Saturday, August 13, 2011

I am all about terrible slogans.

Facts for you about Ketchikan, Alaska:

Ketchikan is a city (and I use the term loosely) located on a poorly situated Alaskan island in the Inside Passage.  And this is where I have spent the summer.

It's located on Revillagigedo island, also referred to as just Revilla, the 11th largest U.S. Island.
Ketchikan has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles. Which is pretty cool.
Ketchikan was a rough and tumble place back in the day.  It was where gold miners, hookers, and fishermen could all walk into a bar without punchline.

But on paper, it's advertised as Alaska's "First City" and "Salmon Capital of the World."

Yep, that's all they could think of. 

An island full of untamed frontier, beautiful vistas, bald eagles, whales, real lumberjacks, and they went with "Salmon Capital."  Because that's impressive.



It's even worse than Idaho's "Great Potatoes, Tasty Destinations." Yikes.
For the past two months and some change, I have been kickin' around this island.  Dancin' all night.  Workin' all day.  Doin' the summer-time shuffle. And guess what?  It was nothing like I would have expected.

But let me just assure you, there is more to Ketchikan than salmon.  Just as we know that potatoes are a starch, and that the adjective "tasty" for Idaho is reaching a little.  But anyway ...

Ketchikan is more than just a fish town.  And I'm going to tell you all about it.