Brave New World

Creek St in Ketchikan

1500 miles, a five hour ferry boat ride and a night in the Walmart parking lot later and we have made it to our new city. Ketchikan greeted us with open arms and sunny weather and we couldn't be happier. Can you believe we're in Alaska?! Ha, we can't either!

There are so many new and exciting things to discover and with only one day to get a lay of the land before Erik started work this morning, we jumped right in. We drove from one end of the road to the other, checked out trails, hit the tourist areas downtown and watched the tourists from the cruise ships wander aimlessly. We tasted some local cuisine, tried to find a bike shop (no luck) and scoped out the best kayak launch sites (the best is right from our own backyard).

Oh, and one of the first things Erik did was get his fishing license as fishing fever is in full swing. He's even talking about giving up running and cycling so he can concentrate on landing the "big" one (I'll believe that when I see it!). I guess it didn't help to hear hourly updates on the King Salmon Fishing Derby that was taking place this weekend (for all of you fishing maniacs, and you know who you are, the winner landed a 44.2 lb whopper on the last day of the competition). I've noticed that when we meet people here, the first question is "Where are you from?" and the second is, " Have you been out fishing yet?".

And another thing I've noticed is there are bald eagles EVERYWHERE! Instead of seagulls, Alaska has eagles. And instead of roosters crowing, we woke to the sound of eagles chortling. Yes, chortling. There is a whole, umm, flock? of them in the trees above our motorhome and they sit out there and gurgle and chortle at each other. It's actually quite fascinating and is so interesting to listen to. I expected a shrieking cry and I get gurgles and chortles. In the evening, they decided to play and were swooping and diving and chirping at each other and it was like watching an aerial ballet. And they are so HUGE! Like flying dogs. I wonder if we'll ever get tired of watching them. I mean, do the people of Ketchikan take them for granted the way we take, say, pigeons for granted or will they always make you stop and catch your breath as they swoop and glide around you? It will be interesting to find out.




One thing I do know that I won't get tired of is the view from our "backyard"! Are you kidding me?! Just looking at the picture makes me want to grab my kayak and get out there. Clover Pass Resort is on a small cove on the northwestern part of the island and supposedly we are on the "sunny" side. With 200 inches of rain a year, I can't believe there is a sunny side but, hey, so far the weather has been beautiful, I have eagles dancing outside my window and the waters of the Inside Passage are just begging to be explored.

So, to all of you who sent us your prayers and good wishes for a safe trip...Thank you! And for all of you adventurers out there that want to visit a postcard perfect setting, we have an extra kayak to paddle and I'll race you to the water!