After sailing for one and a half days since leaving Vancouver, we arrived at Ketchikan, the first port of call during this cruise trip. Ketchikan is a small fishing town at Southeastern Alaska, with population of only 8,000. Kechikan's geographic location makes it the first stop for many visitors coming via sea from the south to Alaska, thus it also earns the nickname "Alaska's First City". During the peak season, there can be as many as five or six cruise ships making a stop here each day, spitting out more than ten thousand tourists into the otherwise quiet town. Locals are seasonally outnumbered by the visitors, this is one of the interesting things happens in Alaska during summer.
Ketchikan 也是美國第二多雨的城市，每年平均雨量有驚人的 3490 公釐，一年平均有兩百多天都在下雨，在旅遊書上看到了這些情報之後，我已經做足了對壞天氣的心理準備。但，很意外的，今天竟然是萬里無雲的大晴天，而且氣溫高達華氏七十多度，實在是讓人開心的意外。
Ketchikan is also statistically known as the second rainy-most city in US, boasting an astonishing 3490 millimeters rainfall per year, or more than 200 rainy days each year. After reading about all these in tour books, I came prepared for bad weather for this particular city. But, I was pleasantly surprised by a brilliant sunny sky, not even a piece of cloud, and a warm temperature of mid 70.
我們今天的時間表有點奇怪，一大早大約六點多就靠岸，下午一點所有遊客就得回到船上繼續啟航北行，實際在 Ketchikan 停留的時間不是很多。先前研究旅遊書，發現 Ketchikan 城市雖小，但相關景點非常多，主要可以分 city tour 型的景點，和坐小船或飛機離開城市，參觀附近郊外的美景。Ketchikan 幾個最著名的特色，包括當地原住民的 totem pole（事實上，整個美國/加拿大西北區，包括西雅圖，溫哥華等地在內，都有做 totem pole 的原住民風俗），鮭魚迴游，還有市區外的 Misty Fjords。因為我們全家都是第一次坐阿拉斯加遊輪，而且在 Ketchikan 的時間又短，就決定只上岸自己在市內走走就好。
The schedule our ship followed was a bit odd, arriving in town very early at 6AM, and leaving by 1PM. This left us not much time in Kechikan. Based on the homework I did, albeit a small town, Kechikan has a wide variety of attractions for tourists. People can either do some city tour for local culture, or leave the city behind, taking small boats or airplanes out to nearby beautiful scenic spots. The most well known attractions of Kethcikan include totem poles carved by local native residents (in fact, totem poles are common to all native people in the northwestern US/Canada, including Seattle, Vancouver, etc.), salmons returning from the sea (Ketchikan is also known as the "salmon capital"), and the Misty Fjords a short distance out of the town. Since we were all first time visitors, and the stay at the town was so short, we decided to make it simple and just plan to walk about the town by ourselves.
【Dawn at the quiet hillside city Ketchikan】
【The way we came from】
【Many people choose to take small boats and go out of city to visit nearby attractions】
【We, all first time visitors, decided to see sights locally】We made our first stop at the towns visitor information center. It shows exhibits about local culture and lifestyle. Since this is Alaska's First City, there are also exhibits about Alaska in general, too.
【A totem pole at the information center. Later today I learned, the real traditional totem poles are actually less decorated (in terms of coloring applied) than this one.】
【Display about fishing. Fishery was the most important economy activity for all southern Alaska towns for long time. Now it yields its crown to tourism.】After that, we walked along the waterfront to reach the Creek Street. The way this city was constructed is very interesting - on top of the raised wooden platform typically seen at piers, houses and a whole street were built along a river and it goes all the way upstream. The roads here are not very wide, and can get really crowded by people coming out from all those cruise ships. This reminded me a bit of my trips to some famous tourist spots in Taiwan with friends when I was an undergrad.
