Alaska Uncovered Podcast

Diving into Alaska Native Culture with Alaska Mary (Alaska Stories Series)

• Jennie Thwing Flaming and Jay Flaming • Episode 99

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Jennie Flaming:

Mary. Happy New Year, everybody. My guest today is Mary Goddard, and I'm gonna let Mary introduce herself here in just a moment. Mary is an amazing human and an incredible artist, and it is just so exciting to be able to have this conversation today. So Mary, welcome to Alaska, uncovered.

Mary:

Thank you, Jennie. I am so honored to be on your podcast and looking forward to having this conversation with you.

Jennie Flaming:

Yes, I am so honored to have you here. So Mary, can you introduce yourself to everybody? Tell us a little bit about who you are, where you're from, your family, your people, your place, you know, that kind of thing.

Mary:

Yeah. So my name is Mary Goddard, and a lot of people know me as Alaska Mary. You know Alaska Mary is my business for contemporary Tlingit jewelry and design work. And I also co own a production company called Midnight Run LLC. My husband and our son and I run a blog or a website called forest fresh Alaska, in which we share out recipes from food that is locally forged or harvested, hunted and fished. And, you know, the the common theme that really ties everything together is culture. You know, I am a Tlingit artist. I grew up in Yakutat, and the inspiration for all these businesses and hobbies is really the Tlingit culture, and really tying that in with innovation and tradition,

Jennie Flaming:

that is super cool. So Mary, where I know you're from, Yakutat, can you tell everybody where you live now?

Mary:

Sure, yeah, I grew up in Yakutat, but currently I live in Sitka, and I've been here for about 14 years now.

Jennie Flaming:

Awesome, cool. Well, um, later on. You know, we've got lots of fun things to talk about, but I would love to have you share a little more to kick us off, Mary. Um, just about your art, and especially the jewelry you make, or other things about that. And then I'd love to talk about forest fresh a little bit as well, before we get into some slightly more general things. So tell us a little bit about Alaska, Mary and your amazing jewelry.

Mary:

Yeah, thanks, Jennie. You know, I grew up in Yakutat, and my mother is still an artist. But, you know, I grew up in a home where my mother was always creating something, you know, and I could remember back to the time when our small village of Yakutat had very little skin Sowers and fur sewers. And I remember everyone kind of looking to my mom to be the one to sell moccasins for events, and, you know, provide some of these things for their our traditional potlatches. And so as I begin to see her revitalize some of this artwork, it was just something that was always in her home. And so I grew up doing beadwork and sewing, and the thing that I was really excited about learning was jewelry making. You know, I can always remember my grandmother having an arm full of beautiful Tlingit silver bracelets. And I just thought, God, how cool would that be if I can carve and make jewelry? Yeah. And so that's kind of where my, you know, my passion for the jewelry really came from, yes, and that's one of the things I've been doing in Alaska. Mary is the traditional, I shouldn't say traditional. It's a traditional art form, but a lot of my work has the contemporary elements to it, with traditional materials.

Jennie Flaming:

Can you say a little more about that, Mary? Because I know that's something you and I have talked about, is like, how important it is to you, but also to me, for people who are visiting Alaska to understand that, you know, these traditional materials or ways of doing art or anything else are not are not static. They're not in the in the past, right? They're things that are evolving and growing today. Can you share a little bit more about how that comes through, including with your art, but it could also be with other, you know, other types of art and culture as well.

Mary:

