After completing our outboard motor repair, we topped off the fuel tanks and headed out of Sitka.

Wandering around the many little islands and reefs, we occasionally got a nice view of Mount Edgecumbe – a dormant volcano, and a striking landmark.

It felt good to be back in quiet anchorages, though we had to dodge around some gillnetters here and there. After doing so many boat projects we decided to stop at Goddard Hot Springs for a nice relaxing soak.

There are two shelters with tubs for soaking, plumbed with both (scalding) hot and cold water from the nearby springs.

Apparently it’s a “thing” to carve or write your boat name on the walls, though we skipped that part. Some of the artwork is pretty impressive! I also found some nice ripe huckleberries nearby, and picked enough for breakfast and snacks.

Because the area in front of the shelters is very rocky and somewhat exposed, we anchored in the bay next door and used the kayaks to get ashore. Even so, the entrance to the adjacent bay has a crazy entrance channel. There’s a huge rock just off-center, but the better channel is through the narrower part, staying close to the rock, and then turning 90 degrees to the left immediately as you pass the rock. The morning after we arrived we had a -3′ tide, which really showed the rock reef and shoals. It’s worth the little bit of excitement to visit the springs, we think. And the area is great for exploring by kayak, with so many little islands.

Bird watching was also good – we saw some juvenile red-necked phalaropes…

…and some red throated loons. They’re hard to photograph against the color of the water, but they’re so graceful and beautiful.

It’s a very scenic area, with the soaking tubs as a bonus, and we sure enjoyed our visit.