Sitka, AK

Our next stop was Sitka where we had a less "strenuous" day planned.  Our family rented a car so we could go explore the island on our own pace.  It is a super small city so we were easily able to fit in a lot of activities in a short time.  While it was still a little chilly for us Southerners, it was a beautiful, dry day - perfect Alaska weather!

Our first stop was Fortress of the Bears which is a local bear rescue organization that was founded to house many of the abandoned bear cubs in the area that were previously euthanized.  The center is full at the moment but they still help provide temporary homes to bears who are able to be placed with other rescue organizations in the U.S. and Canada.  The bears were so fun to watch and they definitely seemed to appreciate interacting with their visitors.

We then went to the Alaska Raptor Center to check out some birds of prey.  This is also a rescue agency where their primary goal is to rehabilitate birds for release in the wild though they do also care for some creatures that are unable to survive on their own. They also have a short trail through the property with some beautiful scenery.

Up next was Sitka National Historical Park where we did a 1 mile hike to see the totem poles and also enjoyed some beautiful views and time in the rainforest.  The totems are massive and there were so many of them.  The kids were starting to get hangry so they were not as impressed as mom and dad.

Thankfully our next stop was downtown Sitka where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at BE AK including fresh salmon and bowls of goldfish.  We even ended the meal with Salmon berries from their front porch.

After lunch we wandered around the shops and downtown historical sites.  Carter and mom visited Baranof Castle the site of many previous government buildings and where the first U.S. flag with 49 stars to include Alaska was flown.  The site has a great view and a well done historical account of the history of the site and Sitka.

Mom visited the local Orthodox Church while the kids shopped for souvenirs before we loaded back into the car to check out the other end of the island.  We drove around Starrigavan Bay before stopping at Old Sitka State Historic Park. The kids had a rock skipping contest while we enjoyed the quiet.

Then it was back to the boat where we enjoyed a visit to our balcony from a sea lion friend.