Sure. I think right now, the time for Cultural Arts is so exciting in Alaska, I feel like this is probably a time. Time in our life where I've really seen the excitement amongst the younger generations, amongst visitors coming to Alaska, just amongst like, I guess, the general public, that people are really accepting of this art. And I think what's fun about it is there's so many different ways to create cultural art and so many different materials that go into it. So, you know, I was kind of talking about my mother being a skin sewer, and she also does spruce root basket weaving. And so those are both, you know, really traditional art forms with traditional materials. And what I have done is taken traditional materials and creative created more of a contemporary artwork. And so even with the jewelry, like if you see traditional form line, you know that style of Northwest Coast art in my jewelry, typically, there's going to be a contemporary element to it. You know, when I began doing jewelry, it started off very traditional with the beadwork grew into doing, you know, the silver smithing, with the form line designs. And I also like to incorporate those traditional materials in there. So some of my earlier pieces had a lot of Spruce roots woven into the jewelry, or even whale baleen. And so, you know, Alaska Native cultural arts, a lot of it really incorporates these traditional materials or styles. And so where the contemporary comes into is when you're, I guess, growing or experimenting and having fun and not being afraid to push outside the bounds of those traditional elements. And I think what's so exciting is that we're really seeing that all over in Alaska, you know, there's so many younger artists just experimenting and really pushing the bounds. So it's been really fun to see.

Jennie Flaming:

really it is a really cool thing to see. And I think you're right, like, this is really something that's that's growing and changing all over Alaska. It's really exciting.

Mary:

Yeah, thanks. And I, you know, as an artist, I think, you know, my mentor was Dave Galanin, and he was a master artist who taught me how to silver Smith as well as how to create the form line designs. And you know, one thing he said to me that really resonated was, if you are Tlingit, your artwork is Tlingit. And what that did for me is really gave me permission to experiment and to continue to grow. You know, I think sometimes we as a people can get stuck into thinking like, oh, cultural arts is one thing. It never changes, it never evolves. But the really beautiful thing is that it's not only just okay to evolve, but it's, it's something that Tlingit people embrace or value, yeah? So even as an artist, you know, I'm, I'm always really curious on like, pushing into something different and trying something new. Yeah, if you look back at where I've started with the art and to even where I am now, you know, I think my last jewelry pieces were, you know, the 3d moity pendants and the tenants and those were made in very different ways than the traditional, you know, cutting and shaping all by hand.

Jennie Flaming:

Yeah, that's really cool. And those of you listening will have Alaska Mary in the show notes, and I would really encourage you to go check out her seriously beautiful jewelry, especially the silver jewelry that you're talking about. It's so beautiful. Okay, can we talk a little bit about forest fresh?

Mary:

I always get so excited talking about forest fresh, because not only does it involve my, you know, whole family, but it's one of the things that brings everyone together, which is food, yeah, just such an easy segue into being hospitable or inviting people into your circle. And I it's just, it's so fun. I mean, who doesn't love to sit down to a good meal and enjoy a good company? Yeah?

Jennie Flaming:

I think that is universally human for sure. Yeah. So can you tell me about a little bit about some of your favorite, maybe favorite, ingredients, or what? Are some of the things maybe that if someone is visiting Southeast Alaska that they would have access to you that they should be sure to try. I also, I'll put Mary's blog in the show notes as well, and it has quite a few recipes on it. So if you're like, Ooh, I want to try some of this stuff, even at home. You can do that, but yeah, so tell me about some of your favorite let's start with, like, favorite ingredients to work with. Sure.

Mary:

I think my favorite ingredients are the forged ingredients and, you know, force fresh Alaska really got started, because when I moved back to Alaska 14 years ago, I really wanted to know what the local plants were, especially the edible local plants. And I felt like the local edible plants were something that were, I guess. How can I explain it like it was almost like a lot, you know, almost like we're talking about some of the cultural art being revitalized, yeah, a lot of that traditional or cultural knowledge was lost. And because there's not very many records of it, the only thing that we really grew up knowing, which was cultural food, was, like some of the seaweeds, some of the berries, you know, and of course, fish, deer, moose, meat, those things living off the land. But there was a big element that I felt was really missing, and that was the greens and the vegetables. And knowing that we are in a rainforest, I thought, oh my gosh, there has to be so many foods that are edible and are able to be used for medicine, and so that's really where my interest was piqued. In fact, when I first started forest fresh Alaska, it was under a different name, and it was really just all about plants. So it kind of grew from there to me sharing my husband's love of cooking. You know, my husband used to be a sous chef, and so the thing that we like to do when we got together was host dinner parties. And so we just decided, like, Okay, this is a little more informative or whole, including, like, the the seafood and the hunted foods and so that's kind of how it grew into, you know, what can you fish for? What can you hunt for? What can you forge for in creating these recipes that are very local.

