Ketchikan - Where the Salmon Run ... but crab legs are King!

 Friday & Saturday, July 11 & 12





Right smack in the middle of town!  That is where we were porting.  Ketchikan isn’t that much bigger than the boat, or so it seemed.  This is what I will call a tourist stop.  That isn’t a bad thing, just a little different than the other stops.  




Our first stop was a short walk to the lumberjack show.   It’s a little cheesy but fun, just the same.  Two teams of lumberjacks displayed various skills like axe throwing, cutting, chopping, climbing and log-rolling. The crowd cheered on their own team either USA or Canada.  In this particular contest the team from Canada defeated the team from the U.S. in a hotly contested race.






After the show, we boarded a bus for a very quick ride up the hill to the Saxman Native Village which is a cultural center that celebrates the Tlingit heritage in the area.  Visitors get to see the extensive collection of totem poles displayed there.  They explained how to “read” a totem and what each part represented.  We got to see several poles and how they are made.  One little oddball fact is that being right-handed or left-handed effects the way the cuts are made on the totem poles.  








We also visited the clan house which offered up insights into their history, art and way of life.  Some of the local youth did some traditional dances.  They all seemed to have the same rhythm and beat.  Of course, Vialula volunteered when they asked if anyone wanted to join in!  She dressed in the costume representing the Orca.  





After the show we made our way back down to the small town in search of crab.  King Crab to be exact.  We were rewarded at the Crab n Go with 3 pounds of King Crag Legs!!  The four of us devoured the delicious succulent legs leaving nothing for the birds.  A special treat for all of us.





A final stop at the Arctic Bar for one last cold one.  The bar is the home of the “happy bears” which are two wooden bears in a compromising position with smiles on their faces.   I will leave it at that.


Back onboard, with a beautiful sail away and some more balderdash to end the day.   Tomorrow we are taking on the Inside Passage and all it’s beautiful sights.  The weather is supposed to be fabulous and warm for our last day on our beautiful ship.  Unfortunately, that also means packing up, getting everything in order and finishing up the cruising part of our trip. 




Jet Plane and Melba Jean have to get back to Nashville and to work so we will part ways soon.  It was absolutely great traveling with them, and I think they had a wonderful time.  We will miss them as Vi and I start the road trip portion of our adventure. Tomorrow, Vancouver!





Farewell, Alaska and Holland America. Until next time ... thanks for the memories!















LeRoy and Vi







 

 


Location: Ketchikan, AK 99901, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

North to Alaska!

Image
 Tuesday, July 1, 2025 At this point in our travel lives, LeRoy and I have seen more of the world than we have of our own country.  To remedy this, we will embark soon on a journey to "The Final Frontier" (no, wait .... that's Star Trek).  We are headed to the furthest North we have been ... to the so-called "The Last Frontier", Alaska!   In preparation for this adventure, we have perused so many FaceBook Alaska groups that are eyes our crossed.  We have repeatedly heard the words, "dress in layers", "raincoat", and "water-proof", but then who knows what we will need.  We are trying not to overpack, but that is difficult. Compared to our World Cruises, we both have wondered at times, why are we worried about this?  We have prepped for 113 and 128 day long cruises, this should be a piece of cake.  Yet, we both feel a little discombobulated because we haven't had to prep so very much. Also in preparation for this trip, Vialula has...
Read more

Old Town Prague, Land of 100 Spires

Image
  Monday, September 22, 2025 Off we go on yet another of our adventures albeit a most different one for us.   This time we are taking part in a Viking River Cruise where we will be sailing up the Danube from Budapest to Amsterdam.   It is a 14-day cruise, and we will be making many stops along the way.   If that isn't enough, we are including a 3-day stay in Prague.   Prague is the capital city of the Czeck Republic.   We obviously have not been here before, but we have friends who told us about it, so we are excited to see the sights. From Nashville we fly to Toronto and then take the long flight to Frankfurt and then the last leg to Prague.    The middle leg to Frankfurt was excruciating.    Seven and a half hours of being a sardine in a can of sardines.   Not only that but going through customs there was an arduous ordeal.   But probably no worse than what the U.S. is putting people thru when they come to the states. ...
Read more

A Different Kind of Fourth and One of the 30%

Image
  Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5   Our time in Anchorage did not last too long as the next day we headed out to Denali National Park via an 8-hour train ride aboard the McKinley Express Explorer which was an adventure all its own.    Vi and I have not had a lot of experience with trains other than a couple of short rides on various excursions.   This train had full glass sides and tops, and the views it offered up were spectacular.   I could sit here and type it out about how wild and beautiful Alaska is but, as usual, Vialula’s pictures do a much better job.   As I said, we were on our way to Denali which is an National Park as well as a mountain peak.   Some people know Denali by its other name which is Mt. McKinley.     The name has gone back and forth many times.    Locals go with Denali which was the original native name, while those in the states have usually gone by the McKinley name.     We were...
Read more