The Trip You Must Take, Part II

Just as the sign above says, Ketchikan, AK is the "salmon capital of the world." Many types of salmon, to boot. One of our tour guides even provided a dandy mneumonic device to remember the 5 main ones. Look at the 5 fingers on your left hand:



Thumb = Chum

Pointer = Sockeye (put your pointer in their eye!)

Middle = Kingfish (king rising up, I guess)

Ring = Silverfish (jewelry)

Pinkie = Pink


Nifty! Anyway, we got off the ship and were greeted by a small downtown filled with merchants catering to cruisers: tctchoke shops, ice cream parlors, and lots and lots of jewelry stores. The main deal-Diamonds International (DI). Celebrity owns them, apparently, and relentlessly sells up all the deals to be almost as soon as you board on Day One. The rest of the main drag and side streets has a mishmash of hardware stores and cafes, one of which, the Pioneer Cafe, had some really good pancakes and a great "taco omelet".

As we were bussed out to the lake for our first port excursion: the "Rain Forest Canoe & Nature Trail", we saw how the town changed to primarily marine businesses, catering to the seaplanes and plethora of small craft in the harbor. Everything became very industrial until it all gave way to gorgeous countryside. Our bus driver, a mid-20s blonde who was very folksy and filled with local tidbits, enthusiastically told us how lucky we were it wasn't raining. Then, as we got closer to the lake, the sun even showed!

My wife and I joined 13 others in a large (37 ft.) canoe and paddled across a lake in the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the U.S. The lake itself was carved from a glacier many years earlier, our youngish tour guide informed us. The young lady also explained how she was spending the summer in Ketchikan to work but home was in Syracuse, New York. She was very informative and stated that we were an expert bunch of paddlers. A group from Clewiston, FL (one adult and three teens) hammered her with questions that she answered patiently and was able (mostly) to deflect their caustic tone.

When we reached the other side of the lake we repaired with fresh salmon and a large kettle of clam chowder. Also, hot chocolate. Actually, this was after we had a short tour in some woods. Some interesting data on the various growths: large light green leafy pads are informally known as Bear Cabbage. Our guide explained that it works as a laxative for bears, as their diet of tree bark mushrooms tends to bind them. What if a human eats some bear cabbage? Nasty mouth sores and more toxicity than anyone would care to deal with.

After the paddle back we boarded the bus and again enjoyed lovely scenery (including melted snow). Nearly every "Deer Crossing" sign we saw was riddled with bullet holes. This provided endless laughter for one guy on the bus. "They must get bored out here," offered another passenger.

We ate then meandered around downtown Ketchikan until our next event, the unabashedly touristy "Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show" Maybe you've seen them on ESPN. These guys, Josh Snook and Jacob Justus among them, put on a very entertaining show with contests of climbing and speed axing and sawing through thick lumber. Depending on where you sit, you are assigned one of two team names, and are encouraged to cheer your lumberjack and boo the other. "Jackpine Jane" (concocter of a famous moose stew) was our emcee and as bubbly and down home as could be. The finale involved the men trying to balance on logs in a pond without falling in the dip. Good, silly fun. Not surprisingly, the only way out after the show was through the gift shop.

Sonia then went to DI to retrieve a free gift and some other items before we got back on the Infinity bound for Hubbard Glacier. Bring your parka for next time!