Jennie Flaming:

Oh, that's so so fun. Do you have, like, a favorite dish that you've made this way with? Yeah, being married to a sous chef seems very convenient.

Mary:

I learned so much from him, and like, how to, I'm sure, food and prepare it. But our, I think our family favorites pretty you know, in our household, our family favorite is the smoked salmon chowder and as well as salmon rice bowls, those are, like, our go tos. Like, if we're not sure what to eat, we're going to have, you know, some kind of smoked salmon rice bowls for dinner. And it's just something that's really easy, and it can be changed up quite a bit depending on the season, yep. Basically you're going to have your your salmon however you want it, whether it's smoked, baked, fried,dried, however you want your salmon, or whatever form you have it in, and serve it over rice or quinoa, and then saute some forged ingredients, whether that's, you know, something as simple as dandelion greens or black seaweed or, Yeah, you know, going out into the forest and getting fiddleheads or deer heart greens. So it's really versatile, you know, yeah, it's cool. It's like a beloved favorite, but you can all it sounds like it's really easy to change it up seasonally or just based on what you're feeling like, which is fun. Yeah, yeah. And then the the salmon chowder. You know, we make a salmon chowder with coconut milk, and that recipe is on our website, and it is our son's favorite. I think he can eat that every day if we had it. Oh,

Jennie Flaming:

that's awesome. Finding, finding kid favorites is always, always an important thing too.

Mary:

I agree. And you know, what's so fun about forest fresh is that it really engages our son. Yeah, the Riker is nine years old. Yeah, he has now developed a big interest in fishing and foraging and hunting and and. Cooking. You know, he likes to be in the kitchen and coming up with his own creations. He doesn't want to make what I'm telling him to make. He wants to make his own.

Jennie Flaming:

Oh, that's so fun.

Mary:

It really is. It's fun to see what he comes up with.

Jennie Flaming:

Yeah, I bet. And I bet he thinks of things that like you wouldn't, because as adults, we kind of have an idea of what goes with what. And, yeah, he probably doesn't really have that yet.

Mary:

No, he doesn't have that. And, and this year, he really kind of shocked us, because he put together this, oh, it was sweet potato squares or sweet potato rounds, and he fried them, and he put a salmon Berry and some deer heart, and he made a chive sauce, you know, like things that I would say, That's awesome. I was thinking, oh man, okay, we're gonna see underneath this out to be so good. It was a lotof fun.

Jennie Flaming:

Yeah, is he available for parties or not yet?

Mary:

Oh, my goodness, he so he loves this stuff so much, you know, I'll teach foraging talks and walks, yeah, the Sitka Sound Science Center or other organizations will hire me to lead some walks and talks and Rikers right along there. And he wants to be teaching with me, and he actually led a class this year.

Jennie Flaming:

Wow, that's so cool. So it's something excited about. I love it. Um, okay, so let's transition a little bit. Mary, for folks who are listening to the podcast and are planning a trip to Alaska, and they're like, Wow, this sounds so cool. I would love to engage more, learn more about Alaska Native culture all over the state of Alaska. Could you share a little bit about kind of your advice for visitors about how to engage with cultures in different parts of Alaska?

Mary:

That is such a good question. And that's one that, you know, I get quite a bit. I think a really good starting place is travel. Alaska has a guide. There's a cultural guide that's inserted in their whole entire like planning travel guide. And that is a really good place to start for just some foundational learning of cultures of Alaska. Yes, I'm excited and proud to say that I was able to work on that project with travel Alaska. Yes, you see some of my writings, some of my advice and guidelines in there. Yeah, and so that's

Jennie Flaming:

the folks who will have that in the show notes too, so you can get to that easily. Yeah,

Mary:

yeah, because there's also an online version, so you can just click online and download that as well.So the cultural Guide is a really good place to start. And, you know, I realize most visitors coming to Alaska, you know, everyone's going to have their, you know, they're different starting place, so either really knowledgeable, or they're, you know, they're just being introduced to it. And so I just say, start with, you know, where you're at. Don't feel bad if you don't know, if you know, if you know very little. I always say start with curiosity. What are you most curious about? You know, as you go through that cultural guide, are you really intrigued with the food? Are you intrigued with the art? Let that take you down a rabbit hole. And really, you know, just explore where you're interested. If you're interested in art, you know, there's, of course, museums, there's galleries, and then there's individual artists that you can reach out to or see their work while you're traveling.

