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Day 1 of the expedition begins with a 4:15 AM shuttle ride to the airport
to catch the 6 AM flight to Sitka which included a brief stop in Juneau.
The city of Sitka is located on the west side of Baranof Island in the Alexander Archipelago
of the Pacific Ocean, a favorite departure point for Inside Passage cruises.
Sitka was originally settled by the native Tlingit people. Old Sitka was founded in 1799
by Alexandr Baranov, the governor of Russian America. Sitka was the site of the ceremony
in which the Russian flag was lowered and the United States flag raised after Alaska was
purchased by the United States in 1867. Sitka has a population of about 9000 and is the
fourth-largest city by population in Alaska and the largest city in the United States by area
[Wikipedia]. An interesting feature of the city is the airport runway which has water on
three sides. |
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Following a bus tour of the city and brunch overlooking Sitka Sound, the afternoon was spent
visiting Saint Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Sitka National Historical Park and
the Alaska Raptor Center, and attending a performance by the New Archangel Russian Dancers.
Late in the afternoon, the National Geographic Sea Lion was boarded
and the expedition began with an evening departure from Sitka harbor. The first day on the water
took us through Olga Strait, Neva Strait, Peril Strait and into Chatham Strait.
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