Last fall I went on an epic vacation; a cruise to Alaska. Since I have been busy just trying to survive with a toddler who lets me barely sleep 4 hours a night… I have been majorly slacking on writing. I have decided no more excuses! Lucky for you readers I have some great trips that catch back up on, and some great trips planned this year!
That being said let’s head to Sitka, Alaska!
Sitka was the first port of call on our trip. I had pre planned a kayak excursion (Siginaka Islands Cruise and Paddle) before we even left for our trip. (I highly recommend booking excursions beforehand when they are discounted but I will write a blog just on the in and outs of the cruise). The day was rainy and cloudy but I had prepared for fall Alaska weather and had both rain gear and warm clothes, plus I was not letting a little rain stop me from exploring.
Once we got off the ship we made our way to the meeting location for our excursion. We were the only ones that decided a 3 hour kayak trip in the rain seemed like a great idea! It was nice to be the only ones on the excursion since it gave us more freedom and time with the guides. We took a smaller boat (the cruise portion of the excursion) to the kayak excursion base within the Siginaka Islands. Keep in mind this is not a ferry boat or a tourist cruise boat. This was a small boat with basic seating along the edges. If you are looking for a relaxing cruise portion of this excursion you will be disappointed. For us, it was part of the adventure to be out on the water in a smaller boat feeling the waves and sea spray!
The kayak dock was a nice new area and we got assigned a two person kayak, water proof skirts (these attach to the kayak to keep your bottom half dry), and life jackets. We got a 5 min tutorial on how to work the rudders and safety information. These are sea kayaks so you can use your paddles or your foot rudders to turn. We got into our kayaks and the guides pushed us off into the water, for a 90 min paddle around the islands.
The paddling was easy and the kayak glided gracefully though the water and small waves. Since we were cut off from the main sound and ocean by the islands the water was fairly smooth. The guide was very knowledgeable and she shared lots of information about the area. The area we kayaked had starfish, otters, jellyfish, crabs, and sea lions. We didn’t see any on our paddle (bummer) but the weather maybe affected that. We did see several types of seaweed and one called bull kelp that tasted way to salty to me! I think I will pass on adding it to any salads! The views were incredible and the 90 minutes flew by!
After we go back to the kayak dock, we got to warm up by a fire with hot chocolate. I also took the opportunity to explore the island a bit.
After warming up we headed back to Sitka. We did some local shopping in the downtown area. There are many tourist stores to chose from and some specialty stores such as art, jewelry, and even sea salt store!
If you are hungry there are also many spots to stop for lunch. There are also street food trucks serving many local dishes! We stopped in a bar/pub style dinning place on the main road that was known for its halibut nuggets… I can’t recall the name of it now (Point in case why I should not wait 6 months to write a blog about somewhere), but the food was great! The couple traveling with us ate at a food truck and also said the food was good.
Overall, regardless of the rain and dreary weather our group was all smiles about the small town of Sitka!
Wandering Momma 