Even though I'm usually pretty good at suppressing sappiness, it was hard not to feel a strum of nostalgia as we took off. The Three Sisters moved out of their usual alignment; Arrowhead jumped out from behind Verstovia; and I swear I saw the sun glint off of the Gavin shelter as we flew past the the four peaks of Harbor.

Sitka is without question one of the prettiest places I've ever been. Even the most skilled artist would not add or subtract a single tree from her artless grandeur. Very rarely does Beauty reveal herself so readily and openly, even on the drive to the bank or the walk to work, as she does on that tiny island in southeast Alaska.

This blog post paid for by the Sitka chamber of commerce.