Catchin some rays in Ketchikan

I know I sound like a broken record by now, but we had AMAZING weather again today. In fact, the captain is telling us to mark it down as a record. And it was! A hot sunny day in the high 70s.

We started off the boat at 9:00, our docking time. Mom, dad, the boys, Steve and I went straight to the Duck Boats to grab some tickets. The only option was the 11:30 am tour so we booked it and then made our way across the parking lot to the Visitor Center, where we could purchase tickets to the lumberjack show.

The visitor center was incredibly helpful and had over a dozen people in there selling tickets for tours and other attractions. We bought the Lumberjack tickets and then started asking about the buses that take you out of town to the Totem Village. One guy started talking to us about booking a private tour with a cab. We first thought he was sort of a swindler and it would end up costing us an arm and a leg. But he was legit and got us a cab who promised to take us to about 4 key sights with over an hour of touring. And he didn't charge us anything to book the cab. We think these young people at the Visitor Center are paid to help tourists but no kick-backs or booking fees. It turned out to be great.

We piled into a decrepit but reliable mini van and our guide, Alfred Woods, took us on a tour of his home. Alfred is a Native from the Tlingit Tribe and his grandmother was the last tattooed woman (i.e. the last matriarch leader of the tribes). He had some fascinating stories that included up close encounters with bears, eagles and whales, as well as insight into a lot of the countryside. He took us to a river where bears are known to frequent. No bears out that day but a ton of huge salmon spawning and jumping and several eagles. We then went to a hidden waterfall that was truly breathtaking. Our final stop was at the Saxman Village Totem Pole collection, where we saw over 50 original totem poles. The boys liked hearing the storied behind the poles and the sunshine only made the experience more enjoyable.

Alfred dropped us at the dock where we boarded the Miss Julian, a amphibious vehicle that took us on a tour by land and by sea. Our guide was good, complete with lots of punny jokes, but not as upbeat as the one the boys have taken in Seattle. We toured around the city and then launched into the water at a harbor up the road from our cruise ship. Seaplanes took off over our heads and landed around us and we toured by different fishing boats.While a little windy at times, the sunshine was warm and made for a relaxing trip.

Chuck and Mary met up with us after and we made our way to the Lumberjack Show. This event features 4 incredibly athletic lumberjacks in a mock competition between old time logging camps. It was entertaining and fun and we all were on the edges of our seats during the 50 foot pole climb and descent (straight down splinters and all). The log roll at the end was also a great event to watch.

Unfortunately the ship left at 5:30 so after some fresh seafood at a local restaurant, we had just enough time to walk Creek Street (the wild and infamous red light district) and head back to the ship. Creek Street was fun but with the kids in tow, we didn't spend too much time at Dollie's famous parlor.