Hooray!  We reached our first port and can add Alaska to the list of states we have visited. Ketchikan, known as Alaska’s First City, the Salmon Capital, and the Rain Capital, was once a rough frontier town, but is now a fairly quiet, touristy stop on the Inside Passage. The city has considerable charm even though it is a little kitchy. We loved that totem poles dot the landscape. Creek Street, the former Red-light District, is particularly cute, with the swift and picturesque Ketchikan Creek running past the buildings raised on stilts.

     Shopping is king here, and we certainly checked out quite a few stores. Actually, the prices were excellent for souvenirs — I found pins for $0.99, the cheapest I have ever seen. We had a number of coupons for "free" merchandise, but the free stuff was pretty much junk. It was pleasant strolling the streets (downtown is very compact), especially since the weather was fantastic. It rained for only about 20 minutes, then the sun came out and temperatures were tolerable.

     Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo Island and can only be reached via plane or boat — there are no roads connecting it with other Alaskan communities. We have seen numerous seaplanes — very common here because of the many islands and lack of roads.

     We saw our first bald eagle, sitting on the roof of a building in downtown Ketchikan.