Bear tour and city walk

The next stop on the cruise was Icy Straight, which was a very unique area.  The closest town of Hoonah only has a few hundred people, focused on fishing and tourism, with an impressive cruise terminal.   The city is the home of the Tlinket (pronounced Klinket) native american clan (they do not use word tribe).   Most of the activities were walking around the town and we took a bear watching tour, which gave us some great views of a brown bear.  Our guide taught us a lot about the Tlinket culture, including that everything (animals, plants) have a spirit, the bear being honored and never consumed, and how family lineage is derived from the mother's blood line, not the father's - though the father's blood line is most celebrated.  This is a culture that tells stories, very good ones, to teach life lessons.  A treat for sure!

House with nice fishing boat

 View of the former Salmon cannery that was converted as shops and 

restaurants, with our boat in the background.

 Bear walking up the river, more shots below as he passed our viewing area