Yesterday, there was a hint that it may be 70 degrees in Ketchikan, but we think they were off by 20 degrees. It was sunny, but downright chilly. We are not complaining, because more times than not, it is raining here. We will take sunny, blue skies over rain any day. The Zuiderdam was scheduled to be docked by 11am, so that gave us the morning to relax, although, there were many activities happening around the ship. One of them was Honoring HM Queen Elizabeth ll and the broadcast of the State Funeral. They were able to record it, and present the film in the Mainstage at 10:30am. It appeared on the BBC HD TV channel. In real time, we could have watched it live from 11pm last night until this morning.
We began our approach to Ketchikan entering past the Tongass Narrows. On the Gravina Island side, we spotted a humpback whale blowing, then diving very near the shoreline. Guess some of them have not left yet. There was only one, and he was diving deep, but we were still able to capture a few photos. As we sailed closer to Ketchikan, which is located on Revillagigedo Island, we saw a smaller cruise ship tucked into a cove. Turned out to be the Norwegian Spirit, and may have been docked at The Mill at Ward Cove, built in 2021. The downtown piers had the Royal Princess and Celebrity's Eclipse, both large vessels. The town will be crowded today for sure.
To avoid the long line of debarking guests, we waited until noon to leave. No problem this time, as most of the passengers had probably gone off on tours. We were not sure if we should take our heavier jackets, but with that wind blowing, we opted for the arctic coats. And glad we did. As the day wore on, a fine layer of clouds blocking the heat of the sun appeared, keeping the temps lower. The strong winds never stopped.
We took our usual route to Creek Street to see if the salmon were still running….actually swimming up the creek. The first thing we noticed while standing on the Stedman Street Bridge were two harbor seals working the waters. We knew the salmon were still coming up the creek or else these seals would not be here. We did take Creek Street up to the top, but did not dilly dally, since there were way too many people crowding the boardwalk and viewing platforms. The best place to see the incredible number of salmon, is in the upper creek on Park Avenue. Even several sea gulls were pigging out on the rotting carcasses in the shallow portion of the river. This is the salmon spawning area, and there were hundreds if not thousands of fish making their way upstream. Asking a local what type of salmon these were, the answer was either chum or pinks. The pinks have the humpbacks, and that was what we were seeing. Many more were dead and dying compared to a week ago. Of course, the aroma was not so pleasant as one might expect. Bet that attracts the bears too, who make their way here during the night we were told. While getting up close and personal on the gravel banks, the manager of the Pinnacle Grill appeared with a buddy. Seeing those dead and decaying salmon, he said that sure sharpened our appetites for a salmon dinner…….NOT exactly, we all agreed.
Once again, we crossed the road and followed Salmon Road to the hatchery and the City Park. Taking advantage of a picnic table and benches, we sat and watched as a couple of "Ducks" drove their passengers to another bridge up the river. Two tour buses also let their guests out to view the fish from the bridge. After all of the vehicles left, we strolled up there to see what they did. Actually, we decided the lower bridge offered a much better view of the creek, which was loaded with spawning fish. Snapping one photo of the totem in front of the Totem Heritage Center, we headed back to town.
It was already after 2pm, and we knew to try for lunch at the Alaska Crab Company, the same place we dined last week. With so many passengers in town, we might be out of luck. Off the beaten track somewhat, access to this restaurant is by taking a small elevator up to the third level. We were told we had a 10 minute wait, so we stayed. It was only a couple of minutes before we were seated at the very same table we had last week. In fact, the servers recognized us, and welcomed us back. And by the way, most all of the tables were occupied, many of the diners chowing down on crab legs or fish and chips. We ordered a plate of crispy chicken tenders with three dips….the best one was the BBQ for me and the honey mustard for Bill. A pile of fries came with the chicken, and we had Alaska Amber beers again. Dessert was a shared slice of caramel cheesecake. If all goes according to plan, we should be back here in a week.
After exploring a few stores, we went to the Visitors Bureau and picked up some more brochures. In the same area is The Rock, a bronze sculpture of Ketchikan's first people and pioneers. Nearly 20 out of every 100 residents can trace their heritage back to the native tribes. Across the street is the Welcome Arch which welcomed visitors in the early 1920's. You cannot stop in this city without going into the Tongass Trading Company, boasting the best shopping on the Inside Passage. They have just about everything you can imagine, and at reasonable prices. It is always a place we visit because they have a mounted full size polar bear inside behind glass. Impressive.
Time to go back onboard, the security gal held up the same ipad we saw while in Skagway. She said it was facial recognition, just like what was used in Ft. Lauderdale going through customs and immigrations when we did back-to-back trips in January through April. We still had our room keys scanned, so this is a new process in the making we assume. While we worked on photos and reports, the Royal Princess must have sailed out of the harbor. These ships move almost silently, and we never noticed it was gone. Around 6:30pm, the Celebrity Eclipse left the port. Within minutes, we followed them out. Once the sun dipped below the mountains, it was really cold.
Dinner was in the Pinnacle Grill, and we ordered the same salads we like…..the wedge. Mains were grilled lamb chops, and halibut, and both were cooked to perfection. A chocolate souffle and some vanilla ice cream finished the meal. For a change, we enjoyed cappuccinos, one with almond milk. Excellent. The only downside was that the clocks had to be put forward one hour this evening. So we passed on the Orange Party again.
We both agreed that depending on where your stateroom is located, makes a difference in your cruise experience. It's a simple fact that having a forward room, like we had on the N. Statendam, we passed through the shops, the music venues, as well as the casino after dinner. The booming noise of the Billboard Onboard, the Rolling Stones, and the BB King venues were loud enough to wake the dead. The casino was so mobbed, that we had to wiggle through to access the elevators. On the other hand, having a room in the aft, like here, we avoid all of that unless we go out of our way to those venues. We have yet to do that, but we will have to, or else we won't know how it compares to the other ships. Even the Shops on this ship are off of the beaten track for us.
Bill & Mary Ann
