Ketchikan AK

We arrived in Ketchikan about 5:00 pm and suddenly realized it was Memorial Day weekend. We had planned to stay at one of two Forest Service campgrounds just north of town, but, as usual, we had made no reservations, and we began to panic. To top it off, the coach was essentially out of fuel. I had avoided buying fuel in Canada because I knew it would be much cheaper in the US. I also knew there was a station in Ketchikan selling diesel for $4.19/gal, significantly cheaper than any other station in all of Alaska, as far I could determine. So, we made a strategic plan. Dorcas would head for Ward Lake Recreation Area to score a campsite while I bought fuel. We both failed. Actually, I was able to buy some fuel, but the pump cut off after the third $75 cycle. "See Attendant" the display demanded. The attendant was useless. He could not restart the pump, but did admit that it was a glitch in their system. I called the credit card company and confirmed it was not a problem with them. They never even saw the fourth attempt. OK, I could live with 1/2 tank of fuel for now. We wouldn't be driving far, and we knew we could run the generator and the furnace.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Dorcas struck out at the campground. There were three Forest Service campgrounds at Ward Lake and they were all full. The host there said that the state park up the road was also full. Where did all these folks come from??? You can't even DRIVE to here!!! The host did say he had an opening in the morning that we might fit into, and he would reserve it for us. Great guy!

So we went to Plan B, which usually involves a Walmart. There is a relatively new Walmart in Ketchikan, and they do allow RVers to spend one night in their parking lot. Dorcas went in and checked just to make sure, and we made camp at the upper end of the lot. About 6:00, after parking the coach, we went into town to try to find something to eat. Ketchikan was dead; nothing was open. What about those 300 cruise ships that dock each summer. Where were they? Where do they eat? Finally we came back home and ate in the Subway at Walmart.

The next morning we went back to town to explore and WOW!!! Four cruise ships had come in during the night, and you couldn't drive down the street without running over a tourist. The shops and restaurants were full and tourists spilled over from the sidewalks into the streets. People were all over the docks hawking sightseeing tours, flight-seeing tours, scenic boat rides and fishing trips. It was like a carnival.

We watched the spectacle for a while and then headed out of town to see some totem poles. Ketchikan has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles. Totem poles were usually commissioned to tell a story or commemorate a special event. Dorcas really enjoyed the totems, but I just didn't get it. They were pretty, but I really didn't understand them and couldn't always recognize the figures or the symbolism.

The next morning we shoe-horned the coach into site #10 at Signal Creek CG in the Tongass National Forest. The campground is in a temperate rainforest and is very lush and green, with huge Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlocks. We have a very nice site, but the campground was still full, and kids and dogs were running rampant through the facility. We determined that the majority of the folks were locals and cram into the NF campgrounds on holiday weekends, just as they do everywhere else in the country. What I didn't understand is: if everyone is a fisherman or serves the tourist industry and those 300 cruise ships, why do they get the holiday off? Hmmmm.

It was a rare clear sunny day in Ketchikan. We decided to splurge and take a float plane out to Misty Fjords National Monument. The planes and boats and all the other tour operators sell their tours to the cruise ship companies who market them to their passengers. It turns out that regular folks can pick up heavily discounted un-sold spaces on these tours. And you can dicker! Cool! So we brokered a deal on a plane ride. It was a two-hour flight and took off from the waterfront right in front of town. We headed north and flew directly over our campsite at Ward Lake. From there we continued over snow covered mountains and over the Behm Canal into the Misty Fjords. The pilot made a tight circle and dropped into a small cove and landed. There was a grizzly sow and her two cubs a few hundred yards away in the grass. The pilot cut the engine and let the plane drift towards the bears. After about 15 minutes the bears rambled up the hill and out of site. We took off again looking for more bears. We saw four black bears in a meadow, and they scattered when we flew over. Finally we returned across the mountain and landed in the harbor at Ketchikan. It was a wonderful experience.

Ketchikan is a linear and vertical town. The land rises sharply from the ocean, and there is little level ground between. Consequently many of the structures are built on piles out over the water. The town also sprawls north and south. We took a walking tour of the city and enjoyed the historical and scenic sites. Ketchikan is known as Alaska's First City, because it is the first town you come to up the inside passage. It is also known as the Salmon Capital of the World. It is also known for its rainy weather. This part of Southeast Alaska gets much more rain than they do a little further north. Our weather while in Ketchikan was outstandingly clear and sunny.

After three nights in Ketchikan it was time to continue our journey north through the inside passage.