Eagles

Ketchikan is our first Alaskan stop on our cruise up the coast. It is also the first time either of us has been to Alaska. Check! Another state seen.  I am up to 47 (only Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota left). Kassie is at 48 but with a remaining two different than mine.  There’s not too much to Ketchican other than the Lumberjack Show and the town’s Ketchy name. There is one more thing that turns out to be the highlight. There are eagles.  There are lots and lots of eagles. Everywhere we walked, there were eagles soaring above.

There are only two types of eagles in the United States, Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles. Ketchikan has both of them. As we walked down a road, maybe 30 feet ahead of us, an eagle flew over a small river.  Rounding the bend, we could see he’d landed on a gravelly sandbar at the water’s edge. We stopped and shot – but it was at a long distance. Stealthily, I moved down a side road looking for a closer vantage point. A little ways down the road there was a small path to the side of the river.  Walking as quietly as I could, I entered creek-side and came eye to eye with the juvenile Bald Eagle.

It was amazing he (she?) let me get so close,

He seemed to care less that I was there. Getting a bit bored of the same pose, I tried to get him to fly off. I scuffled my feet back and forth. He just sat there. I coughed. Nothing, again. I was about to pick up a pebble and toss it his way when he decided, on his terms, to take off:

It’s rare to be “ready” for the quick actions of birds.

With his wings splayed he reminds me of something. Maybe Batman?

Lumberjacks

We were told that the must-see attraction in Ketchican is the Lumberjack Show. $38 a ticket later we were seated front row for a show consisting mainly of big, strong guys playing with axes and logs. Accompanying the show is a cute emcee from Tennessee providing commentary with her southern drawl. I think Kas liked the show.  I liked the emcee.

He gave it everything he had but still lost.

Macho, Manhood, Bravado, all in display. What he accomplished was sawing a log – woohoo.

Remember, it’s all about the light.