Kake is a not-often visited town on Frederick Sound. The area it's in is often called the banana belt of SE Alaska, because of the micro climate: sunnier and drier than the rest of SE. The boat harbour is a ways out of town, but people are great about picking up hitch hikers!

If you go to Alaska to see wildlife you won't be disappointed. This group of dolphins accompanied us for quite a while along Frederick Sound on our way in to Kake. Lots of whales in Frederick Sound, too.

After a trek through the woods, singing loudly to alert the bears, we found this lovely hot springs pool, right on the edge of a roaring mountain creek. One of those times you'll remember forever.

We were a day late for the Fourth of July celebrations, but apparently they were really something. A great community feast and a parade and special events like "The Slow Bike Race". Gives you an idea of the feel of this place.

Who knew it was so stunningly beautiful? We were lucky to have a gorgeous day. When we returned down the canal three days later, it was snowing. Gotta love it.

We were absolutely taken with Haines, one of only three communities in SE Alaska, accessible by road. The weather was great, which made the mountains stand out even more.

Although we got our permit to visit Glacier Bay well in advance, none of the material mentioned that dogs were not allowed off the boat at anywhere, but Bartlett Cove, which disappointed us to no end. We were only able to spend a couple of days in Glacier Bay because of this. All regulations there are strictly enforced by gun totin' park rangers.

It's a bit of a hike out of town, but this petroglyph park is really neat, with a nice combination of interpretive signs and undirected discovery. Quite a thing to see these ancient messages just lying on the beach as they have for millennia.

Wrangell Narrows is an navigational experience unto itself. Something like 60 nav aids guide you throw a VERY shallow and sometimes VERY narrow channel. At the north end, Petersburg is a great town, inaccessible to large cruise ships, but on the Alaska Ferries route. Very photogenic. Great fishing. We enjoyed our time here.

The cruise ship industry is good for many towns in SE Alaska, but in some places, when the cruise ships aren't in, the town shuts down. They kind of dominate.

This was our first stop in Alaska. We had a very rough crossing of Dixon Entrance, so we were very glad to be here. It's a very sheltered anchorage, with an entrance that's a bit hidden, but a welcome refuge. And whales come into the bay outside!