Ketchikan - the last hurrah

Monday, May 24, 2010
Ketchikan is our final stop of this trip.  We have had such a great time on this cruise, I hate to see it end.
We visited Saxman Native Village which included a guided tour of their carving center, where natives are creating totems in the fashion of their ancestors.  Senior craftsmen are teaching the apprentices to keep the customs alive. 

Our guide gave us an explanation of the symbols generally incorporated into the totem, and how the design takes place.  Each image is placed in a specific order and has a significant meaning.  It was quite fascinating, and our guide was really informative.

The Village has the largest collection of standing totem poles.  Enjoy the show of a few posted here:

 

She also took us into the Beaver Clan House to see the Tlingit tribal members perform traditional songs and dances and tell tales wearing traditional ceremonial regalia.

We then took a self-guided tour about Ketchikan.  It's got unique architecture, beautiful flower gardens, and a tunnel right through town. 

 

Our final stop was Creek Street, once the red light district, but now a cute area of quaint cafes and gift shops.   The shops all sport colorful paint, and a wooden boardwalk above Ketchikan creek.  We didn't stop to eat anything, since we're getting well satisfied on the cruise ship, but it was a cute area that I can image is crazy busy during peak tourist season.

It's ironic that Ketchikan is known as Alaska's First City due to its location at the southern tip of the Inside Passage – it is the first city you reach as you cruise north. For us, it's Alaska's Final City, since our next stop will be Vancouver, BC.

We experienced the first rain of our trip today, and it was just a light sprinkle.  We were very fortunate, since spring rains are of course common in Alaska, just as they are in the lower 48.  Thank you, Travel Gods.