Greetings,

Our first port was Ketchikan.  We arrived at 6:00 am and we toured the town on foot then later met our friend LeeAnn.  It was a great day!

Ketchikan is busy with cruise ship dockings.  The locals avoid downtown Ketchikan during "cruise ship" season which runs from May to October.  

Excerpt from link below:  "Ketchikan, Alaska, is truly the beginning of the last frontier. Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska’s famed Inside Passage—a network of waterways that snake through some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful wilderness in the world—Ketchikan is best known for three things: feisty salmon, idyllic scenery, and an incredibly rich Alaska Native culture.

Due to our thriving, century-old commercial fishery, Ketchikan is known as “The Salmon Capital of the World.” We are proud of our fishing culture and passionate about providing opportunities for visitors to catch and/or otherwise enjoy the best seafood on the planet.

Ketchikan is a photographer’s dream: point your camera in most any direction and you’ll capture an image suitable for framing. Misty Fjords National Monument, with achingly blue lakes, and snowcapped mountaintops often shrouded in an ethereal mist, is the most beautiful jewel in our crown. We are also located in the midst of the Tongass National Forest, a 17M-acre rainforest full of lush cedar, Sitka spruce, waterfalls, and wildlife.

For local Native Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian artists, the Tongass Rainforest provides red cedar logs for totem poles and the cedar bark and spruce roots used in traditional basket weaving. The Native arts are thriving here in Ketchikan and there are several museum collections and totem parks that showcase both ancient and more contemporary works. The arts in Ketchikan are not limited to Native arts, however; an astonishing number of residents participate in the Ketchikan’s art scene, which encompasses the full spectrum of visual and performing arts."

To learn more about Ketchikan go to:  http://www.visit-ketchikan.com

Enjoy the photo tour of our first port stop!

This is Creek Street...

The old section of Ketchikan which was home to many brothels...

And now has shops and historical tours...

The harbor...

Street scenes...

You will see signs like this throughout the city.  Alaska is the number one state in the USA for seismic activity.  It is where the second largest earthquake in the world took place.  

Therefore, it is at great risk for tsunamis.

In 2014 the Alaskan Earthquake Information Center detected 40,646 earthquakes.  In 2013 there were 28,000 earthquakes detected.  

Want to read more?  Go to:  http://seismic.alaska.gov

or

To learn more about the 1964 earthquake, 9.3 magnitude--megathrust, lasting 4 minutes, go to:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake

Tsunami photos from 1964 can be viewed here:  https://www.google.com/search?q=1964+earthquake+tsunami&biw=1257&bih=538&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoA2oVChMIwufBjIvexwIVC0iSCh0Ezw95

A bar in Ketchikan...

See the tunnel below?  

This is the only tunnel in the world that can be driven over, around and through...

LeeAnn was able to take some time off work and took us on a mini-tour that included viewing eagles, picking salmon berries along the side of the road, and gazing at enormous king salmon in a stream...

They ranged in size from about 30" to 36"...

We loved the T-Shirt shops and found these funny shirts.  Hope you do too...

We did walk along a salmon spawning stream and met this gentleman who was running a private salmon hatchery...

We went to the Totem Heritage Center...

Let me introduce you to "The Duke."

A handy dandy accessory to keep bits and pieces warm during the cold Alaskan winters.  

Starting at just $24.95.

And finally, two photos from Gary...

Check out BLOG 6--ALASKA: JUNEAU next!

Love,

Gary and Ellie

Want more information on Alaska:  https://www.travelalaska.com or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska