Friday, July 16, 2010

Alaska - Ketchikan

Happy Friday everyone!

I cannot believe it, but this is the last day of pictures from the trip.

Our last city was Ketchikan and Melanie found us the best tour!

We learned about commercial crab fishing on a fishing vessel that was on the program, The Deadliest Catch.

It was hit by a 60ft rogue wave and nearly sunk a few years ago.

The dangers that the fisherman face everyday in the open seas are life threatening on the worst days and just harsh and raw on the best.

I had no idea how the fish were actually caught that hit our markets.



Melanie on the fishing boat :)

The fisherman told stories and also caught Alaskan King Crabs and other fish to show us.
They promptly released them, so no creature was actually captured on our tour. :)


Here is a wolf eel!


and a prawn



and an Alaskan King Crab!





an eagle
assorted weird fishies! :)

an octopus

We also saw 2 humpback whales feeding on this tour too!
They formed a bubble ring to herd in the small fishies and scoop them up in their mouths about 50 ft away from us!

Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of the whales on this tour, but it was amazing to see!

Melanie and I loved our sister's retreat trip!

I know we will go back to Alaska one day. It is an amazing place indeed!
I promise to show you some of the art we bought at all of the stops next week.
Have a great weekend everyone and thank you for tuning in to see our photos this week.

xoxoxox
Melissa

17 comments:

Lisa M Griffin said...

Seriously, I so want to get there! The tour you took on the fishing boat sounds amazing, and it was wonderful to look through all your pics.... almost as nice as being there. Almost! ;)

Stubby said...

Hi Melissa! I've been laying low this week because I had a visitor on Tuesday but I've been reading all about your trip. It looks amazing and I want to go there now. Mom and Dad went on a similar cruise back in 2000 but didn't take me with. They loved it there and are always talking about going back. Maybe Emmitt and I can go next time.

Stubby xoxo

Sketching with Dogs said...

Oh noes, not the last day of pictures. We have loved them all, what a variety of fishes and crabs, amazing!
Wags, Dip Bridge and Elliot xx

Melanie, Moe, Ollie said...

What an amazing trip Missy! I can't believe how fast it went. Can't wait for another adventure with you

Laura said...

That Alaskan king crab is ginormous! Unfortunately it was raining when we were in Ketchikan so our zip-line adventure got cancelled. Your trip looked fabulous!

Punchbugpug said...

Oh, those sea creatures are SCARY. No dangling toes overboard on this boat!

Diane said...

What a fun trip & so educational! I do watch The Deadliest Catch sometimes. Boy, that big ocean can be very scary! Enjoy, Melissa!
xoxo Diane

Molly the Airedale said...

How interesting this post was! It must have been so neat to see an octopus in person!

Love ya lots
Maggie and Mitch

Puglette said...

what a great adventure! your pictures are wonderfu. hubby and i used to go fishing in the puget sound. we caught many odd fish and sea life.

my brother worked on a crab boat in california for a short time. he said it was the toughest job he's ever had.

have a great weekend!
hugs,
puglette
:o)

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

Thanks SO much for sharing this great pictures!

Khyra and I were thrilled to see them!

I know I'll never forget the first times I've seen Bald Eagles here in PA - just magnificent!

Those Elgin Pugs said...

Oh Melissa!!

We just adore yous and yous Melaine!!

We LOVE you trip photos!!

Can't wait to see your treasures too!!

xoxoxo,
Josie, Izzy and Anakin Man

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Look at all that fish - Mom so misses good fish now that we don't live on the East coast. That king crab is HUGE!!!

have a great weekend.

Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara

Becky said...

Wolf eel very scary, king crab is gigantic! A trip to remember!

JJ Lynne said...

Your fishing adventure looks like a lot of fun. I am glad to see that you're home and had a lovely trip! JD and I enjoyed tuning in to Emmitt's film fest while you were away and we can't wait to read the rest of your posts about your trip :]

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Hi Melissa and Melanie
Thank you for sharing your voyage with us. What a beautiful world this is and we are so happpy you got to feel the wildness in Alaska.
My mommies would love to go there someday,,, they loves the wild- course I do too.
Your photos were fantastic and we can feel what you shared. What a good feeling
we love you all
tweedles

Dana Orsborn said...

Hi Melissa!

Your Alaska photos are so great!
Glad you had fun. We can't wait to
see what you brought home from
the trip.

-Dana & Daisy

Sandy Mastroni said...

wow > I looked at all your photos ... Happy you had a wonderful vacation !