Returning visit to Ketchikan, Alaska 2022/Carlos Pueblo

 Returning visit to Ketchikan, Alaska 2022/Carlos Pueblo

Ketchikan, Alaska is the first stop to Alaska and the town is famous for salmon and self claim the capital city of salmon in the world. During the Alaska hay days of gold rush, the town was built and some gold were produced. I have been to this town for 8 times in 11 years. I hope that I can keep on coming back for the rest of my life. I love the scenery of Alaska and the comfortability of the cruise travel. It is very busy and interesting on board and it is very nice to see such a world wonder nearby you. I can just march into it no need to worry about the traffic and freeway hustle. I don't even mention that I have no house chores to deal with.

I find my way to the bottom of the Ketchikan Creek, the old town's whore houses now gift shops. You still can see some store owners dressed up like the old time yet not such business is operating. I followed the creek up toward a small park, a State hatchery, and a Alaska native Totem Heritage Center all at the same area.

I can use the rest room at the park and it is the time for the rhododendron blossom. The azalea flower is a part of the rhododendron family. The azalea has one flower while the rhododendron has plenty flowers packed together. According to my research, the rhododendron grows along the Pacific Coast from Alaska down all the way to the U.S. Mexican border. I see many on the Seattle Airport, in California, and the Fontainebleau Palace in Paris. The Fontainebleau was a palace for Louis XV to hide his mistress from the Versailles.

The stream is from the mountain top snow or glacier, flows to the small park with the rhododendron around it and a small and clear pond, then flows to the State hatchery by the rest room. Every year at a certain time, the authority will release young salmons or other trout to the Ketchikan passing by the whore house area to enter to the Pacific Ocean. I am told that every other year, the adult fish will come back and follow the up stream back to some area to lay eggs. We call the phenomenon the Salmon is returning home. Some area in the North America are taking off dams in order to allow this natural phenomenon. We compare such phenomenon and the river dams to many authoritarian regimes in the world, such as China, to prohibit its dissentient citizen to return to their homeland as inhumane.

After finishing my photos taking, I find another way other than the creek to exit back to the downtown area. I pointed an old frame building used to be deteriorated and a German couple took many photos and shake their heads for the un-believable that such a rich nation in the world with such slum and ghetto. It has been gone for several of my returning trips now because the city won't allow it.