This photo, captured shortly after we boarded, proved to be the one that was used to identify us when our room key was swiped on leaving or boarding the ship after a land excursion.

A view of Ketchikan as we docked.

Before reboarding the ship after our excursion, everyone had their pictures taken with the stuffed bear at the trading post near the dock. Here, I was remembering the real stuffed bear Harry posed with in Moscow years earlier when  he was hamming it up  to amuse me.

Harry got to see Alaska at the tail end of a lengthy Western tour with the Chicago Symphony in the sixties. This leg of the tour did not allow accompaniment by musicians' wives, so I always envied Harry for seeing this state without me. He was in my thoughts a lot on this trip, especially since our wedding anniversary was on one of the days during this cruise. I know he would have been glad to know that I finally got to visit this magnificent state. (This CSO tour and Harry's comments about Alaska are just one of the many incidental topics included in my memoir, The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides, which continues to receive rave reviews on Amazon.)

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We left from Seattle at 4 p.m. and were at sea for a day before arriving in Ketchikan to pouring-down rain that did nothing to dampen our enthusiastic spirits. (Ketchikan, "The Salmon Capital of the World," is the rainiest town in southeast Alaska, a state that gets 12-14 feet of rain every year.)

After catching the bus for our Lighthouse, Totems & Eagles Excursion, we got a little tour through the city on the way. (The photos below were taken through the boat's window, due to the rain that day.)

We saw many eagles and eagles' nests on this boat ride, which was wonderfully narrated by a happy skipper and a joyful crew that that served us hot drinks and a nice snack lunch that included the best Salmon Spread we've ever had. (Recipe and other photos here).

Re the jacket I'm wearing at left ... when we left the ship in a pouring rain, we counted it a blessing that there "just happened" to be a trading post named Sockeye Sam's right there and that our boat trip was timed to give us plenty of time to shop beforehand. (No accident, of course; the cruise ship trade is important to Alaska's economy.) Both my sisters and I (and I think half of everyone who left the ship with us that day) bought one of these waterproof fleece-lined jacket with hood for just $19.95 (also available in pink). It was a genuine bargain, and much better than the jackets we had brought with us for the trip.

Other Photo Pages:

Fine Alaskan Art Sculptures (polar bears, brown bears, whales at Sockeye Sam's Trading Post)

Great Salmon Spread Recipe, with more photos of Lighthouse, Totems & Eagles Excursion.

Whales and Wildlife in Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier

Sawyer Glacier

White Pass Scenic Railway Excursion and Prince Rupert, Canada