Ketchikan

Ketchikan

July 14, 2019

Clocks back an hour last night. One of the nice things about sailing long distances is no jet lag when you arrive. The ship will always be on shore time when we stop at a port but when you’re at sea for several days, it’s Captain’s Time. You just get a little card on your pillow reminding you to set your clocks back an hour. That would be IF you brought your own clock! Ships are like Vegas, clocks are very few and far between. I have a little battery-powered alarm clock I bought at Walmart years ago that sits up on the bookshelf in our stateroom.

Ketchikan, Alaska’s First City and salmon capital. First city because it’s the first one after you leave Canada and head north. Salmon capital because they supply a gazillion pounds of the fish to the world. It’s had a storied history over the years supplying food, supplies and comfort to prospectors, lumbermen, fishermen and adventurers. It’s a small town, 8,000 people? Very walkable. There were four ships in today, including two of the biggies which means at least 10,000 visitors but somehow this small place manages to absorb them. There are endless tourist shops for diamonds (I’ve never understood why you would get off a ship to buy diamond jewelry from some random store), salmon (canned, dried, jerky, dips), Alaska souvenirs, clothes, and stuff you forgot.

I left my Nexium at home so the search was on. The lovely woman at the Visitors Center on the pier suggested a convenience store in the back of one of the souvenir stores. No dice. I ran into the Cruise Director who pointed us the other way to the IGA/Kress supermarket. It wasn’t very far to walk and, bless ‘em, they had it, for approximately 50% more than I paid in Georgia, but I was just happy to find it. We wandered around a bit to check prices. The produce was pricey but looked pretty good, with a big variety including cherries! Fresh black cherries the size of ping pong balls from Yakima, WA. Grabbed a bag of those puppies for cabin snacks. I told the cashier I’d thought I’d have to order the meds from Amazon to be delivered at our next port so was more than happy to ante up in Ketchikan. She told me that Amazon overnight was a crapshoot up here and you pay for the service. Couldn’t have been nicer. The citizens work hard in the shops and restaurants when ships are in port but are also quite accommodating. Tourists can be dumb and ask dumb questions (What currency do you use in Alaska?) so kudos to them for their tolerance.

Creek Street provided the color and comfort over the years. Supposedly the last brothel, Dolly’s, closed up in the 1950s. It’s now a brothel museum. The wooden buildings were built on stilts over the creek, with wooden “streets” connecting them. Because the buildings don’t actually touch the ground that was supposedly the work around during Prohibition. Like anyone would care up in Alaska. The buildings now house art galleries, shops and small restaurants. Salmon run up the creek. Kings are running now, but we didn’t see any. That’s 0 for 2 on marine life.

I managed to find the quilt shop, yarn shop and book shop. I definitely remember the quilt and book shops from our last trip up here. I chit chatted with a fellow visitor in the quilt shop then ran into her again in the yarn shop. She said she was also on the Maasdam and so was another woman looking at yarn. She’s organizing the sea day needleworkers gathering: 10 am in the Crow’s Nest. Bring your knitting, crochet, needlepoint, embroidery or whatever. These groups form on every ship. It’s fun to meet people from all over the world plus learn what’s happening on the ship. I optimistically brought three knitting projects so I’m ready to stitch and bitch.

Note: Received Jim’s ticket for the Russia tour today so I’m off the hook.