Our first stop was Ketchikan, Alaska -- at the bottom of the pan handle. Ketchikan was one of the original Alaskan port towns and still has a Wild West feel. Back in the day, it was a fishing and canning town and an entry point for traders and miners trying to gain access to the Yukon territory. Now it is mostly a cruise ship tourist town with its (historic) red light district as a major attraction. "Creek Street" is on a canal that hosted various brothels and speakeasies. It included a "married mans trail" that allowed men to sneak in and out unnoticed. One catch phrase post in many places around Creek Street: "Where men and salmon came upstream to spawn". I am not sure what this says about our society's voyeuristic tendency that exploitation and infidelity can become a tourist spot. The various historical plaques seem to honor entrepreneurial women who set up shop, made money, fought the system, became rich and sometimes even became pillars (others pariahs) of society. (Google: Dolly Arthur and the sporting women of Ketchikan). Churches, city hall and other organizations tried to shut them down. One congregation built their church smack in the middle of the Creek Street -- and, even then, had only limited success. It must have been quite a scene when Sunday service let out.
Ann (the wonderful) had booked us a speed boat and seaplane (or, as they call them in Alaska, "floatplane") tour of the "Misty Fjords." "Misty" because the Alaskan weather is often cloudy and rainy (providing ample mist). But, since this was a two day period of sunny skies, the fjords weren't misty at all! For several hours we motored through the most majestic scenery. The speed boat was a catamaran with powerful jet engines. It flew across the water as we passed cliffs that were several thousand feet high. We ended at a floatplane dock out in the middle of nowhere. With a few minutes a seaplane landed and we climbed aboard. Our pilot was gangly man with graying and weathered features. He looked every bit like the bush pilot he was. While our boat ride out to the seaplane dock took 2 1/2 hours, the flight back took only 30 minutes. Even so, the views was spectacular and worth every minute!
Enjoy the photos. (Due to the amount and size, the photos will come in two emails)
Sent from my iPad
Bill
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