Jennie Flaming:

Yeah, awesome. And one thing too, just for everyone listening, you know, we've been talking quite a bit about Tlingit culture, because that is, that is Mary's family, but there are many. There's just so much diversity in Alaska, native cultures across the state. There are things that bind people together, but they're also so many different things too. So I just, I just wanted to mention that too. Yeah, people are aware of how much variety there is.

Mary:

And you know, that brings me back to, you know, the introduction. That's one thing I I didn't really introduce myself that. No, I am Tlingit. I'm eagle, which is in the Tlingit culture, there's two different moeties that separate us, and it's either the eagle or Raven. So I am Eagle moity, and I'm from the brown bear house and the box house from Klukwan.

Jennie Flaming:

That's very cool. Thank you for sharing that.

Mary:

Yeah, absolutely. And you know that cultural Guide is a great foundational tool, because it lays out, you know, the diverse tribes that we have in Alaska, and it's broken down into five regions. And so within those regions, it kind of lets you know what cultural groups are in which region. And so to guess where you're going to be traveling to in Alaska, that might be a good starting place to figure out, like, okay, if I'm, if I'm traveling to Southeast Alaska, what cultures are there? And yes, let that take you on your learning journey. Yeah. And I also,

Jennie Flaming:

this is a slight tangent from our conversation. But while we're talking about this topic, I just wanted to mention for listeners that the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage is another great resource, especially at the beginning of your trip, because it also addresses similar to the guide that Mary contributed to and that we're talking about, and we'll link to the show notes. It's another great place to get an overview of Alaska native cultures across the state. And one thing I love about it is I love the like there's a big outdoor area with traditional houses from all different parts of Alaska. And it's a great place for kids, like, because you can, like, run in all the houses and you can, you can learn a lot, but it's also fun, you know, because you can go inside and you can see things, and you could come outside and you can see how they're similar and different.

Mary:

I'm so glad you mentioned that, because it is such an excellent place to go to, and it's fun. Like anytime I go to Anchorage, I will stop by there, and I feel like they're always adding something to it, and the team seems to be working really hard at, you know, educating visitors, but as well as, you know, growing it. So it is a great place to check out while you're in Anchorage. Yeah,

Jennie Flaming:

all right, we're going to take a short break, and when we come back, we'll be talking more with Mary about Alaska native art and about Yakutat and Sitka, so we'll be right back. Hey, everyone. Jennie here, I hope you're enjoying the show. So far, I wanted to let you know if you are planning a trip in 2025 get your hands on some of my other cool tools to help you plan your trip. I have digital planners to get everything for your trip organized, keep everything in one spot, all those reservations and links, along with my expert guidance around what order to plan things, what to focus on, what to not worry about, all of that stuff. I also have pre made itineraries that you can buy and then you can just do them and they're figured out for you already. And finally, if you want a more personal touch, more personalized advice, then that is what my 30 minute planning sessions are for and my custom itineraries, but I love meeting you on Zoom, and I've met so many people who listen to this podcast, and it's so fun. I love helping you plan your trip. So check out all these resources in the show notes. And now back to the show. All right, we are back with Mary Goddard, and we are talking today about Alaska Native culture. We're talking about Tlingit culture. We're talking about art and food and all kinds of wonderful topics like that. So Mary, you know, before the break, we were talking a little bit about how visitors can engage with culture while traveling in Alaska. And I wanted to ask you specifically, I know this is something else you get asked about a lot, is how, if I am a visitor and I want to support Alaska Native artists by buying authentic art. What are some ways that I can make sure that I'm doing that? What advice do you have for for people who want to do that on their trip?

