FRIDAY 6/29/2012 – MADISON, WI >> KETCHIKAN, AK 

Friday, June 29^th, 2012 – Day 1 of our trip!

My Mom and Dad dropped us off at the Airport in Madison, Wisconsin by 7:30 am. Our flight left at 8:55 am. We arrived in Chicago at 9:50 and were heading to Seattle by 11:20 am.  With the time change, we arrived in Seattle at 1:45 pm.  Our flight left Seattle at 3:35 pm and arrived at 4:40 pm in Ketchikan, Alaska!

The Ketchikan airport is on an island with a short runway that turns at the end.  We were surprised to learn that we have to take a $5 ferry to get to the taxi stand in the City of Ketchikan.  It wasn’t a big deal, but our travel agent had meticulously put together information, prepaid, and provided vouchers for all (well most) of our transfers to and from the hotels.  There was no mention of this ferry.  It was a pleasant ferry ride, we chatted with four guys from Seattle who were coming to the area for nine days to fish. 

Our travel agent had arranged for a taxi to be waiting for us.  Unfortunately, there was no taxi waiting.  We called Yellow Cab. John, the Yellow Cab driver, arrived and took us past the Ketchikan Welcome Arch to the New York Hotel, a small historic inn on Steadman Street in the Creek Street district, Ketchikan’s former red light district.  Our room overlooked the Inside Passage.

Ketchikan has just over 8,000 residents.  It is known as the “Salmon Capital of the World” and also the “Rain Capital of Alaska”.

We wandered around town, shopped, and took in the sights. We ate at Annabelle’s. I had halibut and twice baked potato. We were tired after a full day of travel.  We went back to our cute, little hotel and went to bed early.