Day 502: Ketchikan

Today should have been the day my husband was taking the pictures. The day he was going to catch a salmon, a day he was going to put all that physical therapy to good use.

Nope. Still not feeling well, he cancelled his salmon fishing trip. I’m certain he will regret that decision, but my hounding him to get out of the room for the last two weeks has gotten me nowhere so I’ve given up.

With his absence this vacation has turned into a solo one. Dinner alone, swimming in the pool alone, traveling the towns alone, trips to tops of mountains and across canyons, all alone.  

But today I had someone to talk to, someone to spend time with. The school secretary where I work just so happens to be on a cruise to Alaska this week. Not on our ship, but in the ship sitting at the docks with us here in Ketchikan today. So I got to tag along with her and some of her family on a walking tour of Ketchikan. We went to jewelry shops, souvenir shops, t-shirt shops, Walmart, and even the quilt shop.

This quilt shop is the largest in southeast Alaska and pretty much takes up half the second floor of a building. Look at just one of their quilt displays. 

 I did snatch up some 40% off fat quarters. Another batch of fabric for my next batch of Alaska-bound quilts.

We also took a taxi-tour out to…

Where we got a glimpse of the Tlingit and Haida Indian culture through the 14 totem poles and a clan house. 

And saw wildflowers and berries…

Their ship left before ours so I had a bit of extra time to head out to Creek Street. The historic boardwalk was a Red Light District during the Gold Rush. I walked the area, hoping to catch the spawning salmon. I never saw any, but I heard others talk of seeing some moving upstream. 

I did however, stop for lunch out on the boardwalk. Look who peeked up at me as I was eating…

Such a great day. A gorgeous, sunny, walk-filled, fun-filled day.

Thanks ladies, for letting me tag along.

Day 501: Juneau

Today was the second attempt at getting up Mt. Roberts Tramway in Juneau. Last week it was rainy, today it was not.

From the top of mountain I could see everything. The town, mountains, the cruise ship.

I even saw a bald eagle that had been shot in the beak and has a torn retina. The bird has recovered all he can, but is unable to be released back into the wild. He still can fly though, and gave me quite a start when he headed toward me as I was snapping a picture.

After coming down the mountain, I found the quilt shop I was looking for. No sale items (which means no purchase for me) but I discovered buttons. They had two separate cases of buttons of all shapes and sizes. I wonder what my mom would think of all these.

These last few days I’ve put quite a few miles on these feet. I’m quite surprise that I’ve kept my stamina up with all this walking. A long day, a full day, another day of pushing myself beyond what I thought I could do. Who knew I really would go up and down in a tram, look out over (and down) viewing platforms with absolutely no fear of heights? And who knew I could walk this much? Although, I have to admit today I had to take quite a few sit down breaks on my way back to the cruise ship. I wasn’t the only one taking a break.

The ravens sure seem used to people.

A nice sunset out our balcony is a good way to end a day. Full disclosure, though – I took this picture last night as we left Skagway and passed by Haines, Alaska.