Alaska Cruise – Day 6 (Ketchikan)

There's a species of crab apple tree that grows in the aptly named Misty Fjords. The fruit is so bitter that even after it ripens, the birds and animals won't eat it. It stays on the trees until it rots and ferments.

Then the ravens gather for a drunken feast.

Travel is very educational.

Today's total: One humpback whales, two or three eagles, and one brown bear! That was our only bear on the trip, but it was cool to see it.

No time for shopping, our shore excursion went from 7:00 a.m. until 12:15 and the ship was scheduled to leave port at 12:30. A pity since Ketchikan looked like a nice little place to stroll around.

The weather was cold, rainy, and gray. Much like the rest of the trip. However I didn't really care. There were fjords, wildlife, and tons of waterfalls, so I was enchanted.

This was the one day I wouldn't have minded wearing a slightly heavier jacket, though. For some reason I chose the lighter of my two jackets that morning, not realizing we'd have a cold, hour-long trip from port to the fjords themselves. The catamarans were very comfy and cosy inside but I didn't come to Alaska to sit inside a heated cabin and look out through a window. I can get that effect from watching television. I liked being out in the elements.

However, it does have to be said that the first shore excursion was by far the most exciting. Maybe because we saw so many whales? I didn't expect humpback whales to be the high point of the trip, but they definitely were.