Mary:

Yeah, that's a really good question. Jennie, I think the. Biggest thing is, is not being afraid to ask questions. When you go into a store, a lot of the local owners, like, if the owner of the gallery or the store is local, they're going to be really knowledgeable. And that's going to be your difference between, you know, maybe shops that are not owned by Alaska Natives, or I shouldn't say Alaska Natives, but local Alaskans, right? What I've noticed as an artist selling my artwork to stores and galleries is that the local owners really do care about what is contributing to their local community. And so as a result, they do really well by purchasing from Alaska Native artists, Alaska local artists, and to make sure their stores filled with that, and as a result, they're going to be really knowledgeable about what artwork is actually made in Alaska or made by Alaska Natives, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

Jennie Flaming:

And that's a great one.

Mary:

yeah. And, you know, there's what I really noticed is that, you know, when you're talking about different price points, and I bring this up because, you know, as a visitor, you want something that is authentic, it doesn't mean you can always afford the most expensive, hopefully, yeah, but you still want something that's authentic and locally made. And so the things that you're going to look for is, you know, the more expensive pieces will not only be traditionally made, or, you know, they could be contemporary made, but they're going to be made using traditional materials. So if you're talking about like spruce root baskets, if you're in southeast Alaska, or grass baskets, if you're up north, those are going to be, you know, your pricier items, because all of the materials had to be locally harvested and prepared to create that art. Now there's, you know, we talked about a lot of the younger generation coming up and creating artwork that is culturally relevant. Perhaps those materials are not traditional, excuse me, an example uses the Trickster company. You know, they do a great job of protecting the integrity of cultural designs, but they create out of pieces or out of materials that are really affordable. So sometimes you'll see some wood earrings or acrylic earrings, and they're not the only ones, but there's a lot of companies like that that are beginning to or small artists that are beginning to use different materials, because it creates these a little more affordable price points

Jennie Flaming:

So is what you're saying, that the that the price point, in and of itself, is not a signal of authenticity necessarily, right?

Mary:

Yeah and I feel like, um, you know, you know, maybe to the untrained eye, it's hard to tell check and see if it's made in China, um, you know, like some of those carvings, a lot of them will come from Taiwan or China, and it doesn't really do anything for our culture or for our artist. Yeah, so the the person that you're really going to lean to is that person that's in that store or in that gallery.

Jennie Flaming:

Yep, that's great advice. And Mary, I know that, um, that your art and your jewelry is available online. But are there any shops that you would feel comfortable sharing where, where they are in Sitka, or other other places that that visitors could find on their trip? Um,

Mary:

yes, absolutely, I would, um, I would start with the sea Alaska Heritage Institute, which is located in Juneau. You know, they're really good example of where to find authentic art. You know, they've done all the homework for you. They're going to make sure that the people that they're buying from aren't, you know, Alaska Native and locally made. And so I do have jewelry and artwork in the sea Alaska Heritage Institute store,

Jennie Flaming:

and that's for everybody listening. That's in Juneau and and it is a fantastic store, and also a really cool place to visit, just in general, in Juneau anyway, continue,

Mary:

absolutely, yeah. And then there's other stores, like, you know, in Sitka, there is the ads house, which I'm the spelling is in Tlingit, and I'm actually not really sure how to say that, but there's the ads house. There is the some of the museum gift stores. Uh huh, um. Um, are great places to find local art, and then, um, there's Sorry, I'm blanking. Give me one second. Jennie, that's okay. I'm trying to remember the name of the other store in uh huh, I should have had this list. That's okay. I'm panicking. Let's see. Don't panic. Okay, let's see what else. And then the last also, the Alaska Native Heritage Center is also a good place. They have a gift store there, and they also buy from local

Jennie Flaming:

Native artists as well. Yep, awesome. That's a great list. Thanks. Mary, yeah. Okay, before we move into talking a little about Yakutat and Sitka, I would love to know, is there anything else you wanna share with everybody about anything related to what we've talked about so far? So whether it's Alaska Native culture, art, food, any, anything like that, that you want to offer up before we get into those places a little more sure,

