Fishing Line & Totem Poles
On Friday we arrived in the town of Ketchikan, AK.
Since we had plenty of free time before our scheduled excursion for the day, We grabbed the $1 city shuttle and rode about ten miles North to Totem Bight State Park. This park, started in the 1930s, contains 14 restored–or replicated by natives–Tlingit and Haida totem polls. There is also a 1930s-era replica of a clan house. Admission was free, and we spent just under an hour exploring the park.
Totem Bight State Park, Ketchikan, AK
We grabbed the shuttle back to our ship where we dropped off some souvenirs we had purchased. We had a quick lunch at the Terrace Grill which is a “burger and fries” place near the Lido pool.
As Seen On TV, The Aleutian Ballad
We then headed back off the boat to experience the number one rated shore excursion in Alaska, the Bering Sea Crab Fisheman’s Tour. We boarded the Aleutian Ballad, a boat that was feature on the popular TV show, Deadliest Catch. The ship was hit by a monster wave during the second season of the show, and was retired from crabbing. It was completely overhauled to become a handicap accessible tour ship, with passengers being seated where crab pots would normally be stacked a couple of stories high.
We cruised out as we listened to the crew–David, Terry, and Derrick–share stories of how they got started, how fishing is regulated in Alaska, what it’s like to be a crab fisherman, and what it’s like to be a crab. They pulled up pots, lines, and traps of golden crabs, dungeness crabs, rockfish, and octopus. They also pulled up box crabs, shrimp, and starfish—which we were allowed to hold.
A Golden Crab
A Shrimp
The visual highlight of the trip actually had nothing to do with crabs. Midway through the trip the guys threw bait fish over board and dozens of bald eagles came soaring in for dinner. It was amazing to these regal birds soaring just a few feet over our heads.
America, Up Close
As we ran out of time, the boat headed back to Ketchikan. The guys shared more heartfelt stories of why they run this tour, at times making nearly all the passengers get a little misty eyed. They then gladly posed for photos with anyone who wanted one. The guys are down to earth, blue-collar, hard-working folks. They don’t try to upsell you and try to get you to buy souvenirs or charge for photos. They seem to truly love what they do and want to share it with the world. It was the best part of the cruise portion of the trip.
This was the second formal night of the cruise. We ate dinner in the main dining room. Later that evening we attended the dessert extravaganza, a spectacle of all you can eat desserts. I am not exactly sure that is a wise idea to have at 11:00pm at night.
After a fun day in Ketchikan, we went to bed exhausted, right after desserts.