W
hat to say about Ketchikan?
Well, first I’d like to say: noisy.
But it’s not just that, no, it’s so much more - loud, raucous, nerve
shattering sound all day. There is one
main north-south road and no major east-west arterials as Ketchikan is enclosed by mountains on the east and the
Tongass Narrows waterway on the west. So the truck and bus
noise is amplified as it bounces off the rock cliffs. And the sea planes are constantly landing and taking off - a
cacophony of engines.
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| Cruise Ship Leaving Ketchikan |
The cruise ships are relatively quiet, even though they are about
two blocks long and 10 stories high.
Downtown Ketchikan, a cute waterfront – they sell really good popcorn - is ruled by the passengers. Businesses open at the arrival of the first
ship and close when the
last one of the day departs. And that time changes daily. If you ask merchants their hours, they’ll
tell you they are open when the ships are in.
Period.
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| Dinner Outing - Yes, Very Cold |
Having made such a push to get here, we are happy to stay put for a few days and take
care of business, boat maintenance,
catch up on e-mail and re-provision.
Plus, there is a Starbucks near our marina so daily caffeine junkets are
on the schedule. We meet up with our boat buddies and cocktail companions who
arrived a day after we did, and exchange cruising strategies and
destinations.
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| I'm Looking at You! |
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| Creek Filled with Salmon? |
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| Ward Lake |
We feel a little sluggish after being on the boat so long and
decide a walk is in order. We hop a bus
with Zippy (stuffed in a duffel bag as we have no carrier) to a trail north of town leading around picturesque
Ward Lake. It’s a bracing hike in the
pouring rain – Jim insisted it was a drizzle, but conceded it was heavy – yes, it was heavy enough to drench us, and happened upon an eagle perched over a
rushing waterfall, waiting for the first salmon in the spring migration. Our moment of zen in the city.
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| Zippy Travels Ward Lake in Style |
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| Totem Pole Pake |
A few good dinners and a little sightseeing later and we are
ready to leave and see the real Alaska.
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