Ticket 2 Ride

Ketchikan, “Alaska’s first city,” is an 8,000+ populated little island town built into the hillside next to the sea. In fact, some roads and seafront buildings are built on supports as they stretch out over the uneven ground.

A highlight of our Alaskan trip was dining at a crab restaurant where my wife and photographer enjoyed two large King Crab legs. Guess how much that entree cost? It was worth it!

Our excursion consisted of climbing onto a boat and going out into Tongass Narrows for the local sights. First up was Totem Bight State Historical Park is a 33-acre state park in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located north of Ketchikan. We saw plenty of eagles and eagle nests.

Also present were an array of totem poles. One expects to see the colorful and detailed poles across the state. They are unique and highly visual. Even from our boat we could see the detailed carvings.

Our boat took us out to Guard Island (below) which has had some functional light since 1904. It used to be staffed year round but that was phased out in the 1970s. The staff buildings were demolished, but lighthouse structure remains. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It’s also a useful perch for eagles.

Gravina Island hosts the airport and has 50 residents who live off the grid, generating their own power and going to Ketchikan for food and supplies. There is no bridge to Gravina Island, although one was proposed, but there is a ferry to get travelers to and from the airport.

We set sail back to Vancouver that evening.