Alaksan Cruise: Ketchikan (Sea Kayaking)

Southeast Exposure

Tatoosh Island Sea Kayaking

www.southeastexposure.com

When I booked the cruise to Alaska I hoped, at one of the ports, I'd be able to get into a kayak. I pictured myself looking at glaciers from afar with little icebergs floating by in the water. Turns out they don't have a lot of excursions where you can kayak near glaciers; that would be pretty dangerous with massive slabs of glacier calving into the sea.  But I did find opportunities to book a kayaking trip in a few of our stops.  I chose the stop in Ketchikan, Alaska, for kayaking and it was great. 

Here are a few photos of my raining expedition.  The outfitter was called Southeast Exposure and I booked the excursion through the cruise ship.  I did not take any photos until the very end; they provided a dry bag to keep my camera safe.  We were taken from the cruise ship by bus to another part of Ketchikan. Then we rode a fast raft to an island. The bus ride was enjoyable; it was interesting to hear about the history of Ketchikan and what it is like to live there. Turns out Ketchikan is the 2nd most expensive place to live in the United States after Hawaii.  The bus driver told us that four plums at the grocery store recently set him back $7.00 and a bunch of grapes costa over $15.00.  The bus driver also told us that when they opened a WalMart in Ketchikan, the store sold out by 2:00 pm and they had to close their doors and awaiting the arrival of shipping containers with new stock.  The fast raft trip to the island was also exhilarating, especially since it was raining. Thankfully, the outfitter provided all of us with rain suits.

 

I am happy with how my photos turned out. With such great scenery, you just can't go wrong apparently.  Just aim the camera in just about any direction and snap a photo. 

The shore was covered with these amazing black flat rocks. Some of the teenaged boys grab some rocks and skipped them across the water and marveled how far and how many times the rocks would bounced before sinking down.

Wet, cold, and tired kayakers.  They had hot cocoa and cookies on shore for us after we went kayaking for over an hour.

As we departed Ketchikan, I snapped a number of photos. This area reminded me of Astoria, Oregon.  Houses built high on the hillside, mist at the hilltops, and lush green foliage.

Finally, I had to post this photo for any fans of the show called "Deadliest Catch" (a TV program about crab fishing in Alaska).  This boat was docked right by our cruise ship and you could take a tour of the crabbing vessel if you wanted to.  I remembered the name of this ship from the Deadliest Catch program, but could not remember much about the boat or it's crew. Turns out, it was a boat that caught a dramatic rogue wave.  Here is an article about the Aleutian Ballad for more information (click HERE).