier on the same day than when we had left home. No dramas at immigration. We got the 6 months we wanted but it was fortunate that we had a return ticket out of Honolulu next year. We checked into our hotel at midday but it was another three hours before our room was available. By then we were the walking dead and needed no makeup to look like the zombies we felt. Unpacked basics and crashed for the next three hours. The lead up to this trip has been a difficult one but we made it. Woke up in time for dinner at Goofy Cafe - organic and delicious! Czytaj więcej
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Stopover Honolulu
28 lipca 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
The zombies awoke bright eyed and bushy tailed. Well....... maybe not quite but refreshed we were and ready for an easy day before moving on tomorrow. Beautiful sunny skies ideal for a swim and a stroll down past Ala Wai Boat Harbour, Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon and onto Waikiki Beach. In the evening we headed back down to the beach to join the hordes that had come to watch the Friday night fireworks display. I will never grow tired of watching fireworks. Czytaj więcej
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Honolulu to Seattle
29 lipca 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Another big day on the road or more accurately, in the air. Checked in at Hawaiian Air at one Terminal then walked and walked and walked across another Terminal to our departure gate. Had we known the distance involved we definitely would have got the shuttle. Not good for Neil's leg! No meal on the plane as there were no vegetarian options and there are no options when booking flights with Hawaiian Air to give a food preference or special food needs. Definitely a negative for flying with them if you are not a carnivore. Most other airlines we have flown with have a vegetable/meat choice during flight or the option to choose when booking. Enough whinging. The flight otherwise was good. No one more whinge - no in flight entertainment in economy unless you pay ....... this is not a budget airline.
Arrived at 10.30pm in Seattle and luckily there was a bakery open in baggage claim with very nice veggie wraps. So we didn't fade away after all. Then followed marathon walk number 2 for the day. Up elevators, out of the airport, across a massive carpark, follow the signs, follow the signs to the elusive light rail. Finally it materialised and we on our way to Capital Hill, Seattle, arriving at midnight. Outside the station we searched for the taxi rank that we assumed would be there outside a station but no there wasn't one. Enter stage left the helpful station cleaner who went and found the taxi number off the security, rang the taxi company and generally saved our day. Midnight found us lumbering up numerous steps to our Airbnb studio then promptly hitting the sheets. Czytaj więcej
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Seattle - Settling In
30 lipca 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Anything can look great on the internet but fortunately for us our cute n cosy studio is that and more. The yard though overgrown and wild because Sue Ann is away on her summer holidays is amazing - fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, flowers, statues and cosy nooks to sit and chill out in.
We woke up late, helped ourselves to some goodies that our host Sue Ann had left us then set out to explore our neighbourhood, have a coffee and find a grocery market. Such a pretty neighbourhood, leafy and green, up hill and down dale.The coffee- strong and the muffins - delicious. Lastly the supermarket - how civilised- a fully organic supermarket with an amazing range of food. Fully laden we trundled home. Time for a rest - enough exploring for the day as Neil's leg has had enough, too much walking in the last two days and aching. We will see what tomorrow brings. Czytaj więcej
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Seattle - Rest n recharge the batteries
31 lipca 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Neil's leg is sore. We have walked a lot in the last few days and his leg needs a break. Can't push it at this stage of our journey if we want to last the distance. We are here, hopefully, for the long haul so rest day it is. I have a good book to read, The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, so rest we will. Further exploration of Seattle can wait until tomorrow. Czytaj więcej
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Downtown Seattle
1 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Travelling is such a breeze with Google Maps. How did we ever manage pre iPad/mobile phones? When it is time to go in to town google the directions to the destination, choose the way you're going to get there and Bob's your uncle. The hardest part? Which side of the road do we stand on t get the trolley. Just kidding - but is the opposite side of the road to what we are used to.
Business first. We have decided to get an American sim for the time that we are travelling so with research done and a company chosen we went into their shop and did the deed. Next stop off to Wells Fargo to change our Aussie dollars into US. Hadn't realised that Wells Fargo was a bank (hadn't really had the need I guess). Just knew the name as being the stage coach company back in the days of the Wild West.
