lickity list

Day 4 . Ketchikan

We met up with Daniel's aunt Debbie for a local's tour of the area. Debbie started the trip off right with a hike in Settler's Cove - her favorite place to hike far from the tourist spots with amazing views of the water and the rainforest. The canopy of cedars and spruce were high above us (in the above right picture I have Daniel and Debbie standing at the base of some massive trees) with moss growing on every imaginable surface and a creek running parallel to the trail. We then hit up several cool boutiques in downtown Ketchikan - which is built along the Ketchikan creek and has managed to keep the rustic feel while also having a substantial art culture.

For those looking for more than just a vacation play-by-play, here are a few facts about Ketchikan:

• The area boasts approximately 8,000 residents (13,000 including the surrounding area) making Ketchikan Alaska's 5th most populous city.
• The infamous "bridge to nowhere" was actually supposed to bridge Ketchikan to Gravina Island - home of the Ketchikan International Airport. Currently airport users take a ferry to get to the airport and will continue to do so as the bridge will not be built.
• Nicknamed the "Salmon Capital of the World".
• Serious precipitation: 152 inches avg rainfall, 37 inches avg snowfall.
  

Downtown Ketchikan with its stilted boardwalk above Ketchikan Creek