If you recall, our time for Ketchikan was amended from 11am to 7pm to 10:30am to 6pm due to the tidal changes. Scenic cruising began around 9:30am as we entered the channel named Tongass Narrows. The city of Ketchikan is located in the Tongass National Forest, the largest in the US. It is loaded with the tall trees of Sitka spruce, cedar, and hemlocks to name just a few. The surrounding scenery is lush and green because this area gets a whole lot of rain a year. Two hundred inches to be exact is an average. We lucked out since the skies were overcast, but there was no rain in the forecast. While on one of the 7-day runs in Alaska last year, we got drowned here because the rain was so intense.
There was only one large cruise ship in port, and that was the Sapphire Princess. Normally there are more ships in port, but we are getting towards the end of the summer season, and fewer vessels are up here now. Fine with us, but probably not for the tour vendors or shops in town. Speaking of tours, there were several offered today. We counted about 30 options, although we are not certain all of them were filled enough to do them.
The easiest excursions included the lumberjack show, the "duck" bus ride, or the pub crawl. Priced from $70 to $95, they were short in duration. Some of the more adventurous tours offered involved hiking, zip-lining, kayaking or canoeing, adventure cart, ATV riding, or e biking. Salmon fishing could be fun and flightseeing in floatplanes is popular. Pricing for these activities range from $234 to $615. Some excursions included snacks or lunch such as salmon tasting, a crab feast, crab cakes, and beverages at the pub crawl. Pricing was from $180 to $400. The Bering Sea Crab Fisherman tour is part of the Deadliest Catch series and cost $25. None of these excursions exceeded 5 ¼ hours.
The Zaandam pulled into the most convenient slip across rom the main information center at Berth 2. We watched as the guests began filing off on deck two forward close to 10:30am. The tour groups followed at 11am. Even though the sun was not shining, the temperature was comfortable. Most folks wore light jackets or sweatshirts. Our first stop was at the Visitor's Center where we picked up their convenient Walking Tour Map and a couple of very informative magazines. We chose to take our usual hike up Mill Street passing many jewelry shops on the way towards Creek Street. Passing the Discovery Center, fire department, and the Federal Building, we stopped to take a photo of one of the tallest totem poles we have seen. Turning right on Stedman Street, we crossed the Stedman Street Bridge where thousands of salmon run up the creek. The water so deep due to the high tide, so it was difficult to see the fish – dead or alive.
Crossing the street, we made our way up the most-uncrowded historical Creek Street. This is the only time we have seen so few people here. And we were not complaining. Thirty "bawdy" houses complete with working girls comprised this red-light district from 1902 until prostitution was outlawed in 1953. Today, this Creekside walk provides views of the Ketchikan Creek where all of the salmon varieties take their turn fighting their way to spawn. New informative signs have been added along the way, thanks to the NCL Cruise Lines who donated the information.
Evidence of the summer salmon runs could be seen and smelled as thousands of the fish die after spawning. The remaining fish continue upstream and eventually meet the same fate. An added bonus was the presence of three harbor seals working the creek. These critters were so large, they simply played with the fish, not hunting them so much. Further up this creek are some fish ladders so the returning salmon can avoid the roughest white water.
Exiting at the Married Men's Trail, we crossed Park Avenue and continued watching the thousands of battered salmon in the creek. Two bridges off of this street make great viewing points. Harris Street Bridge is one and the other is closer to the Deer Mountain Hatchery. The fish were stacked like firewood from bank to bank. They can be hard to spot, but once you see them, you realize they cover the bottom of the rocky creek bed. Many were piled alongside the banks dead as could be. Locals have told us many bear stories and how they come at night to feast on the salmon.
We crossed the street and walked to the former hatchery. These facilities operated since the 1930's and were quite successful. Several years ago, we did a tour here and learned a lot. In 2015, a private non-profit aquaculture group took over and it is not opened to the public anymore. City Park is located here where small holding pools were created in the 1900's for the salmon. There are mature trees here, a restroom facility, and many nice benches to enjoy watching the lighted fountain from the 1930's. Volunteers restored it in 1989. It is not unusual to see Sitka deer passing through here as well as dark-coated squirrels. Today, we were about the only ones taking a break here.
Crossing a wooden-planked bridge over the creek, we walked around the Totem Heritage Center where native Tlingit and Haida carvers have created totems that tell a story. There are exhibits of Alaskan Native Arts as well. Years ago, we toured this museum, so we did not need to repeat it today. Further up the road from here is St. Elizabeth's Church (1927) which has been turned into the area's mortuary since 1962. This is one place that is closed to the public and visitors are not welcomed. Crossing back over the wooden bridge, we stopped to watch the thousands of fish fighting their way upstream.
Making our way back to the main road, we walked back to downtown and our place for lunch at the Alaska King Crab Co. located above one of the main shops. We shared a burger and fries along with one side salad. The beers we chose today were Blonde Glacier Hazy IPA's. Cold and refreshing. We added a slice of carrot cake to share. Hard to believe. But the bill came to almost $80 with the tips and taxes. It comes as no surprise to us as we have seen the price increases from year to year. At least we did not order the crab, or it would have been a whole lot more. Before we left, we inquired about the complimentary shot glasses with the purchase of the beers. Our waitress said they had run out of them a few weeks ago…again, not a surprise to us.
Some of the souvenir shops were close by, so we made a sweep through some of them. The pricing in this port seem to be better for the clothing, like the Lazy One sleepwear. Not a big difference, but small savings add up. I still have two more week to choose the best sleep T. One of the small jewelry shops was giving away flip flop pendants, but when we asked, guess what? Yep, they were out of them, but did substitute a silver whale tail. One last stop at the popcorn corn stand for kettle corn will last us for another week. Then we walked past the ship to the Tongass shop to check for over- the- counter drugs. They did have the basics, but not what we needed. One item that was forgotten at home was nail polish remover. We did find that.
The gangway had switched from deck two to deck A, so boarding was much easier. All aboard was 5:30pm, and the ship was on her way within 10 minutes. We watched the sail away from our veranda until we reached the opening to the ocean. "Dressy" dinner was good with salads, soup, and sirloin steak with steak fries. Even though it was the alternate main, the meat was tender and tasty. That is not always the case. So far, we have been happy with the cuisine. Dessert was fresh fruit, a better choice we think. There was a chocolate surprise, but with the clocks springing ahead an hour, chocolate was not the best idea. It definitely keeps one of us awake for hours…especially the dark variety.
Showtime featured the singers and dancers with Curtain Up, hits of Broadway and more. It appeared that many of the evening venues were busier than we remember. The lounges were full of customers and the casino was standing room only. We did smell smoking in there, but not too bad. With the closing of most of the ships shops, the people went to everything else to spend their money or shipboard credit.
Good news was that the TV reception returned for a while and we got hung up watching a good movie on the prime channel. It was 1:30am when we finally shut it off, afraid we won't get up on time tomorrow morning. Neither of us likes putting the clocks ahead one hour.
Bill & Mary Ann