Inside Passage

We sailed up the Inside Passage for over a day and a half

with little sign of life... except mountains and forests and misty rain
and sometimes large shapes playing in the wake of the ship
until the second day's sunrise when we saw signs of life:

Arrival

a tug and barge a beacon a boat
and then buildings
signs of human habitation...
and what looked like some sort of memorial
Eagles watched us as sailed in. See the white head in the tree.

Ketchikan is the Tlingit Indian name for " Thundering Wings of an Eagle"

Ketchikan

May 13th, we were arriving in Ketchikan.
We were about to set foot in Alaska!
  The line was cast across the forklift and gangplank were waiting.

The ship was docked We were on Alaskan soil
and we were off and shopping! How much for that whale?

Next we caught our excursion and across town we went

Deer Mountain Hatchery and Eagle Center

caring for injured eagles

The salmon hatchery with a fish ladder roe
and a stream to the ocean and back.

How many kinds of salmon!

Tongas Historical Society Museum

We learned that totems are not religious items but are a way of family identification. Sort of like Scottish tartans and crests.

Then we were off across town again 
These stairs have street signs! They're maintained by the city

Totem Bight

Replica of Tlingit Indian Village

Authentic totem poles bearing some amazing stories. Also a community house certified by the handprints of the Tlingit woman leaders.

Departure

Back aboard the Mercury we sailed away from Ketchikan

Airplane traffic was busy It's to only other way to access the city.