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Published: November 6th 2015
Click here for photos from Ketchikan We awoke in Ketchikan to what we'd come to consider the sound of Alaska, a cold rain. Even the sound of the rain hitting our balcony told us it was cold, or perhaps our expectations of weather better than we experience back home had slowly turned into acceptance of the damp, cold reality of our current position. Although I often mention how overcast and rainy Northeast Pennsylvania is compared to the rest of the planet, Ketchikan clans claim to have the scientific proof that they have the fourth most rainy city.
Upon closer inspection, we're both spreading misinformation. Neither of us appear in
the most overcast group either. Nevertheless, we had rain throughout our breakfast in Johnny's Cafe right through to when we disembarked, and for the whole bus ride to the boat that was taking us to the Misty Fjords National Wilderness.
Misty Fjords is a national monument and part of the Tongass National Forest. It's a magnificent display of earthly beauty formed by deep glaciers. It's home to many wildlife creatures, and we appeared destined to view it through rain-drenched boat windows. We were herded off the ship with each group going to its assigned bus with its own excursion
number. Ketchikanians were well-prepared in this 4
th or 40
th most rained-on part of the planet, and had permanent covered passageways that protected most from the constant pour of precipitation. Anticipating a gloomy day and because the main camera was now restricted to only very wide angles, I only brought the SX50 and carried the GoPro uselessly in my pocket. The first 4 shots in this day's gallery were taken from our stateroom. Photo 5 was taken from the covered walkways as we searched for the correct bus.
Misty Fjords is about 40 miles from downtown Ketchikan and we could see very little through the misty bus windows of our journey. We debussed and were herded through the rain along the gangplanks to board our boat for the day. Again we managed seats relatively close to the bow, and again there would be much moving around the boat to capture the splendors of the fjords. We saw eagles nested in the trees along the shore as we headed toward Alva Bay and into the fjords, and I wondered how much flight time they could log in such a rainy but protected environment.
In
photo 6 you can see the rain
is easing up a bit, and you can also see a reflection in the window from inside the cabin. This time I think I captured Phil and Maureen. You can't tell from the photo, but you can be sure that in spite of the overcast gloom, their faces were aglow with NEPA smiles. As mentioned in the first post of this trip, us folks from the “second most rainy part of the planet” (Northeast PA) have learned to create bright moments without the aid of sunshine. Still, as the rain was slowing, the windows of opportunity for a good shot topside were becoming clearer. I went up to catch some scenery, but more importantly to catch some face-spray as the skipper sailed toward his daily destination.
Back home in the planning stages of this trip, I remember discussing with Phil that this particular tour had better boats, and would get us to this great eddystone rock I'd like to capture. Photo 11 was the first glimpse of it, and photos 12 thru 16 were my takes on the large monolith. Because of the overcast gloom, the only one that wasn't treated to a painterly dressing was photo 15. If
you are interested in seeing some magnificent pix, there are plenty online to satisfy you. Mine, however, might only satisfy your curiosity, not your aesthetic appetite.
The rain had pretty much stopped completely as we floated near the eddystone rock for photo ops, but the magic didn't start until we entered the fjords. Not only did the sun come out to cheers (mostly from the locals –the crew), but the recent storm, which was considerably more than the normal rain there, revealed stringy waterfalls that are usually just dried up cracks in the rock face. We mostly floated with some strategic side-thruster action from the captain as all of the passengers made their way to the magnificence topside. The morning rain left low-hanging clouds and misty covers for the pines along the shore (photos 34 thru 37).
In photos 39 (below) & 40, take a look at what might at first appear to be a tree growing out parallel from the rock face, then turning 90 degrees straight up toward the Sun. At least for me that's how it appeared. Even if it is just a branch of a larger tree, it's still cool how nature does that
sort of thing. As we floated around, the sunlight was hitting all the right spots, and the renewed waterfalls were casting a special interest into the overall beauty and awe-inspiring feeling of place. It made you glad to be alive in a world that continually creates itself in so many spectacular costumes.
Just when some seemed visibly overwhelmed by the magnificence in the natural display of Time that is Misty Fjords, Nature popped out the most remarkable topping on this creative cake. As we were ready to head back to shore with a few farewell photos and a tip o' the cap to the Creator, we saw a promise in the sky that the world will never again be destroyed by flood, a rainbow. Photos 63 thru 69 captured the costume change as we sailed away.
The ride back seemed longer than the ride out, but the enjoyment level couldn't have been diminished by anything other than a major disaster. And if one occurred, we all seemed much more capable of copping with it. We stopped by a rock on a small island that has some pictographs presumably pointing out the best places for salmon, photo 70. Then,
as we resumed a course for shore, another rainbow appeared off starboard. It wasn't just the alcohol and tasty food that elevated the enthusiastic cheers from the passengers. We all knew we were just treated to a magnificent moment, a natural display that encourages enthusiastic responses in like kind from Humankind.
Can you tell from my verbose expressions that I was happy and grateful for the opportunity? And I wasn't even concerned that I didn't have a better camera to capture the moment because this was one of those moments that cannot be adequately captured on a memory card. It was at this moment one of the crew members handed me a Comment card to grade the experience. After circling Better-than-expected in all categories (because the crew was great, too), there was room for comments. They asked what more would I have liked from the tour. I was writing about how great everything was, and facetiously mentioned that the only thing they could've added was a 3
rd rainbow. When I looked up, there it was --just as we were passing the shoreline where earlier I wondered about the eagles, the 3
rd rainbow. Man, what great service. Wait. Guess that wasn't man, but still great service.
We returned to our ship for one more evening of great service from our host, Johnny from the Philippines, an excellent choice.
This was essentially our last day in Alaska, and she rewarded us with some sunshine and wonderful photo ops. Still, it wasn't enough to get any of our group, except Maryann, to consider a return trip. Nevertheless, I'd love to photograph the state on my own (not with a tour herd), but it's not likely I'll live long enough to do it. There are many more warmer places to shoot, and I can always enjoy the many great photographs of others who had better light and more mobility on their excursions to our 49
th state. One thing is certain, though. I'd love to journey with this same group of 6 ---12 if you count our New Jersey friends. General Joe & Maryann were the best travelers and most enjoyable personalities, and it was great to spend such quality time with my brother and sister-in-law.
Although it was our last day in Alaska, it wasn't our last day of the trip. The
next day we docked in Vancouver where we stayed an extra day to visit with friends I met earlier in the year on a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium, Doug and Libby Harrington. We had a great time staying at the Executive Hotel Le Soleil, then a glorious dinner with the 8 of us at Cafe il Nido. I'm glad that my friends from this trip could meet and enjoy those from the previous trip, and vice versa.
The next day was routinely uneventful, except for the customary airport-travel crap. Can you tell I'm not often a happy flier? How far are we coming with those time-travel or teleportation devices? Will we ever evolve to a species who sees no benefit in blowing each other up, to a species who learns to need less stuff, and air-travel can become a breeze? Either way, we'll hopefully get more opportunities to clock more miles with our Alaskan group, an excellent choice.
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The luxury adventures of Jane
Jane Moorhead
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