What a glorious day! Ketchikan is one of wettest cities in the country but we had a mix of sun and clouds and temps in the 50s. It was a perfect day for our Rainforest hike with WildView Tours. After a short walk to the waterfront, we started our tour at 8 AM in a small van with 6 other participants and Jordan, our very entertaining and knowledgable guide.
A 30 minute drive took us to Settlers Cove State Recreational Site in the Tongass National Rainforest, far from the cruise ship crowds in Ketchikan. We followed a boardwalk and stair path through the forest with Jordan introducing us to the many species of plants and trees along the way. Several of the plants are used locally for medicinal properties.
Lunch Creek Falls was very calm according to Jordan but so beautiful and such a good waterfall roar,
The trees are immense with many beautiful Cedars and pine varieties
After a mile we emerged on a beach at low tide and found much to explore and incredible peace.
The beach was loaded with purple sea stars in many different shades depending on their stage of development
Sea anemones were tucked in on the rocks. They closed up tight if you gave them a gentle poke
There were many beds of very small mussels along the rock ledges
After the tour we needed a caffein boost, and discovered the best coffee on the trip so far at Alaska Coffee. We brought the coffees in to Annabelle’s which was recommended by Jordan. We decided against the full king crab dinner. But the food from the regular menu was really great.
We explored the shops in town. The documentary on Ketchikan that we watched highlighted many local and native artists and highlighted Scanlon’s which had work from dozens of local crafters. We found several things to bring home and had a fascinating chat with a local resident who has published several books about his work with getting refugees from Vietnam and other tales from advocating for immigrants in the foreign servvice,
After getting back on board for an early departure we settled in to dinner and then headed to the thermal spa for some rejuvenating hydrotherapy, saunas and stretching out on the heated lounge seats with a great view as the ship started its way through the inland passage.
Not wanting to call it a night we checked out the Alaska themed show with a local folksinger on the pool deck, and then went to “Requests Only” night in the Billboard On Board Lounge where a piano player made an honest attempt at playing and singing people’s requests. Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” was the one highlight. 🙂
A long, eventful, and really fun day!