Here we go! On
Friday, August 23rd, Curt, Diane, John & I flew from Walla Walla to Seattle, changed planes and then flew into Ketchikan, AK where we met up with Steve & Mary who flew in from Missouri. We all splurged a bit on an overnight stay at the Cape Fox Lodge which had an awesome tram down the hill and some really great views.
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| John & me on the ferry from the airport to Ketchikan AK |
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| Sunset over Tongass Narrows |
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| Late evening view of Ketchikan from Cape Fox Lodge |
On Saturday, August 24th we had some time to spare before our ferry ride, so we had a great time exploring Ketchikan. The historic boardwalk along Ketchikan Creek included the old red-light district and the Totem Heritage Center was another must-see.
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| Morning fog view of Ketchikan from Cape Fox Lodge |
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| Mary and Steve at breakfast - so excited to be here! |
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| Ketchikan Creek Historic District |
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You'll want to click on this one to read it - pretty entertaining!
Dolly was one of the more famous of Ketchikan's "sporting women". |
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| Totem Heritage Center |
In mid-afternoon we got on the Inter-Island Ferry for the 3-hour trip over to the small community of Hollis on Prince of Wales Island. Curt & Diane's sons have an awesome compound near Klawock, including a great little 3-bedroom cabin where we all stayed. The guys went out fishing several times, all of us went once, we..... How about if I just do a little photographic snapshot of our time on "the island"?
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| This map shows the fishing trips (the Wednesday trip is the one we all went on). |
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| Ry is an expert beachcomber! |
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| Sandy Beach just north of Thorne Bay |
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| Ry and Lilly looking for treasures at Sandy Beach |
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| Bill helping little fisherman Ry |
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| Grandma leading Lilly and Ry on an adventure |
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| Katie flyfishing |
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| Daddy teaching Ry and Lilly which crab are legal to keep |
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| These kids are expert boaters already! |
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| Diane, Mary, John and Steve relaxing after dinner |
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| Pretty peaceful, isn't it? |
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| Time to go fishing! Here's Myassa hanging out at the back of the boat. |
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| Mary and Diane - ready to catch something... |
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Dave showing Mary's halibut.
Be sure to ask Steve about the one that got away...
It's a pretty good story! |
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| Mary is having a blast showing off her red snapper. |
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And, Steve was in heaven when he caught this beaut!
Too bad it didn't stay in the fish well.... |
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| One happy, happy guy - this would be heaven for Steve! |
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John hooked one, too.
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| First mate, Curt, at the helm. |
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This is probably one of my favorite memories of our time in Alaska:
looking out over the wake on a gorgeous body of water on a sunny day... |
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| What a day. It doesn't get much better than this. |
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| Not bad for a day on the water! |
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| Diane, Mary & I went to see the Klawock Totem Park one day. |
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| Here's a panoramic of the totem park |
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| Maybe this is what a totem graveyard looks like... |
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| Even old totems can support new life. |
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| One day Steve, Mary, John & I drove to Kasaan to see their totem park. |
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| John & Mary wandering down the path to the totem park. |
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| This felt like a very spiritual place and it was enjoyable being the only people there. |
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| Close-up of one of the totems |
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| Some of the totems are quite tall. |
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| Chief Sonihat's Whale House - a traditional Haida long house. |
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| Interior of the Whale House which was used for ceremonies. |
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| Mary would loved to have taken this driftwood home for her garden! |
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Chief Sonihat's gravestone in the cemetery.
He died in 1912 at the age of 75 years. |
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| Steve, Mary & John. Wonderful day! |
Sunday, September 1. Time to get back to the real world... Back to Ketchikan on the ferry at 8:00 a.m....
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| So long, Prince of Wales Island. It's been awesome! |
...and then onto a plane from Ketchikan to Seattle at 1:30. Didn't get back to Walla Walla till 8:30 p.m. Long day, but such a fun trip! We can't thank David and Bill & Katie enough for a wonderful vacation. We've wanted to do this for years and it was awesome to finally see this special place that we've heard so much about.
