Today we were going to Ketchikan, a town in southern Alaska at the entrance to the Inside Passage. Our excursion began at 7:30 AM and we were told to arrive early. The International Cafe is open on the ship 24/7, so we stopped there for a quick breakfast. We discovered that many of the other passengers had early excursions, too, and were already on line there.
Dawn had a maternal cousin named Cindy, with whom she was very close, who drove an excursion bus in Alaska. We thought of Cindy as we boarded our bus and met Andy, our driver. Our tour was called Highlights of Ketchikan, and we found the scenery and Andy’s explanations to be enlightening.
We saw many highlights. We stopped to hear a local Native woman, Twila Sivertsen, tell us about the wildlife in the area. We learned that there are five different kinds of salmon, and we were offered samples. We then visited Saxman’s Totem Park, which contains at least two dozen totem poles, some of which were original and others that has been restored. We learned that totem poles show symbolic and stylized human and animal forms that typically represent family ancestry. There is a totem dedicated to Seward, the Secretary of State under Lincoln who purchased Alaska from Russia, and one to Lincoln himself. One of us lost track of time while photographing the totem poles, but Dawn brought him back to the bus.
Next we stopped to see some locals who were salmon fishing. Several types of birds including eagles were circling above, hoping for samples. Then it was back to the town, where we walked among the colorful buildings and saw some salmon swimming.
We were getting hungry. We found an eatery called Crab and Go that had outdoor seating.The four of us ordered different crab items from the menu, and we exchanged tastes.
Back on the ship, three of us sat on our balconies, enjoying the scenery and reading our books, while one of us napped. We had a great view then and later during dinner, too. Unfortunately, I had been fighting a cold all day, and by dinner time, the cold was winning. I took the cold meds I had brought along, and I went right to sleep, while Nick, Dawn and Bunny went to the show at the theater. I was asleep when Nick returned to our stateroom. He woke me up and insisted that I had to accompany him to the late performance because it was not to be missed. He was right. It had a circus theme, and the technological aspects of the performance added so much to an already wonderful show. We loved it!
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Barbara and Nick are unstoppable in writing articles. Nick is an expert photographer, and Barbara is a professional journalist. They make quite a team. I vicariously feel as though I was there in Alaska as well, which, to me, remains “the last frontier.” It is an absolutely beautiful state, and I have no problem with cold weather—at least not yet. I suffered some pretty severe circumstances lately, and reading and writing are my go-to escape. These articles and photos have been most welcome and appreciated.
Has anyone else seen the statues from their trip to Greece? They are magnificent works of art, mesmerizing, and it is unbelievable how we underestimate the ancients.
I have no doubt that the passion to create such beautiful items is lacking today, and thankfully, some have been preserved.
I’m glad that you are all enjoying your excursion. It is a beautiful trip with so many sights to explore and so much natural beauty to admire.. My daughter Allison has lived up there for the past 29 years. It was very hard for me at first to realize she was not going to live in the lower 48 and that was my granddaughter’s home. Like everything else in life you adjust to the things you can not change. I have been up there over two dozen times. I attended my granddaughter’s graduation from high school and three years ago my daughter’s wedding. Cell phones and text messages closes the gap on being a part of their lives. And when you get there my daughter has other places for you to visit. As I get older, a trip to see her is a major undertaking. I need to take three planes to get to where she lives. It’s like other things in life, you make it work. When my granddaughter was much younger, she would come to New York for a month and spend time with me and then to her grandfather. She is now 24 years old and living in Ohio where she works and attends college. Nick and yourself have travelled extensively and I hope your enjoying your cruise. The eagles, puffins and salmon are wonderful to experience. I hope you take plenty of photos and make a lot of wonderful memories.