9th of August - Ketchikan

Our first port of call on our cruise was Ketchikan which is the oldest continuously incorporated city in Alaska and has a strong fishing heritage; it is known for a large number of salmon runs.  Ketchikan has a rich indigenous heritage and is surrounded by the Tongass National Forest.   The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the U.S. and the largest temperate rainforest in the world.

Our first visit of the day was to the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary at Herring Cove where we had a ninety minute guided walk through the Tongass National Forest.  At this point I must explain that the heavens had opened and the rain was absolutely bucketing it down.  Despite the rain we enjoyed our walk through the forest of Sitka spruce, hemlock and cedar with moss draped branches however the rain did have a detrimental impact on the quality of my photos.

 

The Tongass National Forest is home to black bears, brown bears, bald eagles and wolves none of which were anywhere to be seen.  We did however see markings made by a bear on a tree and some bear poo.

 

Once we left the forest we walked along the Herring Cove estuary boardwalk offering views of tidal flats and wetlands.  I did see a few salmon at the salmon run but didn’t manage to get a photo of them.

 

At last we had a chance to escape from the rain to visit the Herring Bay Lumber Company where we watched a master totem carver at work.

When we returned to Ketchikan we visited Creek Street, an historic boardwalk built over Ketchikan Creek.  This was once a red light district however is now home to many galleries and shops.