July 13 – 14 – Wrangell, Alaska

For once we raise the anchor without getting wet, and the fog lifts as we leave Berg Bay. Blue sky begins to break through, and the tops of mountains emerge out of the clouds. The little town of Wrangell sparkles as we arrive at the dock. We do our chores as quickly as possible, check in at the marina office (moorage is only 30 cents/ft. here) and walk into town.

Most shops are closed today, Sunday, but we notice a bright, clean Laundromat, a large supermarket, and a big hardware/marine store. There are bright murals painted on the sides of buildings, and people walking in the sun are smiling and friendly. We check out the hotel restaurant for tonight’s farewell dinner, then continue walking to a spot marked “petroglyphs” on the map.

We find an area of black rocks on the beach, unmarked except by other people looking around, and we join the treasure hunt, discovering here and there the carvings of an ancient culture. Their date is unknown –- anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 years old – and they have survived because they are on a beach of soft shell bits rather than sand, a beach that sustains little wave action.

The rain begins again as we walk back to town. Fortunately, we closed up the boat and most of us brought rainjackets just in case. We stop at the Stikine Inn for a delicious, Alaska-sized dinner.

Monday morning Rick and Sharon fly out on Alaska Airline's "salmon thirty salmon" to Juneau, and we get on with a work day at the dock – laundry, groceries, boat cleaning inside and out, an oil change and the persistent little repair jobs that keep coming up. We had hoped to get the blog up-to-date, but we run out of time and will stay another day in this friendly, relaxed, no-nonsense little town.