【Creek Street. The whole street and buildings are built on top of a peer-like structure.】走著走著，低頭往水裡看去，赫然發現現在正好是鮭魚迴遊的季節，水裡有數不清的鮭魚，正努力地往上游前進。當然，回家的路遙遠又充滿險阻 - 往下流的溪水十分湍急，魚在水中往上游，乍看之下幾乎完全沒有在移動，好像影片的畫面被定格了一樣，只有偶爾某一隻魚無法跟上大家的腳步，被溪水沖得順流而下的時候，我們才能看出溪水不舍晝夜往下游流去的事實。無數的海鳥正在岸邊等待氣力用盡的鮭魚，好好飽餐一頓。但成千上萬返家的鮭魚，就像是從無盡的大海深處源源不絕湧出的一條輸送帶上的貨品，遵從著生物的本能，大家整齊劃一地指向上游唯一的原鄉。
As we walked by the river, we unexpectedly discovered it was the season for salmons homecoming. There were countless fishes in the water, pushing forward upstream. Of course, the road going home for them is a long and arduous one - the water flows swiftly downstream, while the fishes swim upstream against water with their full strength. It looked to us as if they were stationary in the water, like a frozen frame in movies. Occasionally, only when a salmon could not catch up with everyone else and got washed away by the flowing stream, we realized the water is really flowing uninterrupted, like an eternal challenge to these salmons. There were also countless of seabirds sitting nearby, awaiting for their feast. Endlessly, the salmons emerge from the ocean, like goods on a conveyer belt, and follow their biological instinct, heading to the very home where they were born.
【One salmon】
【Many salmons】
【Countless salmons rushing into the river like a conveyer belt, as if there is a source cloning and generating all these fishes at the bottom of Pacific Ocean.】
【Seabirds await for their feast.】
我們跟著河往上游走，道路左曲右彎，遠離海岸和密集的建築區，很快就變成一條林間的小路。一路上，河裡始終有源源不絕的鮭魚。我們此行的目的地，是 Ketchikan 的兩個小型觀光點，兩個景點的距離不遠，都在河的上游處 - Salmon Hatchery 和 Totem Heritage Center。其中，Salmon Hatchery 讓我非常失望。感覺它完全是一個 tourist trap，我甚至不知道我付了門票錢到底要看什麼？沒錯，它有稍微介紹當地人把鮭魚收集起來，採精採卵，然後把它們孵化的過程，不過和外面河裡活生生的奇景相比，這些展示實在是相當無聊…
We continued to follow the river and the circuitous road next to it, leaving seashore and the populated area, entering less visited part of the town. All along the walk, the salmons in the stream followed us. We were heading towards two small tourist destinations in Ketchikan, both upstream of this river sitting next to each other - Salmon Hatchery and Totem Heritage Center. Salmon Hatchery was a big time disappointment, almost made me feel it is a complete tourist trap. I wasn't even sure what I paid to see. Yeah, yeah, it has small display boards talking about local people collect salmons, mix their sperms and roes, and hatch the eggs at proper conditions. However, compared with the salmons fighting their way home right in the river, these displays are indeed boring.
【The specks in water are not rocks or camera defects. These are all salmons. Amazing. 】
【Salmon Hatchery. Honestly, nothing interesting to see. I didn't even know what I actually paid for, given I have seen much more marvelous things in the river outside.】
【Yeah, they do have bald eagles. But I was not sure why eagles have anything to do with salmon hatchery.】
As we walked by the river, we unexpectedly discovered it was the season for salmons homecoming. There were countless fishes in the water, pushing forward upstream. Of course, the road going home for them is a long and arduous one - the water flows swiftly downstream, while the fishes swim upstream against water with their full strength. It looked to us as if they were stationary in the water, like a frozen frame in movies. Occasionally, only when a salmon could not catch up with everyone else and got washed away by the flowing stream, we realized the water is really flowing uninterrupted, like an eternal challenge to these salmons. There were also countless of seabirds sitting nearby, awaiting for their feast. Endlessly, the salmons emerge from the ocean, like goods on a conveyer belt, and follow their biological instinct, heading to the very home where they were born.
【One salmon】
【Many salmons】
【Countless salmons rushing into the river like a conveyer belt, as if there is a source cloning and generating all these fishes at the bottom of Pacific Ocean.】
【Seabirds await for their feast.】我們跟著河往上游走，道路左曲右彎，遠離海岸和密集的建築區，很快就變成一條林間的小路。一路上，河裡始終有源源不絕的鮭魚。我們此行的目的地，是 Ketchikan 的兩個小型觀光點，兩個景點的距離不遠，都在河的上游處 - Salmon Hatchery 和 Totem Heritage Center。其中，Salmon Hatchery 讓我非常失望。感覺它完全是一個 tourist trap，我甚至不知道我付了門票錢到底要看什麼？沒錯，它有稍微介紹當地人把鮭魚收集起來，採精採卵，然後把它們孵化的過程，不過和外面河裡活生生的奇景相比，這些展示實在是相當無聊…
We continued to follow the river and the circuitous road next to it, leaving seashore and the populated area, entering less visited part of the town. All along the walk, the salmons in the stream followed us. We were heading towards two small tourist destinations in Ketchikan, both upstream of this river sitting next to each other - Salmon Hatchery and Totem Heritage Center. Salmon Hatchery was a big time disappointment, almost made me feel it is a complete tourist trap. I wasn't even sure what I paid to see. Yeah, yeah, it has small display boards talking about local people collect salmons, mix their sperms and roes, and hatch the eggs at proper conditions. However, compared with the salmons fighting their way home right in the river, these displays are indeed boring.
