Alaska Day 4: Sitka

Sitka was a very rainy place!!

The rain came today. In fact, the theme of the day was rain, though we did have some nice adventures off ship. We disembarked after a nice breakfast and spent the day with Grandma and Grandpa in Sitka in a downpour. We were wet by the time we got to the shuttle bus. It took us to downtown Sitka, but we couldn’t see much because the windows were foggy and streaked with rain. 
 
When we reached the downtown area, we had about 45 minutes before our tour started. Since we were already soaked, we walked around the bay to a fish hatchery. Though we didn’t venture inside, we did watch the salmon try to swim up the small inlet to the hatchery. There were even some eagles posted nearby, hungrily watching the fish.

It was a gloomy day, but we tried to make the best of it.

Bald Eagles were watching the fish very closely.

There were plenty of salmon swimming upstream.

Seth caught quite the fish!

Dax, too!

A second shuttle took us to the Alaska Raptor Center. This is a rehabilitation hospital for injured birds, mostly bald eagles. There was an inside program, which was nice, because we were out of the rain. It was even nicer because the main attraction was a snowy owl. They brought him out and we got to see him up close, which was really cool. We walked outside and saw a few other birds receiving treatment including owls, falcons, and eagles. 

Seth loved the raptor center.

We ran into the Pooles!

The snowy owl was amazing!

We were excited because we saw the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary mentioned on this sign! We have been there down in Kanab!

Cutest little owl ever!

Even Mark can't match this wingspan.

We are so grateful for places who take care of birds.

 
Then we hopped back on the shuttle and went to the harbor. We had another boat trip to spot animals. However, the sea was really rough. Though Sitka has some barrier islands, the waves were very choppy. Luckily, we spotted some otters that were really close to the boat. They rolled on their backs and looked up at us inquiringly. They really are cute!

It was still raining when we got on the boat.

That is one big baby this mom is hauling around.

They are adorable when they pop their heads up!

Two bald eagles hanging together.

 
We went a little farther, and Mark spotted the elusive harlequin ducks. Unfortunately, by the time he pointed them out to us, they were gone. We saw quite a few bald eagles, and even though we enjoy them every time we see them, we have seen a lot this week. Finally, the driver took us out to where the sea was a little rougher. The boat was really rocking, and the rain pelted our faces like hail, but we saw a half dozen humpback whales thrashing in the waves. These whales were much more active. They rolled, and flipped their flukes, and even came up in massive splashes out of the water. If the rain hadn’t cut like glass, it would have been better, but we still stood on the deck and watched those whales breech. 

It stopped raining for a minute when we drove through this small channel. 

It was a fun adventure despite the weather.

Alaska has some beautiful spots.

Dax had the trip of a lifetime.

We got pretty close to these whales.

We loved going with grandma and grandpa!

Such a cool sight!

And lots of tails!

The small spotting boat took us right back to the ship. We got checked on and took a little rest before lunch. The big ship then left the Sitka harbor and headed out to those same rough seas. Mom didn’t have any problem with the heaving ship, but this time, both Dax and Seth didn’t feel well. We had an amazing dinner of steaks and chowder, but neither could finish it due to the swelling ship. They spent most of their time watching a movie in the room while Mom and Dad watched a comedy show in the main theater.