This cruise was Dave's and my sixth trip to Alaska. We've seen the typical sights in the tourist trail cities like Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sitka. This time we picked less usual shore excursions. On June 10, 2026 in Ketchikan, we skipped the lumberjack show, fun as it is, and toured Misty Fjords National Park by small boat. The scenery was so spectacular that a picture of me with my camera is the most authentic image there could be!
The Melinda Leigh was our boat--small enough to get inside the narrow fjords, but big enough to brave stormy weather.
There was a map in the boat's cabin to show us where we were going, and an old seaman to tell us stories and facts about this wild area in the Inside Passage.
And, of course, I had my trusty guidebooks. I brought five books on the cruise about Alaskan history and sights, and I read four of them.
And,
There were beautiful, tiny islands as we headed into the fjord.
We passed the Raold Amundsen ship steaming out of the fjord as we went in. That is one of the two expedition ships which HK Expeditions sails through the Northwest Passage. It carries 495 passengers, since ships with 500 or more passengers are not allowed to dock in Arctic and Antarctic areas, as I understand. If we are lucky enough and rich enough, Dave and I will sail the Northwest Passage with HK Expeditions in 2028.
The mountains rose high around us as we sailed into the fjords.
Dozens of waterfalls poured off the cliffs.
The dark water, dark sky, brilliant green trees, and red rock made stunning combinations.
The combinations of colors and textures, where the rock walls reached the water, were beautiful.
The outskirts of Ketchikan are picturesque. Well-spaced cabins and houses have their own docks.
Ketchikan, itself, is a crowded warren of small, bright-colored houses.
Ketchikan is usually a good place to eat king crab legs, one of my very favorite luxuries. Unfortunately, the price has skyrocketed as king crab has been over-fished. At this Ketchikan cafe, a one-pound serving of king crab legs cost $135. Dave was horrified.
We bought half a pound, to go, so they'd be cheaper. I sat on a bench in a mall hallway and ate every smidgen, dipped in cups of melted butter.
We wandered the streets of Ketckikan, pausing at a store that sold upscale Alaskan art.
The owner of the store showed us his collection of mastodon tusks, selling for from $20K to $60K. I have a small pendant made of a mastodon tusk that I bought in Victoria, Canada, years ago. But a whole tusk? "Who buys those tusks?" we asked. The owner replied that wealthy tourists, such as sports stars, buy them on a whim! We bought our St. George house on a whim, I admit, but never a mastodon tusk.
And then it was time to return to our seafaring "home."
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment