My original intention was to document the trip day by day as we cruised and traveled. However, this plan quickly changed for a few reasons. First, we had little or no internet access so posting pages as we went was not possible. There was no convenient place to "set up shop" and develop pages as we traveled. Also, the trip itself was a different kind of trip. Many of our past trips we "visited" specific places, saw specific sights and had a fairly well planned itinerary of where we would be and what we would see. This trip we were treated to the IMMENSE size and magnificent beauty of Alaska!
The original plan had been to do a day by day recount of our travel. Instead I will try to show an overview and convey some of the grandeur of what we saw.
The flight to Sitka was uneventful. We changed planes in Seattle and when we arrived in Sitka, our host, Mike Wise, was kind enough to come pick us up at the airport. Our first night in Alaska and we were staying at Ravens Peek, a VERY nice B&B outside the center of Sitka.
All the "cruisers" were supposed to meet at 2:30 at the Russian Orthodox church in town. Marilyn drove us into town about 10:30 and we wandered around a bit, had lunch and then strolled over to the church. There we got onto a bus for our visit to the Raptor Center and then on to the Fortress of the Bear and Sitka Totem Pole Park.
At the raptor center, they care for raptors that have been injured. When possible, they try to prepare the birds to reenter the "wild". A few birds are so badly injured that they can't be released and must stay at the center.
There doesn't seem to be a shortage of bald eagles in Sitka. You see them flying all around the city. MAGNIFICENT birds.
The Fortress of the Bear is a sanctuary for bears that have become orphaned or sick. Few if any can be released back into the "wild" because they won't survive. Some have been sent to zoos or other sanctuaries around the country. Not only do you see bears here but also eagles, ravens and various other animals.