Now to play the tourist - Pike Place Markets. It was just after midday at this stage and we decided to grab a sandwich perhaps and coffee. Of course every tourist and local in the near vicinity had the same idea and it was wall to wall humanity. Exit Pike Markets and go somewhere less crowded. Once refuelled we strolled down to the waterfront and explored the markets on our way back up. The markets are on maybe five different levels. Nowadays small tourist shops are on the lower levels and the produce and flower markets on the upper level. The shops are cute and good for browsing but is was the produce and flower area that I found the most interesting, The highlight - fish throwing! We were in a prime spot for watching the activity and also right in line for a fish in the face had one of the guy in front of me missed. Luckily he hadn't.
We are blessed with the weather at the moment. Seattle is experiencing a heatwave and the weather is glorious.
Love Seattle. It is positioned a lot like Newcastle with the hills rolling up from the harbour but of course it is Newcastle on steroids with massive skyscrapers and on a grander scale. Czytaj więcej
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Pioneer Square.
2 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Another trolley ride. We are fortunate that where we are staying there are numerous trolley routes reachable within walking distance.
The trolley rides are interesting - one to take you along different routes and see different neighbourhoods and two to people watch. You get to observe a slice of Seattle life- the good, the bad and the ugly. As we travelled along the streets in the downtown area, particularly under the massive bypasses, we witnessed the huge homeless situation that Seattle appears to be experiencing - tent cities in the dirt wherever a space large enough can be found.
Pioneer Square - the oldest area in Seattle. Strolled the streets and alleys and went to the Klondike Museum. Very interesting and timely as we will be following the route of the gold miners up the inland assuage to Skagway. Czytaj więcej
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Seattle to Bellingham
3 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
We were able to have a late checkout so after midday we headed to the Greyhound bus station at Stadium. As we had planned to taxi and lite rail it but then opted to save the hassle and taxi it all the way we arrived way too early. After we picked up our tickets we sat down for the long wait, whiling away the time in pleasant conversation with a young mum from Oregon.
The coach was packed to the rafters, late leaving and headed into the afternoon exodus out of Seattle, bumper to bumper traffic all the way to Bellingham. With the heat of the day and the full nature of the bus what air-conditioning there was did not make it down to the back where we were sitting. Thankfully we were able to get the last two seats on the shady side of the coach. It was "a glad it wasn't me" moment when we arrived at the first stop in Exeter. A dozen people were waiting to fill the one vacant seat. The company had overbooked big time. I guess the unlucky eleven had to hope that there were vacant seats in the next coach due two hours later.
The further north we headed the smokier it became. The mountains east of Vancouver around the Jasper and Banff areas are alight and the smoke is drifting south into Washington State.
Two bus rides from the Bellingham coach terminal and we were at our accommodation for the night, Guesthouse Inn. Dinner was a delicious meal across the road at B'town kitchen and Raw Bar. Czytaj więcej
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Wandering Fairhaven & Ferry Embarkation
4 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Breakfast then taxi ride to Bellingham Ferry Terminal. After checkin we shoved our bags (literally - they were an extremely tight fit) into lockers and set off to explore Fairhaven, a historical town a short walk from the terminal.
After deciding to have a late lunch/early dinner we chose to dine at a Mexican Restaurant. Our meals were delicious but massive. We easily could have shared and still not needed to eat for the rest of the day! Neil's was the world's biggest chimichanga.
Waddling out of the restaurant we then needed to walk our meals off. Fairhaven is only a small town so it wasn't long before we had seen all there was to see. After an entertaining chat with some locals it was time to return to the ferry terminal, retrieve our bags and board the ferry, Malaspina, the first leg of our inland cruise - Bellingham to Ketchikan.
This passage was booked originally for the Colombia but it was taken in for repairs and replaced with a smaller ferry. I am thankful that I booked a long time ahead as those who booked later on received emails informing them that they no longer had cabins and would need to bring a tent and/or sleeping bags to kip out up on deck or in the lounges. Another "glad it wasn't me" moment. Our two birth cabin was replaced for a four birth cabin so we were comfy.
