ALASKAN CRUISE SHORE EXCURSION KETCHIKAN

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Hi and welcome to our blog. Today I am going to finish up our Alaskan cruise posts that I started in the Fall. our Holland America Line 7-day cruise to Alaska's Inside Passage was fun, exciting, and relaxing. We visited Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. Ketchikan was quite rainy the day we were there, but all was well--it wasn't a downpour so not terrible. 

Ketchikan is known as being "Alaska's Frist City," in that it is the first city reached when sailing through the Inner Passage of Alaska. However, our ship, the Westerdam, first sailed to Juneau, then Sitka, then Ketchikan. As you can see from my photo above it was a rainy day the day we visited Ketchikan in August 2025. 

Ketchikan is also, obviously, known as the "Salmon Capital of the World". It's first cannery opened in 1885, which is why the city was founded. Logging was another important industry for this area. Now, cruise ships and the visitors they bring can easily increase Ketchikan's population of 8192 (2020 census) to 15,000 to 20,000 on port days for those cruise ships!

Our day in port included a shore excursion that we had booked. My husband and I wanted to get the most out of our port days, so shore excursions seemed the way to go. Here I booked a short tour of Ketchikan and then our bus proceeded to Saxman Village, which I will speak to shortly.

Sorry the photos are dark--it really was raining!

The above photos are located near the dock as we came off the ship. The Rock is a bronze sculpture, honoring those people and industries who contributed to the growth of Ketchikan. Ketchikan is home to the indigenous people: Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. The Rock does pay tribute to the Tlingit, as well as miners, fishermen, loggers, pioneer women, and aviators--those who contributed to the founding and growth of Ketchikan. I found this informative WEBSITE that gives more info on The Rock and the people it represents.

Oh, just a note so you can plan accordingly. Holland American Line (HAL) cruise ships, at least the Alaskan cruises, have umbrellas for each passenger, in their cabins! So if you do happen upon a rainy port day, you are covered. My husband and I opted to have rain gear to wear, as southeast Alaska is known for rain. I opted for this cute LIGTHWEIGHT RAIN JACKET IN ARMY GREEN and ordered this RAIN JACKET IN ROYAL BLUE for him. Both have hoods so that was handy, too.

Our first stop was The Saxman Village and to learn a bit about the Tlingit tribe and the totem poles. Most of the totem poles there are replicas of totem poles left in abandoned villages; the replicas were mainly carved in the 1940s. When visiting Saxman Village, you can at times see Native artisans working on wood carvings and totem poles. Each section of the totem pole tells a story and these poles were created to honor individuals, commemorate significant events, or to show one's lineage.

To learn more about the Saxman Village, here is an informative LINK.

 

This totem pole is quite obviously, Abe Lincoln. The pole itself is quite tall, maybe 50 feet. Poor Pres. Lincoln is depicted as being somewhat short. Per our guide for the day, the Tlingit people had never seen Abe himself and only had a photo that was cut off just about thigh level, thus the very short legs. I found that amusing. If they had seen him in person, I am sure the result would have been much more favorable!

As we drove back into town, we stopped at the Native Interpretive Center, which is located in town. The staff member there gave us a brief history of the exhibits and also a history of Ketchikan. Our tour guides at all three of our ports (Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan) were very knowledgeable and added a bit of humor to some of the stops. 

Fishing, is of course, a big part of Alaska culture and industry. Below is a whale baleen at the center. Some whales, such as blue whales and humpbacks, use baleen plates (made of keratin) to filter out water and retain small prey. The baleen plates hang from the upper jaw. The whale baleen, when dried, is very stiff and was at one time used in consumer products such as umbrellas, corsets, and buggy whips!

All in all, we enjoyed our time in Ketchikan a great deal. Despite the rain, it was not too cool (I am the world's coldest person lol) and I stayed warm and dry. The tour guide drove us around the city a bit before heading out to Saxman Village. During the drive, he would point out certain buildings to give us background or history. 

For more info on visiting Ketchikan, visit this LINK.

Some items that I would suggest on an Alaskan cruise would be as follows:

Waterproof FANNY PACK. It is beneficial to have hands-free. I didn't want to carry my backpack on shore excursions (and some shops frown on those being brought in), so when I needed more than just my HAL ID (which I carried in a lanyard) I opted for the fanny pack. I also used that during our Juneau whale excursion, which you can find HERE. 

I did use this WATERPROOF PHONE POUCH/LANYARD for my Samsung phone to keep my phone dry and handy. It kept my phone dry and handy to use.

