Known as the salmon capital of the world, Ketchikan is a quaint little town near the southern most part of Alaska at the entrance of the Inside Passage. It is 679 miles north of Seattle and 235 miles south of Juneau. Summer temps. range from 51 - 65 degrees with Winter temps. a surprisingly mild 29-39 degrees. The town averages 132 FEET (yes FEET) of precipitation each year. It was indeed raining the day we were there.
It was a chilly misty rain much of the time with periods of heavy downfall frequent. It didn't stop us and we loved venturing into the quaint streets and local art galleries. Ketchikan is fighting back to perserve it's local heritage. It turns out there are 70+ jewelry stores (within walking distance of where the ships dock) that are run by businessmen who pay large sums of money to the cruise ship industry and then close up shop during the 'off' season and sell the same wares in other ports of call further south. The town leaders are diligently working to halt and decrease these types of 'touristy' businesses and bring back local native wares and arts.
At mid day, Dave and John split from my quest for 'native culture in a shopping bag' and took a very exciting excursion adventure...
An adventure that made me revert back to nail biting as a Mom and wife waiting for their return.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Ketchikan!
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3 comments:
This town is right up my alley! :)
I hope the town leaders are successful in their endeavors... I'm a staunch supporter of local, indigenous art & crafts! :)
Love the Totem photo!
It does look like a really quaint town. Lots of fun exploring and shopping to do. Can't wait to hear about the guys excursion.
I LOVED Ketchikan! It was my favorite place...it was a misty/rainy day and the Lumberjack show had their woodstove going and the smell was magnificent! Want to meet me back there? Just like you, I would go back to Alaska in a heartbeat!
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