Category Archives: R. Doug Wicker

It’s now four in the afternoon. Everyone is back aboard (I hope). The Ovation of the Seas is pulling away from the dock. Ketchikan is enveloped in a light drizzle that threatens to become a steady rain. Time to move on to our next destination. But don’t miss this sail away. Too much awaits you as the ship travels northwest through the narrow channel heading back into the Inside Passage. We’ll begin with this little photo gallery/slide show of Ketchikan receding into the rainy mist:

But don’t head back in off your balcony just quite yet. That’s especially true if you’re a fan of small boats, floatplanes, and other maritime transport. And of course no aviation enthusiast rejects the sight of an old radial engine, even if it hides beneath a protective tarp. There’s just something about the sound….

I mentioned earlier in this series of articles that Ketchikan is one of our favorite Alaska destinations. Sure, it’s tourist-kitschy and all that, but it has much to offer the shutterbug. And, as you’ll see on this week’s Fun Photo Friday, it also offers up great subjects for over-the-top photo manipulation (Yep… went hog wild for this Friday, so stay tuned). And my favorite Ketchikan seems to heavily concentrate in one area — Ketchikan’s infamous former red-light district along Creek Street.

Creek Street is an easy, leisurely five-minute stroll (approximately 0.2 miles/.32 kilometers ) if you enter this area from the west end of the street. If you head for the east end, which intersects with Stedman Street, it’s a marginally farther six-minute walk (approximately 0.3 miles/.48 kilometers).

The street itself is very short and can easily be covered in much less than two minutes, but plan on spending at least half and hour exploring the many shops… longer if you want to stop at one of the restaurants or drinking establishments.

Mill Street is a great way to get to Creek Street if you plan on entering from the east. Or take Mission Street and cross the small foot bridge to get there from the west. Neither way will disappoint, and you can take the alternate route for the return to the ship.

On this journey Ursula and I went via the Mill Street route, entering Creek Street from the adjacent Stedman Street Bridge. One of the first images of Creek Street via this route would be this:

We’ve been here many a time, including during spawning season when Ketchikan Creek is littered with dead salmon. Yes, it does smell a bit during these times, but not distressingly so. Today we were well past the spawn, and not many dead fish remained. Those that did were at the bottom of the creek. Now, looking back from the opposite end of what you see above gives you the view below. To the right is the Stedman Street Bridge. The green structure near the center is the Dolly House Museum, which is billed as Ketchikan’s only remaining “den of iniquity” still standing.

In some areas of Creek Street the walkways narrow between charming, brightly colored buildings:

As you depart Creek Street on the west side, cross over the foot bridge, and make your way to the inappropriately named Dock Street (no where near the docks), look to your left for the Chief Johnson Totem Pole. Topping that pole is a neat stylized eagle waiting to say, “Cheese,” as you prepare to snap his photo:

This next totem pole you might miss if you head straight back along Mill Street, or even Mission for that matter. To find it, hang a right and walk a short distance. It sits just outside of the Tongass Historical Museum: