 |
| Petersburg on Mitcoff Island, Alaska |
When we booked our ferry schedule several months in advance,
we were looking specifically for islands with little or no cruise ship
traffic. Early in our retirement, we had
driven into Skagway and were aghast to find this little town with a population
of about 800 swollen to over 30,000 people from five or six cruise ships. After being remote for so long, there was
just too much hustle and bustle for us.
While we recognize that cruise ships have much to offer, with my claustrophobia I long to stay clear of crowds.
We had read that the ports of Wrangell and Petersburg had little to no
cruise ship traffic. If cruise boats
stopped at these ports, they were only the smallest of ships. The large cruise ships simply could not
reconnoiter the Wrangell Narrows, a sliver of a channel with islands on either
side. Our ferry, the Matanuska, was the
second largest ferry that could pass freely through this area.
As we sailed the Narrows, we were astonished at how close
the navigational buoys were to the sides of the ferry. Truly these were a navigational nightmare... hopefully these photos will help you understand how narrow these Narrows are!
 |
| A view from the rear of the Matanuska as it reconnoiters the Wrangell Narrows |
 |
| The ferry had to steer between the right and left buoys in the Wrangell Narrows |
 |
| More buoys to steer through on the Wrangell Narrows |
We arrived in Petersburg under heavy clouds. Occasionally, a patch of blue would peak
through. The tiny specks of blue passed
within moments, however, and were quickly engulfed again in gray. After days of rain on Wrangell, we were beginning to say just what the locals said... when folks called this a temperate rain forest... well, they mean just that... RAIN!
Liz and Walter met us at the Petersburg visitor’s
center. The young lady at the desk was
remarkable… able to answer questions from four people with four different
perspectives, and all firing in rapid succession. We each needed re-provisioning, so went our
separate ways with plans to meet at Green campground toward the southern end
of the island.
We quickly became entranced by Mitcoff Island and the lovely town of Petersburg (known as "Little Norway"). We were delighted with Green campground. It sat right on the bay, overlooking
mountains. Our site was literally 15 feet from the point of highest tide. The clouds parted a bit and
the mist stopped. Walter and David
stoked a fire while Liz and I prepared supper.
 |
| View from Green Campground, Mitcoff Island |
 |
| Green's Campground on Mitcoff Island |
Rain began in earnest that night and followed us throughout next
day. We visited the museum and watched a
very interesting movie about Mitcoff Island, including the founding of Petersburg,
its Scandinavian roots, and how it has grown into the working town it is today.
Later, David and I discovered Tonka Seafood on the outskirts
of town.
A young lady sold us a filet of
fresh-frozen silver salmon for $8.25 a pound… a bargain as far as we were
concerned.
It was great to be able to
share the bounty of Alaska’s seas with Liz and Walter.
 |
| Sunset hidden by clouds on Mitcoff Island |
Fearing that we would never get to see the island if we
waited for the rain to stop, the next day we donned slicker suits and took a
hike.
That afternoon, we stopped by the
library to check emails, only to find that one of our credit cards had been
compromised.
Thankfully, the fraud
department had recognized that the charges were not ours.
They would send a new card to our final port
of call.
 |
| Hiking in the rain on Mitcoff Island |
Our last day in Petersburg, the sun broke through the
clouds, and we had a glorious day. The lupines along the roadside were absolutely stunning in the brilliant sunshine.
 |
| Lupines on Mitcoff Island |
 |
| Lupines along the roadside on Mitcoff Island |
The
four of us took several hikes together, around Man Made Lake, then over to
Crane Lake and Hill Lake. When we
reached the last two lakes, we discovered rowboats and landings available for
hikers to use to paddle around the beautiful shorelines.
 |
| Man Made Lake, Mitcoff Island |
 |
| Hill Lake, Mitcoff Island |
As we traveled the gravel road back to town, we startled a
black bear… Liz and Walter’s first.
Further up, an enormous porcupine scurried across the road. As they slowed down next to us, Liz rolled
down her window and asked, “What the heck was that?”
That evening, we were in line for the ferry by 9:00, ready
for the eight-hour sail to Juneau. Learning
from our last overnight cruise, we had booked a cabin. The cabin on the Matanuska was much smaller
than the cabins on the Canadian ferry. The
shower, however, was more than welcomed, and I was ever so glad to have a window
near the bunks to make the cabin feel larger.
The purser knocked on our door around 6:30 the following
morning, announcing our arrival in Juneau. We were leery about the cruise ship
traffic but ready to see what Alaska’s capital city had to offer. We looked out the window to discover SUNSHINE!
Our time with Liz and Walter would come to an
end in Juneau. After two days and nights,
Liz and Walter would leave for Sitka. David and I would leave the following morning for
Haines. We felt blessed that our time
together would end under glorious, clear skies.
 |
| Walter and Liz on Mitcoff Island |
No comments:
Post a Comment