Alaska -- Day Twelve -- Ketchikan

The day began with my free spa treatment. With revitalized legs, I got off the boat in Ketchikan. We had tickets for a floatplane ride in the afternoon. So we began our experience by having lunch at the Alaska Fish House. We looked in a few stores. We have been most curious about Tlingit masks. We found a raven mask that opens up and inside is the sun. I bought it for Bryan as a 30th wedding anniversary present.

By then it was time to meet our bus for our floatplane ride. Our pilot told us that we were headed up in Dumbo-- the slowest, most dependable plane. We flew back to Misty Fjords. We passed snow capped mountains, dozens of waterfalls and many, many lakes. It was beyond beautiful. Then our pilot landed the floatplane on a salt water inlet and invited us to get out onto the pontoons. Amazing!

When we returned to Ketchikan I was feeling very peaceful. We got on the local shuttle and rode up the hill to the Eagle Center and Salmon Hatchery. We saw two female eagles and got a tour of the hatchery. We crossed the river and explored the Totem Heritage Center.

We got back on the bus and headed back into town. By then we were exhausted and got back on the ship. We had a delicious dinner and then heard an excellent comedian. A stroll on the deck for sunset did not disappoint. Tomorrow is our last full day on this cruise. It will be hard to leave the beauty of Alaska.