【The specks in water are not rocks or camera defects. These are all salmons. Amazing. 】
【Salmon Hatchery. Honestly, nothing interesting to see. I didn't even know what I actually paid for, given I have seen much more marvelous things in the river outside.】
【Yeah, they do have bald eagles. But I was not sure why eagles have anything to do with salmon hatchery.】另一個展覽館 Totem Heritage Center 稍微有趣一些，裡面放有一些真正古蹟級的 totem pole，真的是早期原住民做的，而不是現代人為了促進觀光而翻製。不過，博物館規模也很小，除了門口大廳處站著的四根 totem pole，另外還有十根左右的 totem pole 被存放在透明的保護箱裡，大約十五分鐘就可以看完。
The other exhibit next door, Totem Heritage Center, is slightly more interesting. There are real totem poles passed down from ancient time displayed here, not the modernly made ones for tourism. The place is pretty small though, with only four standing totem poles at the lobby and about ten more stored in protective plastic cases. I can go over the whole collection in about fifteen minutes.
【Old totem poles. It is not a dinosaur, but a bear, on top of the pole at right hand side.】
【Traditional totems poles were not colored.】
【Totem poles made in modern days are more decorated, especially the coloring.】
The other exhibit next door, Totem Heritage Center, is slightly more interesting. There are real totem poles passed down from ancient time displayed here, not the modernly made ones for tourism. The place is pretty small though, with only four standing totem poles at the lobby and about ten more stored in protective plastic cases. I can go over the whole collection in about fifteen minutes.
【Old totem poles. It is not a dinosaur, but a bear, on top of the pole at right hand side.】
【Traditional totems poles were not colored.】
【Totem poles made in modern days are more decorated, especially the coloring.】看完了兩個不怎麼樣的博物館之後，我們坐巴士回到鎮上，進行小小的採購和街頭巡禮。今天不但萬里無雲，氣溫還達到 high 70，以九月的阿拉斯加來說，實在不太尋常，我們穿了長袖加外套下船，也熱得有點吃不消。在 Ketchikan 停留的時間稍微嫌短，又選了兩個地雷景點（我不確定如果去 Saxman village 會不會比較好，如果有機會再來再說好了。不過如果去那邊，就不會看到本日最大奇景鮭魚迴游了），上船的時候還有點意猶未盡，不過也只能照著船公司指定的時間，起錨開往下一個停靠港 Juneau。
We took bus back to town after seeing the two not-so-impressive museums, and made brief shopping stops. It was sunny and rather hot, with temperature at mid 70s, which is quite unusual for Alaska in September. Overall, the stay at Ketchikan was short, and I kind of regretted my picks of destinations. I am not sure if Saxman village (a place out of town showing live totem pole carving) is more interesting; if I have another chance to come back here, I will see. The best part of the day was the unexpected encounters with the salmons, it was really something to see. Although I wished to have more time exploring the town, I had to follow the schedule and head to Juneau, our next stop for tomorrow.
【A landmark at Ketchikan dock/water front. Many tourists take pictures here, but few are lucky enough to capture the blue sky above.】
【Time to board again.】
【Close-up on Diamond Princess. From this distance, she looks more like a large hotel building than a boat.】
We took bus back to town after seeing the two not-so-impressive museums, and made brief shopping stops. It was sunny and rather hot, with temperature at mid 70s, which is quite unusual for Alaska in September. Overall, the stay at Ketchikan was short, and I kind of regretted my picks of destinations. I am not sure if Saxman village (a place out of town showing live totem pole carving) is more interesting; if I have another chance to come back here, I will see. The best part of the day was the unexpected encounters with the salmons, it was really something to see. Although I wished to have more time exploring the town, I had to follow the schedule and head to Juneau, our next stop for tomorrow.
【A landmark at Ketchikan dock/water front. Many tourists take pictures here, but few are lucky enough to capture the blue sky above.】
【Time to board again.】
【Close-up on Diamond Princess. From this distance, she looks more like a large hotel building than a boat.】
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