Catch You in Ketchikan AK & Misty Fjords NM

Ketchikan is known as the “Salmon Capital of the World” and its nickname is “the First City”.  It is the gateway to the glacial-sculpted Misty Fjords National Monument (a wilderness area almost four times the size of Rhode Island).   That is where we are heading today …

We are taking a cruise to Misty Fjords.  About an hour after we leave Ketchikan, the weather started getting rough, our ship was getting tossed…  So, the Captain announces (for our safety) we will be returning to Ketchikan. 

The only way we will see Misty Fjords today is by air.  The floatplane company checks visibility and things are improving.  We book seats on the 11 a.m. flight.  We board the 10-seater float plane.  My hubby sits in the co-pilot seat and I am in the seat behind the pilot.  I love floatplanes and taking off/landing on the water.  During the first half of the trip, visibility is okay.  We land on a lake near Bailey Falls.  It begins to rain steadily during our time here.  After we leave the waterfalls, I am unable to see out my window due to the rain, the fog, and the steamed-up window.  I use my fleece jacket sleeve to try and clear the window but nothing changes.  The problem is outside not inside the plane.   Our flight back to Ketchikan is going to be a bumpy ride (use your best Mae West impersonation when saying that!). 

         

    Misty Fjords NM                     Bailey Falls

We walk along the boardwalk on historic Creek Street (former red light district).  Today, quaint little shops now occupy those buildings.  Dolly’s House Museum is a popular attraction that keeps Ketchikan’s infamous past alive.  Video screens in the various rooms help to tell Dolly’s story (1920’s – 1950’s). 

For more information on visiting Ketchikan, check out this website:

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/