Thought I'd get back to you all with a mini "trip report" on Ketchikan.

First of all, we had a brilliant, sunny day. The locals kept telling us there hadn't been a day that nice all summer.

When we left the ship about 9 a.m. - I love the way we docked right downtown - my son spotted a "Duck" tour vehicle, which he loves. So we went into the visitors center on the dock, and bought tickets for the next available tour, at 1 p.m.

That gave us 4 hours to wander, so we set off to find the alleged city park with the totem poles. Instead we found Whale Park, which is a street median about the size of a single whale, with 1 totem pole. Photo op took 3 minutes.

Then we saw the sign for Southeast Alaska Discovery Center and wandered in to check it out. Turned out to be a wonderful way to kill an hour - the staff handed my son their scavenger hunt form and we had a great time finding all the animals and info needed for the hunt. He collected his prize, we checked out the bookstore and headed on out.

Next we needed stamps to mail a few things. Well, the Post Office is in the back of the taxidermy store, a definite "cultural experience" for us. And, yes, the PO was open on a Sunday morning.

We could see the base of the tram heading up to the lodge on the hill, so we headed over to ride it. To reach it, you cross a bridge over Ketchikan Creek - which we could smell 100 feet in advance. There were thousands of salmon, both alive and dead, in the creek. It's spawning season, and the fish head home for that. Another photo op.

After the fish photo op, we rode the tram up the hill: great weather = incredible views of the surrounding area below. [note: contrary to what the guide books say, the tram is not free, it was $2/person] There are a variety of trails back down to town, or you can head further into the hills from there. We took "Married Man's Trail" which went through the woods and to the mid range of the creek. There's a look-out point along the trail where you can watch the fish make amazing jumps back up stream.

Strolled back to the ship for lunch through the tourist shopping district. Most tourist businesses were open, but all had big "End of Season Sale" signs.

Lunch on the ship, then it was time for the "Duck" tour. This one wasn't authentic WWII vintage because of Coast Guard regulations, but still was both quite silly and much fun. Guides were guilty of many bad jokes, and the water section of the tour had more spectacular views of the city.

Followed the tour with a hike to the grocery store, and then back the ship after a very nice day.