Haines (no underwear) and Wrangler (no Jeep)

 Wednesday we were in Haines, Alaska for the first time.  

In the morning, I went for a walk along the coastline to the Battery Point Trailhead.  

The trail went through a lush forest.

Since we had an excursion at noon, I did not have time to make it to Battery Point.  I turned around at some steps that led to a trickling stream.

It was a 5 mile hike and afterwards I felt like quite a slug!

In the afternoon, we took the Haines Highlights excursion.  Our first stop was at a viewpoint where we got a view of Haines and of the landslide from 2020 (I had walked past the site in the morning).  Apparently, 2 people died in houses that are still buried under the slide.

The next stop was at the American Bald Eagle Foundation where they care for injured birds and where they have a nice wildlife exhibit.

We then were driven along the Chilkoot Inlet to Chilkoot Lake.  As you would expect, it was all very scenic.  We saw several eagles along the way, including one in a tree overlooking the lake.  You might be able to see the white head in the photo.

The last part of the excursion was a drive through the site of Fort Seward followed by a snack of salmon balls and cookies.

Our guide was a young man who enjoyed telling us about his rugged life living in quite primitive conditions.  He and his wife were getting ready to head south for the winter.  He was a good guide and it was another good excursion.

Thursday, we were in Wrangell, Alaska, also for the first time.  There we took the Island Heritage Discovery excursion.  On this tour, we had a young Tlingit guide, as opposed to the "immigrant" guide from the previous day.  That very good guide and the sites we went to made for a much more cultural experience.  The first stop was at the Chief Shakes Island and Ceremonial House.  The house was significantly renovated in 2013.  Inside, the Tribal Mother made a presentation.

Next was the Wrangell Museum which covered the history of Wrangell up to the present day.  The museum houses the original posts from the ceremonial house.  I've added a collage showing the original and the reproduction from the house.

Finally, we stopped at Petroglyph Beach which has about 30 petroglyphs on rocks embedded in the sand.  No one knows how long they have been there but it might be hundreds of years.  As some of you may know, I was a petroglyph aficionado in my days of volunteering at archaeological museums in Phoenix so I always get a thrill seeing them.

This excursion was terrific with great perspectives from our guide.

Friday was a sea day which was highlighted by another $90 bingo win by Linda!

                                                  

Today is Saturday and we are back in Vancouver for a turnover day.  The weather is not good and getting through the chaos in the terminal with 6000 people getting on the 2 large ships also in port wasn't appealing, so we'll just stay on board. Tomorrow, we head back up to Alaska.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry