Ketchikan, Day 1

We left this morning thinking we would scope out the parking situation in Ketchikan so when we were in town to shop, we would know where to go. We think we have that covered.

We also tried to find a place to fill our water tank. The water here in the park is full of tannins and it is the color of tea. We don't want to put that in our tank. It is supposed to be safe to drink, but everyone out here is using rain and pond water. I guess they use the RO systems, except in the RV park. We have been assured it is safe to drink, but we don't plan on doing that. The owner told us we could go to the water treatment plant and they would let us fill with fresh water. So off we went. No one was in that office but when Terry came out there were a couple employees in a company truck, so he stopped them and asked. Nope. No can do. They directed us down to the port and harbor office, so off we went again. They actually had a water spigot and hose out front, so Terry went in. Nope. . . city manager no longer allows RV's to fill there, but we could go down to a water station where they sell filtered water, so off we went. Nope. . . he won't sell you water unless you have a container and he wouldn't let us fill the motorhome. Bummer. So we will have to figure something else out. Terry thought maybe he could buy another filter and double filter the water. But no one in town had the filters and one filter isn't enough. We bought a case of bottled water at what has to be the world's smallest Wal-Mart and will use a bucket to flush with if we run out of water.

So off we went in search of adventure. We ended up once again running the road out to the very end looking for a preserve. We ended up calling them to find out where they were located. We eventually found the business, but decided to pass because the small parking lot was full. We are most interested now in seeing bears fish in the streams and they weren't doing that today. All was not lost, however, because we found a lovely spot for lunch and pulled into the turnout and enjoyed lunch while watching a beautiful vista.

Back to town, we found a place to park and started walking down the boardwalk toward the shopping district. We were in front of a couple cruise ships. Like Juneau, these ships park right in town. It is pretty weird to see ships so close to the dock you can touch them and extending up several stories. These towns really cater to these cruise ships, too. They do assume that everyone who comes in is off a boat. They are really surprised when we tell them we are here in our RV. We came here on PURPOSE! The cruisers came here because the boat stopped here. LOL

We ended our day at the Visitor's Bureau. . . yeah, I know that's backwards! But they weren't busy and the gal was helpful. I asked her if she knew of any place we could fill our RV with water. She was surprised that we had trouble and said that in the town meetings they continually talk about how they need to get more RV travelers into town. One of her friend's husbands is a big wheel in the treatment plant in town, so she called her friend who in turn called her husband. When it was all done, we were told to go tomorrow to the treatment plant and fill with water. If we have any trouble, we are supposed to them them to call Paul. Hahaha. Guess we will get that done tomorrow. Hee hee.

On the way back to the car, we saw this ship. This is a ship that is on "Deadliest Catch." In the "off" season, they take people out on the ship and actually throw out the crab pots, etc., then pick them up and show the visitors the types of sea creatures they get. They do all catch and release on these tours. Our neighbors in the park went out with them yesterday. He said it was very interesting.


Back at our campsite we pulled in only to find that our door mat was missing. Someone had taken it. Isn't that just peachy. In eight years of fulltiming, we have never had anything taken. And a dirty old mat. We kept it in front of the door so we could wipe our shoes off. I guess someone needed it more than we did. It wasn't worth much, but it still made me mad. We went up to the office and reported the theft. Tomorrow when we go out for the day, we will be sure to pick up our lego leveling blocks. Sure don't want to lose those.

Tomorrow we are going to go to town and do "Creek Street." This is the former "red-light" district and is now different kinds of shops. Looking forward to that. We also have the totem historical park, but that may be Wednesday's adventure. We leave Wednesday, but don't have to board the ferry till 5 p.m.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Arrived in Ketchikan

Not much to add about our trip yesterday except that at one point, we sailed alongside a pod of humpback whales. Wow. There may have been 30-40 of them. There were spouts everywhere! They were spouting, coming up to the surface, rolling, and generally putting on a show.

