American Constellation: Wrangell Day Two

Petroglyph Beach (Photo: Gerry Barker)

By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life

After the thrill of seeing bears in the wild, on our second day in Wrangell we had two more excursions -- one to tour the city and visit the famous, 8,000-year-old rock carvings at Petroglyph Beach, and the other to take a jet boat ride on the Stikine River, the fastest navigable, free-flowing river in North America.

Before seeing the petroglyphs, we made a stop at the Wrangell Museum, with its striking exhibits of Tlingit culture and art, including four carved houseposts from the 1700s believed to be the oldest still existing. There's a lot of history as well, including a large photo collection from the Gold Rush years, as well as fishing, tyrapping, mining and logging displays.

On the jet boat ride we saw wildlife, snow-capped mountains, ice floes and waterfalls as we made our way to Shakes Glacier, where our guide gave us plenty of time to capture the moment.

As we departed Wrangell, Mother Nature blew us a kiss with another fabulous Alaskan sunset that seemed to go on forever.

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Slideshow: Petroglyph Beach
Photos: Gerry Barker

Slideshow: Stikine River Jet Boat
Photos: Gerry Barker

Stikine River Video
Credit: Gerry Barker

Slideshow: Wrangell Museum
Photos: Gerry Barker

Slideshow: Departing Wrangell
Photos: Gerry Barker