Ketchikan Harbor

A city that measures rain in feet greeted us with sunshine and blue skies today. When I say in feet, I don’t mean one or two feet. Rather, Ketchikan gets 13-14 feet of rain annually.

We experienced a real soaker when we first visited Ketchikan in 2001. Drenched to the skin through our waterproof gear, we had to return to the ship to change into dry clothes before we could do further sightseeing. On our second visit in 2018, there was a sprinkle or two, but it didn’t amount to much. Today, nary a drop fell on us.

Insignia arrived early at its berth in Ward Cove, the cruise facilities built by NCLH … approximately 7 miles from the city center. Early … as in well before its scheduled 12:30p arrival, not at the crack of dawn. Mui and I set off at 11:00a to have lunch in Ketchikan. Whether we would then use the Silver Bus to go to Totem Bight State Park was TBD at that point. I’ll just note that we skipped that portion of our plans and leave it at that.

We were on the first shuttle operated by the port authority from Ward Cove into the city. The shuttle service made the distance to downtown a non-issue as it ran on 10-minute intervals and did not wait for the bus to fill before departing. We were dropped off in a dirt parking lot near berth 4 … less than a 10 minute walk into downtown. Seeing the crowds from the four big ships docked along the waterfront — and one anchored in the channel — frankly I was glad that we were at Ward Cove … with only NCL Bliss docked there with us. Yes, it was a busy 7-ship-day in Ketchikan today.

As we strolled down the waterfront, we came to the wooden statue of an eagle entitled “Thundering Wings.” The statue is a tribute to the name of the city — Ketchikan (Keech Ka Xa Haan) meaning “Thundering Wings of an Eagle” in the Tlingit language. I remember reading on a nearby board when we were in Ketchikan in 2018 that the Tlingit gave this name not because of the abundance of eagles that nest here. Rather, because the town — once a Tlingit fishing camp — is shaped like an eagle with outstretched wings … at least when it is viewed from atop Deer Mountain. Later settlers, unable to properly pronounce the Tlingit name, changed it to what we know it as today.

Our slow stroll eventually led us to the Creek Street National Historic District — the red light district during the gold rush days of the city. Our plan was to take the funicular up to Cape Fox Lodge for lunch. That plan did not work out, unfortunately. We found the station OK, but the funicular was closed for restoration.

No worries. We retraced our steps on the boardwalk and found the Married Men’s Trail that tradition says was the “secret” path men took through the rainforest to get to the red light district back in the day. Walking up the trail a short ways, we found the unsigned stairs that lead to the top of the hill where the lodge is situated. It took a bit more energy on our part to get to our lunch spot, but it was worth it.

There was no question as to what we would be ordering for lunch … halibut fish & chips. I actually went off-the-books, so to speak, and ordered the halibut po boy with a Caesar side salad so as not to double up on the fries. I was expecting smaller chunks of the fish, but the sandwich was made with the same size portions of halibut used for the fish & chips. It was more difficult to eat, but just as delicious … and just as flaky and crisply fried as our lunch in 2018 … at the same table no less.

After lunch, we spent a few minutes at the totem circle at the entrance to the lodge. The six totem poles, carved by local artist Lee Wallace, represent the culture of the Northwest Coast peoples. Two of the poles are flat houseposts, the other four are full-rounded poles. Each beautifully carved … all but one painted with red, black, and white accents. The Brown Bear pole, with a cub at the tippy top was cute.

Despite the wear and tear caused by Mother Nature, the “Naa Kaani” totem pole remains my favorite. It depicts a male figure wearing a traditional button blanket and a hat, holding a speaking staff. On the back of the cape is an Orca and another one sits atop the hat. The man who offered to take our photo with this totem pole in 2018 told us that it represented his clan and explained that the figure mediates and brings order to potlatch ceremonies.

We decided to return down the hill by way of the main road and catch the Married Men’s Trail at the other end. We looked carefully at the salmon ladder as we went down, but there were no fish fighting the creek to get upriver to their spawning grounds. A bit early in the season.

When we reached Creek Street, we walked along the boardwalk that runs through the historic district towards the main street … past Dolly’s House … and through the City Park with its totems. Opting to follow a back street, we came to the historic St John’s Episcopal Church, which we’d never gone into before. Spotting some nice stained glass windows we stopped to check them out. The sign at the door said the church was open for tours and prayers. The pastor was at the pulpit, reading prayers to an empty church. We waited for a bit, hoping he’d be finishing soon. When it became apparent that he had no intention of doing so, we left without wandering down the side aisles for a closer look at the stained glass windows.

We were back on Insignia by 3:00p. NCL Bliss was gone. Ward Cove was quiet. I sat out on the veranda, the sun quite welcome as it mitigated the chill brought on by the light breeze. I read until it was time to get ready for dinner, which was in Toscana … CD Ray hosted us and our friends, Younga & David. A very pleasant evening of conversation and delicious food.

Insignia was scheduled to leave its berth at 10:00p. But we were on the move by 9:30p. Leaving the cove, we had a delightful orange and apricot sunset to enjoy. A real sunset for the first time in a very long while. We might be seeing more colorful ones as we continue south and the days get a bit shorter than they have been.Read more