We docked in downtown Ketchikan, the salmon capital of the world, by seven this morning. Ketchikan is Alaska's wettest city, with an amazing yearly average of 13 feet of rainfall. We were lucky enough to have a misty, but rain-free morning that allowed us a great opportunity to explore the area on foot. By early afternoon, however, it was drizzling.
Ketchikan's history is founded on fishermen, loggers and miners and the buildings and layout of the town evoke that old wild frontier feel. The buildings are all timber and nestled around the waterfront, along the creek and up the mountainside clothed in hundreds of shades of green.
An interesting fact about Ketchikan is that it has one of the largest collections of totem poles in the world. The other really interesting thing I enjoyed was watching the salmon swim up stream. Each year over a million pink salmon return to spawn. It is an amazing feat that they manage to swim and leap up the fast flowing creek.
The historic buildings on Creek Street (once houses of ill repute, now tourist shops) are built on long wooden pilings. Strolling along the wooden boardwalk, one can watch the icy cold water flowing beside and do a spot of shopping. There are plenty of bargains to be had as the cruise ship season is drawing to a close for the winter.
As I write this I am lazing in a comfortable reclining chair at the front of the boat. We are gliding slowly away from our first Alaskan stop, and I am keeping my eyes peeled to catch a glimpse of some whales.