Ketchikan

Friday, August 14, 2015
Ketchikan, Alaska, United States
Good morning everyone

We woke to another glorious sunny day as we cruised the short distance from Juneau to Ketchikan. We were scheduled to be in Ketchikan from only 2:00 to 8:00 pm. Because it usually rains in Ketchikan and because we had a short time in port I booked our group a private tour with Dave and Kat of Ketchikan Taxi Cab Tours. If you are planning to be there with a group do check them out. Nine out of 12 thought they were fabulously interesting and informed.

Ketchikan is the southeastern most city in Alaska and like Juneau is on an island, Revillagigeo Island, one of Captain Vancouver's more complicated namings. The area boasts a population of about 13,000. Houses stretch along Tongass Narrows both north and south of its centre. You can tour all the roads around Ketchikan on a half a tank of gas. The land rises steeply behind this one main artery. Flat land in Ketchikan is in short supply.

 Which brings us to another story. You may remember the city from previous times when they had been promised a bridge to the flat island, Gravina Island where the airport is located 1/2 mile across the Narrows from them. The bridge was projected to cost $398 million and was strongly supported by Senator Tad Stevens. The bridge encountered fierce opposition outside of Alaska (think the cruise ship industry among others who would have had to turn their ships around rather than sailing straight through the narrows), became a symbol of pork barrel spending and labeled as "the bridge to nowhere".  
 
Kat our van driver told us how important and worthwhile the project was and how much the town was counting on the bridge (meaning I assume many locals had invested in land on the island in anticipation of the bridge announcement) and implied instead the funds got redirected to the victims of Katrina. At this point if not before 3 of our van members promptly gave Kat a 3/10 as a tour leader in their minds! I ever so carefully did not engage Kat in a political discussion...I am on holidays from both the Conservatives and the Republicans.
 
Interestingly, since the removal of the "bridge to nowhere" earmark the town has received funds for a fabulous state of the art library hung over a ravine, a spanking new high school and a community centre we would all love to have in our cities. Now the town is gunning for a tunnel to Gravina Island...so stay tuned for "a tunnel to nowhere". Kat was really peeved that apparently Sarah Palin did get her "bridge to nowhere" up near Wasilla...do you think she was trying to connect to Russia? I don't have internet so can't look that up.

 Ketchikan is the Tlingit name of the creek which flows through the centre of the city. And today the creek was wall to wall salmon swimming up stream to spawn. The water is low and warm which is a problem for the spawning salmon.

Ketchikan claims to have the world's largest collection of standing totem poles, found throughout the city, at a quite commercial Saxman Totem Park (filled with cruise ship tourists) and where we went.. the Potlatch Totem Park.  Most of the poles are re-carvings of older poles, a practice that began during the Roosevelt Administration through the Civilian Conservation Cops.
 
Our time at the park was quite magical with the afternoon light streaming through the trees. We were there with only a few other folks and spent time in the lodges, learning the stories of the poles and then taking a path through the trees down to the water's edge.  
   
 The Park is built on the old fishing grounds of the Tlingit and located about 10 miles north of Ketchikan. It is a recreated Native Alaskan village. Besides a number of lodges the park also has a carving shed...the best and most well lighted one I have ever seen...an Alaskan Totem Trading Shop and a small firearms museum. Oh yes you can also take in an Antique Car Museum which includes a 1934 Ford Coupe. Charlie liked this museum. I think we would all recommend folks stopping by Ketchikan to spend a few hours at the Potlatch Totem Park. (www.potlatchpark.com).


We then drove back to town, stopped at the Ketchikan Creek to watch the teeming salmon, drove through but did not stop at the Saxman Totem Park where Paige and I had spent time two years ago and then once again fruitlessly searched for bears. 

Some of us returned to the ship; Wayne and Sandra hunted for and found a meal of Alaskan King Crab and Garth and Lisa found the local hangout and dined on halibut burgers they gave 10 stars to. Everyone accommodated our wishes and came back to the ship for 8:30 (good thing since the Celebrity Infinity departed Ketchikan at 8:00) for a photo session on the steps of the Grand Foyer.

A good day for all. And not a drop of rain.

Cheers
Doreen


 
  

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