PHOTO ESSAY:  Picturesque Alaskan cruise

Mount Edgecombe near Sitka, Alaska.  Photo by Cynthia Bledsoe.

Charleston photographers Cynthia Bledsoe and Michael Kaynard took a relaxing Alaskan tour and cruise last month and came up with some great photos.  The week-long tour started in Seattle and made stops at Juneau, Glacier Bay, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria (British Columbia) before returning to Seattle.

Enjoy these photos by Bledsoe:

These v-shaped sculptures on a dock at Juneau, Alaska, are to represent flukes of a whale, Bledsoe says.  “They are made of solid steel rods that were hand-bent around a skeleton of tubes and plates to the outer skin.  Each sculpture – there are about 10 of these – weighs 1,500 pounds.   These were a public art project from the new 54 million berth constructed with 1 percent set aside for public art, from dollars derived from cruise ship head fees, and dock and harbor fees.”

The Red Dog Saloon in Juneau began during the golden age of mining.  It’s the oldest saloon in Juneau.  Contributing photographer Michael Kaynard is shown at right.

These bags are on display at the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka.  “The collection is extensive and includes items from Eskimo, Aleut, Athabascan and Northwest Coast cultures. Masks, carvings, tools and boats from all the cultures are exhibited here.  Highlights include an Aleut baidarka (skin kayak) and Tlingit dugout canoe.”

This totem is in Saximan Village in Ketichan.  “The Totem Heritage Center was established to preserve endangered 19th century totem poles retrieved from uninhabited Tlingit and Haida village sites near Ketchikan,” Bledsoe said..

This 1893 building was home to the Canadian Board of Trade in Victoria, B.C.

This interesting sign display is found in Victoria.

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