Nemo Point

Again we woke in Wrangell to rain and misty low clouds. But as the day wore on, we began to notice a pattern of more time between the rain showers and less rain with each shower.

We headed to a beach on the north side of town which has petroglyphs from, probably, a pre-Tlingit culture. Although I don’t see them as great art, I find thinking about why they were carved interesting: Religion? Aesthetics? Messages? Doodling? If messages, to whom?

On the beach was a young eagle that had raided a raven nest. There are lots of eagles here. If you look off into the treed mountains, you see white dots. The binoculars reveal that these dots are eagles sitting on the tops of the trees. Frequently you see them soaring, but mostly just sitting. We hear they get their fill of food by 10 AM.

One of the nice things about traveling north at this time of the year is that it is perpetual spring. Wrangell is lovely right now with lilacs and rhododendrons in bloom with wild roses just beginning. There are phlox and wild parsnips along the roadside and an abundance of black berry bushes in bloom.

In the afternoon we headed out to Nemo Point Recreation Area to find a campsite at Yunshookuh Loop. What a gorgeous, secluded place, a short drive on a gravel road at the end of the paved road. On the side of the mountain in the national forest, 4 or 5 loops were created with remains from sawmills then topped with gravel. The result is flat campsites perched on the side of a mountain with 180-degree views of the Zimovia Strait. Wood and fire rings are provided. We sat and watched the fishing boats moving up and down the strait – one was dragging a net behind. Sitting there was the perfect end to the day; but I guess it would have been more perfect if the low clouds were gone so we could have a full view of the snowcapped peaks on Etolin Island on the other side of the strait instead of just peaks.

Tomorrow is another Ferry day: to Petersburg. Hoping for better weather.

 

 

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)