Another Nice Day in Sitka

Robert, Thursday, June 19

Sun was shining this morning! We got lunch and set out to see more of Sitka. As it was a nice day, we wanted to spend some time out of doors. We went to a National Park that had some totems in a building and some along a walk in the woods. The woods were along the shore line and the trees were wonderful to walk through. After that we went to a small museum that had a collection of native artifacts. The collection was huge and very impressive. Then we went to the raptor center. This is where they nurse sick and injured raptors back to health. Those that are beyond being cured or healed become permanent residents. They said they do try to place these birds in zoos or somewhere similar. Then it was off to the library for our regular internet fix. We went to the other place we had seen for fresh fish only to discover that the only fish they had was frozen. Rather than driving back into town to the place where we got fresh fish before, we settled for frozen sea scallops. Supper was great as we both really like sea scallops. Tomorrow is a day for a lot of chores. We need to get to a laundromat and we need to get ready for the ferry trip on Saturday. We watched the RV next to us getting ready for the ferry today. They were trying to do everything at the last minute. They were trying to hook up a trailer and the guy was cranking the jack while looking at his watch. At the same time the ferry was arriving. I think being rushed like that is a recipe for making a mistake. Some mistakes can lead to big problems. I prefer to get ready in a more calm and relaxed manner.

Sitka Eagle Rescue

Leslie Thursday, June 19, 2008

Sunshine and calm weather. We’re happy campers. Today the weather started cloudy but eventually became just beautiful. Temperatures were in the mid 50s,chances of rain (always). We wanted to explore the critical tourist sites while the weather was good.

First we went to the Sitka National Historic Park. It is the oldest national historic park in Alaska. There is a 1 mile hike of totem poles mostly donated by the native villages to the St Louis Exposition in 1904. We walked the totem pole route and enjoyed the time in the outdoors.

Next, we went to the Sheldon Jackson Museum. The museum was started in1890 by Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary and teacher who saw the value in preserving the native cultures. The museum was really interesting. It was amazing how many materials he had accumulated. He saw the value in documenting the native cultures that his education and missionary work was attempting to change. We both commented that if the collection was at the Natural History Museum in Washington, DC, it would have been spread over several floors. It was housed in one small room. Beneath the display cases they had drawers that contained additional materials. We were most impressed with the weaving techniques of the Tlingit. They created woven bowls that were waterproof. The hunting and carving techniques were also impressive – all done with stone tools. There was also an interesting collection of children’s toys and clothing.

The most impressive visit for the day was the Alaskan Raptor Center. The Raptor Center rescues injured eagles and hawks and tries to rehabilitate them to return to the wild. We observed the Raptor Flight Training Center where they teach the birds how to fly in anticipation of a return to the wild. They also have individual enclosures of eagles and other birds who are permanent residents, unable to ever return to the wild (mostly because of the nature of their injuries). We were spoiled with a private tour of the center by a rescue worker. I’ll let you enjoy some of the wonderful pictures I captured of the rescued birds:

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And for our friend Jay who really likes eagles, here is Eagle One:

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Loudly, these eagles speak wonders. The eagle who appears to be screaming was yelling at a couple of approaching ravens. Throughout the southeast of Alaska we’ve seen many, many eagles and ravens. Because we’ve mostly been camped along the shore, we have been able ot watch the birds of prey fishing in the shallow waters. When we’ve driven along the road near the coast, we’ve seen eagles and raven soaring overhead.

And a red-tailed hawk.

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