Katlian Bay and Sitka
The Sea Lion approached Southeast Alaska’s only oceanfront town under clear azure skies this morning. Guarded by a quiet volcano and a jumble of isles, historic Sitka was once the seat of Russian America. Here in 1804, native Tlingits made a last stand against the sea otter-hunting newcomers. With the raising of the Stars and Stripes atop Sitka’s Castle Hill (oval in lower left of photo), ownership of the great land of Alaska passed to the United States in 1867. Statehood was celebrated there in 1959.
Travelers enjoyed continuing glorious weather as we set anchor in the crystal calm backwaters of Katlian Bay, named in honor of the Tlingit chief who bravely fought the Russians in that last battle in Sitka. Sunny scenery loomed large from both air and water. Some people boarded seaplanes to float the skies over Baranof Island and Sitka Sound, while others explored a small archipelago by kayak and Zodiac. A Sitka black-tailed deer swam between islets, as sun sea stars and moon jellyfish appeared beneath us in the heavenly waters.
We culminated our week’s experiences with a celebratory lunch barbeque on the beach where a grizzly had been spotted earlier that morning. While some people enjoyed lunch in chairs by the shore with their feet in the water in a rising tide, others went a step further, literally. Egged on by cheering diners, hearty swimmers imitated the sea creatures we’d seen recently—floating on backs like otters and breaching like humpbacks and killer whales. Given the near-tropical weather, swimming in Alaska was not so much an anomaly today.
By mid-afternoon we docked in Sitka and began our city rambles. We hiked rainforest trails behind town, pondered totem poles, met eagles being rehabilitated, and visited St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox church, an onion dome structure that stands like a nunatak as Sitka’s main street sweeps around it. As we explored one of Alaska’s most scenic and historic places, an oceanic fog slipped in, drawing a curtain on a sunny week of outstanding illuminating experiences.
The Sea Lion approached Southeast Alaska’s only oceanfront town under clear azure skies this morning. Guarded by a quiet volcano and a jumble of isles, historic Sitka was once the seat of Russian America. Here in 1804, native Tlingits made a last stand against the sea otter-hunting newcomers. With the raising of the Stars and Stripes atop Sitka’s Castle Hill (oval in lower left of photo), ownership of the great land of Alaska passed to the United States in 1867. Statehood was celebrated there in 1959.
Travelers enjoyed continuing glorious weather as we set anchor in the crystal calm backwaters of Katlian Bay, named in honor of the Tlingit chief who bravely fought the Russians in that last battle in Sitka. Sunny scenery loomed large from both air and water. Some people boarded seaplanes to float the skies over Baranof Island and Sitka Sound, while others explored a small archipelago by kayak and Zodiac. A Sitka black-tailed deer swam between islets, as sun sea stars and moon jellyfish appeared beneath us in the heavenly waters.
We culminated our week’s experiences with a celebratory lunch barbeque on the beach where a grizzly had been spotted earlier that morning. While some people enjoyed lunch in chairs by the shore with their feet in the water in a rising tide, others went a step further, literally. Egged on by cheering diners, hearty swimmers imitated the sea creatures we’d seen recently—floating on backs like otters and breaching like humpbacks and killer whales. Given the near-tropical weather, swimming in Alaska was not so much an anomaly today.
By mid-afternoon we docked in Sitka and began our city rambles. We hiked rainforest trails behind town, pondered totem poles, met eagles being rehabilitated, and visited St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox church, an onion dome structure that stands like a nunatak as Sitka’s main street sweeps around it. As we explored one of Alaska’s most scenic and historic places, an oceanic fog slipped in, drawing a curtain on a sunny week of outstanding illuminating experiences.
