Here are Dad and Scott and I at Icy Strait Point. Dennis went off to hike and explore on his own. This was my least favorite port. The town of Hoonah was originally a fishing village, and Icy Strait was created by and for the cruise ship industry. There really wasn't much to do, and all of the excursions were through the cruise ship. Their "claim to fame" is the worlds longest zip line. It was a 90 second zip ride over the rain forest for only about $100. Needless to say, we didn't participate in that one. They had a fish cannery museum and some shops, but not much else.
We did take the forest trail which went through a dense, lush rainforest and ended with a trail along the beach. The forest was gorgeous, and we again had beautiful weather. While we were walking along the beach, we noticed a local family and their children were swimming in the water. Even though the day was warm and sunny, I don't think I would have wanted to swim!
In Ketchikan we got off of the ship and walked around a bit before we met our tour. It was so warm! We were going sea kayaking that day, and thought it would be chilly on the water, and so we had dressed for cold. Ketchikan gets rain something like 300 days a year, so we were planning on rainy and cold. It was sunny and about 78 I think. We had to go into one of the shops and find shorts because we hadn't packed any. Not that I'm complaining mind you!
We then met our tour and rode to the dock where we were given our gear and kayaking instructions. When we planned this excursion, we all thought it would be ok for Dad because he would be just sitting in the boat. Well, evidently Dad was quite concerned and nervous about his ability to do this. We got him situated in the kayak with Scott and off they went! It was kind of funny to watch, but eventually they got the hang of paddling and we took off across the bay.
One of the things we saw was a bald eagle nest. We were able to see several mature and adolescent bald eagles right up close. We paddled close to the shore, and they just sat there. They were fascinating to watch.
I'm not sure how this picture got here, and the computer won't let me delete it. It is Alaska's State Flower, the Forget-Me-Not.
The one thing I had really been wanting to see and hadn't yet were bears. We saw one from a distance on our Kenai Fjords tour, they didn't make an appearance at Taku Lodge, and we pulled up just as one was walking into the bushes on our Skagway tour. Well, we finally saw our bears while we were kayaking! If you look carefully you can see a mama and two cubs. One cub is brown and the other is black. We got a little excited when we saw them, so they got spooked and went over the log into the trees. I was just thrilled that we got to see them!
When we got back to the dock, it was quite a trick to get dad out of the kayak. His arms were so tired from paddling he didn't have the strength to push himself up out of the boat, and his feet kept slipping on the wet floor. I was afraid we were going to have to dump him upside down to pull him out, but eventually he was able to do it. Good thing, the water was cold!!
When we got back to town, we wanted to go to the Saxman Native Village. We had been told there were lots of totems. I think next time we'll go to Totem Bight instead. We took a taxi out, looked around for a minute and then took the city bus back to town for free. Oh well, live and learn...
This is the famous Creek Street. All of the shops are built onto the creek. During the salmon run, they say that the creek is just full of fish. That would have been neat to see. During the gold rush, the miner's would come down to creek street to eat, drink, and be merry.
One of the most famous residents of Creek Street was Dolly. She was in the male entertainment business, and kept very busy. Evidently she was quite renown. Dad wanted to go in, but we wouldn't let him. ;-)
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