With no need for an evening meal I left Neil in the cabin to rest his leg while I explored the ferry like an excited child. Czytaj więcej
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Rambling North America Rambling Bears
Ferry Life
5 sierpnia 2017, Coastal Waters Of Southeast Alaska And British Columbia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Slept like a baby with the hum of engines, a lullaby to our ears. We were both awoken in the morning by the regular blasts of the ferry horn as a thick fog had descended. Visibility was not muchhttps://findpenguins.com/3bnadkuqekswq/footprin… than the end of our noses so after breakfast it became a morning for rest. Neil's leg has been tested over the last week so a rest day is well in order. Thankful to the age of technology I have a range of lonely planets and novels to keep me amused for a while. Current novel - The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher. Exercise for the day - circumnavigating the deck (8 laps = 1.6 kms or 1 mile). Not a great day for photos but the skies finally cleared late afternoon. Today's course was along the coastline of British Columbia, Canada. Czytaj więcej
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Ketchikan, The First Town in Alaska
6 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Arrived in Ketchikan at 7am in the morning and our Airbnb host was at the dock to pick us up which we thought was extremely thoughtful of her. She gave us a running commentary about the history of the town and points of interest all the way to our destination.
Leaving our bags in Jayne's office as the studio needed to be vacated and cleaned, Jayne dropped us off at the local hotspot for breakfast. We were slowly learning that meal sizes in the US come in two sizes - super-size and massive, so we decided to share a plate of three blueberry pancakes. Big mistake, two pancakes would have been sufficient.
Breakfast over we hit the streets. The haze was slowly lifting and it promised to be a warm day. Down to the docks to pick up some maps first before we get lost. Ketchikan is a town on the cruise route so luckily their are only 4 berths so at any one time there can only, "only", be four ships in town.
So our wandering took us down the Main Street, along the docks to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Centre. Crossing over to Creek Street, Jayne called and gave us the all clear to move in. Our little studio is on a pier street. Part of the original town and now heritage listed, the building our studio is part of was a brothel right up to the 1970's when the current owners bought it. It was than their family home where they raised their children. 5 years ago they bought another home and covered their old home into Airbnb appartments. We have an amazing location right on the water and close to everything Ketchikan has to offer. So,moved in we did and once settled we headed out once again. We explored Creek Street, walked the Married Man's Trail to the Salmon Ladder, followed the creek upstream to watch the salmon spawning then onto the Totem Heritage Centre.
The cruise ships leave late afternoon and Ketchikan chills out. Such a lovely town after the madding crowd has vacated.
Dinner - chimichangas for two, Ketchikan style. Czytaj więcej
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Totem Bight State Historical Park
7 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
We are certainly blessed with the weather. It has been another amazing day. The locals feel that it is a bit too hot but are happy that after a long wet summer they are finally having sunshine.
Caught the local silver line bus out to Totem Bight. The numbers on the bus were reasonable and everyone was having a whole bus conversation until we hit the docks and were invaded with cruisers. Packed in like sardines we travelled out of town along the coastline of the island. Could have been a picturesque journey but as we were facing into the the sardine can we were unable to see a thing.
At the park the wind was blowing in off the water and was quite cold. Jackets would have been a good accessory but we neglected to pack them in. The walk to the totem are was through forrest, beautiful but we needed to hit the sunny areas.
Dinner was at the New York Cafe just down the road from our studio. We shared a vegetarian mezze plate and it was greatly enjoyed by both of us.
I am trying to sample a different Alaskan beer each time I partake and I think that I can give the local beers the thumbs up. Czytaj więcej
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On the move. Ketchikan to Wrangell.
8 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
It was a reasonably early start to the day with check-in at the ferry terminal at 7.15am. This section of our ferry cruise is on the Matanuska.
