North to Alaska Day 3

Day 3 : Ketchikan


Day 3 of our  Alaskan adventure saw clearer skies when we awoke early and had a hearty breakfast in the Windjammer. We then set out to go ashore and meet our guides for the day, Island Wings Air Service. Terry drove us to the dock to await the arrival of Michelle, owner of Island Wings and full-time pilot. Michelle designated each seat on the float plane, and once we were safely buckled in and had been briefed on safety, eased the float plane Lady Ester (named after Michelle's mother) out over the bay and into the air.

The flight was breathtaking, following rivers, fjords and inlets carved into the vast Alaskan landscape. Michelle made the painstaking decision that we would not be flying into the glacier because of the low cloud deck. Disappointed but determined to make the best of it, we sat back and enjoyed Michelle's narrative about the geology and geography of the area.

Suddenly, from her vantage point in the cockpit, Michelle spotted a mother Brown bear with 2 cubs on the shore of a lake. She expertly guided the aircraft in a spiral down to the surface of the lake, where we floated for 10 minutes, allowing everyone to watch and photograph the extraordinary event. The big female caught and ate a salmon as we watched, and the cubs froliced alongside the lake after taking a theatrical interest in the dead fish being devoured by Mama. We happily observed the bear family,as well as a bald eagle eating his salmon breakfast, until the bears  ambled off, leaving the lakeshore silent and serene.

At this point we were allowed to get out of the plane and onto the shore, after a few instructions from Michelle on how to disembark, as well as a stern warning to not step on a dead fish because "You won't be going back to the ship in this plane !"
Michelle is also an accomplished photographer who took photos for all the float plane passengers on the shore of the glassy lake.
After a wonderful , calm interlude on the lakeside, we once again loaded the plane and flew back to Ketchikan. A wonderful excursion , made even better by the fact that Michelle gave us a partial refund because she could not get us to the glacier.

As we had planned, we met David and Nancy for some shopping and a visit to the Lumberjack Show. This was a thoroughly interesting, interactive and entertaining show featuring the skills of 4 lumberjacks , 2 from the U.S. "Spruce Mills" and 2 from Canada "Dawson Creek". It was a great showcase of lumberjack skills, with Canada getting the win amongst much cheering. Afterward, Nancy and I had our photos taken with all 4 lumberjacks.

All that cheering required a beer, and we found a good Alaskan beer joint called 'Fat Stan's" for a delicious Alaskan Amber Ale, complete with souvenir glass. Went back to the ship for lunch and gathered, along with Roger and Kathlene, Dorothy and the Roziers for sailaway on the balcony. A good dinner and early evening followed.

Tomorrow: Juneau