Friday 25th September – Ketchikan
A sleep in this morning as we were not getting into Ketchikan until 10. As it turned out it was sometime after 10:30 that we were cleared to go on land. It was raining again, which is not surprising considering it rains 90% of the time and they get 12.5 feet of rain a year. Surprisingly, however, by the time we had caught the shuttle bus to the Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Centre, the rain had gone for the day. The Centre was most interesting. They divert some of the fish swimming up Ketchikan Creek into breeding ponds at the centre and raise and release 300,000 salmon, steelhead and rainbow trout a year (giving nature a helping hand). They also have a refuge for injured bald eagles and had a couple there who appeared to be quite happy.
From there we went to the Totem Heritage Centre where they exhibit and preserve older totems from the area. They also educate on and exhibit native arts. We caught the shuttle back to Creek Street which is a cute area of town (once the red light district), where all the shops are built on stilts over the creek. Was interesting watching the salmon run up the creek. There were massive numbers of them. A bit of shopping and we were worn out for the day.
Back to the ship to do a bit of washing and a cocktail before dinner. Dinner tonight was ‘Surf and Turf’ for both of us. A bit upmarket on most S&T though. This one was steak and lobster. Very nice too. I think I have only been mentioning the main each night. In actual fact, dinner is a 4-course meal. e.g. tonight was seafood (shrimp, scallops, crab) cocktail, mushroom soup (mostly a salad), the surf & turf and a chocolate dessert creation of the chef. It is a bit hard being restrained about food on board.
Tonight’s showtime of singing and dance was based on Broadway hits – another excellent production. We then went to the Ocean Bar for a few dances. Before bed, we went to have a look at the Desert Extravaganza with lots of fruit and ice carving and chocolate sculptures. We behaved ourselves and didn’t eat.
