Flightseeing and tacos in Petersburg, Alaska

There was just one town on our Sea Lion itinerary: Petersburg.  It may be small (just about 3,000 residents) but it’s a very interesting place!

• Mitkof Island, where Petersburg is located, was long a Tlingit fishing site before the arrival of Europeans
• Petersburg itself was founded by Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian who drew many others from Norway – you’ll still see lots of Norwegian flags around, along with the American and Alaskan flags
• Today, Petersburg is a major commercial fishing center in Alaska – it’s a working town, not a tourist town (most ships are too large to approach it)

D and I walked the length of the main street, about 4 or 5 blocks, with the harbor on one end and the Petersburg Fisheries building on the other.

We visited the Glacier Express Cafe for some very strong espressos.  I also stopped into the hardware store, which had aisles dedicated to trolling and crab gear right next to the more pedestrian mops and brooms, and picked up a beautifully illustrated Alaskan board book for my niece.

Soon, it was time to head to the seaport for our flightseeing excursion with Pacific Wings, up over the Leconte glacier.

We flew in a DeHavilland Beaver, which holds 6 passengers plus a pilot; I flew shotgun!  It was amazing how clear the weather was over the glacier, when it was rather dreary down in Petersburg.  From the plane, we could see not only wonderful views of the glacier and surrounding mountains, but also Dall sheep on the peaks and seals on the ice below.

Flying made me hungry, so we stopped at the local Mexican spot, El Rincon, for some locos tacos to share – carne asada, chorizo, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro, served the traditional way with two tortillas.  They hit the spot, really spicy and good.

I was particularly taken with the Fishermen’s Memorial park and the Sons of Norway Hall (with its bright shutters decorated with rosemåling).  The memorial features plaques dedicated to fishermen and cannery employees, including the presumably formidable Fran “The Boss Lady” Lund.

We enjoyed one last walk through the other end of town (the mysteriously named Sing Lee Alley), before heading back to the Sea Lion, our home away from home.