On Tuesday, we arrived at our first port, which was the very pretty little town of Ketchikan. The cruise ships snuggle right up to the dock in the downtown area and everything you could want to visit is just a short walk away.

This area of Alaska was overrun with people (mostly men) looking to make their fortune during the Gold Rush…here is Creek Street, the former red-light district where “men and salmon come upstream to spawn.” Hmm.  Today, the buildings that used to be brothels are still taking money from tourists – albeit in a slightly different way.

Theo took off to go salmon fishing, but unfortunately, the fish were not cooperating.

I took off to see the Misty Fjords. What an amazing journey! We traveled several miles inland by boat to an area of the Tongass National Forest that is designated as the Misty Fjords National Monument. This land is completely unspoiled by mankind; there are no man-made structures of any kind allowed in this over 2 million acre area – well, except for one small weather station. We spotted many bald eagles, seals, and even a young black bear! The mountains here are about 3000 feet high, but are quite steep — beaches are very rare (probably a good thing considering the number of bears who are supposed to live here).

Seals sunning on the rocks.

And of course – a sunset.

Jean