Mary:

you know, we talked about where you can learn about some of the culture. And, you know, I mentioned the cultural guide insert, you know, I, I didn't mention the videos. You know, that's the other business I have. Is Midnight Run, yeah, Midnight Run LLC, with Dave fedorsky, and one of the things that we're really excited about is trading cultural films and so on travel Alaska, YouTube or travel Juneau, you can watch some of the cultural short videos there. Well, it's a great place to learn. Yeah,

Jennie Flaming:

yeah, absolutely. All right. So let's start Mary in the places with the place you started in Yakutat. So first of all, you know, we've referred to it a couple times, but we didn't talk about where it is. So where is Yakutat? And, yeah, let's start there. Where is it Sure?

Mary:

So Yakutat is located at the very top of Southeast Alaska, and for those of you that are traveling, you know, you'll know it as the Inside Passage. So it's at the very top of the Inside Passage. And it is an, actually a place that Alan marine detours there, so it's a good spot

Jennie Flaming:

to check out. Awesome. That's so cool. And when we're talking about like the north tip of the Inside Passage, we're talking about, like, northwest of Glacier Bay National Park or just or is it just west? I guess it's mostly West, yeah, yeah. And it would be south of Anchorage. Can you drive to Yakutat, Mary?

Mary:

You absolutely cannot. And I think that is one of the biggest misconceptions is like, Alaska. Oh, well, I'm in Anchorage, and maybe in a couple hours, I'll just go to Yakutat. Yeah, you can, but you're gonna have to take an Alaska Airlines jet in there. Yes, yes. It's always kind of a fun fact that Yakutat is one of the smallest villages with Alaska Airlines service going to and from it daily. And so as a visitor, you can fly in there, but don't expect to, you know, drive your RV and hit Alaska and all the little communities in a couple of days, because it's just not going to happen.

Jennie Flaming:

Yes, you are so correct about that. I feel like that's something that I talk about with folks all the time is like, yeah, that, you know, like, for example, people wanting to kind of go up the coast and go from town to town, like on the ferry, which is an awesome thing to do, but you know, you need, like, the entire summer to do that, because a lot of those towns only have ferry service Like, once a week, or even less, does? Does Yakutat have fairy service? Currently, yakta does not have fairy service.

Mary:

Yeah, there's a barge that goes to and from it's, you know, in the summer, a little bit more frequent than in the winter. So if you're going to yakita, I would suggest that you get on Alaska Airlines. And, yes,

Jennie Flaming:

yeah, yeah, there is not really another, you know, you probably don't want to ride the barge as a, no,

Mary:

I don't think so.

Jennie Flaming:

My, I wouldn't want to ride the barge time, that's for sure. Although it's great that the barge is there. All right, cool. Is there anything? Else people should know about, about Yakutat. Like, I don't know. I'm not even sure what to ask, because I haven't been there. I'd love to go to Yakutat. I think it would be so cool. But I have not so far. Um,

Mary:

well, like, you know, Yakutat is known for having icy waves. You know, surfers go there, I feel like surfing really kind of picked up and started when I was in high school, and so I personally have never surfed the icy waves of Yakutat, but they do have even a child can't, or child a children's surf camp there in the summer. What really fascinating. Yeah, that is so cool. And I think that's just another example of, like, you know, growing and changing. You know, Yakutat has been known for being a fishing village. And, you know, we get a lot of, we call them sporties, or sports fishermen, that visit Yakutat year after year, and you'll see the same sports fishermen come up every year, but it brings a little bit of a diversity and something a little more, I guess. I guess contemporary. I don't know how else to say it. Yeah,

Jennie Flaming:

yeah. Absolutely. I have definitely seen lots of photos and videos of people surfing in Yakutat. And I'm like, that is awesome, yeah, not for me, but that is really cool, exactly,

Mary:

yeah, maybe yes,

Jennie Flaming:

I would love to watch someone surf in Yakutat. That would be pretty cool. Yeah. You

Mary:

know, planning on doing a trip to Yakutat, because Airbnbs and hotels are really limited. It's something you want to plan ahead, several months in advance. Yep, and you want to make sure you have a vehicle there that you can rent so you can go out to Cannon Beach, check out, maybe the surfers that are there surfing, and you can walk along the miles of sandy beaches that are pretty spectacular, and St Elias is in the backdrop. Yeah. It really is a beautiful place to check out and a nice quiet place, yeah,

Jennie Flaming:

okay, I'm planning my trip right now, I want to go.

