Awoke to a very wet, rainy, and misty morning. Today we have an 08.30 trip to a wildlife sanctuary, so it's an early start. Our ship moors up in the heart of the city of Ketchikan while we are having breakfast.
Then its simply a matter of putting on every warm and waterproof layer that we have brought and walking down the gangplank. We are going to get wet today. We are kicking ourselves for not bringing our waterproof overtrousers on this holiday. A schoolboy error, I will update my holiday packing spreadsheet later.
In the 15m distance from to the awaiting coach my legs are soaked, but not worried as my walking trousers are quick drying. Our driver for the short trip to the Alaskan Rainforest Sanctuary on Eagle Creek does not look old enough to be driving. But he's quite informative. Ketchikan styles itself as the salmon capital of the world, and used to supply most of the world's tinned salmon.
Ketchikan is also known as the rainfall capital of Alaska, with over 3,000mm of rain per year, and was living up to its name today. Our guide to the wildlife sanctuary, Basel, was able to point to lots of evidence of black bears: claw marks on trees; discarded salmon from meals; bear shit. But of the 15,000 or so bears that live on Revilla Island we saw none. Banana Slugs were around, and our guide was very enthusiastic about these. Their slime contains a toxin with anaesthetic properties, and can be used to alleviate toothache
I did spot this bald eagle, looking very wet and bedraggled as it surveyed the nearby estuary
Dropped off back at Ketchikan we walked up Creek Street. There were black harbour seals in the bottom end of the river, doubtless enjoying a salmon lunch. Dead salmon were abundant in the calmer water at the edge of the stream, and the aroma of rotting fish pervaded the air
Looking around the city didn't take long. With a population of 8,000 it's about one third the size of Didsbury. We did visit a local clothing and hardware store for waterproof trousers. Not so much shutting the stable door, but we are expecting a lot more rain over the next few days
Our damp clothes drying in the bathroom
After lunch on board we tackled the Guardian prize crossword and played more cribbage. Vera winning again by two games to one
While eating dinner in the evening we saw splashes from whales in the water behind the ship. This bodes well for our whale watching excursion tomorrow
A late night cocktail in the ship's smallest and seediest bar
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