Ketchikan

We flew into Ketchikan and had to catch a ferry into town on 9/12/22.

At first glance, it is a tourist town. Big cruise ships come in in the morning, the town fills up with tourists. The coastal shops are souvenir places owned by the ships.

If you dig deeper, Ketchikan holds a lot of history and beauty. My father was born there in 1918. Ketchikan first was a fishing camp for Tlingit native Americans. Years later as others entered it provided ores, forests, and lots of fish.

There are more totem poles here than any where else. Totem Bight State Historical Park can be reached by the city bus ($5) all day. Totems represent history, ancestry, peoples and events of their native cultures. You can enjoy them and a clan house in the park. A Clan house held several families, often related; they lived on a platform with a fire pit in the middle. You can also take a beautiful hike along the beach.

Most interesting locals we met on the bus were a burly long bearded fellow who had a few jobs. One was that he fished for sea cucumbers and then crab in the Bering Sea. "My kids like to eat bear. You don't want to catch them down here, where they eat fish. You want a vegetarian bear that eats berries and stuff from the mountains." The other was an English lady with US born daughters. They came to Alaska to go to school. In Alaska, students get paid to go to school.

The most famous street in town is Creek Street where ladies of the evening had their businesses. A street named "Married Man's Trail" is where the married men walked to partake in the ladies' operations. They did a pretty good job of protecting their employees. The boardwalk is now primarily local artists. The creek continues to be where Salmon return, lay their eggs and die.

Favorites shops:

1)Starboard Frames and Gifts, featuring local artists and a great owner, who framed children's art for free during Covid.

2) Parnassus Books, an independent quaint bookstore since 1985, local books and gifts.

We stayed at the Inn at Creekstreet which was lovely. Staff was very accommodating and our view of the bay was great.

Favorite Restaurants:

1)108 Taphouse and Burger Bar. This was the best food we had.

2) New York Cafe Good food right next to our hotel. We had breakfast. Funky, a variety from vegan to meat.

3) Heen Kahidi. A bit fancy chef food. Fresh fish. It is in the Cape Fox Lodge, which is beautiful with a view. you go up Creek Street, down Married Man's Trail and follow up the steps marked "closed".

4)The Stoney Moose It is mentioned because it's aroma wafted up through our open window at Inn at Creekstreet. It is legal, we are retired, we do what we want.

We need to come back and see the Misty Fjords National Monument and the Saxman, a native village and carving shop. We were not able to work them in.