Mary:

I'll be your tour guide. Jennie, yes,

Jennie Flaming:

let's go together. Oh, I want to do that. So bad. That'd be so fun. Yeah, all right, cool. Well, let's move then to a place that a few more people get to visit, which is where you live now, in Sitka, so tell us a little bit about, like, what makes Sitka so wonderful and such a great place to visit in Alaska.

Mary:

Sitka has the nickname Paris of the Pacific. And I think it's just because Sitka is such a cute, like, beautiful little town, I say little. There's about 9000 people in the summer, and of course, as the cruise ships come in, you're doubling your numbers. But it's a really beautiful place to explore. We have great trails that people can hike on. There's Alan marine day tours here as well. Or if you want to take a day tour, there's watching tours. There is dancers, you know, Tlingit dancers, there's Russian dancers. You know, there's a lot of different shows that you can come check out. My personal favorite is really just getting out on the trails. But yeah, because I love to forage. So yeah, forest, you know, some of the local attractions are things like fortress of the bears or the Alaska Raptor Center, where you can, you know, view eagles. So I think, you know, those are some of the bucket item lists that people come for. Is the Eagles. And I think the thing that really surprises people is the richness of the culture that is Sitka.

Jennie Flaming:

Yeah, absolutely, I, I love Sitka. It's one of my favorite towns in Alaska.

Mary:

I love it. I mean, it's such a cute place. It's very it's very artsy. You know this? Yes, campus here? Yep, there's just, I feel like a wide range of artists that not only practice their art, but are really successful.

Jennie Flaming:

Yeah, yeah, it's really cool. And you know, it is a cruise ship port, so there are cruise ships that go there. But if you're listening right now and you're looking for a place to go on your own and just be for a while, Sitka, it would be like right at the top. Up of my list, definitely top handful of places that are amazing to go on your own.

Mary:

I can't believe I didn't mention this. I'm also co owners with my in laws and my husband in an Airbnb called Camp starlight.

Jennie Flaming:

Oh, I gotta put that in the show notes. I didn't know that. Okay, send me the link, and I'll put your Airbnb in the show Absolutely.

Mary:

Yeah. So it's called Camp starlight, and if you want to glamp This spot is for you. We have two retro trailers. We're excited to a a bigger, I guess, a bigger Airbnb where it will, you know, sleep eight people. And so if you want fun, you can come use the propane fire pit, roast marshmallows and hot dogs. You have the stunning forest as your view in the back. That's awesome. It's really fun. So

Jennie Flaming:

I'm gonna stay there next time I come to say, I am perfect. What part of so I know, for people listening that may, may not mean a 10 to them, but like, what part of town is it in? Like, do you need a rental car to get to it? Or is it like, close to downtown, you can walk to things?

Mary:

Sure. Well, um, well, keep in mind, Sitka is all of has all of 14 miles of road, yes. So it's a really small community. Do you need a car that really depends on what kind of traveler you are, you know, we do have, you know, a vehicle on Truro. There's Turo here. The glamping spot is directly across from the cruise ship dock. Oh, okay, just a little bit further back. So if you were to come on a cruise ship, you'd just be literally crossing the road, and if you flew in at the airport, you are just a couple of miles out. So a quick taxi ride or a taro depending if you are wanting to cruise around and check out Sitka a little bit more.

Jennie Flaming:

Yeah, and, um, we do have an episode of the podcast that is about rental cars and Turo and that kind of thing. Um, so definitely go back and listen to that one. If you're like, what is Turo, but Mary, can you just quickly explain what Turo is?