As Wrangell is just six hours away we put our luggage on the trolley so that that we did not have to worry about it till we reached Wrangell. We lunched on clam chowder then spent the remainder of the journey in the front observation room.
Once in Wrangell our host, Barb, at Zimovia BnB picked us up, after delivering another Aussie couple back to the BnB, and whisked us back to our lodgings after a brief orientation tour of major sights. Two others issues, Stevie and Ruth, had been on the ferry with us but we only met when we disembarked. They are also spending the night at Barb's
The BnB rooms as are on the ground floor of Mike and Barb's home and cute as. The Garnet Room is cute as, with ist's fishy theme and our own sauna room, and a kitchen bench with fridge, toaster, sink and two burner top-plate. Compact but comfy. Breakfast supplies are supplied. Because the weather is continuing to be ideal Ruth and Mike are running away to camp for a few days on a nearby island so we are in charge! Promotion comes quickly.
Wrangell - love at first sight. A gem of a town reminiscent of an old Australian coastal town. With a population of just 3,000 it nestles between the hills and the coastline. Picture postcard perfect.
Dinnertime we walked down to the Stikine Inn, perhaps the only viable option of a decent meal in such a small town unless we self catered. Of course there is a burger joint, a fish and chippery and the Not So Famous Pizza joint but I think we will probably pass on those.
So if you are only going to have one decent restaurant option in town the Stikine Inn definitely fit the bill and will be our dining venue of choice for the next four nights. We will work our way through the menu. Not a lot of vegetarian options but a good range of seafood selections. Tonight - shared calamari with sweet chilli sauce and beetroot, spinach, walnut and feta salad. Czytaj więcej
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Wrangell
9 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
The summer weather is continuing with bright sunny skies and a pleasant temperature. We are in love with Wrangell. It is a small working town of about 3000 people living in the area. Although they get small cruise ships they said no to the big liners taking over their town and maintained their integrity. It is typical of any small town where everyone knows everyone else in the town. They are friendly and have time to stop and chat and don't mind to stop and chat either.
We took a slow stroll down the hill and walked the Main Street to see Sylvia at Alaska Vistas but since she was out at the observatory we checked in for the following day and went for coffee and pumpkin and walnut bread at the Stikine Inn. The two girls serving were highly amused with Neil and his antics.
From there it was a short stroll to the museum. Only small it was a very interesting museum giving the history of the area and the town's growth. Wrangell was the only town in Alaska to be ruled by four nations - the Tlingit, the Russians, the English , and the USA. Wyatt Earp was a temporary Marshall here for 10 days when he and his wife were on their way to the Klondike to seek their fortunes. He declined the offered full time position and many locals feel that Wrangell was to wild for Wyatt. Josie, Wyatt's common law wife, described it as a godless hole. It was bit of a rough old town back in the true frontier days.
In the afternoon we walked over the hill from where we are staying to walk through the muskeg, which are mossy bogs found in Northern America. I expected the bog to be similar to wetlands but they were not in any way similar. The bogs tend to be acidic and trees grow to a lesser height to elsewhere but it still seemed like Forrest to me and was a great walk communing with nature.
Dinner at the Stikine Inn. Neil - fish tacos and me chowder and salad. Czytaj więcej
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The Journey
10 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
I could just say that today day was all about the bears but that would not be entirely true. There was nothing about today that was not totally enjoyable.
I had planned and booked this tour in December last year so it was way up there on our wish list of what to do in Alaska.
Another stunner of a day so we were off to a flying start. We had a full boat with Neil an,d I Steve Ruth, a family of four ( two grandparents, a lad and mum), three older Americans, three photographers who were heading up to a cabin in the Tongass National Forrest for five days, two guides, Denny and Robert and Sylvia, the head chief and our jet boat driver.
The journey up there and back was stunning, pristine untouched wilds. Sylvia stopped at various places where she or one of her guides would give us history/nature facts about the area we were travelling through. They were very knowledgeable about the area. It was interesting and often entertaining.
Our nature spotting along the way - deer, harbour seals and a whale. I was too slow to get a photo of the whale but we saw several spouts and his tale as he went down and out of our sight.
