Ketchikan, Alaska

We turned the clocks back an hour last night which was good since we were later than usual getting to bed. It was a really windy night and you could hear the wind whistling through the balcony door seal all night. The other thing I forgot to mention is that it is daylight until after 10 PM and light at 5 AM so the nights are very short here. We arrived to a very picturesque little city on the water. It looks like it came straight out of a pioneer woodsman old photo album. Our excursion had been changed so we were on the pier with at 7:50 AM to meet the people from both the Zaandam and Island Princess who were joining us on our trip., The bus drivers were young girls who were fun, cute, knowledgeable and funny. It was a beautiful scenic half hour drive to the lodge were we walk down 79 steps ( I know this because we were told if we couldn’t do them, they would send someone up to get you…that would be embarrassing) and then down this ramp that was almost a straight up and down incline to get to the boat that would take us to the crab pots. It is beautiful here and so quiet. We have two guys..the captain who looks, sounds and acts like Duff from the Ace of Cakes and the other who is the narrator who is young, cute and a fountain of information. We find out that the tide is all the way out at the point that we get on which is why it is so hard to get down the ramp to the boat. There is a tide difference here each day of 21 ½ ft. We had a great time and saw eagles, sea lions and then of course the crabs. That was interesting as non in our pod were big enough to keep. They can only keep the males and they must be 6 ½ inches or they have to throw them back. We head back to the lodge after an hour or so and they have a crab feast ready for us with lots of hot butter. They showed us how to crack them and where to look for the best meats and they were delicious! They would come around to measure the height of your shells and the people with the highest pile of shells got a prize. We weren’t even close. We had cheesecake with fresh grown blueberries and it was so good then we climbed the 79 steps back up and collapsed on the bus for the trip back. I was very proud that I made it. We brought our purchases back to the ship and left everything and head out to Walmart. We take the free shuttle which is Kay and I and 12 crew members from the ships. Quite the experience I must say. Coming back it was the same way and Kay and I laughed all the way to the ship. We did stop at a few shops along the way but are exhausted now and I wanted to write the blog before we have to go to dinner. It was supposed to rain today but it never did and the sun is out now. It is very chilly however with gusty winds that add to that feeling that you should be wrapped in a blanket! All in all my first day in Alaska was great and reminded me of Northern Exposure with the moose being the only thing I didn’t see today. It takes so long to upload photos which is why there are not more at the moment but I will add then when I get home. Kay got a great one of the eagle with her zoom lens so check her blog. Although I could see him, my camera isn’t strong enough to capture that distance. Tomorrow is Sitka and our Sea Otter and Fortress of the Bear excursion so stay turned….