The first stop on our cruise to Alaska was Ketchikan. The logging industry helped create the town in the 19th Century but a major economic driver in the current century is tourism. We combined the two by watching a lumberjack competition as tourists. We later watched a traditional dance by the Tlingit people, one of the native peoples of Alaska.

Ketchikan is only reachable via boat or seaplane, so it’s not a surprise that the bulk of the town’s annual visitors arrive via cruise ships. Unfortunately, the town itself, at least what most visitors see, looks like it was created by Disney. Regular people do live there of course, but not in the downtown area that we were able to see during our brief visit.

The lumberjack competition included competitive sawing, axe chopping, pole climbing and log rolling. There are such completions conducted around the U.S. and Canada, and the participants are truly athletes. The guys that were in the show were competitive, but there was also quite a bit of showmanship. It was a lot of fun.

Next we visited a native village where we watched traditional tribal dances. Audience members were invited to join and don a ceremonial robe. Pat couldn’t resist, needless to say.

This particular clan also had several totem poles that differed from the ones we viewed in Vancouver, along with a carving shop where we had a nice chat with one of the artisans. So while Ketchikan itself was kind of kitschy, this part was educational.

If you visit, don’t waste a lot of time in town but instead take advantage of the other offerings in the area. (Though we did enjoy our stop at a locals dive bar.)

Next up is Juneau.