Dutch Harbor

Dutch Harbor is the final stop for the Alaska Ferry in the southwest.  I am staying here for 1 night before flying back to Anchorage.  Some passengers on the ferry chose to ride the ferry all the way back to Homer.  After four days and nights, I think I have enough of the ferry.  It's fun but I have many other things that I'd like to do in Alaska.

We arrived at about 9 am on July 4th in Dutch Harbor.  This used to be a military base and across a bridge is the island of Unalaska.  The two are almost considered as one town but I think most of the residents live in Unalaska.  I am staying at the Grand Aleutian Hotel, which is in Dutch Harbor.  This being July 4th, I heard there was a parade in Unalaska so I walked there in a light rain.  One thing I noticed right away is the abundance of bald eagles here.  They are everywhere, almost like pigeons.

5 bald eagles on a ship's mast

A poignant moment happened while I was walking through a fish-processing plant.  As I approached a building, about 10 feet in front of me at eye-level, standing on a rusted pipe was an American Bald Eagle.  This being July 4th, the eagle was almost posing for me to take his/her picture.  I took out my zoom lens and took several pictures.  The eagle did not try to fly away at all.  What a majestic bird to represent America.  Here are a couple of shots.

If you magnify the feathers you can see specks of blue in it

This is a natural pose - no touch-up

As I walked through the fish-processing factory, I came across a guy loading fish into a big bin.  I started talking to him and found out that these are cod.  The factory would clean the fish, cut fillets out of them, pack them and ship them out.  It's almost like there was an endless supply of fish.  I hope they are not overfishing them like they did in New England.

12- to 14-inch cod fish

As I walked through the factory, I noticed that most of the workers are Filipinos.  They are paid about $8.75 an hour but they work 12-hour days so they get a lot of overtime.  They are provided room and board for $50 a month.  This may be not a lot of money here in the US but in the Philippines it's a lot of money.  After working for a few years, you can almost save up enough to buy a farm in the countryside.  Most the low-paying jobs are performed by Filipinos, including the stores, taxis, etc.

Filipinos marching in the July 4th Parade

Unalaska Island is one of the first islands settled by the Russians where they colonized Alaska in the 18th century so you see a big influence here, including the church and cemetery.

A Russian Orthodox Christian church

Cemetery at the Memorial Park

The Orthodox Cross has different meanings to its parts:  the top cross represents the sign saying "King of the Jews."  The second cross is the arm board to which Christs' hands were nailed.  The third is the most important.  It represents the foot board where Jesus' legs were supported.  It represented the fact that Jesus suffered on the cross, wrenching the board in his agony.  This shows that he was truly human, not a pain-free god.

Walking around I can't help noticing the beauty of the wild flowers.

Lupine

Salmonberry.  Sweet when they ripen in September

Not sure what you call this

View of Unalaska Island

Taken from bridge between Dutch Harbor and Unalaska

Unfortunately, it rained harder the second day I was there and I couldn't do anything.  I think I've covered most of what I wanted to see.  My wish in Dutch Harbor was to taste the King Crab legs that are famously caught in the Bering Sea near there.  The hotel has a brunch that Sunday and I was able to get my fill of crab legs before I left.  Mission accomplished.  That afternoon I flew back to Anchorage where I will stay for 2 nights before going north to Denali National Park.