Icy Strait Point....A Town Rebuilt

This stop is a new one for cruise ships on the Alaska run.  There once was a town called Hoonah.  The population was mostly native First People and fishing was the business.  Then it wasn't.  Someone in the cruise business had an idea.  What if we make this a cruise port....originally they took passengers ashore in tenders, but just recently...the dock has been installed!  Right at the dock area are some newly constructed buildings for the locals to sell shore excursions or town shuttle bus tickets, and food.  (And beer!).  Money is poured into the project...probably by cruise lines and now in the season they have one ship a day, except on Tuesday.  That's known as "Two ship Tuesday" as there is a morning ship and an afternoon ship.

Steve, Lynne and Don.

Along the newly constructed trail to the shops and museum is a fire to toss in a good luck cedar wood chip.  Who couldn't use good luck?  New "native tradition" or old?

Ok.  That should handle the luck for a little bit!

Classic old wood fish boat...days in the water are over.

The shops here are very nice with quality merchandise and all run by the people of Icy Strait, or Hoonah.  We buy some locally crafted arthritis cream (Devil's Claw is the plant source) and some insect bite itch relief tincture.  Why not?  We have good luck now...it just might work!  There is a book store that is run by students at the Hoonah school and the proceeds go to the student activity fund.  It helps get those sports teams on ferries and airplanes to play their games.  We buy two books.

We still want to see the town of Hoonah, so we take the shuttle bus.  There is a harbor that still has a tidal grid for boats to get some bottom work done while the tide is out.

There is a totem carving enterprise that crafts totems, ceremonial hats and the front facade for long houses.  The project just completed will go to Glacier National Park.  We stop in and have a chat with one of the carvers.

Octopus lady...or...man?

Orca hat!!

Some work is done outside under a covered area, and some in the garage building.  They are also carving canoes.  Steve inspects the finished canoe.

We pass on the excursions listed...a 90 second zip line, an ATV ride up and around the hillside, a tour bus out in search of bears, or an expensive whale watch tour.  

We enjoy this small community...the old and the new.

All too soon...it's back to the ship.  Now departing for Anchorage....all the way across the Gulf of Alaska.  It will take all night, and all tomorrow, and another night...before arrival at 08:00 hours.  It is FAR.