Ketchikan, all-you-can-eat-crab feast, and.....a sea cucumber?

Tuesday, 6 August 2013.  I'm back!  Finally, July is behind us, as well as the stopover in Vancouver, WA, where I had a chance to visit with old high school buddies.  So, let's see.  Where are we? When I last left the blog we had just left Seattle aboard the Golden Princess, headed for Ketchikan, Alaska. This would be the first of four ports of call on our cruise and we were looking forward to not only a full day of cruising at sea -- and getting acquainted with our ship -- but also arriving in Ketchikan -- the Salmon Capital of the World.

A panoramic view of Ketchikan with Gravina Island lying across the Tongass Narrows.

Ketchikan is the most southeasternly city in Alaska, and with a population of just over 8,000, it is the 5th largest and most densely populated city in the state.  The local economy is mostly tourism and fishing, and the region has the largest collection of standing totem poles in the world.  Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo Island, 90 miles north of Prince Rupert, BC, and 235 miles south of Juneau, Alaska.  There is a half-mile wide channel called the Tongass Narrows that separates Ketchikan from Gravina Island and where the Ketchikan International Airport (KIA) is located. In August 2005, a highway bill provided $223M to build the Gravina Island Bridge (nicknamed "the bridge to nowhere") between Ketchikan and Gravina Island. The bridge would have connected Ketchikan to Gravina Island, so that one could drive to KIA rather than taking the ferry across Tongass Narrows. In September 2007, after much national and international ridicule over the expense of this project, the Alaskan government ultimately chose not to build the bridge. 

Ketchikan's "welcome" sign in the downtown shopping area.

The following pics provide several various views of the dock area in Ketchikan.  The downtown area was only a 5-10 minute walk or short shuttle bus ride away.

A view of one of Alaska's primary modes of transportation, the bush plane.  These are equipped with pontoons so they can land on one of the many lakes and rivers throughout the state or ferry people -- including hunters and fishermen -- to that perfect spot for a trophy fish or wildlife.

For this first port of call, we had selected a shore excursion called the "Wilderness Exploration Cruise and Crab Feast."  Lynette's parents, Glenn & Glenna Engquist, were joining us on this great experience.  The pic below shows us anxiously awaiting our bus transport that would take us out to a wilderness lodge about an hour's ride down the coast -- and almost to the end of the road.  Ketchikan is only accessible by air or boat and all roads out of town sooner or later end.

Lynette and her parents, Glenna & Glenn waiting for our bus on Ketchikan's docks.

Lynette saying "Hello" to the official greeter at the lodge where we would have our crab feast.

After arriving at the lodge, we boarded a small boat (there were probably about 15 of us) and headed out to where the crab pots were located.  Along the way, I snapped shots of the incredible Alaskan scenery.

 An old fishing cannery, long-deserted, now used as warehouse storage.

 A view of the shoreline as we headed toward the crab pots.

A magnificent waterfall coming down one of the mountainsides in the Ketchikan area.  Saw lots of these on our cruise, especially inside Tracy Arm Fjord.

 An eagle nest, minus any eagles.  We would, however, see many more eagles later on our cruise.

Gorgeous mountain scenery.  The low clouds and mist gave it all a very eerie feeling.

After about 30 minutes or so, we arrived at a small secluded cove where we pulled up two small crab pots. The following pics show the crabs in the pot, our guide providing information on crab pot fishing, and even an unwelcome guest, a sea cucumber.

 Measuring to see if this crab is a keeper.

 One of our fellow tourists holding a fairly large crab, upside down (more docile that way), so it can't grab onto anything with one of its claws -- especially a finger!

 That ugly sea cucumber.  Ugly and very vile looking.  Almost other worldly.

Our guide asked if anybody wanted to touch the sea cucumber or hold it.  Several did (none of us!), and said it felt like holding jello.  A very spongy feel.  A strange creature indeed!

 View of our lodge as we returned from our crab potting -- ready for an all-you-can-eat crab feast!

 A departing bush plane -- it had just brought in several more guests to the lodge.

 Lynette and our crab pot guide.  She was a hoot!  Great excursion, lots of fun!

 View down the shoreline from the lodge.

The following two pics show Glenn & Glenna, and Lynette, enjoying our crab feast.  Looks like Glenn just bit into a lemon or something.

 I have to admit that "big pile" of crab in front of Lynette is really our empty crab legs that we piled up at our table.  But all of us did eat one heck of a lot of crab!

Lynette saying "Goodbye" to the lodge's official greeter.

 Glenn, Glenna, and Lynette back in downtown Ketchikan.

 Hey!  I met a "friend" in downtown Ketchikan, too!  This was one big guy!

On our walk back to the Golden Princess I spotted this interesting bronze statue in the middle of the square on the docks.  Took a shot of it and later found out it is called "The Rock" and represents the history of Ketchikan.  This impressive bronze sculpture features seven life-size figures: Chief Johnson (a Tlingit Indian leader), a logger, a miner, a fisherman, a pilot, a pioneer woman, and a native drummer.  This highly visible monument portrays the pioneers that founded Ketchikan, and is rapidly becoming one of the area’s most recognizable landmarks.  I later found another photo that shows more clearly the seven figures.

 One of Ketchikan's many colorful buildings.

A couple views of the Golden Princess on our walk back to the ship.

Once on board our ship, we departed Ketchikan just about on time (4:00pm) and headed north through the Tongass Narrows.  Once out of the Narrows, the ship headed in a northwesterly direction through the Clarence and Summer Straits with the Tracy Arm Fjord as our intermediate destination on the way to our next port of call, Juneau.  As we cruised the Tongass Narrows, I stood at the rail and took more pics of this absolutely beautiful scenery.

 Looking back at Ketchikan.

More of those bush planes coming into Ketchikan.  Saw dozens of them as we left the area.

 At the far northern edge of Ketchikan.

 Almost at the end of the Ketchikan area.

 The last little bit of the Ketchikan area.  Beautiful landscape and scenery.

 At the rail, looking down the side of our ship.

I spotted this tug pulling a fairly large barge, loaded with everything that might be needed further up Alaska's Inside Passage.  This one included numerous containers and a couple trucks.

Overnight the Golden Princess would continue to cruise north through the Chatham Strait, and then change to a more northeasterly route inside Frederick Sound.  Once through the Sound the ship would head NNW and transit Stephens Passage and make for the entrance to Tracy Arm to begin the slow, scenic cruise up this majestic fjord before heading for Juneau. 

The beginning of our absolutely fantastic early morning journey inside Tracy Arm Fjord.