A 3 for 1. What a deal!!
Hubbard Glacier- July 1st
Not a whole lot happened today as we sailed up close to the Hubbard glacier. We couldn’t get super close like we did in the Tracy Arm 20 years ago but we sailed the rough some of the ice flow. The ship even opened up the bow section so we couldn’t get a better view. Sadly no one stood up and yelled “I’m king of the world!!!”
Had dinner in Savory, Cajun shrimp over mashed potatoes. Shrimp were good but would’ve gone better over some jalapeno grits. The mango coconut cake for dessert was surprisingly good, almost refreshing even.
Found a promenade on our deck that goes around…about 75% of the ship that seemingly no one really knows about. Which is great since the teenagers on board tend to hang out and goof around up on the pool deck and walking track.
Icy Strait Point(Hoonah)- July 2nd
Last time we came here 19 years ago there wasn’t much here except the historical cannery for a company called Corsair salmon, and we had to be tendered to the shore. Now they have an actual dock, a visitors center, and a gondola that takes you into town. Nicole and I took part in a seafood feast that could basically be summed up as a Cajun dungeoness crab boil. (Crab legs, shrimp, mussels, andouille, corn, potatoes) Very tasty, the crab was seasoned so well you almost didn’t need butter. ALMOST is the keyword there.
After lunch we learned some history about Tlingit culture and watched a tribal dance presentation. Wasn’t quite what I expected. Usually this tribal stuff is presented by elder members. This was done by high school students. Gotta pass the torch at some point I guess. It was interesting because while we waited for the show one of the people did a song for us, and afterwards one of the audience member asked what the words translated into. The kids didn’t have a clue. Turns out Tlingit is kinda like Navajo in that it’s a spoken but not written. There was also a big generational gap from the baby boomer up to the millennials that, for reasons they didn’t really go into, forbade their kids from speaking it. So, while songs and stories were passed down their translations to English (which is difficult in of itself) did not. But there is a big movement among Gen Z’ers to bring it back. Good for them. After the dance we raided the cannery gift shop and got back onboard.
Sitka- July 3rd
We got off a little early to shop some of the local stores. We may need to by a whole new fridge to hold all our magnets lol. Nicole bought some Alaskan honey that was made in nearby Homer, AK. Better be good for the price she paid for it. We went to what’s called the Fortress of the Bear. It’s a sanctuary, for lack of a better word, for bear cubs that were orphaned because the mother was shot or killed and apparently before this place opened, they would kill the cubs too. No where to keep them I guess. So good for these guys. The place was very inconspicuous, kinda tucked away off a corner of the main road that runs through Sitka. There were 7-8 bears kept across three different large pens. They had plenty of room to run around, had covered shelter, looked well cared for in general. The bears themselves were also of a fairly calm disposition, more curious about the people looking down at them.
After returning to the ship we had dinner at savory again, having some tasty bratwurst and a Nutella crème brûlée. Arguably the best dessert we’ve had so far.
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