Kodiak, Alaska-Martin Day 6

Day 06 - Wednesday - June 2, 2010 - Kodiak, Alaska

Sunrise: 5:16 AM AKDT Sunset: 10:59 PM AKDT Length of Day: 17h 42m

We woke up at 7:00, looked out the window, and thought about going back to sleep. It was still raining and it was 48º with 86% humidity and winds of 16mph.

At breakfast we heard that the ferry to Homer was not even running today. Because of the 15-20 knot winds and the 12 foot seas, everyone is being affected by this weather front stalled over the islands.

By 9:30 we were ready to get out and explore. We walked to the Alutiiq Museum, a museum preserving the cultural heritage of the 7,500 years of the Alutiiq Nation.

The displays were very well done, giving visitors a taste of the history of the indigenous societies of this Kodiak Archipelago.

The people of the Alutiiq Nation were treated very harshly by the Russian explorers. Not only enslaving them to hunt and trap sea otters, but also bringing disease to the natives decimated the native populations.

After spending a few hours in the museum and watching a video of the archeological digs sponsored by the Alutiiq Museum Society, we met Kathy at the Harbor Master’s Office.

Natasha, who we had met several times before, has a car and offered to take us to the Northeastern part of the island where there are a few more stores. We saw the High School and their new swimming pool as well as more fishing and industrial enterprises.

Kodiak has a relatively new Wal-Mart and we looked around while Kathy and Natasha did some shopping. We bought a few tourist things and some little snacks for the boat.

Our next stop was the nearby Safeway where we bought the dessert for dinner tonight with the Martins. We walked around the store and were amazed to see the varieties of ethnic foods to serve the diverse population of Kodiak.

We talked to two guys from the Coast Guard who were buying provisions for the base. They remarked that the prices of things at Safeway were less expensive than at their commissary.

A woman from Marblehead, MA recognized my red RPI (Rensselaer) hat and began a conversation. She told us she was used to snow and bad weather, but she had never seen rain and wind like we have been having.

We walked Kathy and her groceries back to the boat and went back to the hotel to check the mail and to start the journal and look at the few photos from today.

We actually did see the sun again for a short time so we have hope that tomorrow the weather will break for us. We went out at about 4:00 to take a few photos as the skies were clear and I could actually see the top of the mountains surrounding the town below.

There were many fishermen out on the docks so we stopped to talk to them. One guy is running two boats and is preparing to go out for the commercial salmon fishing beginning on June 9th.

Every time we talk to someone here we learn so much and most people are very friendly and willing to answer our questions.

At 6:00 we walked over to the Capella III for pizza, salad, and Dutch apple pie with ice cream. We came back to the hotel at 8:45 under clear skies and with fantastic views of the eagles soaring below the snow capped peaks.

Accommodations: Best Western Kodiak Inn

Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

Island Beauties

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

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