Alaska: Ketchikan

Our next port in Alaska was the town of Ketchikan (or maybe it wasn't the next port... it's been two months since the cruise, so the order of ports is starting to get hazy). We arrived in port at 6:00 am and had to be back on the boat by 11:30... yeah, not exactly a long time to see everything. But we did our best to cram it all in. We went on a 6:30 am shore excursion to go sea kayaking in the ocean around the Eagle Islands. We got on a bus, drove out north of the town and piled on all of the requisite gear: rain slickers, life jackets, and a spray skirt. I'm not usually a huge morning person and the weather was overcast, but the kayaking was a blast. The water (not glacier run-off this time) was actually reasonably warm, although we mostly just got it on our hands/arms from paddling.

Despite the early hour, the kayaking trip was awesome! It was low tide (which in Alaska is a difference of 20 feet) so we saw lots of sea stars, sea cucumbers and other sea life. We even saw two bald eagles fighting in mid-air. When we got back we went to look around Ketchikan and saw that there were tickets still available for the last "The Great American Logger's Show" before we had to be back on the boat, so we went. We got to see Team USA vs. Team Canada compete in log-chopping, pole-climbing, and even log rolling (where they see who can stay up on a rolling log the longest while the other tries to splash water in their face or do anything besides touch them to get them to fall down). Yo-ho! (That's what they have you yell when your team scores). Then it was back on the boat.