Ketchikan, USA’s rainiest town and “Salmon Capital of the World,” offers outdoor adventures and cultural exploration. We docked early morning in Ketchikan but the beast below was already in port. It was 7:30 am on my watch and the shops across the street from our balcony were already open and filled with people. This harbor is able to hold many cruise ships – today there were three. The town is set up to handle tourist galore. We ran through a few shops prior to our fishing departure but saw nothing we couldn’t live without. It felt like a giant tourist trap.
Our excursion was about a half an hour drive from the cruise area and in an area called Knutson Cove. Apparently, this place is generally filled with King Salmon but today we were skunked. While that was unfortunate, we enjoyed the time on the water and away from the town and the tourists. We did see quite a bit of wildlife and enjoyed the banter with our hosts. They told us how their families ended up in Alaska and why they have stayed.
Ketchikan faces the Inside Passage, a popular cruise route along the state’s southeastern coast. It’s known for its many Native American totem poles, on display throughout town. Nearby Misty Fiords National Monument is a glacier-carved wilderness featuring snowcapped mountains, waterfalls and salmon spawning streams. It’s also home to rich wildlife including black bears, wolves and bald eagles. Our boat host, Louise, showed me a video she had taken of a black bear that got stuck in their backyard shed. Very entertaining and not a bit unusual for them.
Since leaving Ketchikan we encountered a storm that lead to some very rough seas and heavy wind and rain. Not much to see outside given the conditions but we are headed for Canada. Our next stop is Vancouver with a day in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island prior to our disembarkation on May 10, 2024. Tonight we have a repeat Gala onboard ship to finish the Grand Voyage with the friends we have made along the way. We have absolutely enjoyed our time aboard Seabourn Odyssey and have memories that will last our lifetime.
In some ways, these eighty days have seemed endless and in others they have flown by. We have seen so many parts of this great big world and are so grateful for that! Thank you for following along on our adventure. We are looking forward to heading home and preparing ourselves for a trip to California to celebrate the marriage of Joe’s daughter, Sarah to her fiance, Alex. We are anxious to welcome him into our family.
