Ketchikan AK

5/31-6/4/2016 - Arrived at the Alaskan Highway Ferry Terminal in Prince Rupert early since check out time at the campground down the street was 11am and checked in, pretty simple process.  Measure the RV and car, check passports, provide booking number, show pet health certificates (current within 30 days) few questions, obtain boarding passes and we returned to our vehicles to wait for US Customs.  First they did a walk through with a radiation gun and checked all vehicles in line, then asked some questions about fruit and vegetables onboard, any citrus had to be discarded.  Next they returned to their booths, and began checking passports and collected declarations for anything purchased in Canada, no sweat as we didn’t purchase anything but food, drink, and a souvenir magnet from Lake Louise, and we were boarded on the ferry after an hour wait. Unfortunately it rained on the entire 6 hour trip to Ketchikan so there was not too much to see, very low cloud cover, just a couple small blue whales jumping, which gave us the opportunity to meet several nice couples and compare notes on what we would do and see over the next few months in AK, the Yukon and the return trip through BC.  We arrived in Ketchikan at about 10pm Alaska time (4 hrs earlier than EST) and Wallydocked (new term for Camping at Wal-Mart) for the night.  

 

 

Arrived at Clover Pass Resort, which by the way is the only campground with full hookups in Ketchikan and pulled into our waterfront site, talk about a room with a view.  We are literally 20 feet from the water, with a great view and eagles soaring overhead all day long.  Can just sit here for hours watching the boats and birds, like camping in a sanctuary.  

 

 

 

Forecast for our 4 day stay is rain, rain and rain, oh well it is a temperate rain forest with an average rainfall of 150 plus inches a year, so what did we expect, break out the slickers and hit the sites.

Totem poles brought global fame to Ketchikan home of the largest collection in the world.   We took advantage of the nice weather today and visited Totem Bight State Historical Park and Saxman Native Village.  Totem Bight is an 11-acre park that is packed with 14 restored and re-carved totems as well as a colorful Clan (Community) house.  The Clan house is one large room with three levels which would have housed up to 50 people; the entire structure was supported by 4 totems and two six thousand pound timbers using just a few wooden dowels or pegs, really a structural marvel considering the tools available at the time.  Just as impressive as the totems are the park's lush rainforest setting and the rocky coastline along Tongass Narrows.  The interpretive history of the poles was very interesting and each pole tells a story or warns strangers and expressed through nature with the Eagle and Raven the dominate creatures.  Saxman's park has artifacts similar to those at Totem Bight park with the largest collection of totems at 21 as well as an authentic Clan house, but with an added attraction: You can see carvers at work in the building to the right of the park, including Nathan Jackson, perhaps Alaska's greatest contemporary artist, who has even been honored by a postage stamp.  

 

 

 

 

Stopped at the fish market on the way back to the motorhome for some local halibut and it was the best we have ever eaten, so fresh and soooooo tasty, still drooling the next day.

Ketchikan is in the heart of the Tongass National Forest which at 17 million acres is the largest national forest in the US and includes most of the Inside Passage.  It is also the largest temperate rain forest in the world and hiking through these forests of towering hemlock, spruce and red and yellow cedar is amazing.  

 

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed hiking to the waterfall in Settlers Cove State Recreation Site and Ward Lake in the morning and strolled historic Creek Street and downtown Ketchikan this afternoon.  Today there were 4 massive cruise ships in port towering over the downtown area.  Looking at the schedule there are 3 – 6 cruise ships of every size that arrive daily, tourism is definitely big business here. 

 

 

 

 

I guess the toughest thing about traveling cross country is getting used to the time change.  Here in Alaska we are 4 hours earlier than the east coast and with the sun coming up at 4 am each morning, it is hard to convince the brain that it isn’t time to wake up, and so far we are losing the battle.  The upside of rising so early is we get to watch our 6 resident eagles catch breakfast and soar over the waterfront.  Saw about 9 eagles today all at once doing flyover acrobatics, not sure what they were trying to accomplish, just getting some exercise I guess.