Back in 2019, I fulfilled another "Alaskan Bucket List" trip, when David & I did 3 weeks by the Alaska Marine Highway utilizing the Alaska State Ferry system. While I knew I wanted to experience the culture and people of SE Alaska, I also knew that a cruise ship with thousands of people, stopping for mere hours per port, was no way to do it. It took several years of planning to put something together, while also trying to schedule such a long time way from work. I was able to put together a fantastic itinerary, which included Juneau, Skagway, Petersburg, Sitka, Glacier Bay and Hoonah. We had a wonderful time, but I also knew something was missing . . . KETCHIKAN!
This RV2AK adventure provided me with the ability to piggyback Ketchikan at the end of my travels, while working my way back home. Just as with most of my other SE Alaska stops in 2019, it seemed 2 days was the perfect amount of time to have to explore and experience the local flavor of Alaska's 1st City.
On Friday morning (my first full day in town), it was pouring rain and pretty chilly. I travel with good rain gear whenever I'm in Alaska, but I still didn't feel like being out walking around in it so I opted to head downtown to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, an interagency visitor center for the Tongass National Forest. Like they say, there's nothing like a nice museum when the weather outside is bad.
As with the visitor centers/museums Pam & I visited in Fairbanks, this one was very well done. It depicted what life in this region of Alaska was like for the indigenous people who have lived and fished these waters for centuries. There were also a number of short (20-30 minute) movies shown in the theater, adding to the learning experience.
After spending a couple of hours there, I noticed the rain had started to
let up, so I thought it might be a good time to find the Creek Street
area of the city.
Originally the "red-light district" of Ketchikan (until the 1950's!), many of the buildings have been restored and repurposed to attract tourists . . . most of whom have arrived by cruise ship. It was interesting to see them all, as on this particular day there were 6 ships in port. Many appeared ill-prepared for the weather, and could be flagged as "tourists" by the umbrellas they were carrying. (It's been said that Alaskans will never be seen with an umbrella.)
But I have to give them credit . . . there were a lot of them out and about enjoying the city. It was a challenge for me at times, avoiding the rain and the people, but I did get some photos of the Creek Street area.
With a scheduled tour on my itinerary for 2:00pm, I wanted to get something hearty to eat for lunch, especially since I ate the last of the Hostess mini-donut packs I had for breakfast that morning. It started to rain heavy again, as I approached this blue building . . . The Good Fortune (Chinese) Restaurant. Formerly "Annie's Place" (circa 1920), Annie was a black madam from Arkansas who continued to live here after prostitution ended in 1954.
More of her story can be read here.
According to the information provided by the restaurant owners today, the Good Fortune Restaurant is "the first and only Chinese American fusion restaurant in Ketchikan." Found in the early 1970's, multiple generations of the original owner have owned and operated this business. As remarked on YELP and Trip Advisor reviews, there's not much ambiance or atmosphere here, but the food is outstanding. I enjoyed my table on the second floor overlooking Creek Street eating lunch during my respite from the rain.
After lunch it was time to head to the docks for my Misty Fjords' tour with Major Marine. As you can see, the rain had resumed . . . the weather (and people) were miserable! I couldn't count the number of grumpy people whining about how cold and wet they were. One man was overheard crabbing that he didn't care that the excursion was paid for, he did not want to go! The wife and an adult child walked away, later to be seen on the boat without him.
The tour was probably organized well, but with so many cruise ships in port, plus the terrible weather, people were cramped and huddled under an awning near the public restroom facility. The person from Major Marine seemed to have her hands full dealing with the excursion people from the various ships. Our boat was not ready for boarding yet, and people were tired of being in the rain. It was not a good start to a 5 hour boat trip.
Along the way, there was narration by a naturalist who did a good job of telling us about the wildlife and geology of this area. There were also crew members on the look out for interesting sights along the way . . . like an eagles' nest seen on an island, and a singleton humpback whale off in the distance. With the rain on the outside of the windows and condensation on the inside, it was pretty challenging to take much in the way of photos on this trip. At a couple of stops, we were allowed out onto the bow of the boat . . . I got some nice photos of the "misty fjords" . . . which like the Blue Ridge Mountains are really just whispy clouds that shroud the mountains and valleys. There were also some interesting waterfalls throughout the fjords, some off in the distance while others were right where we were able to pull up to.
During the trip, the crew served us seafood chowder, which was warming and delicious. That along with the hot chocolate, tea & coffee served, the tour did a nice job of not nickle and diming guests. (The Kenai Fjords tour out of Seward charged $11 for a refillable cup for beverages while on their trip.)
As you can see here, not everyone was engaged on the tour. It was a shame they took prime seats up front, only to spend most of their time doing whatever on their mobile devices.
Once back to the port around 8:00pm, I was ready to head to my hotel and a hot shower. I think I was in bed by 9:30pm that night.
TO BE CONTINUED - MORE KETCHIKAN (SATURDAY)
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