UP THE INSIDE PASSAGE-Page 2
KETCHIKAN CANOEING CONTINUED...
When the canoes crossed Connell Lake guess who was there to greet everybody with a freshly cooked meal... yeah, that was my job! Here I am cooking up a big ole pot of clam chowder for all the hungry paddlers. It looks like the smoke is killing me but actually I just compressed the graphic too much...(sorry)
 I also prepared some freshly caught smoked salmon and halibut. This picture still makes my mouth water in a rage of tasteful memories! |
During the lakeside luncheon, Dan would present a very interesting program on the local indian culture and history. Here he is talking about the meaning of the paddle carvings.
 One of the guides, Bret was a very skilled craftsman himself and made this useful item from the bark of a white cedar. Can you guess what it is? If not, then scroll down to the next photo to find out. | .
Before used clorox bottles with their tops cut off were invented the indians would make this deluxe water dipper for their canoes from natural materials like bark and wood. The small tool is a hand adze used for shaping wood into a particular piece. Pretty nifty, huh?
 On one day there were no new cruise ships coming into town so Dan and I decided to day hike up Deer Mountain overlooking Ketchikan and the Inside Passage. Here I am on the summit! (Is it an optical illusion or am I really that bo-legged?!?) |
And here's Dan just before we reached the summit. It was sort of nice plowing through the snow in June!
 Before I left Ketchikan Dan had arranged a free plane tour into the Misty Fiord National Monument with a local outfitter friend. I'll never forget this flight into some of America's most pristine wilderness. Here's some of the photos that I took... |
This was definitely the most stunning waterfall I've ever seen, draining a secluded mountain top lake.
 The pilot landed the plane on the lakes edge where I'm standing on the pontoon and holding onto the propeller so that I didn't slip into the icy water. We watched a mother bear and her cubs from a safe distance on the green shoreline behind me. |