WATERPROOF HIKING BOOTS are a must in Alaska, especially if you are choosing a shore excursion that includes hiking or walking up trails or in the rain. Holland America Line has a variety of shore excursions to choose from for any cruise you choose. I did not need hiking waterproof boots on the ship LOL. We actually booked our cruise through Costco and a couple of the shore excursions, too, and two were booked through HAL.

Thanks for stopping by! If you have any questions, please feel free to drop us a comment below!

FUNTASTIC FRIDAY LINK PARTY 577 AND GOODBYE JANUARY

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Happy almost-February! Walmart will be putting out the summer items in no time lol.

Have you been caught in the cold spell as many states have been? Here in northern Nevada, we missed the snow and ice but our evening temps dropped down to single digits and up to 35 or 40 during the day. I do long for Spring days.

Here's an oldie but goodie of a VALENTINE'S DAY COOKIE AND BAKERY-STYLE ICING RECIPE. That icing recipe is very easy to make and is smooth and glossy when added.

Below, you can find the link to another Valentine's Day Cookie recipe.

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This week om Two Chicks and a Mom, we shared a post about the artists in our family and a couple of ways to encourage young artists/crafters. You can find that HERE.

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COOL AMAZON FINDS AND ENCOURAGING TIPS FOR THE YOUNG ARTIST IN YOUR LIFE

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I will earn a small commission, which will not affect the pricing for you. 

I am blessed to be surrounded by artists in my family. My husband, Larry, has always had artistic talent. He has done acrylics and oil paintings, sketches, and various other media. Back in high school, he even had a showing of his work at our local library! Here is one of his landscapes.

In the late 60s, wide-eyed kids and animals in artwork were a big hit. Larry painted this in junior high.

In junior high or maybe younger, Larry made this rooster plaque using dried beans and corn (it was a Scout project).

Two of our sons inherited their dad's artistic talent.

Our son, Eric, has won numerous local, state and national art awards and below are small samples of his work.

Eric was asked to paint basketballs for the Winter Homecoming King in high school.

Eric painted this on our window one Christmas.

Halloween creativity.

This pastel piece won Eric the Governor's Art Award when he was in 8th grade. He went on to win other Governor's Art Awards in 10th and 12th grade, too!

Eric is also the artist behind our Easter Egg Art.

Eric's older brother, Jared, also won the Governor's Art Award when he was in high school. That's Jared with Gov. Bob Miller, who was such a pleasant, friendly man. They had a lovely reception at the Governor's mansion for the award winners and their families (there were award winners from each Nevada county). The drawing of Rob Zombie (IYKYK lol) was done in charcoal.

So, it is no surprise that some of the grandkids are interested in art and also crafting; Staci and I both scrapbook, sew, make various crafts. Oakli loves to try any media!

Oakli and her water coloring a few years ago.

Since granddaughter Oakli, who just turned 8, loves to draw and craft too, I ordered some supplies for her for her birthday. Artists need drawing paper and this drawing pad from Amazon 
has 50 sheets of 9" x 12" paper to please! For her coloring and drawing, I added in these art markers (she really loves markers and she is 8 so feel comfortable my walls are safe. These washable markers may be better for younger kids). Oakli also likes to watch YouTube videos showing how to draw certain things, such as animals. She also enjoys this how-to drawing book which gives step-by-step instructions on drawing cute animals.

🎨🎨🎨

Oakli's self-portraits.

Oakli went thru a period of drawing sweet little square cats. To make sure Oakli has a variety of supplies for crafting, I also gifted her these DESIGN-EDGED SCISSORS for whatever she may want to try next. I use those often for scrapbooking and trimming photos, making frames a bit fancier, etc. Oakli also likes to color her own stickers and this FUN BOOK would make a great gift for all young artists!

Grandson Parker created this lively little waterfowl!

TIPS TO ENCOURAGE YOUNG ARTISTS

One thing I was told as a young mom by a preschool teacher was that you never ask a child "what is it?" when they share their artwork with you but instead say, "tell me about your picture!" I found this to be valuable information over the years. 

Another thing she taught me is to never throw the artwork away in front of a child--display it on the fridge or somewhere for a while OR ask about it, set it aside and later, while alone, toss it. As a mom of 8, you can't possibly keep it all (though I tried for a few years lol).

If they are participating in an art show at school or in the community, make sure to attend if at all possible! Invite grandparents and take the siblings along. By putting effort into being present for talents, it encourages them to continue on.

Thanks for stopping by and viewing my post on my family of artists and ways that you can encourage art!

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