Learning to Walk (and Parent) on the Wonder: Cruising Alaska with a Mini-Mouseketeer. Ketchikan.

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Ketchikan was the only port that we did not plan any excursions for. We just didn't see any that we were in love with, so we thought we would just poke around on our own. We made it kind of a lazy day, which ended up matching the weather nicely; besides- we couldn't get off the ship until 11:15 AM. That was the latest all ashore of any of the ports. Therefore, we decided that this would be the most perfect day to finally use our one-day Rainforest Room Pass that we pre-purchased. It's funny to look back on my proposed plans, because we didn't end up making any special accommodations for William's naps during port days... at all. (Thank you Osprey!)

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It was nice to sleep in without fearing that we were going to miss anything.

As always, we began our morning with a continental breakfast room service visit. On this particular morning William decided to use the scarf I purchased in Skagway as his blanket.

We really had been so blessed with weather, that I didn't mind that it was lightly rainy. I wanted to experience all sorts of different dining experiences on the boat, so we made our way to Parrot Cay for breakfast. William and I headed down first while Andrew showered.

It was really special to see William with a Mickey waffle. :: swoon :: It's just one of those childhood disney memories that is so cherished, you know? I hope he grows up with a fondness for mickey waffles like his mom!

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(Also, can I just say that I am so glad that we are now past the scratching of the face stage now?)

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We got William ready to spend some time in the nursery while we headed to the Rainforest Room.

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I know that the rainforest room was in sore need of being updated and required a bit of tender loving care.... but for that morning- it was ours. No one else joined us in this "secret" oasis.

(I'm not sure if I would bring a case of sparkling water on board again, because I never had trouble getting soda water at dinner, but I sure did like having it in the rainforest room and during different spa treatments. It made it feel extra special... so we will see, maybe I will get bring on a few bottles next time).

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The fog shower wasn't very foggy... and the aromatherapy areas weren't particularly aromatic, but I was glad to see this original aspect of the Wonder, before it got it's facelift during dry dock. It will surely make me appreciate the new space even more.

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The relaxation that soaked deep into my muscles was unmatched. I savored the time and enjoyed reading my book, which gives a contemporary spin on indigenous Alaskan folktales.

I almost don't want to continue with the trip report for awhile... I just want to sit with the warm memories of this space.

BUT- I was starting to feel ready to explore Ketchikan!
So ready that I jumped off the ship before Andrew... he just takes... SO... LONG.. to get ready. I asked him if I could pop into the Christmas store I could see from our balcony. We had a great view from our verandah and could hear all the cheering from the lumberjack show. It sounded like they were having a GREAT time and someday we want to take William.

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It was wet. Not pouring. Not heavy rain, but wet, nonethless. You can see that quite a few people were in the Disney provided ponchos.

I didn't find anything particularly exciting at the Christmas store and I LOVE bringing home ornaments from our travels. Too bad. I did take a moment to capture a photo of Ketchikan's sign and ponder about the history of the city with a population of 8,254. (In comparison, the city I live in- Colorado Springs, CO has a population of 445,830. HOWEVER, the last recorded number of annual tourists in Ketchikan was 884,503. Crazy, right?)

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So I stood and stared at the sign for a bit in the rain. Was Ketchikan REALLY the salmon capital of the world? When did they become the Salmon Capital of the World? Was it when they decided to reinvent themselves after they lost their papermill industry?

I just listened to an interesting NPR segment on Ketchikan:
http://www.npr.org/2017/05/17/528453624/leaving-timber-behind-an-alaska-town-turns-to-tourism

What happens to a town when a key industry collapses?
Sometimes it dies. But sometimes it finds a way to reinvent itself.

Case in point: Ketchikan, Alaska, where the demise of the timber industry has led to a radical transformation.

Many people who used to earn their livelihoods through timber have now turned to jobs in tourism.It's an identity shift that makes the city far different from what it was in the logging heyday."It was this boomtown!" says longtime Ketchikan resident Eric Collins. "It was just a crazy, wild frontier place."

Now, it's a tourism magnet. Ketchikan is expecting 1 million visitors this summer. They'll flow into town off as many as six giant cruise ships a day.

You should take a listen to the segment. It's quite interesting.

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Quite sad, really. 40 years...
But only 40 years...

Then I found out that Ketchikan wasn't incorporated as a city until 1900, so really- the mill had been keeping Ketchikan alive for nearly half it's life. Before the mill opened, it was war time- and you can read a really interesting account of what it was like in Ketchikan during those years here: http://www.sitnews.us/ArneBue/041114_alaska_journey.html

Although it looks like Ketchikan was a salmon town, before it was a mill town.
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In 1908, a local businessman named J.R. Heckman created a floating Fish Trap, a revolutionary new method to catch salmon. In it’s most basic terms, it is a large underwater net that traps salmon as they swim by. These Fish Traps were anchored and would float in locations offshore. Salmon would be brailed into a tender boat and brought to the cannery.

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Heckman’s Floating Fish Traps were so efficient, it led to a production boom in the salmon industry, which saw it’s peak in 1929. J.R. Heckman was reported to have said “Well, boys, we got ’em all”.

You can totally geek out on some early history of Ketchikan here: http://www.sitnews.us/Kiffer/ForestHunt/121212_forest_hunt.html

According to Alaska.org, even recently, 144 million pounds of fish can make it's way through Ketchikan, making it the 12th busiest fishing port in the world.

Maybe when William is bigger we will taking him salmon fishing in Alaska, but on this trip- we were going to mosey around the town on our own. So I headed over to the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau that I could see off of our balcony to see what they had to offer.

In 1976, the Ketchikan Visitors Bureau (KVB) was incorporated. One of the first things that the KVB did was to spruce up the two totem pole parks. They arranged for greeters and tidied up the notorious Creek Street District. They began offering tours and fishing excursions- and in that summer, three cruise ships arrived.

In 1978, their first executive director was hired and he would fly all over the nation selling cruise lines on Ketchikan; two years later there were 10 cruise ships that arrived (11 times) and now there are about 38, stopping in Ketchikan 489 times, bringing over 948,000 visitors... Gosh- when do think they are going to hit 1 million? Do they have a particular goal in mind? Will they have a party when they hit 1 million?

Although the history of the Visitors Bureau was interesting, I certainly was unimpressed with the building itself. Perhaps because I wanted it to be a Visitor Center? Is there a difference?

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It was lots of businesses hawking their various tours, quite loudly in the small echoing building. It reminded me of seagulls squawking... "Mine, Mine, My Tour, My Tour, My Tour, Mine, Mine, Mine."

I'd recommend skipping it. Although you can duck into the west end of the building and grab a nice map of the Historic Ketchikan Walking Tour, made by the nonprofit "Historic Ketchikan". It's quite nice. It looks like they will be updating it in 2017 for next season: http://www.historicketchikan.org/main_pages/main_2017Projects.php

You can find the actual map here:
http://www.alaska.org/assets/content/related_items_pdfs/Ketchikan-Walking-Tour.pdf

Isn't it cute?
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With may map in hand, I headed back to the boat to collect William and Andrew and picked up a couple of ponchos.
 
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We just booked Alaska for May 2019! So Excited! My boys will be 9 and almost 7. I love your report! Would love to hear more and any extra tips/must do's. I cant view your photos, maybe it is because I'm looking on my phone. I'll look from my computer tonight. I'm dying to see your photos! After reading this entire report I cant remember for sure but I thought you mentioned wanting to do a Panama Canal sailing. We've done it and I highly recommend!
 

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