Ketchikan AM

Ketchikan was another fun port.  It has been

one great day after another on this trip. 

In the morning we explored the towns famous Creek Street. It is the Old Town of the port.





Here is the creek along Creek Street.

We checked out the tiny shops. We saw eagles fly right over us when we were walking.

Do you see the eagle?

Cropped

This was the view from the bus stop.

After checking out the town we took public transportation to Totem Bight State Park.  Again, when ever you travel, check out the local bus/train for your daily transport.  It was only a few dollars and it dropped us off right in front of the park.  Don’t be afraid of getting lost.  Locals are most always happy to help you find your way around the area.

Totem Bight was the local state park that had a trail with totem poles.  They explained the meaning behind each pole.  The park was located right on the shore, so you could check out the rocky shore too.

Here is more Skunk cabbage!

Clan house

 This is a beam in the clan house carved and painted.  There was four poles inside the house.

These poles were hard to photograph.  They were massive. 

So, this was our morning adventures.  I don't want to overwhelm you with too many pictures, so I will do the afternoon in another post.  Stay tuned for our kayaking adventure!

Word Filled Wednesday

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,

that we may obtain mercy and find grace

to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

If you want that splendid power in prayer —

you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
~C.H. Spurgeon

Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait is a tiny port that the cruise line & local village built up for cruise passengers to explore.  It was not much more than a rocky beach, nature trail and a few shops and restaurants.

So after climbing the mountains of Skagway, we decided to sleep in and go ashore after a late breakfast.  You can read about the people of this village HERE.

We hung out on the shore.  Michael fished from the shore and caught a salmon on his first cast.  So I wandered around the area taking pictures and chatting with other cruisers.

We saw a couple whales!

An Eagle flew overhead!

Then we took a break from fishing to walk the nature trail.  As we entered the forest it reminded us of where Shrek lived.  Temperate rainforests are so GREEN.  We found some more Skunk cabbage.  There were a lot of unusual roots growing along the trail.  The trail ended at this pretty little pond.  It wasn’t accessible for fishing. 

Do you see the heart?

NO fishing allowed, sad day.

There was a clan house with totem poles in the little village area. 

We headed back to the shore and fished the other side of the harbor.  I was able to take a good picture of the ship from this side.

O' wait, that isn't our ship.Here it is!

Gorgeous day for just hanging out!

See I told you Shrek lived here, wink;)

Next stop Ketchikan. 

Skagway

Skagway, is a little town with a big history. This sleepy little Alaskan town was one of the gateways to the Klondike.

We took a free history tour from the National Park Service.  We learned about the people who left their lives behind in search of GOLD!  You had to be a hardy person to endure the journey.  Only 1% of the gold rushers found enough gold to become RICH. 

This building was being excavated and refurbished by the National Parks.

Skagway seemed like it was a real Wild West kind of town.  They have tried to keep the Klondike era alive, with wooden sidewalks and historically correct buildings.  But you can still find a Starbucks behind those doors.

After the tour we packed a lunch and headed up to Dewey Lake.  It was a steep climb, and this old girl felt every step.  We had a picnic up at the lake and Michael fished for a couple hours. 

Up, up, up we go!

Springtime is just beginning here in Alaska. All the trees are starting to bud and bulbs are blooming.

I found this Stellar Blue Jay foraging around the ground for sticks to build his nest.

Skagway had  honest businessmen and then the not so honest ones.  “Soapy” Smith tried to play both sides and finally lost.  We hiked through the “Gold Rush cemetery.  I don’t know how many of these graves are real and how many are just stuck in the ground for the tourists. 

Just passed the cemetery and up another hill was Reid Falls. It was a nice waterfall. It was an easy hike, with what I like to call a prize at the end.

 

There were a couple more fishing spots we wanted to hit, but we had to know when to stop.  These old joints aren’t what they use to be.  Next stop Icy Strait.  



Juneau PM

After our lunch on the ship we headed to our next tour, ziplining!!!!!!We had never done this before so we were both a little scared.  I had investigated all the different companies in Alaska and felt this one was the most eco friendly and safest.  What do I know???  I’m jumping off platforms 100 feet off the ground, crazy! 

Those helmet are not going to save our skulls when we plummet to the ground.  They are to protect our heads from the branches.

We picked  Alaska Zipline Adventures.  Again we booked this on our own.  It saved us $40 each doing it this way.  The ships excursions are convenient but not the most economical.  Plus we were not in a large group.  In fact we were the only people in the group.  So we had a private tour.

 The crew was so friendly and professional. They took our safety very seriously,

but made it super fun at the same time.

Ben and Alicia were our guides.  They 

were great kids, sorry young adults.  I told them

I would mention them on my blog.  So here it is guys,

enjoy your five seconds of fame. 

The guides told us about the rainforest and all its plants. This is Skunk Cabbage. I saw it growing in other areas on our trip and felt really smart when other people would say, “I wonder what that is?”, and I knew the answer. They showed us how to tell the trees apart by looking at the bark. Something about bacon being the hemlock and eggs being the spruce?????

Notice the double cable. That is one of the reasons I picked this company. I guess I felt if one broke the other one would save me.

 Hannah is next to me in this picture.  She is going to be an intern with this great company this summer.  Lucky girl!  Michael dozed off for this picture, hahaha.  Wake up, we have crossed the suspension bridge! 

Good thing I left my high heels at home! 

Anyway, we weaved our way through the forest, took a break for some warm blueberry tea and crossed a cool suspension bridge.  The time flew by and we had an exhilarating time.

Before they took us back to the ship, Michael tried his hand at ax throwing. Michael hit the bulls eye on the first try! He got his picture taken for the Hall of Fame wall.

 (It’s on Facebook too.) All that wood chopping for our wood stove paid off.

Ben even threw his first one!  Way to go!

If you are ever in the Juneau area make sure to check out Alaskan Zipline Aventures.