The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of packing, traveling, packing traveling, and a little bit of sightseeing crammed in-between. Matt, Kevin, Josh and I packed up at 4am on September 30th and took a 300-mile, twelve-hour ride on one of the Allen Marine catamarans up to Sitka. It was a gorgeous day to be on a boat and we saw an incredible amount of wildlife, including humpbacks, orcas, black bears and stellar sea lions.
 |
| Stellar sea lions basking. Notice that the dock is a little tipped... |
After a long but fun day of travel, we arrive at the Thompson Harbor in Sitka, and moved all of our bags to the boat we would be staying on for the week, the Jodi Ann, courtesy of Kevin's captain and our friend Captain Steve.
 |
| The elusive captain and the Jodi Ann, our home for the week |
The night we arrived in Sitka was spent having one final hurrah with the other Allen Marine employees that came along for the ride to Sitka. Most of the employees left to go back to Ketchikan the next morning, but we simply slept in and hung out on the Jodi Ann. Our next couple of days were spent exploring the town, playing cards and sleeping in until noon. It was pretty awesome.
 |
| They could be models. |
 |
| The beautiful Thompson Harbor in Sitka |
Sitka is a beautiful place that was originally settled by the Tlingits thousands of years ago, and was taken over by the Russians in the early 1800s. It used to be the capital of Russian America until Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867. It still retains its native Tlingit heritage as well as its Russian legacy. We had a wonderful time exploring the little city, but I will admit that we spent a great deal of our time enjoying life on a boat. Let me tell you, being unemployed in Alaska, on a boat, 500 feet from a grocery and liquor store, is a pretty sweet way to live. We lamented the fact that it could not go on forever.
 |
| A beautiful end to the 9-mile Indian River hike we did in Sitka |
 |
| Hanging out on a trail bridge- trail maintenance in Alaska was very impressive! |
By far, the highlight of our visit in Sitka was the day that Captain Steve took us to the Goddard hot springs, an island about 15 miles to the main island that Sitka is located on. There were three springs on the side of the island that we docked on, and a lot of friendly Sitka folks there who make sure the springs are running okay. Two of the springs are covered- more like natural hot tubs- and one is out in the woods. Naturally, we brought our rubber duckies, courtesy of Alaska Amphibious Duck Tours.
 |
| Matt on Goddard island |
|
|
 |
| The boys in the hot springs |
 |
| Someone had the foresight to sink a bathtub in the spring for extra relaxation |
After an incredible week of vacationing, we took the Alaska Marine Highway ferry up to Juneau, where we spent the next three days. We hung out at the Mendenhall glacier, met some nice folks in town and had an overall great end to the trip.
After a looooonggg overnight flight from Juneau to Boston, we finally made it home. This has been an incredible journey and we have had a blast. Right now we're spending some time settling back into the East Coast and starting the arduous job hunt (Matt is dismayed that he might not find a job back here as easily as he did in Alaska) in Vermont. I can't believe that we are already back- it already feels like a dream! Thanks so much to everyone who followed our adventure- we'll let you know when we have the next one figured out.
 |
| Thanks for following! Love, Matt and Bridget |
|