One was really playful. . . he was "lobtailing" which means he would stick his tail up kinda crooked, then slap the water with it. Not the same as getting a look at the tail going straight down. He did this repeatedly--putting on a show for us. His tail was huge too. We saw probably dozens of tails as the whales dove. It was quite a sight. They were not very close to the ship, except for "lobtailer" so it wasn't a good picture opportunity. I have found that it is so hard to get good wildlife pictures that I chose to enjoy this show rather than miss it trying to capture the exact moment in a picture.

We went to our cabin and tried to get some sleep, but that was hard. The bed was comfortable, but it was just a different setup, so we didn't get much sleep.

We got up about 5:00 a.m. and saw a cruise ship outside our window. He was headed to Ketchikan as well. We got into port about 6:30 a.m., stopped at McDonald's for breakfast and checked out the town first, just doing a drive through. It seems a lot larger and more spread out than Sitka, although Sitka is larger. We chose to stay here in camp which is about 14 miles from town and rest up and get laundry done. . . then tomorrow we will go back to town and do some exploring.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Sitka to Ketchikan, Alaska

All our alarms rang this morning and we were up at 4:30 a.m. We got up and got things stowed and checked in at the ferry dock early, at 5:45. It was then we learned that the ferry would be leaving an hour late. LOL No problems, just a tide issue and they had to wait on the tide.

So we got in line and talked a bit with some other travelers which always makes the time go fast. We actually got loaded earlier than we thought and it was interesting. This is a different ship than we have been on before and we are making multiples stops before we get to Ketchikan. We drove on and were put in a “hold” position and eventually backed up into the slot where they wanted us. Hmmmm. Whatever works.

Once we got parked, we headed up the stairs and to the purser's office to get the keys to our cabin. Since we will be on the ship for 24 hours, we booked a cabin. It was surprisingly very comfortable. Bunk beds, but very large singles, :-) and a bathroom with a shower. Very nice. We stowed our gear that we didn't want to drag around with us and went up top to watch our departure. Fog had rolled in, but it doesn't seem to last long. We have had fog off and on all day. We weren't sitting for long before we both got tired, so we went back to our room and lay down. After about an hour, we starting moving again and heard the captain announce that killer whales were spotted on the starboard side. We looked out our window and a huge whale was right next to us! Whoo hoo! He was doing that thing where they come up. . . breech? Not a dive, but it was pretty cool.

So, we have been busy today doing nothing. . . going from the observation deck to the lounge, to the “quiet” room. . . we read, we rest, we talk with other passengers, ate lunch. . . watch for animals. We saw some sea lions. As we were coming into port in Kake, we saw a humpback whale. . . he rolled a couple times, then dove and “gave us the tail.” It's been a very enjoyable trip and we have a ways to go yet. It's 4:30 p.m. and we get into Ketchikan at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Our next stop after Kake was Petersburg, which is known as "Little Norway" reflecting the heritage of the settlement. They have a replica of a Viking boat and I managed to get a quick shot of it as we sailed by.  We also were treated to a rainbow effect of the sun peaking through the fog and mist and landing on this island. Not sure what this would be called, but it was pretty.

Till next time. . . 

Dale

Around Sitka

Today we had a couple things on the agenda we wanted to see and since we are leaving early in the morning for Ketchikan, we decided to move MinnieMee to the campground right next to the ferry terminal. So we planned a day out seeing the sights, then plan to go back near the ferry.

We started by taking the “only” road out of Sitka to the south as the exhibits we wanted to see were all on that road. Different maps showed those three places at different locations, so we weren't quite sure what we would find when we got out on the road.

As it was we saw the Whale Park first and we sailed right by it, not expecting it to come up first. So we kept driving and drove past the Fortress of the Bear. We were looking for the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center and ended up driving out to the end of the road. We found a cannery there and lots of road construction, involving waiting for some time. We never did find the raptor center, so we turned around and headed back.

