Thursday, May 9,
2019 Icy Strait Point, Alaska
The Westerdam docked about two miles outside of Hoonah on
the Chichagof Island in Alaska. Larry and I had decided to hike into town,
turning down the five dollar shuttle. It was brisk, just the right kind of day
to walk along the George Hall Harbor.
We headed off the ship at 8:00am, walking through the Hoonah
Packing Company Adventure Center.
The Martini’s opted for a whale watching tour
while Larry and I did a nature hike.
We were thrilled to walk along the beach
and caught the path going into town…it was so nice to move about. Being on the ship
for those six days in a row while crossing the North Pacific made us feel like
busting loose.
Once we got on the path towards town, we enjoyed the
evergreen forest that flanked the side of the road going up over the mountain.
The scenery was spectacular!
Local critters
We were
thrilled to spot two whales blowing in the harbor along with several eagles
soaring overhead.
The town had numerous little shops, a school with six
graduating seniors in the next few weeks, four churches, and a ferry
terminal….all for a community of 800. The area had a rich culture of the
Tlingit Nation.
The area once famous for having a salmon cannery in 1912, had
transformed the facility in 2004 into an indoor shopping area with all kinds of
native Alaska gifts and souvenirs. It also serves as a museum for all the
cannery machinery.
Two huge cookers
Five kinds of salmon are found in the area.
We walked by the school with...
a pile of unlocked bikes parked by the entrance.
Four churches were in the area
We watched a gentleman chisel on a totem pole...what patience he has!
Local long boat canoe...available for tourist to take rides in.
There is a huge tide here....we were visiting with the tide being low.
After our walk through town we had some nice conversations with the locals in The Office Bar. Lots of atmosphere surrounded the walls of
this local hangout. It sat right on the harbor with scenic views of float
planes taking off. (The only way out of here is by float plane, boat or ferry.)
We especially enjoyed the old juke box with great golden oldie rock n roll music
tunes and....
Last year 69 cruise ships stopped by this little rural town.
This year they are expecting around 160 ships.
The locals are concerned that
the town does not have the facilities to accommodate so many people. One thing
is for sure, whoever comes here will get the real life experience of the
outback of the Alaskan wilderness.
We walked back to the ship spotting a few more whales, sea
otters, and.....
eagles.
We stopped at the camp fire to warm our toes and enjoy the
aroma of the wood burning before being the last ones to go back on the boat….being
last to board is becoming a habit.
Lingering along the walkway back to the ship.
The ship set sail at 4:00pm to a wonderful scenic cruise out
of Icy Strait Point.
The sun set around 10:30pm….our first sunset in a long
time.
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