Hello Everybody! I missed a few days, but I'll catch up today. Photos from left to right are eagle, Homer and Anchorage.
Anchorage- We sailed in and didn't anchor in Anchorage, we tied up to a dock and got ready for a tour around the city and a visit to the Indian Heritage Center. That was worth the trip. We learned about all the different cultures and clans of the Native American peoples in this area. That was fascinating, and taught us about their games, dances, languages, etc. They were beautiful people with generous spirits as they told all the white people about themselves. The city of Anchorage was OK; we didn't stroll around. Many cruisers did that and enjoyed going into the shops, especially the fur stores with bikinis and jock straps! Gets really cold up here. the Sarah Palin store was a local attraction. I guess they have a lifesized mannikin for photos. Jim was sorry he missed that.
Homer was the funniest place. The ship docked out on the end of a 4 mile spit. Along the spit were the Salty Dawg Tavern and a mix of marine stores, fishing outfitters and general shack-like places. That took up about 1/2 mile. Some people went in to town which has a block of the same thing, but we opted to go on a bird watching trip on a 45 ft boat. Nice kids running the cruise, and we were inside so we didn't get wet as the rain started coming down. We saw the regular birds, Kittywakes (both mature and immature), gulls of different kinds, puffins, and lots of otters. They were the most plentiful of any marine mammal we have seen. I got a t shirt so I could say we have been to Homer with the clear understanding someone will ask why we went there!
We are sailing away from Kodiak now, backing out, I think. We were only in port from 7AM to 1PM, and we managed an overview of the city, including a trip through town; a visit to the Fisheries Dept of the U Of Alaska; (where we got to pet sea stars and anemones and crabs!) a visit to the Baranov Museum, since the Russians were the first to settle this island; a visit to the WWII bunker filled with WWII memorabilia as well as big guns; and finally the high school where a group of drummers really gave us a great show. I expected them to be native drummers, but they are a creation of a local guy who is Native American from somewhere else(California, I think), and he teaches any kid who wants to drum.(The youngest was 6 and he didn't have any front teeth!) They use African and other native drums to make amazing music. It was worth the trip just to see them. Kodiak is very beautiful, and of all the cities, I think I could stay here. It is surrounded by high green hills, mountains are off in the distance, and smaller islands dot the scenery around the main island. They are very proud of the island and the city, showing us the KFC/Taco Bell, Walmart and Safeway. I guess that makes them feel more like the lower 48. They have 70 inches of rain a year and 70 inches of snow a year, but the temperatures do not drop so low as other places since they have the Japanese current running by. Today the sun is shining and the island looks just beautiful. The biggest Coast Guard station in the U.S. is in Kodiak with 1500 people stationed here regularly. One interesting fact about all these small cities and towns we visit. They all have lots of churches. The religious sector must have believed it was the last frontier, because they had all arrive and set up shop, so to speak. There are 18 churches in Kodiak with 4000 people in town and 12,000 on the island. They must have small congregations or they have everybody in church. Two denominations are missing in Kodiak, the Methodists and the Presbyterians-I asked Jim what's wrong with the Presbys that they missed out on outreach to Alaska. He harumpted;guess they were going to Africa.
We are on our way to the Hubbard Glacier now. We heard it is the best and biggest, so I'm very excited about that. Anyway, no sight of the northern lights and only a few whale sightings. We are guaranteed whales in Juneau. I'll check in tomorrow. Jim and Virginia
Anchorage- We sailed in and didn't anchor in Anchorage, we tied up to a dock and got ready for a tour around the city and a visit to the Indian Heritage Center. That was worth the trip. We learned about all the different cultures and clans of the Native American peoples in this area. That was fascinating, and taught us about their games, dances, languages, etc. They were beautiful people with generous spirits as they told all the white people about themselves. The city of Anchorage was OK; we didn't stroll around. Many cruisers did that and enjoyed going into the shops, especially the fur stores with bikinis and jock straps! Gets really cold up here. the Sarah Palin store was a local attraction. I guess they have a lifesized mannikin for photos. Jim was sorry he missed that.
Homer was the funniest place. The ship docked out on the end of a 4 mile spit. Along the spit were the Salty Dawg Tavern and a mix of marine stores, fishing outfitters and general shack-like places. That took up about 1/2 mile. Some people went in to town which has a block of the same thing, but we opted to go on a bird watching trip on a 45 ft boat. Nice kids running the cruise, and we were inside so we didn't get wet as the rain started coming down. We saw the regular birds, Kittywakes (both mature and immature), gulls of different kinds, puffins, and lots of otters. They were the most plentiful of any marine mammal we have seen. I got a t shirt so I could say we have been to Homer with the clear understanding someone will ask why we went there!
We are sailing away from Kodiak now, backing out, I think. We were only in port from 7AM to 1PM, and we managed an overview of the city, including a trip through town; a visit to the Fisheries Dept of the U Of Alaska; (where we got to pet sea stars and anemones and crabs!) a visit to the Baranov Museum, since the Russians were the first to settle this island; a visit to the WWII bunker filled with WWII memorabilia as well as big guns; and finally the high school where a group of drummers really gave us a great show. I expected them to be native drummers, but they are a creation of a local guy who is Native American from somewhere else(California, I think), and he teaches any kid who wants to drum.(The youngest was 6 and he didn't have any front teeth!) They use African and other native drums to make amazing music. It was worth the trip just to see them. Kodiak is very beautiful, and of all the cities, I think I could stay here. It is surrounded by high green hills, mountains are off in the distance, and smaller islands dot the scenery around the main island. They are very proud of the island and the city, showing us the KFC/Taco Bell, Walmart and Safeway. I guess that makes them feel more like the lower 48. They have 70 inches of rain a year and 70 inches of snow a year, but the temperatures do not drop so low as other places since they have the Japanese current running by. Today the sun is shining and the island looks just beautiful. The biggest Coast Guard station in the U.S. is in Kodiak with 1500 people stationed here regularly. One interesting fact about all these small cities and towns we visit. They all have lots of churches. The religious sector must have believed it was the last frontier, because they had all arrive and set up shop, so to speak. There are 18 churches in Kodiak with 4000 people in town and 12,000 on the island. They must have small congregations or they have everybody in church. Two denominations are missing in Kodiak, the Methodists and the Presbyterians-I asked Jim what's wrong with the Presbys that they missed out on outreach to Alaska. He harumpted;guess they were going to Africa.
We are on our way to the Hubbard Glacier now. We heard it is the best and biggest, so I'm very excited about that. Anyway, no sight of the northern lights and only a few whale sightings. We are guaranteed whales in Juneau. I'll check in tomorrow. Jim and Virginia
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