Lighthouse, Totems & Eagles

Our arrival on Saturday in Ketchikan found a sunny sky in a town that had seen rain for several straight days. A vibrant downtown left a positive impression and we boarded a bus for a short trip up the coast to see a lighthouse, totems and some eagles. While the title sounded good, it fell far short of the wonderful adventure we were in for. At the dock we boarded a comfortable boat captained by Capt. Rob Holston, who narrated and guided us on a great morning's trip.

Yes, we saw a lighthouse. Yes, we saw totems on display in a totem park, and we were able to do so without leaving the boat. And yes, we saw eagles. Oh, did we ever see eagles. As Capt. Rob toured the route he knows so well, he showed us an abandoned logging camp built right on the water, several opulent seaside mansions, and -- count them -- 15 giant eagles nests. And on the sunkist morning, we saw at least 60 eagles, many of them sitting majestically on their aeries and others in full flight. The clatter of clicking cameras was almost constant as the eager tourists saw memorable images virtually any way they looked.

Readers of this blog over the past two weeks know that day after day we had wonderful experiences and a ton of adventure. But after we were back aboard ship, we were asked to evaluate our excursions, and Capt. Rob and his crew drew our highest rankings. It was such a wonderful morning that we will have to return to the boat on the next post. We will see the eagles who were visiting the lighthouse.