Alaska | Sitka.

Yay! It's Friday ... which means another installment from the Alaska Travelogue. Today we're going to travel back to Sitka, on August 22.

It was another drizzly morning when we made our way into the harbor.

This was the only port where we didn't dock; the harbor isn't big enough. That also means many of the big cruise ships don't visit, so the town has a different vibe. Tourism is definitely still a major part of the economy, but it also seems more "normal".

It's also incredibly picturesque. Here's the harbor looking out from where our tender docked.

Lydia, Steve and I opted for the Art Walking Tour. We started at this little gallery (I picked up a slim volume of poetry, which I'll be sharing more of ... later this month)

and then visited Wild Arts Gallery & Glass Studio. Each of us got to pull our own glass - which was just as hard as it looks. But so very fun. I left my piece with Michelle (pictured top left below), the studio owner and glass designer extraordinaire, to turn into a custom piece. She promised delivery before Christmas; I can't wait to see (and share)!

We visited a few more galleries with the tour and then set out on our own. We walked further into town, passing St. Michael's Cathedral

and then on to the Baranov Totem Pole.

After lunch, we walked back through town to the National Historic Park to see the totem poles. Thankfully, the weather started to clear and it was a lovely walk.

looking back toward town

The totem poles were totally worth the walk.

...as was the opportunity to dip my toes into the ocean!

#fromwhereIstand

We had a nice view of the ship, too.

By the time we were back on board, the skies had cleared. I sat out on our terrace and enjoyed this view and a FaceTime call with Marc (and Holly).

It was a beautiful afternoon and evening as we set sail...

... for Hubbard Glacier.

I'll be back tomorrow (and the next day ... and the next 25 days after that 😉) with a Saturday treat.

Wishing you a wonderful Friday!