Southeast Alaska is a rainforest, and as the name implies, it is frequent that our days are filled with rain, mist, or some combination of the two. Today however, was the exception to that rule. A glorious and sun filled morning greeted us as we awakened, and scenery it presented us with was beyond any superlatives we could imagine.
Our first stop of the day was Cascade Creek, a picturesque river on the mainland coast of Southeast Alaska. I lead a photo group and our destination was a waterfall about one hundred feet high. Unlike today, the previous days have been filled with rain so the water level was high in the river causing the waterfall to be so heavy with water; the air around the falls was filled with a constant mist, refreshing as it was beautiful. There was too much water in the air to make photographing the falls possible from close range, so we set our sights on the rapids rushing to the sea. For me as an instructor, it was wonderful to watch as our guests set about the craft of making images. Today we strived to make images using slow shutter speeds to give the flowing river a more fluid effect, pardon the obvious reference.
Back on board we spent time simply watching our progress as the National Geographic Sea Bird headed to Petersburg, a small fishing town nearby. I am probably doing the town of Petersburg an injustice to say it is small, we must judge this town not by lower forty eight standards, but by Alaskan standards. Most localities in this largest of all states are not a booming metropolis but more of a “we have what we need “lifestyle. This is not to say Petersburg does not have much to offer our guests, quite the contrary. Our guests had many choices as to what activities they would like to pursue. Bog walks, flight seeing, biking, a dock walk on the fishing pier to learn the intricacies of the fishing industry, or, my program, a faux photo assignment to document the lifestyle of this quint town. There is one activity that everyone participated in, personal time to visit the town on their own. For a town whose main street is about four blocks long, Petersburg has much to offer. Today was the beginning of the annual Norwegian festival, a three day event that celebrates the town’s strong Norwegian heritage, and although the real festivities do not start until tomorrow, the local clothing store was hosting Norwegian sweater models in their storefront window. All around town people were preparing for the next two days of events including parades, food tastings, music, and more. Even without the Norwegian festival, it is always a good idea to visit such stores as the local hardware store, were they sell everything from a ten penny nail, to toys for the kids, or fine linen sheets for your bedroom.
Back on board, what is more fitting than a feast of all you can eat local Dungeness crab? Crab night is not for the faint of heart, as we dive into bowls of these Alaskan crustaceans ‘filled with the succulent and sweet delicacy. Fingers dripping with drawn butter, proper table manners are understandably set aside for this most satisfying meal.
