People of Ketchikan

As we departed our final shore stop, we headed back to Ketchikan and saw signs for a Street Fair and Battle of the Bands. With plenty of time before sailing, we walked through the downtown fair and it left an absolutely wonderful final impression on us. From Capt. Rob Halston and his crew, who were personable as well as professional, to the street vendors and the patrons of the fair, we met so many nice people that it was a wonderful day. The streets were alive with skateboarders and dog walkers, the concession booths had those wonderful smells of summer food, and we talked to a clerk in a bookstore about the weather and the people of Ketchikan. It was surely our favorite town on the trip.

And it is interesting that after the caribou and the bears, the sled dogs and the running salmon, the mountains and the glaciers; the town we liked best was filled with wonderful, friendly people who could make us feel at home. Reminds us a lot of the lesson we already knew, the one about how ordinary people are the treasure of the earth. Thanks for the reminder, Ketchikan.

That evening we headed toward Vancouver and our airplane ticket home. Watch for the next post.