Mary:

Sure? Yeah. You know, Sitka is a small community, and we have a couple of taxis here, but for those that want to rent a car, there's one rental company, or there's, you know, there's some smaller rental car company here, but it's a churro. Is a way where some of the locals can make money off of vehicles that they own. Yeah. So it's t, u, r, O, you just log on. You can rent any car that you see there in Sitka and pick your, you know, data, rent it and the day to drop it off. And a lot of people have it where they'll either bring you the vehicle or, yeah, you know, so it's really user friendly, yeah, to get around,

Jennie Flaming:

yeah, I agree, and I I've rented traditional rental cars, I've rented from local companies. I've used Turo, I've, like, done all the things. And I think especially in a place like Sitka, Turo is a great option because you're not really driving that far, right? Like, yeah, you know. And you can rent, like, I'm not sure what type of vehicle your Turo is, but like, I've in Juneau, I've rented like, a Nissan LEAF, which is an electric vehicle. I also own a Nissan LEAF in Seattle, but it's like, okay, you could have a really old one with, like, a 50 mile range, and that's totally fine in a community with 15 miles of road. So yeah, it's a it's a great it's a great option.

Mary:

what's fun about turo is smaller communities is typically the person is like, you know, so happy to rent you their vehicle, yes. And it's just a fun thing. And then you get to speak to the local so if you have questions, they're, you know, most locals are really excited to share about, like, Oh, you have a question. Of course, I'll tell you where to go. Or let me tell you the, you know the best time to do this, or who to speak to about whatever it is you need. So it's totally, it's a fun way to have a local connection as well.

Jennie Flaming:

yes. And it's also a great person to ask again, if you, if you rent a car on Turo in, like, Chicago, I'm sure it's different. But, like, maybe not. You know, in a place like Sitka, yeah, like, what you're saying, Mary is so true, or other small communities in Alaska, you know, you can be like, Hey, I don't really understand where I even can drive. Like, where can I drive? Exactly, that person will be like, Oh, yes, I can see why that was. Confusing. Or, like, they might say, Google Maps has this road, but, like, don't drive on that because, you know, there's giant cars following potholes, or, yeah, so super cool.

Mary:

It's always nice to get the inside, you know, local knowledge. Yes,

Jennie Flaming:

yes. Love it. Okay, Mary, I have one more wrap up question for you. But anything else you want to say about anything we've talked about before we get to that? Hmm, this is a good question. Um, not that I can think of. Okay, I think no problem that. You know, Okay, sounds good. So to wrap things up, Mary, I would love to know what is one piece of advice you would have for visitors coming to Alaska for the first time? That

Mary:

is a really good and big question.

Jennie Flaming:

I know it's hard. I know there's so many things. I think

Mary:

it's one is Be curious, yeah, you know, be curious because I think you will open yourself up to so many more opportunities or things maybe you didn't even think about. Yeah, you know. So the being curious and not being afraid to ask questions. You know, everyone, everyone is different with where they are with their knowledge, especially when it comes to culture and travel, yep, and so depending on where you're at, if you can connect with the local I think that's going to be your best gateway into learning about culture and learning about the best things to do in Alaska? Yeah. So I think that would be, I guess, my biggest advice. And of course, you know, shop Alaska, Mary stays, all right. Well, yes,

Jennie Flaming:

of course,

Mary:

if you go to Yakutat, go to my mom's gift shop, Jennie gift shop in Yakutat. Love it, you know. So there's, there's a lot of different things. And I think I, you know, every now and then, Jennie, I will get someone reaching out to me through my Alaska Mary website and saying they're coming to Sitka, or they're going to Yakutat, or they're going to Juneau, what should they do? And those kind of things are actually really fun, and I've created some connections that I've kept throughout the years because people ask

Jennie Flaming:

questions. Yeah, love it. That is really good advice. Mary. Well, thank you so much for being here, for sharing all of this with us. It was really wonderful having you on and getting to see you again. Mary,

Mary:

Yeah, you too. Jennie, thank you so much for taking the time. And don't forget, when you go to yakta, I'll be your tour guide.

People on this episode

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Jennie Thwing Flaming

Host
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Jay Flaming

Co-host