Ketchikan

 Yesterday was our last port of call, Ketchikan. It was a cute fishing village with brightly colored buildings that just make you smile. We arrived in port late in the morning, so we were able to sleep in and have a later breakfast before walking down the gangplank right into town. The main road is built upon the pylons on the dock. We had about 90 minutes before we met our tour guide so we wandered the shops and noted things we’d come back and buy later.

Joe had reserved a tour with Wild Wolf Tours which was not part of the Disney excursions but a locally owned tour company. Our guide Zach picked us up and then drove to another dock about 7 miles away where a couple from Norwegian Cruise Lines joined us. We headed to the Tongass National Forest for a nice little hike. The trailhead was at the end of the road and it took us through the rainforest down to a little cove. The trail is named Lunch Creek Trail because it is along a creek where bears come for lunch. The salmon hadn’t started running yet, so we didn’t see any salmon or any bears and that was okay with me. There was a lovely waterfall and the forest was just gorgeous filled with red cedar trees and hemlock tress and tons and tons of blueberry, huckleberry, and salmonberry bushes. Zach told us all about the how a fallen tree becomes a nursery for new trees and other plants who feed off of the nutrients and we saw examples of this several times…tree logs covered in moss, with a plants and trees growing out of it. The log itself had become very spongey as it was being decomposed.

As we walked along the trail, Zach regularly picked berries and encouraged us to do the same. He knew a lot about plant life and told us many facts and stories that kept our interest. As we came down to the beach, Zach was sure to let us know that although it looked like a lake because we saw land all around us, we were actually looking at the Pacific Ocean and this was where salmon would return to swim up the stream into fresh water to lay their eggs. It was low tide so Zach took off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and waded out looking for tidal creatures. He reminded me a lot of my own Zach, a little quirky and a man on his own individual path. After the hike Zach gave us crackers with salmon spread. Joe was brave enough to eat, but David and I took the granola bars instead.

We climbed back into the van, and Zach drove the opposite direction on the main road until we got to a Totem Pole collection. I think it was called the Totem Potlatch, but I don’t remember, and I don’t have enough data to look it up using Google. He told us some of the traditional stories that the different totems represent as well as the ones that represented a lineage. They have a very nice gift shop where we wandered spent money. After the totem poles, Zach dropped us off back downtown where we finished up our shopping and headed back to the ship for an acapella concert by three women who are called Pipeline Vocal Project. They were very talented and put on a good show.

Dinner was at Animator’s Palate and it was so awesome. When we came in there were papers the size of a placemat at our table with markers. There were instructions to draw a person. The head arms, torso and legs were in different sections, but there were examples showing you how to complete your drawing. They collected the drawings, and then after dinner, there was music with the very characters we drew dancing across the screen. It was great fun and Animator’s Palate became our favorite restaurant of the cruise.