"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 6 Ketchikan, Alaska September 28, 2017 Thursday, Rain & 50 degrees Part #1 Of 3 68 Pictures

The Eurodam had arrived well before we were awake this morning, like about 7am. We had set the clocks forward one hour last night, so we lost that one hour of sleep. Ketchikan is located in the Inside Passage near the massive Tongass Forest consisting of over 17 million acres. It is the largest in the USA. The city of Ketchikan has a population of around 14,000 permanent residents. Today with three ships in town, that number will swell by well over 6,000 folks. By the way, besides the Eurodam, the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Ruby Princess were docked here.

And as we expected, it was raining. So we bundled up with the waterproof clothes, and tried to get an elevator down to the A deck. There was not one elevator working on the entire ship. Perhaps there was a crew drill we did not know about. Anyway, we joined the rest of the folks walking down the stairs for four decks.

The gangway was plugged because the folks debarking into the wet rain held up the flow. One crew member was selling rain ponchos, and handing out umbrellas. So far, they have used two exits to get off in the ports, and the line has not been a factor. Same goes for coming back on, unless you are stopped because you're carrying a souvenir knife in your bag. Those items do get confiscated until the last day of the trip, when they're returned.

Time on shore was quite limited today, as all aboard was 12:30pm. There would be no time for a leisurely lunch, but we could make the hike to see the salmon. The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show was in progress as we made our way towards Creek Street. You could hear the chain saws and the guests cheering them on.

Crossing the bridge over the creek, we looked for those salmon, and could see some in the less turbulent flow. More dead ones floated by than live fish. As we hiked up Creek Street, past the famous brothels,, we noticed that this usually crowded area was almost empty. Suppose the weather had something to do with that. The creek was swelled from the recent rains, so being able to see the salmon was almost impossible down near the bridge. Going up the soaked Creekside road was our best bet.

Once up the top of the Married Man's trail (a secret path to the brothels in the old days), we walked along the more shallow parts of the creek. It was there that we saw the hundreds of either pink or chum salmon fighting their way upstream. They morph into a battered, deformed creature when they are at this stage in their lives. Their only purpose is to spawn, then die.

A short walk across the road is the now closed hatchery. Perhaps it is being re-modeled, since we did tour this several years ago. There is a series of small creeks leading to holding ponds, one with a fountain here. We understand that this was created years ago to trap the salmon for easy catching. Speaking of fishing, these salmon will seldom bite now, as they do not need to eat to survive. They are actually living on their body fat and tissue, giving them that diseased look.

The number of dead fish lining the banks was even bigger up here. It would be a prime spot for bears to forage, and definitely not the place you would want to walk in the dark. We spent a little time up here, filming the fish. Some of them could have been steelhead trout.

Pretty much soaked, we made our way back down, watching the gulls gorging on the dead salmon. Once again, there was not a bald eagle anywhere to be seen. The gulls were picking at the live fish as much as the dead ones. If you stopped for a bit by the railing, you could watch the fish ladders where some were attempting the climb. Must be exhausting to them, because scores of the fish were resting in any calm spot they could find.

Back to downtown, we joined the hordes of tourists taking advantage of the many good deals in the larger shops. We also took the last chance to pick up a few useful items at a huge discount. And besides, the oversize shop bags were free (did not have to pay for them).

If we had more time in port, it would have been nice to relax with a few beers and food, but not today. The ship loaded up and left even before 1pm. It was still raining as we sailed out of the harbor.

We spent the rest of the afternoon working on photos and reports, as well as taking in a movie.

Our next stop will be the mandatory one in Victoria, Canada, but not until a 6pm arrival. We will stay until midnight.

At 8pm, we had reservations once again in the Tamarind Restaurant. Once again we were most welcomed and pampered. Trying some different dishes, we were pleasantly surprised that they were wonderful. Both of us had the fortune cookie, which ended the meal nicely.

One more day, and this leg of the cruise will end. And we do hope to leave the cold and rain behind. The good news is that we don't have to pack to go home tomorrow.

Need to mention that the internet service has been most spotty. Don't know if it is due to the location, or problems on the ship. One of the reports took over 20 minutes to send, for an example. Sure do hope it improves.

Bill & Mary Ann

Ruby Princess was here in Ketchikan already