We stopped at the “Fortress of the Bear” which is a bear habitat for orphaned bears. Three bears in one enclosure are all siblings. There are two on the other side which I think are siblings as well. In Alaska, if a mother bear is destroyed for some reason or dies (as the mother of the three did) from eating trash, the cubs younger than three years old are normally destroyed. They do not believe these young bears would be able to survive on their own. It seems cruel to me and apparently to the man who found the three orphaned cubs because he took them and opened up this bear sanctuary. It is an ongoing project and it definitely needs work, but the bears are well cared for and interact with the employees of the park. They have a large space and there are plans in increase the space and provide a more natural habitat for them, but they will never be released to the wild. Also on the grounds were four sled dogs. They were orphaned as well when very young and the owner hand fed them all to save them. They are still very young and will be eventually trained to pull sleds.

We continued back toward town and stopped briefly at the Whale Park. This park has a couple viewing platforms down on the water where at certain times of the year you can watch whales, primarily humpbacks, in the bay. The viewing platforms were down some steps, at least a couple thousand, so I didn't venture down there. I didn't see any signs of whales out there anyway. If I had, I would have made the effort.

So then we were on a quest to find the raptor center. It was actually IN TOWN! There was no signage on the road, but if you looked down every road along the way, you could see the sign on the actual road to the center. Whew. I mentioned to the staff when we got there that there was no signage on the main road out of town and they looked at me like I had three horns. At any rate, we did find the center and it was pretty cool. This is a place where sick and injured raptors, primarily eagles but there are also hawks, owls, etc., are cared for. If they are sufficiently rehabilitated, they are released back into the wild, but many will not be able to and will spend their years in this center. This is not a bad place. They are well fed and have a variety of environments where they can live. In one area, it is actually an open woods which has screen around it, but open at the top. Birds that can no longer fly are placed in this very natural habitat where they can continue to experience life.

In the flight room are birds that have been treated and are starting to try to fly once again. Some had amputations due to gunshot wounds, others had broken bones set, etc. One had a severe head injury, but was now able to stand. . . not fly yet. . . but he is improving. One huge female had a nasty beak deformity which was genetic, but she would never be able to take game normally. They feed her very small bits of food which she can handle. About 40% of the birds they treat are released back to the wild. Others live their lives in dignity with whatever care they need. These birds were all beautiful and it is good to see that they are getting the care they need.

We drove on back to the grocery and shopped for my birthday dinner. I am a steak person and I wanted a nice steak. We have been unimpressed with the restaurant food. . . it is expensive and mostly fried, so I got a nice rib eye for dinner. We bought shrimp for an appetizer and salad. So we really had a feast back at the camp.

Before we settled in for the night, however, we took a tour of “Old Sitka” which is the originally site of the town. There was a struggle between the natives and the Russians and eventally the town was burned, so the town has relocated to its present location.

We need to check in for the ferry at 6:15 in the morning, so we set three alarms and went to bed early. LOL

Till next time. . .

Dale

Sitka, Alaska

Today was adventure day in Sitka. We started around 9:30 by catching the bus right outside our door. It was quick and efficient and we enjoyed our bus driver who started up a conversation with us. He was very nice and helped us understand the bus system here in Sitka.

We shopped all around the town and ventured into several historic sites and buildings. We visited the Russian Cemetery which is all overgrown and shabby. It is still used for burials and it looks terrible. I hope they are just behind in their spring cleaning and plan to keep it in better condition. We also visited Princess Maksoutoff's grave. Her husband was the last Russian Governor of Alaska. There is still a great deal of Russian influence here and many Russian people stayed here after Alaska was purchased by the Americans. So their way of life, religious heritage, and culture continue to thrive here today along with the Tlingit natives as well.

We visitied St. Michael's Cathedral which is a Russian Orthodox church and very ornate and beautiful inside as most Russian Orthodox churches are. We also visited the Russian Bishop's House which is a large two-story home built for the Bishop and used and a residence, chapel, school, etc., during the time the Bishop resided there.

We did a lot of walking around the town. It was quite interesting and we even stopped and visited with some residents who were out working on their flower beds. We particularly enjoy this type of interaction with locals because they are very proud of their town and we were enjoying our visit here.

