Discovering Our Sitka

We have been plagued by connectivity issues for the last few days. Not sure if it is the network, or a dead zone, or a computer problem. We are trying to compose our updates ahead of time and post them when possible.

The city of Sitka offers a little guidebook with advertisements and articles and information about the various activities. They include a map and the major points of interest. They are great for the tourist to get a quick overview and develop a sightseeing plan. Thursday, during the walk to the hospital, we found the sidewalks crowded with tourists from the cruise ship. We felt like they were clogging our city, and so after only one week we are officially no longer tourists ourselves, but residents, albeit temporary. That did not stop us from using the list in the guide to lead our explorations on Friday.

With another sunny day, we decided to focus on outdoor activities. Our first stop was Castle Hill. This is a high promontory overlooking the sound that has been the site of local rule throughout Sitka's history, from native Tlingit, to Imperial Russia, to United States. It is the place where the official flag-raising ceremony took place to mark the purchase of Alaska, commemorated every year on Alaska Day. It is amazing how rich in history this small city is, what an important place it once was.

We visited a reconstruction of a Russian blockade, as well as the burial spot of a Russian princess. We also took a long walk toward the far northern dock. We didn't make it all the way, but we did find another perspective on Mount Edgecumbe.

We also got another perspective on the entire city at the historical museum. In addition to numerous artifacts, there was a large collection of old photographs of people and places. The history is a strong mix of both Tlingit and Russian. From narrative and images a local artist also created a model of the city as it once was.

We did some shopping at the largest market in town, then took the community bus back to the inn. Along the way we heard the first report that another bear mauling had taken place on a trail on the south side of the city. A woman on a bicycle had startled a bear, who swiped at her as she passed. She was knocked down and reportedly screamed at the bear, looking directly at it, which frightened it away. Authorities were unable to locate the bear.

Another Day, Another Ship

We were surprised Thursday morning on the hike to the hospital, emerging from the forest there was a grand cruiser in the channel as near as we have seen one yet. In addition, the morning sun made possible the clearest view of the volcano so far.

We explored a bit more of the city today. Having forgotten to bring any headgear on our journey, and dealing either with sun and rain every day, we purchased an inexpensive cap which will also serve as a souvenir. We also scouted out a few other native souvenir items. But window shopping and wandering without any solid goals makes us tire quickly. On top of this, walking more than six miles each of the last three days has started to weigh on us.

During a break on the docks, we saw a jellyfish moving slowly through the water. Also watched a group of three couples unload twenty or so bags of groceries and supplies from a van, and haul them down to their boat, then motor away to their island. Because of the steep prices, locals with the means often take the ferry to Juneau, the state's capital, where they can shop the major chains, such as Costco, and stock up on staples, buying in bulk at much lower prices.

Despite being tired at 8pm, the sun is still up in the sky, the temperature is still inviting, and we are in Alaska. The urge to go out for more is strong.

Reruns

Not of "Ice Road Truckers". Of the sun!

We don't know what the record is, but we have now had two full days of sun. Someone mentioned that this time of year is typically the sunny season. We also suspect that the unseasonably warm weather in the northwestern 48 has some effect here. The proprietress of the inn commented yesterday, "It's going to be a really hot one." The temperature here topped at 68 degrees.

This morning it is 60 degrees, and another clear sunny day. Across the bay we just watched a seaplane take off. Yesterday as we trekked across the bridge, another plane circled over our head and then swooped down between the bridge pylons to land in the Channel. Mount Edgecumbe also appeared larger to us, but once again the setting sun inteferred with our photographs. We will make an earlier attempt today. We did manage one shot from further away:


While some local children played at fishing from the rocks, our wife stripped her aching feet and let the waves wash up her legs. We were content to dip our fingers in the chilly water, to rinse off a pretty shell.

Below we see what a parking lot in Sitka, Alaska looks like:

The Unscratchables, by Cornelius Kane

A month in Alaska affords a book-fancier lots of time to read. The Unscratchables is a new July release from Scribner, published under the pseudonym of Anthony O'Neill, who has penned several other genre-crossing novels.

The tagline on the cover calls this a new breed of crime novel. The subtle wordplay is suggestive of what is to come. The characters live in Kathattan, their guns woof, and the North Siamese threaten a world already embroiled in the Afghan-Persian war. Like the Planet of the Apes, things are just as we recognise them, with one critical difference. This isn't meant to be a comedy, but there is amusement in the substitution of dogs and cats for humans.

We follow Max McNash, a bulldog detective who is called in on a murder case. Against his better instincts, he is teamed with Cassius Lap, an agent from the FBI (Feline Bureau of Investigation). McNash first has to learn to trust Lap, and by the end he develops a fondness for the Siamese cat. They form a partnership that will surely lead to further adventures.