The trip was roughly one and a half hours each way. Czytaj więcej
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Tongass National Forrest
10 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Once we arrived at the mouth of Anan Creek Sylvia beached the jet boat and we commenced our walk through the forest to the observatory. The Tongass National Forest is temperate rainforest. Through the trees we could see the estuary of the creek. It was low tide and a juvenile brown was catching salmon in the shallow waters. The area is stunning and the colours in the forest so lush. The hills in the area are granite and there is not a lot of ground so as fallen trees rot they become nursery logs for the germination and growth of new trees. Czytaj więcej
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A Bear Affair
10 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
This is an amazing experience, one that I would highly recommend to anyone who is thinking of coming this way. The season for the excursion is a short one as it is only available while the salmon are running (Mid June to mid August). The observatory is placed above the rapids. There are decks looking downstream towards the estuary and upstream. There is also a hide built directly above the rapids. Once at the observatory you book yourself a time for the hide where there are only 6 people at any given time and you have 1/2 an hour. There was an abundance of black bears at the rapids and two juvenile browns who only ventured a little ways up the creek. The browns are king but a juvenile is lower down the pecking order to black adults. Amongst the browns we were fortunate to observe adults, juveniles and new season cubs. One of the younger juveniles had only been cast out by mum in the last few days and was now on his own to fend for himself. He had tried to argue the injustice with his mum but she had firmly clipped him across the mouth and sent him on his way. He was a miserable young chap. He had obviously watched mum demonstrate the art of salmon catching but the skill left him wanting. After many unsuccessful attempts he resorted to eating the rotting carcasses of the rejected meat. Czytaj więcej
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Last day in Wrangell
11 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Our final day in Wrangell and I think we may have seen the last of the beautiful sunny weather. South East Alaska has now had nine sunny days straight so we have been lucky to experience it. Today is still warm but there is now a nip to the air and the clouds are building up. Today we had a quieter day and our rambles have taken us along the byways east of the township.
Dinner at the Stikine Inn once again (there really aren't too many other options for a decent meal since burgers and pizza are not usually in our culinary vocab). Tonight we had a rerun of last nights octopus and hot potato salad - not shabby at all.
We will be sad to leave Wrangell tomorrow. It is a beautiful town - small and super friendly. Half of the fun of being here has been talking to the locals. Town life is relatively slow, all the locals know each other and they are only too happy to stop and have a chat with you. Czytaj więcej
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Wrangell to Sitka
12 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Ruth dropped us off at the ferry where we met up with Steve and Ruth once again. They are heading to Sitka as well. Once again we are on the Matanuska this time with a stateroom as we have an overnighter arriving in Sitka early, very early in the morning. We have a two bunk room this time - less room than the four bunker of course but more than adequate for our needs. The cafe on this ferry has a better range of food to the Malaspina - the serving area is along one side so appears larger and the choice is greater. Not that the vegetarian options are abundant but they are adequate. We had a longer than expected stopover in Petersburg due to mechanical problems do our arrival time in Sitka has been put back two hours - oh what a shame. We get to sleep two hours longer! From the dock in Petersburg we were able to see the BnB where we will be staying when we return in a few day time. We will be doing a bit of back tracking as I had to foot the towns in around the ferry timetable. Czytaj więcej
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Lazy Sunday in Sitka.
13 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Arrived around 7am. Steve and Ruth have hired a car for their stay here so they gave us a lift from the Terminal into town. Time for breakfast. It's Sunday, no cruise ships will be in town and the pickings are slim! Had thought that we might have to resort to maccas but they were closed for renovations. Subway then? Desperation sets in when it is early in the morning and the stomach is growling. However, next time ignore the growling tummy and give Subway a wide berth. Edible is was, but, barely.
The Sitka Super 8 had our room available when we arrived so we were able to move in early.
It's drizzling today but not too heavy to explore the down town area.
