July 27 – 28 – From Juneau to Petersburg, via Sitka, by Ferry

The return voyage to Petersburg takes 24 hours, thanks to a side trip to Sitka, a small town out on the Pacific coast. If the big cruise ships do visit Sitka they have to travel outside in the open seas, but the ferry takes the same route as small vessels through Peril Strait and the turbulent Sergius Narrows. Cliff, who is reading Michener’s “Alaska”, is especially interested in visiting Sitka, the nineteenth-century Russian capitol. Since the ferry waits in Sitka for four hours to ensure transiting the narrows at slack tide, it is possible to go ashore and visit the town. The only problem is that, today, this wait occurs between 3 and 7 in the morning and Orma decides she would rather stay in bed in the comfy cabin we have secured for this trip.

Cliff joins another enthusiastic fellow and they explore the streets and alleys as dawn comes up over the dormant volcanoes and island-studded harbour surrounding this very attractive town of 2,000 inhabitants. Since the original colonial outpost was constructed of wood, very little in the way of buildings remains, but the main sites are reserved as parks and a small orthodox church still dominates the main street.

A naturalist placed on the ferry by the Tongass National Forest provides commentary about the flora, fauna, and geology of the area. As well as local residents, the clientele on the ferry is made up of adventurous individuals backpacking through Alaska, folks with campers or motorhomes driving on and off at villages along the way, seniors on bus tours, and teenagers from Chicago on a 46-day bus, hiking and camping trip. The fellow Cliff walked around Sitka with was the still-smiling, very special bus driver for the teens.

We are sorry when this interesting vacation from a vacation comes to an end, but are still pleased to get back to our home away from home.