We ate lunch at Subway. I broke a rule about eating the same stuff I get back home, but with cruise ships in town, it seems most of the local restaurants push their "fried" foods and sandwiches which are quick and easy. Being gluten free, I don't eat fried stuff and no sandwiches. What I would really like would be some grilled fish, but nobody seemed to have that. So we went to Subway and then later we stopped at an old-fashioned soda fountain and had root beer floats and milkshakes. Very good.

It was a great day out and about and it wasn't too crowded with just one ship in town. Tomorrow we will take in the Raptor Rehabilitation Center and the bear fortress, a rehab facility also. So we will be taking MinnieMee with us as those places are out of town.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Juneau, Alaska, to Sitka, Alaska

Today we were up bright and early because our fast ferry to Sitka left the dock at 8:30 a.m. The down side of that was that our check-in time was 6:30 a.m. and Val said if you don't show up on time, they will give your spot away!

So we got there a wee bit early and by 6:30 we were all checked in and in line waiting. We thought we would have plenty of time to have breakfast and get our freezer stuff loaded in our freezer storage boxes. As it was, we got to talking to another couple and ended up frantically getting stuff put away just before we had to drive onto the boat.

Interestingly enough, the fellow we were talking to is from Goshen, Indiana, my hometown. We had met him at the campground where we were staying. So we chatted a bit more and discovered his mom was my mom's hairdresser for as long as I could remember and in fact, she had done my hair a few times while I was in high school. So we had a nice visit. They were actually here with another couple and their motorhome. The woman fell and broke her arm in Fairbanks and the doctors here suggested she fly back home for treatment. So they left and Don and Dianne continued on the trip in their friend's motorhome. Whew! They are brave souls, but he had experience driving big rigs, so it's not a problem for him. We enjoyed visiting with them. I think they will be on our ferry on Saturday, but they are getting off in Wrangell and we will continue on to Ketchikan.

We traveled on the fast ferry this time, so the journey that would have taken eight hours was about 4.5 hours. Nice. It goes twice as fast and is a very smooth journey on a catamaran. We were pretty tired, having really pushed ourselves in Juneau, so we both catnapped a bit. The fast ferry is really comfortable and very spacious. There isn't as much seating outdoors, but it is cooler out there, so we stayed indoors. They have all types of seating and a play room for children. At one point we walked back to the galley to get some coffee and just then a pod of humpback whales appeared off our starboard side. Terry saw them first and saw a tail in the air as one whale dove down, but I wasn't that quick. I did see several whales in the pod breaching. It was pretty cool.

The ferry boats come down through and in between the many islands that make up the inside passage. They negotiate the Peril Straits as well as several other straights. Cruise ships don't come into these waters because of their size. They would not be able to get through the narrow, shallower areas. But the ferries do and that was interesting watching as the captain of our vessel wiggled his way through the islands, watching the buoys and his charts and getting us safely through. Once through, we could see Sitka off the bow and we soon were docking.

Once off, we drove through town and over the bridge to Japonski Island. There we found our campsite in the city park right across the road from the Coast Guard Station. We didn't plan to do much the rest of the day except rest up and check out the bus schedules. We did take a walk later to the bridge and took a few pictures. Tomorrow we will be visiting the town.



Till next time. . .

Dale

Still in Juneau

Today we took MinnieMee over to Bob and Val's because we planned to boondock there for the night. We wanted to explore the town, and we could hop a bus a block or so down from their house.

As it was, Val offered to take us downtown and drop us off, which was great. Before she dropped us off, though, she took us around the downtown area showing us everything of interest. Juneau is

built between the water and the mountain and houses are built going up the mountain in the rock. The streets are very narrow and are usually two-way! LOL It was a bit hair-raising! Some of the streets were extremely steep and combine that with the narrow width, it was quite an adventure. Fantastic views of town graced every turn in the road. She took us by the Governor's Mansion, which was really beautiful, the Wickersham National Historic Site, the Russian Orthodox Church and into several residential areas which are restored homes previously owned by mine executives when the gold mine here was active. Regular tourists never see this part of Juneau and it was a real treat to have someone show it to us.

