Ketchikan Alaska

As soon as the ferry left Prince Rupert and started through the Inside Passage, known locally as the SouthEast, it became obvious why it’s one of the most visited cruise ship areas in the world. The views are breathtaking! Between snowcapped mountains, rugged hillsides, remote lodges and small towns, it’s hard to stop staring out the windows.

 

The Inside Passage is filled with small towns accessible only by boat or plane. Surprisingly, there is very little snow. Most of the region is actually rain forest so cool, drizzly weather is the rule.

Prince Rupert BC was the starting point for our ferry rides. We needed to get measured (30′), clear customs (Canada to the USA), and figure out the answers to lots of questions about getting the RV onto and off of the ferry. Given the horrid turning radius of the RV, we were more than a little concerned. Turns out the crew is used to much longer rigs including pull-behind trailers. For them it was no big deal. For us, we just needed to trust them and follow their guidance.

“Our” ferry – the Malaspina, one of the original Alaska Marine Highway vessels, has been serving for 40 years. We like good old boats!

The biggest challenge with the ferries is actually the tides, which vary by 15 feet. The angle of the ramp to the dock and to the deck can pose problems. One of the crew stands at the back of the rig (or lays alongside it) to watch carefully. They have boards available just in case.

The view out the front of the ship!

Hmm – we’ve got a boarding ladder like this one, maybe just a bit smaller…

Whales feeding!

There are chart plotter screens posted at various places to keep track of our progress.

Our first view of Ketchikan – just after 10pm. Still enough light to see. By the time we unloaded and drove to Signal Creek National Park campground, it was 11 pm and finally getting dark. Makes finding our site, backing in and getting level more interesting.

The town seems to be perched precariously along the edge of the water. Sometimes that means steep stairs to access the houses. In other cases, the building are built on pilings and hang over the water.

Hmm…..

These are scenes from Creek Street – literally a street built along a tidal creek. The first time we walked it was at low tide. Then we went back to see it at high tide a couple days later. Locals told that salmon do fill the creek.

They take bear safety very seriously. Each campsite has it’s own bear proof food locker, all trash containers are bear proof and there are signs everywhere warning about leaving food outside.

We stayed at Signal Creek National Forest Campground. Besides the camping, there was a beautiful hike around the lake.

Totems are a main attraction in Ketchikan. There are several around town and then 2 parks devoted to them. Totems are not objects of worship or idols. Instead, each Totem tells a story, usually one about the family or a piece of the oral history of the clan. The story comes first, then a carver would sketch the figures on the pole. Once everyone agrees that the sketch tells the story, the pole is carved. Poles are carved from a single tree that is felled, carved and then hoisted back up into place.

This is a replica of a clan house showing how and where the Tlingit people lived. This clan house would have housed 30-50 people from 6-8 families.

The bald eagle wasn’t part of the exhibit, but he found a good perch to enjoy his fresh-caught lunch. Bald eagles are actually pretty common here.

The hats atop the poles are called Potlatch hats. Potlatches are fetes, days long gatherings to honor guests. Poles were often carved to commemorate the event and to honor the guest. The rings on the hats marked how many potlatches were held for a particular guest.

Float planes are everywhere. Many seemed to be just to take cruise ship passengers for rides, but they are also very utilitarian given the terrain.

A picture of a Tlingit village – each family had their own house and family totem.

Before the harbor was dredged, it was a large mudflat, where baseball games were held at low tide.

We found the Ketchikan Yacht Club, hoping to find a hat or shirt as a souvenir. No such luck!

After checking the ferry schedules and the various towns along the inside passage, we decided to a week in Ketchikan and then catch a ferry to Sitka.

But if not…