Today was our last excursion of the cruise, small town called Ketchikan. The ship didn't dock until the later that morning, so it was nice to sleep in longer than 7:00 AM. We had breakfast at the Cabanas (buffet style restaurant) and around 11:30 AM, we left the Disney Wonder to explore Ketchikan. We looked through the many shops the town had to offer. It is a tradition that I always give my best friend DeRon a souvenir from our road trips. So I perused through about six different stores, finding potential trinkets to get him. Even Mom and Joe were suggesting various knick knacks for him. I also found souvenirs to give to the other members of our friend group. It was about time to meet our tour guide for the day, so we headed back to the dock.
Joe found a tour company called Wild Wolf Tours and scheduled us a hike through Ketchikan's rain forest and a tour to a totem pole park. After waiting fifteen minutes, our tour guide, Zach, ran up to the dock to meet us. We had to pick up another couple from a different cruise ship port, so we buckled up drove over to what looked like a former industrial park. After picking up the other couple we drove the to the end of the main road in Ketchikan which just ends at the rain forest. Like the other towns we visited in Alaska, the only way the travel to Ketchikan is by boat, plane, or birth. Once parked, Zach guided us on a hike through Lunch Creek Trail.
Zach was probably the most enthusiastic tour guide of our trip and that's saying something (Max Glacier is still my favorite though). You could tell he was passionate about nature. He constantly would stop and show us different plant life or pick berries to eat. He identified a decomposing tree trunk and explained how it became softer and squishier the more it decomposed by jumping up and down on it. We continued down the trail where it led out to the ocean. Without hesitation, Zach ventured out into the water to try and find us examples of marine life. He told us we could turn over the rocks on the shore and might find some creatures under them. I turned over a stone to find a crab quickly scurry away, but that was only creature I found. I climbed some nearby rocks to get a better view of the ocean and by then, Zach returned to shore. He didn't seem to find much besides a starfish and I think some kind of kelp. We headed back up the trail to the van and Zach offered us salmon dip and crackers. He told us the dip was pretty simple and his own recipe was much more flavorful. Joe tried some, but I gladly declined the offer. "Fish are friends, not food."
We drove over to Potlatch Totem Park next, a totem pole park. Zach guided us through a couple different buildings, teaching us about the history and culture of the Indigenous people. We even saw a totem pole that was being sculpted. According to Zach, the time it takes to create a totem pole varies on the design and artist, so it could take months or longer to finish just one. We also saw a house that had been reconstructed and could be taken apart and moved when the tribe moved to another location. As we walked around the park, he told us the stories behind some of the different totem poles displayed. Generally, totem poles tell either a story or family lineage based on the designs. Zach led us to the gift shop where the was also a display of antique firearms and a 10,000 year old mammoth tusk. More importantly, I found DeRon's souvenir at this gift shop and it's beautiful. Afterwards, Zach drove us back to main shops in Ketchikan.
We spent some more time looking through the many stores in Ketchikan (including the lumberjack shop) and I bought a few more souvenirs. Then we returned to the Disney Wonder to put away souvenirs, eat, and rest. Joe and Mom attended a concert by an acapella group called Pipeline Vocal Project, but I chose to explore the ship instead. I attended some Disney trivia, walked around the top deck, and saw park of a movie being played in the other theater. Then it was time for dinner at Animator's Palate.
When we walked up to our table, there were character template papers to help us create our own animated characters. I tried to draw mine as odd and goofy as I could. The digital canvases around the restaurant walls displayed more scenes from classic Disney films. Once we finished our character drawings, they were collected as our food began to arrive. Near the end of dinner, the digital canvases presented a show performed by our characters, come to life by the magic of Disney animation. We saw our characters skip, march, and dance alongside Disney characters in iconic Disney film moments. It was wondrous and by far the best part of my day.
After dinner, I attended Family Superstar Karaoke. There were some fun songs performed and it was uplifting to see the audience cheering and encouraging each singer, regardless of their level of talent. Next, I saw the latter half of a game called Seriously. The game involved couples standing back to back and raising their hand if they thought a question applied to them more than their spouse. It was hosted by Lewis, the crew member who hosted Disney Heroes Quote trivia and he was as entertaining as ever. Later, I ended my night with ice cream and watching part of Avengers: Age of Ultron on the top deck. Tomorrow is our last full day on the Disney Wonder and I plan to make the most of it.
If you'd like to read my mom's perspective on today's events, you can read her blog here.
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