Late lunch/early dinner at the Bayview Bar. Czytaj więcej
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Wildlife Tour - Sitka Style
14 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
Quick brekkie then down to the dock through the drizzle to meet up with Paul. There were six of us all together.
The objective of this tour was to observe the local wildlife and that we did. That the tour took us through stunning scenery, all be it in the rain, was the cream on the top.
Our 5 hour tour extended to 8 as Paul endeavoured to fulfil our bucket lists of animals to see.My list had three main players - whales, otters and puffins. The weather had blown up two days ago, dispersing the krill schools and thus breaking up the pods as the whales went in search of their dinner. The outcome of this turn in events was that the whale were elusive. We had sightings early in the trip and on our way back - lots of spout, a tail showing before the plunge to the deep and one surfacing almost directly under our boat. There was a zodiac near us at the time, the only other tour group that we saw out that day, and we had thought that they were in danger of the whale surfacing under them. Paul had circled out wider to fine the whale room but as it turned out it was us the that could have gone bottom up.
The sea otters did not disappoint. The smaller groups were a bit skittish as we approached but the larger groups (or rafts) had safety in numbers and were not put off by us in the least. Cute, cute, cute. They roll themselves in the long strands of kelp that grow up from the seabed and tuck it in under their armpits. Thus anchored they are safe to sleep, scratch, laze around and generally have a relaxing time. They'd stare up at us with looks that clearly stated, "and what do you think you're looking at".
Although the seas were abating the trip out to St Lazaria Island was across open rolling seas so Paul checked that we were all good to go the distance. Thankfully no-one was threatening seasickness. St Lazaria is an amazing basalt island, summer home to many species of birds. If I was a twitcher I could list them. But unfortunately I can only name a few. The stars of the bird populations were the crested puffins, on the endangered list and only found in the wild in this area of Alaska. I perhaps shouldn't be quoted on that last fact, but they are definitely on the endangered list. Among the other birds we saw were blue necked herons and cormorants.
Paul supplied a light lunch of smoked salmon dip that he had made, crackers, Brie, cashews and olives. It hit the spot nicely!
Back on land it was a quick dash to the nearest facilities as we had been eight hours on the water without a loo.
Another amazing day and another must do in Alaska ticked.
We met up with Steve and Ruth for dinner down at the The Sitka hotel. Full of locals it had a nice atmosphere. Czytaj więcej
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The Journey - Wildlife tour.
14 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
This footprint is dedicated to the scenery of the wildlife tour. The scenery around Sitka is like everywhere else we have seen so far in south east Alaska - drop dead stunning. No complaints from me - love it here. In the waters around Sitka there are many small islands that are privately owned with their own little jetties. Though many are holiday homes for southerners some are inhabited by locals who leave their vehicles at the dock in Sitka for when they are in town.
The day saw us travelling through Bonsai Canal, in and out many islands, close to salmon spawning creeks and out to St Lazaria island. In the distance we witnessed the island on Mitnof Island. It was shrouded in cloud so I was hoping to get e clearer shot on the way back. Well you know the saying, "a bird in the hand......" - missed that one. Saw nothing at all on the way back - the invisible volcano. Czytaj więcej
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Sitka to Petersburg
15 sierpnia 2017, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
A little sleep in this morning. Breakfast at eight, checkout at eleven, store the bags for the duration and off exploring the area with Steve and Ruth.
First stop the Raptor Centre, then the hatchery which has a small aquarium of rock shelf dwellers. Lunch was at Tokyo - no sushi for me! The meal was ok but definitely tasted better Japanese before.
The Raptor Centre was interesting.They rescue injured raptors, treat them and, if possible, after bird physio, relaxes a them back into the wild. Of course there are some that can never be and they live out the rest of their lives in relative bird luxury. Those who can't be released are those that have sustained injuries that that prevent them from being able to live back in the wild. Altercations with cars was one of the main causes for this. Highways offer clear spaces to swoop down on prey but a speeding car will always win over a bald eagle. Kily, the Hawke we met in our briefing was imprinted with humans so, although never injured, could never be released into the wild
Returned to our hotel with plenty of time up our sleeves - luckily as the sailing time of our ferry had been brought forward to suit the tide and we ended up just in time to get our shuttle out to the terminal.
