Blogs from Ketchikan, Alaska, United States, North America - page 10

We arrived in Ketchikan at 7:00 A.M. and had an early breakfast to be ready to disembark for our tour of Ketchikan. Ketchikan snakes for several miles along the southwestern shore of Revillagifedo Island, facing Tongass Narrows. With 14,000 inhabitants, this fourth largest community is known as"Alaska's First City" because it is the first town travelers reach when ferrying north. After having our pictures taken at the gangway with bald eagle and Ketchikan's fisherlady we boarded our tour bus. Driving through the city we saw the Creek Street Historic District (notorious red-light district from1902 to 1954), the salmon cannery, and typical homes of the loggers and other business people of Ketchikan. Then we went to Totem Bight State Park and our guide showed us many totem poles and the reconstructed Clan House. Each totem pole ... read more

Out of BIG ALASKA ....................Alaska Facts from Post Cards Alaska covers 570,373 square miles of land and 45,000sq. Miles of water. It’s the biggest state in the USA and comprises 1/5 of the land mass of continental USA. Alaska is 2.3 times the size of Texas. Alaska has 33,904 miles of coastline and ½ the worlds glaciers. Alaska: has 19 mountains over 14,000ft. has the highest peak in North America - Mt. McKinley 20,230ft was purchased from Russia in 1867 for less than $.02 per acre has the longest day…. 24 hrs. has the longest night… 24hrs has more than 3million lakes larger than 255acres has 29 active volcanoes has one glacier larger than Switzerland Emblems of Alaska: Tree - Sitka spruce Fish - king salmon Gem - jade Mineral - gold Bird - willow ... read more

Well, bad news. I had a migraine when I woke up that morning and couldn't go into Ketchikan. It's a good thing, too. It was sunny - would have been too much for my eyes - and crowded. Apparently something like 8 large cruise ships docked the same day we did. It was supposed to be the busiest day of the year for Ketchikan...around 10,000 tourists. Yikes! We were only supposed to be there for 4 hours. Too short, if you ask me. Anyway, our departure time was 12 and we left at 2:30 p.m. Which means that we missed most of Misty Fjords. But I did include a picture of the fjords area. Don't you wish you were there??!... read more

Hey all.... we're safe and sound in Ketchikan, AK, and will be here for about a week-long hiatus. Here's the photographs and route map we promised a few weeks ago to compliment the journal entry we posted from Gustavus. Enjoy, and stay tuned for more pictures and journals in the next few days!... read more

To be able to look back upon one’s life in satisfaction, is to live twice.____Kahil Gibran LINKS Name TRAVEL TIPS June 20, 2005, Tuesday. Since the day began drizzly and foggy, we were not anxious to schedule a flight to the fjords. Our first stop was to pick up the bikes. In Ketchikan you can go north or south, west is to the sea and east is to the mountains. So we biked south to Saxman Totem Pole Park, complete with clan/lodge house. We both liked the idea of the talking stick. When one holds the “talking stick” it is that person’s turn to talk, no one else may speak, I want one!! The bike trail runs along the water and as we returned we stopped at the “red-light” district. During the hay-day of the ... read more