A whole range of scents from popular culture can be detected in this novel, including television, film, government, and advertising. More than just a police procedural, murder mystery, or who-dun-it, McNash and Lap discover an underworld of conspiracy and societal conditioning whose lessons can be applied to our own times.

If you have an itch for a quick, uncomplicated novel, this novel will scratch it. The Unscratchables is simple entertainment that is well-written and published with only one apparent typo. You'll beg for more.

Sunny Days

By noon, the clouds had burned and blown away, and all that remained was clear skies and lots of sun. We set off for the three-mile hike to the hospital, and found lots of nice photo opportunities.








The lighthouse is across the Eastern Channel. And in the channel were two cruiseships, preparing to depart. The one in the distance is in the bay directly outside our inn. The one in the foreground was gone by the time we returned, and could be seen beyond the islands heading northwest.



Nothing to tell about a few of these photos, other than the view struck us. How beautiful to look out across the sound where ships are anchored, and a seaplane comes in for a landing, with snow-capped mountains in the background, and a ghostly half-moon above it all, clear skies and cool temperatures and the smell of the sea in the air.


Up the bridge we voyaged. For the first time in the distance we could see Mount Edgecumbe, the distinctive volcanoe. Even on this clear day, it was still ringed with low clouds.







Finally on Japonski Island we reached the hospital. Total elapsed time about fifty minutes. Half a block further and situated right along the edge of the channel is one of the high schools. Imagine canoeing to school every day. Or perhaps fishing during lunch period. From the top fifth floor of the hospital the view back across the Eastern Channel is beautiful. And the pace at the hospital is laid way back.




We begin the walk back to the inn. Most of the day tourists are gone, and the city center is quiet. We make a stop in the grocery for a few items, then finish the journey. After dinner the moon begins to shine brighter over the bay.








By 10:00pm, dusk had arrived. There is still over eighteen hours of daylight right now. According to charts, nearly two hours have been given back since the summer soltice. Not only are the daylight hours longer, but the day feels longer, or slower, here. It is late, night really, yet it feels like afternoon has just passed. The photograph gives a little bit of the sense of what the day looks and feels like at this hour.


A great way to end the day, the last cruise ship slipping behind the islands out to sea, and the moon shining brightly across the bay.



PS. In case you don't know, you can click on any image to see it enlarged. Enjoy!

Inside a Cloud

After dropping off our nurse at the hospital, this is the walk we face, back "off the rock" as they say. The O'Connell Bridge is the only ground link between the main city center on Baranof Island and the hospital, university, and airport on Japonski Island. We are walking and talking, and when we pause to take this photo, we drop our phone. So when we reach the top of the bridge, and want to take another picture, we worry about dropping our phone again, because this time it will fall far down, irretrievable in the water.

Carefully, this is the view of Sitka Channel, looking northwest from the bridge. In the opposite direction, we can see the cruise ship that is docked in the sound across from our inn. Consulting a map, we can see that the most direct route to the hospital from our inn would be by boat. But we walk, and at least ten people pass either also walking or biking the bridge. This is a berry foot- and bike-friendly town.

The town also wakes slowly, or more accurately, according to the cruise ship schedules. Without the tourists, there is little reason for most of the shops to open early. Our ultimate destination -- the local library -- doesn't open until 10am, so we have ninety minutes to pass in town. After a short trek, we can take another picture looking back across Sitka Channel at the bridge we just crossed.

A mist rolled into the city while we waited. Nothing seemed to get wet, yet the droplets could be seen floating through the air. Later in the day, the mist came a little heavier. The weather condition was not really rain as much as it was wet. The driver of the public transit called it being inside a cloud. And so it is. When we returned to the inn, we couldn't even see the water in the sound, for all of the cloudy mist.

Sitka National Park

This 113-acre park is the smallest national park in the state. But it is the site of some of the most important events in Alaskan history. And the back entrance is only about one block from our inn, so it is a convenient place to visit.


To the locals, the site is known as Totem Park, because there are many totem poles along the trails in the northern side of the park. Along the bay is a clearing and a grand pole that marks the spot where stood the fort of the native Sheey At'iká tribe of Tlingit who fought and eventually gave way to the Russians in 1804.






We next visited the hatchery and saw numerous indigenous invertebrates, including the sunburst fish and octopus. And just offshore the fish were jumping! Down on the rocks people were casting their lines. Even though our home town is surrounded by a cornfield, we had the distinct feeling that life here was lived more in line with nature.



On we ventured toward the other side of the city. Stopped to look at some bicycles for sale. That may be a purchase we make soon. The walk from our inn was about three miles, and back about two miles. The road along the harbor was noticeably cooler than the more inland roads. And the crows were the size of small bear cubs. Along the way we paused to rest and admire Swan Lake, where we saw four ducks but no swans.