Tonight is an overnighter so we have a stateroom again and we arrive in Petersburg before sparrow's fart in the wee hours of the morning. Our hostess at the BnB has said that it is the norm and she will be up to greet us and show us to our room. Dedication - we will be there at 4.30am. Czytaj więcej
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Rambling North America Rambling Bears
Petersburg
16 sierpnia 2017, Coastal Waters Of Southeast Alaska And British Columbia ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
Early to bed early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy and wise........ perhaps not. Anyways we arrived just before 4.30am and dragged our sorry selves a short distance to our BnB. As promised Sammy had gotten up and was sitting in her dressing gown in the kitchen awaiting our arrival. It was straight into our room and straight back to bed. Paying for the night before was a a sensible option (despite hoping the minimise costs), otherwise we would have been able to leave our bags, but, be wandering the town in the dark and the wet with nothing to do for the next 5 hours at least. That had not been an enticing idea. Up again at 8 we headed into the kitchen for a leisurely breakfast and chinwag with other guests and Sammy and Leroy, our hosts. Leroy is 81 and Sammy probably no a lot younger - a fair innings to be running a BnB.
The Waterfront BnB as its name suggests is right on the waterfront behind the ferry jetty. Our room, at the front to the house, overlooks the water. The tides are amazing here. At low tide the rocks and weed extend almost out to the ferry jetty. The rock shelf must drop just past that point as the ferries seem to be able to come in on any tide but need to reverse out when the tide is low.
The rain today was pretty consistent but with wet weather great donned and brollies up we headed into town.
Petersburg is the town that fish built, a town of roughly 3,000 that swells to 5,500 during the salmon season. Itinerant workers come from all over the lower states to work in the town's 3 canneries. Of course to have fish enough to keep the canneries in business there is also a huge fishing fleet. Like Wrangell, Petersburg has said no to the larger cruise ships so the small town has retained its integrity as a working town. It certainly smells fishy wherever you walk once you enter the downtown area.
Walked back into town in the evening for dinner at the Mexican shack.Yes, literally a small shack roughly built. No vegetarian options as such but the owner was happy to make vegetarian chimichangas for us and it was delicious. Czytaj więcej
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Rambling North America Rambling Bears
Another rainy day in Petersburg
17 sierpnia 2017, Coastal Waters Of Southeast Alaska And British Columbia ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
The set time for breakfast is 8am. This morning we had one other guest us, Judy. Leroy joined us at the table and we had a funny conversation with him, politically incorrect perhaps but entertaining none the less. Leroy's terminologies are very outdated for our modern times, when it is best to err on the side of caution when speaking about peoples of different races. But nothing he said was said with malice and we certainly did not take any offence. And at 81 perhaps you should be able to speak your mind without others taking the moral high ground. Leroy is very tall and tends to walk with a lumbering limp. He could possibly have had polio when he was younger. When I envisage an Alaskan old timer, or sourdough, I think a similar image to that of Leroy would come to mind. A big man with a three day growth, jeans hitched with braces and a checked flannel shirt. His speech is a rumbly, relatively slow drawl.
Well today it was pouring. I chose Petersburg so that we could do some hiking along the narrows and through the forests but this weather is best suited for ducks and bears so I chose a book from the small library in the lounge and we spent the morning in, just relaxing. And if relaxing it has to be our room or the lounge are nice places to be, looking out over the water watching the comings and goings of the Petersburg water traffic.
We headed into town in the afternoon for another wander and to try the Salty Pantry. So glad we were told about this little gem - good vegetarian options but lousy coffee. It closes at 4.30pm so we had lunner (lunch/dinner).
One of the older locals has an impressive collection of old fish can labels which a Norwegian company have copied and used the design to make bins for somewhere in Norway. The local
I have not been able to take many photos over the last two days due to the inclement weather. Hopefully I will have better luck tomorrow. Czytaj więcej
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