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  3. TRAVEL 2014
  4. CRUISE TO ALASKA!

KETCHIKAN

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Some of the different activities.
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Some of the different activities.

vfaketchikanlumbershow

  • Upon de-boarding, we are met by an eagle. I had actually been surprised up until this time at how few eagles we had seen.
  • Can you find Dennis and Judy?
  • THE ROCK. A statue welcomes you as you step onshore. The lady statue to your left is a Tlingit woman beating a traditional drum. The statue fellow with his back toward us and a somewhat conical hat is Chief Johnson, who was apparently the leader here when the European-American types started coming up here to mine and log. The other images honor the miners, loggers, fishermen, and others who were responsible for building a community here.
  • That's some amazing ship in the background!
  • Liquid Sunshine Gauge. Apparently Ketchikan averages >150 inches of precipitation per year, with a record of 202.55 inches in 1949.
  • Along a picturesque loop walk through Ketchikan.
  • Notice the salmon ladder. Ketchikan claims to be the salmon capital of the world.
  • Now here's an enterprising home owner: He put a wishing well in his yard, and then made it very easy to hit the target!
  • While I remember seeing totem poles in Indian curio stores when I was a kid in Oklahoma and New Mexico, historically the crafting and display of totem poles were limited to tribes in the Pacific Northwest, from modern day WA, on up the Canadian coast and into Alaska. The Totem Heritage Center has one of the largest collections of unrestored totem poles from history. They seem to place a very high priority on preservation, as opposed to the crafting of new ones (as seems to be the emphasis in WA and some other places).
  • Of course, when we are talking about old totem poles, keep in mind this is a relative term: We are referring to an unpreserved wooden object in a very harsh environment. I believe that the guide here told us that the oldest totem pole in this collection is 175 years old.
  • While I have tremendous respect for the craftsmanship, I believe I prefer to return to the Oosterdam for the rest of our journey.
  • The Ketchikan Marina. Salmon thinking about heading up stream. What is that HUGE "salmon?"
  • Jumping salmon
  • More jumping salmon. We are standing on a bridge watching the fish.
  • View from the city side of the bridge.
  • Apparently logging has pretty much come to a close in these parts. Rob Scheer, a now 55-year-old with lumbering roots, desired to save some of the heritage from the great culture of lumberjacks. So, in my opinion, he sort of has become a modern day Buffalo Bill, except showcasing lumberjack skills instead of old west cowboy and shooting skills.
  • The audience is split in two, one side to root for one set of lumberjacks and the other side to root for the others. Then 2 teams of 4 lumberjacks entertain the crowd with traditional types of lumberjack competition. Here you can see that Mr. Scheer has just thrown his competition-grade axe (yep, the very one you saw Judy holding in the previous album).
  • And here is Mr. Scheer's competitor's throw. Who won? You'll have to see the following video to find out!
  • Some of the different activities.
  • Log rolling definitely takes amazing balance.

  • BeverLi

    on August 20, 2014

    While this activity rated just below the salmon/seal watching and the trail with the totem poles, it was really fun. I had no idea HOW the lumber jacks actually cut down trees, and this 'act' let to some clues. The scariest for me would be to put the plank into the tree, climb on it with saw in hand, and trust it to hold while you cut down the tree!

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