Unalaska / Dutch Harbor, AK

                                   

I had wanted to take the ferry to Dutch Harbor when we drove to AK but it was just too far. It would have taken up a lot of days in an already long trip. Now I am glad we didn't since we were able to see the place this time. It was lovely but not somewhere one needs to return to! We arrived at 8 am but did not hurry to get off the ship. We were docked, so no tenders which was nice. I think it will be tender ports from now until Maine. They were using school buses to transport us into town. They were very regularly scheduled so we never had to wait. 

We were dropped off at the Grand Aleutian Hotel. We discovered there was no free wifi and no cell service, our only disappointments of the day. We looked in the gift shop for a few minutes then headed to the Museum of the Aleutians. It was a small museum but nicely done. There have been humans in the area for 10,000+ years! They had many artifacts as well as current art. I spoke to a woman there about other things to see on the island. She said there is a gift shop just down the street from the museum so we headed in that direction. We walked a while past apartment buildings then ran into commercial buildings. We figured it was the wrong direction so went back the way we came. 

Next stop was Alaska Ship Supply. We were told that they carry pretty much everything and that was correct! In preparation for this cruise, Crystal offered rentals on boots and water proof pants. Mel had some pants from skiing but I rented some. When the rentals arrived in our cabin the pants were huge and when I asked Mel about his, he had not brought them. So we decided to buy a pair for me, Mel would wear the ship's pair. They had several styles to choose from as well as numerous souvenir items. We bought a couple of things in addition to the pants then returned to the hotel. 

They had an information table set up in the lobby with 3 kids manning it. I asked about the gift shop again. They showed me on the map where it was, inside the "mall". If we had known we were looking for the mall we might have found it the first time as we had a map with the mall on it. They suggested I go in the opposite direction to get there as the other route, the one we had taken, was "smelly". Mel decided to wait in the hotel so I took off. I could tell from the map that the different direction was longer but it was by the water so a nice walk. I stopped at the post office first to mail a couple of postcards, then to take pictures of an eagle sitting on a lamp post. I found the mall which was a building with office like rooms in it, everything was closed. I decided to take the other route back so ended up doing a 2 mile loop. The smelly came from the fish packing plant along the way. 

Back at the hotel we were told about a crab feed across the street at the Norwegian Rat Saloon. The owner of the gift shop was also set up with a table of things for sale. We decided to share a crab plate and pay the $5 for wifi so I could download a couple of things on my iPad. The crab was delicious, corn on the cob not so much. The place was packed with ship people as well as a lot of locals. It was past noon so the fishing boats were back for the day. They had pool tables and loud music, it was pretty hopping for that early in the day. We stayed about an hour as the wifi worked but was not very fast. We walked back to the hotel to get the shuttle to our last stop, the World War II Museum. 

                                           

Again the museum was small but very nicely put together. The Japanese took over the 2 islands at the tip of the Aleutians during the war. The US was quick to establish a base in Dutch Harbor to keep them back. There was another atrocity on the part of the US as they evacuated all the natives from the islands and relocated them to horrible conditions elsewhere. They lost everything they had in the islands. They were gone for 3 years. There was an excellent film about the war there as well as a lot of free reading material that we could take. We went to get on the shuttle to return to the ship when I decided to walk back. Because I was walking, Mel decided to go back in and read more at the museum. 

                                     

The walk was about a mile along the coast. The road was about 10' above the water with a rock breaker on the side. I came upon an old boat ramp so was able to get down to the water. There were shells in the water so I sat on some rocks and collected some. I then decided to walk along the pebbly beach rather than the road. It was covered with tiny urchin shells. The birds must have dropped them after eating the urchins. I collected a pocket full. I also saw birds and starfish on rocks in the water. It was a nice walk. It was not as easy to get back on the road, having to climb rocks and a cliff, but I managed. On the way I was able to take more pictures of an eagle on a lamp post then in the hills. It was a beautiful walk and added to my exercise for the day, 5 miles total!

The 4th couple finally showed up for dinner at our table. They are from Malibu. She is an author and concert pianist, he runs a number of business. They are both super hyper, it made me tired just being around them. They certainly changed the dynamic of our table. I hope they won't be coming every night. Nice people but a bit crazy.