She took us up to the area where the gold mine was. I think they may still do tours of the area, but a lot of the hiking trails have been closed because of the dangers of falling into holes resulting from the deterioration of the mine tunnels. Several shafts are visible, but sealed up and we went to one of those.

Val dropped us off at the Red Dog Saloon which is downtown. I had wanted to go there because the "logo" is a Scottie dog. I shopped till I dropped in there! Hah. We walked around the area for a while and then came back and ate a lite lunch at the Red Dog. Food was not spectacular, but it was good.

We hopped a bus back to Bob and Val's and visited with them for a bit. Val fixed us hamburgers on the grill and salads, so we ate our fill and played with Maggie, their Keeshond. Afterwards we again got into Val's car for more sightseeing. She took us to the "other" side of the Mendenhall Glacier and got some good pix from a different angle.

Eventually we made it back home and into bed in MinnieMee. We have an early start in the morning by checking into the ferry terminal at 6:30 a.m. so we wanted to get some sleep.

Till next time. . .

Dale

Juneau, Alaska

We arrived in Juneau Sunday night and went straight to bed. The next morning we got up and broke camp. We drove over to Bob and Val's house. Bob and Terry were in cancer treatment together in Houston 2 1/2 years ago and we wanted to visit with him since we were here.

So we met up with them at their house which was literally across the street from the campground and they told us what not to miss on our day out in the city. We didn't plan to do the downtown the first day, but wanted to see some other sites first. . . like the Mendenhall Glacier. We went there first. It was only about 1 1/2 miles from their house and we had ample parking for MinnieMee. The glacier is very large with a waterfall to the side. The lake, known as Mendenhall Lake, has icebergs in it and is extremely cold. Brrrrrr. We hiked out to a photo point for closer pictures, but we didn't hike to the falls. A bit too far.

On the way back to the motorhome, we found a face staring at us from the ditch. A huge porcupine. Terry had been wanted to see one, but I didn't think we would get the chance. He was very pretty and I got one picture of his face before he hid in the culvert. After that, all I could see were his back and tail. LOL

We drove on toward town and stopped at the fish hatchery. We crossed Salmon Creek and could see the salmon running, so found the RV lot and parked. Walking up to the building, we passed by the fish wier, or ladder. Similar to Valdez, they collect thousands of fish into the fish ladder where they are routed up into holding tanks. Once the fish have produced eggs, they herd them into a tank and zap them with electricity to stun them. They they harvest the eggs and fertilize them by squeezing the sperm from the male fish. Then the fish are sent overseas where it is determined if they are fit for "human use." But they primarily are used in the production of pet food. I didn't quite get this at all. I inquired where they got the salmon they sold in their gift store and they told me. . . "from out there" and motioned to the harbor. LOL I'm thinking. . . hmmmm. At Valdez, the fish are processed and sold in their retail outlet. I'm a little bit mystified by the procreating of "pet food fish." Why don't they fertilize and produce salmon fit to eat? Something tells me they do. Sounds like a coverup. LOL

We drove downtown Juneau in MinnieMee and decided (as we were told) there was no place to park, but we got a feel for the place just the same. We checked out the creek on the way back and watched salmon going up the creek. These were ones which managed to avoid the fish ladder.

Later, Val and Bob came by and took us out sightseeing. Since it is light way late, it offers a good bit of time in the evening to see stuff. We went and visited the Chapel by the Lake and the Shrine of St. Therese. Both very impressive. We took pictures from several coves and Eagle Beach which has. . . EAGLES! There were both adults and juveniles. We continued to drive out till the road ends. Near the end we found a guy taking pictures. We stopped and he showed us an eagle nest. One of the adults was there and there were two babies in the nest. They were pretty good size and appeared to be plucking out their downy fluff as their feathers were coming in.

It was a great evening with great friends. We got back to the rig close to 11 p.m. but we had seen a lot!






Till next time. . .

Dale