Life's A Happy Song: Alaska 2017

Sunday, May 28 - Ketchikan

I was wide awake before 5 AM again. I spent a few minutes out on the balcony watching the sunrise; it was so beautiful. Then, I wandered up to the Sky Lounge to watch the ship pull into Ketchikan. I am glad I did. There were only a few other people in the Sky Lounge and it was a nice, relaxing way to start the day.

This was taken from our veranda on the back of the ship.
You can see how close the Tongass store is to the pier/ship.
Photo Credit: Stephanie H.

We had't planned any major excursions for this day, just wanted to check out Creek Street and see the Lumberjack Show. So, the rest of the crew slept in a bit and then we all had a leisurely breakfast in the Oceanview Café. We made it into port sometime before 10 AM. Tongass Trading Company was the first stop and we spent a good bit of time there before making our way through the city and on to Creek Street.

The ship from the pier with our cabins marked by the red stars,

Can anyone tell me why I took this picture?

The obligatory "Welcome to Ketchikan" sign pictures...

A few interesting things from the shops about town...

The Chief Johnson totem pole which stands 55' tall and is made of one red cedar log.
It tells the story of Fog Woman and the creation of salmon.

My dad would have loved this bench.

The Chief Johnson totem pole stands 55' tall and is carved from a single western red cedar log

It depicts the legend of the Fog Woman and the creation of salmon.

We enjoyed some time playing with the totem poles in front of Cape Fox Lodge.

Mom and Suzette took the funicular back down to Creek Street while the rest of us took Married Man's Trail back down.

More shopping, browsing, and posing on Creek Street...

By the time we finished with Creek Street, it was time to walk over to the Lumberjack show for our 12:45 entry time. We had a few extra minutes and were thirsty, so we stopped into the adjacent building to grab a few drinks. I ordered an Alaskan Brewing Summer Ale for Stephanie and I to share.

I recommend it.

Not really Coors!

The Lumberjack Show, brought to you by STIHL chainsaws, was as hokey and touristy as I expected, but entertaining nonetheless. Rachel won a prize - an autographed postcard - and mom commandeered some wood, ahem. The lumberjacks kindly signed the wood "cookie".

After the show, we went back to Tongass Trading Co. and the other port shops for a few specific souvenirs. I bought one of their jackets for our Tracy Arm day and Suzette and Stephanie bought some salmon which they had sent to Stephanie's brother. We were going to grab a late lunch at Burger Queen, but "she" was closed. It was nearing the all aboard time, so we just went back to the ship instead. If I recall correctly, Suzette and Stephanie ordered room service, mom and I went to the buffet, and I have no idea where the girls ate.

As we left Ketchikan...

Our evening activities started off with a lecture on bears by naturalist Brent Nixon. You can tell that man really loves what he does!

Next, we saw the show which was another medley of songs, mostly current pop and rock hits.

After the show, we walked out and into the Celebrity Port vs. Starboard Game Show (or some name similar to that) that was just starting outside the theater. Rachel was picked as a contestant and we were here team. The two contestants sit with their backs to a TV screen that shows various locations around the world which Celebrity ships visit. The team had to give their contestants clues and the contestant had to correctly guess the name of the place, building, etc. This was so much fun. We really go into it. For the last question, Rachel used a lifeline and switched places with me. I narrowly beat out the other contestant and our team won! Rachel did all of the hard work though, so she deserves credit for the win! Mom, Shelby, Rachel, and I received prizes - Celebrity journals and international chargers.