Our first day in Alaska did not disappoint. Ketchikan, the southernmost city in Alaska and the salmon capital of the world, is, in a word, be-you-ti-ful. (You have to say it like that, 4 syllables.) Don’t believe me? Here’s the what we saw from the Lido deck of the Star Princess:
Our land portion of our Ketchikan experience took us into the Tongass National Forest where we hiked deep into the rain forest and the very heart of bear country. I hoped for an up close encounter.
Maybe if I ventured into a bear cave . . . I might just get lucky . . . .
No luck, although there was a lot of bear poop. I was surprised to see Spanish moss and even more surprised to see the wicked undersides of these massive leaves. Yes, those are thorns and when they prick skin they immediately form a barbed hook and become impossible to extract. Yikes!!
We journeyed past a fishery with a waterway well-stocked with fish, mostly salmon. But still – no bears despite the never-ending fish buffet. The birds were enjoying the spoils that the bears had left behind. Seems bears only eat the heads and skin of the fish, leaving the birds to scavange the red fleshy parts many humans so love.
Next we met a Native totem pole carver, who enlightened us about the dying art of carving totem poles. Then we saw the end results of many fine woodsmiths. I felt compelled to pose amidst the standing art. You can get a sense of the size of some of these works of art which all tell a story.
Still no bears. But I did feed a reindeer, which is weird because there are no reindeer in Alaska, except these few in captivity. (My husband was not as quick at snapping the picture as the reindeer was of eating the lettuce.)
Then we headed to lunch, where I finally got my Alaskan bear experience with, not one, but four bears, at a little slice of celestial awesomeness known as the George Inlet Lodge,
Here, we dined on Alaskan Amber beer and Dungeness crab – all you can eat – from a room with this amazing view:
Talk about an amazing day. We were well-fed and well-educated by the time we climbed the 85 steps back up to the bus.
So there you have it. Our first official day in Alaska, albeit just barely inside the boundary. Ketchikan, Alaska earns a two thumbs up and a high-ranking number on my list of “places I have to go back to.”
Have you ever been to Ketchikan? Do you enjoy salmon? Do you have any nasty, wound-inducing plants in your neck of the woods? Inquiring minds want to know.
Oh – and there’s a special prize for the first person who finds the hidden Mickey.
Word of the Day: Hedgehop
Fun fact about me: I’m allergic to salmon, which sucks when you’re in the salmon capital of the world.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, October 2014. Original photos by P. Rickrode and C. Rickrode.
Lovely photos! That looks like such a great way to travel around. Keep your eyes peeled. You might just spot one of those furry critters!
LikeLike
Hi Susie. Cruising is indeed a fantastic way to see something new everyday without moving from hotel to hotel. Your stuff just travels right along with you.
I loved Alaska, but was somewhat disappointed that I did not see more wildlife. I guess I was in the wrong places at the wrong times. Oh well – next time.
Thanks for stopping by this morning. It’s always lovely to see you’re smiling face.
Patricia
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ketchikan is awesome! So is salmon. That would suck to be allergic to it. That’s what we did when we went there – went salmon fishing. So we didn’t get to see the town like you did, which I would have liked. But DH, daughter and I did each catch a salmon, which we were able to have shipped home, so that was good. Is “Mickey” the bear with binoculars?
LikeLike
Hi Jennette and no, that is not the hidden Mickey.
We actually didn’t see a whole lot of the town either, as we were bussed out to our wilderness area and the Inn for lunch. We saw the outlying areas and enjoyed every second of the adventure.
When we go back, we’re going to spend some time walking around near the docks.
Thanks for visiting today. Have a great week.
Patricia
LikeLike
Such be-you-ti-ful pictures! While I haven’t yet been to Alaska, my boss used to take an annual trip to Ketchikan to go fishing. My husband goes salmon fishing all the time in Oregon(I’d really like something else in the freezer besides salmon), so not much incentive for me to go. Although…all you can eat crab sounds pretty tasty right about now.
LikeLike
Oh Coleen, the crab was to die for. I picked up an order form so I can get it fresh any time I want. Of course I’ll have to pay for it and the exorbitant shipping costs, no doubt, but sometimes it’s nice to have a treat. They say they ship it in one day. Doesn’t get much fresher than that.
I hope you get to Alaska sometime. It’s really pretty amazing. So much nature and awesomeness.
Have a great week my friend.
Patricia
LikeLike
How beautiful. I grew up in Anchorage but I never made it that far south, so different. I can’t eat salmon either.
LikeLike
You grew up in Alaska? How exciting. I’ll bet it’s a lot different than the lower 48. And it’s funny that you say you didn’t get to the southern part; my husband and I kept saying, “I know we’re in Alaska, but we’re not really in Alaska.”
Next time I’m going all the way to Alaska – way up north.
Thanks for visiting and sharing my inability to eat salmon.
Patricia
LikeLike
I’m so jealous, Patricia. I’ve always wanted to take an Alaska cruise. It is stunning. I’m wondering how climate change is affecting the area, because it looks like high summer in your photos!
LikeLike
Debra, everyone said we lucked out with the weather. I’m not sure that was such a good thing because we saw very little wildlife and I’m thinking it was because it was so unusually warm. Although Southern Alaska doesn’t get nearly as cold or snowy as, say, Anchorage and farther North. Ketchikan is rather like Oregon and Washington climate-wise. They get a lot of rain.
It was beautiful though and nice to be able to travel about without dealing with rain gear.
Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great week.
Patricia
LikeLike
Alaska is on my bucket list!! Your pics are great–like your up close and personal bear moment.:)
I think I would enjoy flying more if I could hedgehop all the time.
LikeLike
I hope you get to Alaska, Coleen, it’s amazing. It was on my bucket list too until September. Now it’s on my “have to go back” list.
I’m not sure hedgehopping would be that fun. Adrenaline pumping for sure, but fun? Hmmmm.
Thanks for swinging by. Another installment of the Alaska adventure goes live on Monday.
Patricia
LikeLike
How exciting! I think Ketchikan was the last place I saw on my cruise so it is a bit of a blur. I do remember those totems though. 🙂 Can’t wait to read more about your Alaskan adventure!
I’m thinking the hidden Mickey is in the bear cave photo. Those shadows at the top of the photo could very well be an upside down mouse head.
LikeLike
Hi Jessica and thanks for visiting. Ketchikan was so much fun and so beautiful. I’m hoping to one day get back there.
Nope, that is not the hidden Mickey. You’d need to click on the pictures (to enlarge them) to see the Mickey, be he’s very clearly there. Good guess, but it is an actual Mickey Mouse that you will see – not a shadow or a shape..
Patricia
LikeLike
I see it! It’s on the totem pole carver’s tool (hammer?). You really do have to zoom in on that to see it. 🙂
LikeLike