Ketchikan is known as Alaska’s “First City” to northbound travelers and generally marks the first port of call for inside Passage routes. For the Ocean Victory, this city of about 8,000 will be our final shore visit in Alaska.
We hurried ashore giving ourselves plenty of time to walk to the meeting place. Ketchikan recycled an old pulp mill into a cruise ship dock aptly named The Mill. The Ocean Victory is docked next to a huge Norwegian Cruise ship. This behemoth makes our ship look like a baby by comparison! No matter, we will take quality over quantity any day! Once ashore, we made our way to The Mill. The inside has been turned into a huge shopping and staging area. Cruisers can purchase all sorts of clothing, jewelry, candies and even craft beer. It is typical of the drive to separate vacationers from their money! But it also organizes all the various excursions so loading and unloading is done efficiently and quickly.
Our driver arrived and we climbed aboard ready for adventure. Our first stop, Saxman Totem Park, home of the Totem Heritage Center. But first, we had to travel about 7 miles from the dock through Ketchikan. Along the way, our driver told us all about the town and the area as a whole. He is a recent transplant but has been coming up here to work during the summer for a number of years. He pointed out to us the street signs but cautioned us not to be confused by the stair signs. Some of the homes are built well up the mountain but there are no automotive roads. Instead, they built a series of stairs that go up giving residents access to their homes. The stair “streets” have names. Guess they would give gps a fit. He shared that he lived in one such houses when he first arrived. It was a bummer to come home late and tired only to have to climb all those stairs in the rain or the cold.
We arrived at the park and climbed out of the bus and down the hill. Here are re-carving of older poles, a practice that began during the Roosevelt Administration through the Civilian Conservation Corp. Many of the poles are 30 feet or so tall and brightly painted. Unlike some poles we had seen, these had figures right at the top and then a large section plain ending in another section of carvings. Totem poles are made for a number of reasons. One was the Secretary of State Pole, a classic, rare example of a ridicule pole. It features a likeness of Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William H. Seward wearing a spruce wood hat and sitting on a carved chest. He visited Fort Tongass in 1869 while on a tour of newly purchased Alaska. According to Tlingit traditions, Seward was given a potlatch, (feast) and given gifts and treated royally by the chiefs. These honors were never reciprocated. At some point, his white nose and ears were painted black in ridicule; thus this pole serves as a reminder of the unpaid debt. Balance and reciprocity remain important concepts in the Tlingit society. Seward’s descendants approached the Tlingit to see what they could do to remove this shame and take the pole down. The cost of the potlatch in modern money would be several million dollars. To which the descendants decided to leave the pole in place.
The totem pole can stand up to 50 to 70 years before falling. The custom is to leave it where it falls as the Tlingit believe it has “lived” its time on the earth. Over the years, many totems across Alaska have fallen. The Totem Heritage Center rescued many of them from abandoned villages near Ketchikan. They were reproduced using traditional tools and now stand in the park. We visited the center and could see through the window a totem under creation. Here, Tlingit master carver Nathan P. Jackson and his apprentices produce totem poles to be displayed all over Alaska and America. Mr. Jackson is 80+ years old and is still a force. The cost for a carving can be from $10 per foot to thousands of dollars per foot. Generally, the place where a totem will stand does not carve their own totems but rather hires outsiders to do the carving for them. When completed, they will have a potlatch to celebrate and raise it to its place. There are many stories about the various poles explaining what the carver was depicting. Quite a tradition.
Our next stop, George Inlet Lodge. From the parking lot down to the lodge we had to walk down 70 steps. This rustic and remote place is the place where we would enjoy a feast of fresh Dungeness Crab! Yippee! Mind you, it was only about 10 a.m. in the morning but everyone was ready for the bright spot of the day. It began with fresh fruit, cheeses, bagels and yummy salmon spread. Next, mimosas were served or if you were not in the mood, soft drinks or water. Then came a demonstration of just how to crack the crabs and obtain the delicious meat. Finally, the crabs arrived steaming hot in domed containers. Each person at the table received a section of the legs (3-6 legs per section), hot butter and a cracker for the more difficult bits. A hush fell over the room as everyone began cracking and picking and eating this delicate treat. It took a bit before Jim got the hang of it but once he did, look out!
All too soon, we were told that our bus would be at the top of the stairs to pick us up in 10 minutes! What?!? We thought it was all you can eat! I guess it was all you can eat in 30 minutes!! Poo! As the saying goes, what goes up, must come down. But for us, what goes down, must go up. Jim and I started back up, taking our time and pausing at each landing. Finally we arrived at the top, puffing a bit but none the worse for wear. We boarded the bus and headed back to The Mill.
We roamed about The Mill a bit. Looked at some amazing jewelry at one place. I really fell in love with one piece but told myself that I did not need any more. I have more than I wear now as it is. We did indulge in some local chocolates. Just a few more calories to add to our waist lines!
Back aboard the Victory, we relaxed and played some cards for a while. We had our usual 6 p.m. wrap up discussion and headed off to dinner with our new friends. It was a good day. Tomorrow we will be cruising as we make our way down to Vancouver.
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