Here Comes the Sun

         The sun doesn't shine too often in Ketchikan, so when it does, everyone is a little more lively and everything's a little more fun. On Saturday, the sun was out so Matt and I went to explore the less-seen side of Ketchikan behind the busy downtown district that is usually swamped with tourists during the day. We took the funicular (a gondola-type ride) up to Cape Fox Lodge which is probably the poshest hotel in Ketchikan- it seems to cater to business people and others familiar with the area because not many people come on vacation to Ketchikan unless it's on a cruise.

Matt on the funicular to Cape Fox

          Yesterday the sun was miraculously out again and it was a shocking sixty degrees. This always makes work fun because the tourists are extremely pleased about the weather which makes a good crowd for the show and a bunch of happy customers in the store. After work, the lumberjacks were working on their timber skills (because who doesn't hone their timber skills on a sunny day?) and decided to teach me how to log roll, which was so kind and naive of them- they were unaware of my stunning lack of coordination or balance.

It's actually incredible that I could stay on the log long enough for this photo to be taken

          I am pretty dismal at it right now but I plan on keeping at it (when the weather's nice, cuz that pool ain't heated) until I get respectable- I'm also hoping to be an adept axe thrower by the end of the summer as well. As far as awesome days go, today was probably the most awesome of all. An excellent perk of working with companies based in the tourist industry is that it's a very tight-knit community, so all of the employees get to go on each others' excursions and tours for free. Today, Matt and I went on the Adventure Kart Excursion, which was way way way cooler than I could have imagined it to be (I was picturing a go-kart track).

Me in front of the Kart fleet

Basically, the karts are modified military-grade vehicles that have been a bit "toned down" as our guides told us- they basically removed the machine guns and detuned them so that they could no longer go 100 mph. These babies can basically speed through any bump or rock in their paths. We went out in a caravan-style formation on a fourteen mile path through the woods and mountains, with Matt driving the first half of the trip. We then took a break at a waterfall and snapped some shots of the gorgeous views we were surrounded by.

Matt and I at an overlook- that's Prince of Whales Island behind us!

Amazingly, Matt let me take over the wheel for the seven mile ride back and didn't even seem that petrified. I was a little scared at first because of the bumps, turns and the careening death trap I was operating but the vehicle was pretty sturdy. It was pretty exhilarating and fun; the hardest part was not trying to look at the scenery while I was driving!

Weeeeeeeeee!

Today was a blast, and tomorrow it's back to the real world of work for the next six days 'til my next Monday off. I enjoy the fact that I'm always busy and that there's always something to look forward to- like fodder for my next post, for instance.


Until then,

Bridget