We spent the entire day Monday steaming north toward Icy Straits. With one less passenger on board (see previous notes on the rescue at sea), there was even more food and drink available for us remaining passengers.
Early on Tuesday morning, we woke up in a port called Icy Straits, near the small Alaskan town of Hoonah. Norwegian Cruise Lines and the people of Hoonah have entered into a partnership which ensures that a steady stream of tourists come into this small locally owned port.
Our first activity of the day was a whale watching trip. It was cold and drizzly weather out on our small excursion boat, but we were prepared for it. Along the way, we spotted a brown bear foraging on the nearby shoreline, a pod of orcas, and a couple of humpback whales. When we returned to the ship, we even caught a glimpse of Jim, who was not feeling well that day and had remained onboard.
After a quick bite to eat, we took a short gondola ride over to the museum and shops area. Hoonah’s modern history began in the early 20th century when it became a major salmon cannery. In more recent times, it has developed a timber and logging industry while maintaining a fishing and seafood processing presence. Of course, the cruise ship business has also had a considerable influence on the local economy.
The town of Hoonah is actually about a mile and half away from the dock. There is a nice shoreline pedestrian trail leading into town. I spent the afternoon walking over to check out the community, where I spoke with a few of the local residents, who mentioned how nice it was to have visitors return to their town after nearly 18 months of pandemic lock-down.
I took shelter from the rain on the porch of the City Hall. While waiting there, I took advantage of the strong cellular signal and uploaded some photos for the blog. The rain and wind continued during my walk back to the ship through a portion of the the local rainforest.
We all met up again later for our daily pre-dinner trivia game.
NEXT: Juneau
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