This morning was a five thirty all call for everyone interested in watching our journey through the narrow passageway, past the town of Petersburg, and into Wrangell. Cold but dry on the deck we spotted a few whales and many birds along the way. Petersburg was a much larger and more prosperous looking town than we expected. Stretching along the waterfront was an array of well kept homes, large and small, dozens of fishing boats, and an extensive dockside mooring for large ships to facilitate goods being imported into an area only accessible by air or sea.
Docked in Wrangell we strolled through the few blocks of a town described to us as a "typical Alaska town". Most of the storefronts were permanently closed or only open a few days each week. There appeared to be no buildings located more than a few blocks from the sea. The local Tlinglit and Haida tribes invited us to their newly renovated Chief Shake's House. Tribal members dressed in their traditional blanket robes performed songs and dances and answered our questions. They are working hard to revive their native culture and language and are anxious for those outside the tribes to understand and acknowledge their stake in Alaska.
In a steady downpour we walked a mile to a beach where ancient petroglyphs have been found. Amongst hundreds of stones we searched for the carved rocks. It resembled a life size game of find the items hidden in the picture. The rocks were wet from being below tide level, the petroglyphs small and faint, and the search uninspiring as the search became wetter and wetter. The most interesting beach view was the large heron standing at the water's edge. His focus was lunch, which allowed me to sneak closer to capture his photo with prey hanging from his mouth.
A short stop at a very nice public library did not produce the promised wifi, so posting our writings will have to wait for Ketchikan or Portland.
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