While we were on our Alaskan Cruise (you can read about it here: http://www.foodlovergirl.com/princess-cruise/ ), we took a few excursions to take advantage of the local tour and yes, feast! They had so many excursions at Ketchikan, and we chose the one that sounded most enticing. First, we got on a van and took about 20 min ride to the boat dock.

Our tour guide took us down to the boat, and the scenery around was just beautiful. I heard from multiple people from Alaska that it rains around 350 days or more a year in Alaska. We were truly blessed with our trip, since it only rained one day during our week-long cruise. It was the perfect weather for the boat tour!

The boat was rather small, but not too small, a perfect size for our group. It was fun or funky color, with lots of large windows so that we can see out clearly even on a rainy day. Luckily for us, it was bright and sunny, so most of us had the windows open.

It was a nice, peaceful boat ride of about 30-40 min. We were heading to Silverking Lodge for our seafood feast. The distance from the boat dock to the Lodge was not that far, but it took a while, only because we made several stops along the way to indulge in scenery, nature, and yes, wildlife! Our guide was quite funny and informative.

We stopped in front of a tiny island with eagle’s nest on the top of a tree. While we were looking around, the parent, bald-head eagle flew in to protect the nest. Our guide threw some fishes in the air, into the near water so that we could take a closer look. But, the mama- or papa-eagle was in no mood for eating that day. The guide tried so hard to get the attention of the eagle with more fishes, which was pretty funny. The eagle never came down, but we still got to get a good look.  

We moved on from the eagle’s nest, and all of a sudden, a see sea lion came up from the water and said a quick hi-and-bye. It was so quick, all I got on camera was the water bubble after he said bye. LOL. Then, w saw a crazy amount of seals sun bathing.

After the fun tour on the water, we arrived at Silverking Lodge. It is a small building with lots of wood curving, which was interesting. And just look at this beautiful, clear blue sky!

As we walked closer to the lodge and admiring their wood curving, we noticed there were some Sitka black tail fawns right there!

They were so cute, and didn’t seem to be scared of us. Well, none of us were hunters, and we just wanted to watch them as they ate the grass. I heard that they sometimes comes pretty close up if you have some kind food. Friendly little deer.

Then off to a rainforest hike. We actually even thought about investing into a really good pair of hiking boots before we went onto any kind of rainforest hike But then, our guide told us that it was going to be “the easiest hike” you will ever do… We headed off to the Memorial Trail. 

Once we started the hike, we saw what he meant by that. The walking trail was a wide wooden trail, I assume it is probably is accessible by wheelchair too. And hence, the easiest hike. I don’t even know if it can be called a “hike” at this point…LOL.

The rainforest was pretty cool, it was mostly covered with different kinds of moss. We learned about moss and other plants and trees during our short walk. The guide told us that certain moss only grows in the area with super clean air, such as this rainforest. How cool! Walking through this beautiful mossy environment was awesome! It felt like some kind of magical forest, where a fairies and unicorns might be hiding. 

At the end of the so called hike, we reached the little pond that is known as the fountain of youth! The guide offered (or more like dared) us to take a drink out of the fountain of youth. Well, the water looked quite disgusting… So, we decided not to take our chances… We will just have to grow old, gracefully. Then, we got the THE largest cedar tree, which was really magnificent!

After taking in all the wonderful nature, it was time to walk back to the Silverking Lodge. The “hike” was about 20 minutes walk. And, we were walking slow, so the trail is kind of short. After the long, tough hike (yes, just kidding), we got to the outdoor dining area next to the lodge. The picnic tables were all set up for us for the feast.

They had a couple of huge pots with lots of shrimps floating on top. The aroma was incredible, we were all ready to eat some seafood! This was the highlight of this excursion for sure…

Once we were all seated, the pot was brought over to each table and he dumped the pot of seafood gold onto our table. And yes, the pot of gold contained so much more than just shrimps!

The seafood feast included crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, potatoes, onions, garlic, corn, and sausage. They were all cooked in one delicious pot, and served piping hot right in front of us! It was a crazy amount of food, but we were all hungry and ready to dig inn. 

Oh my goodness they were awesome!!! So much crab legs and everything else… We all got down and dirty for this delectable feast. It was high quality, fresh and delicious. My taste buds were having the time of their lives with disco balls and dancing crazy like there is no tomorrow! The hosts who were young married couple were really sweet too. They had hot butter, water bottle and lemonade dispenser, all included in the excursion.

Some short while later, the table was left with nothing more than a few potatoes and onions. We all did great job consuming the treasures from the sea. We were full and satisfied, and super happy!

After the delightful seafood feast, we took in the beautiful scenery all around us to calm our full stomach. Then, it was time to get back to our cruise ship.

We said our good byes to the Silverking Lodge, and got back on our boat. The ride back to the dock was much faster, since we didn’t stop to look for any wildlife on the way back. Our tour guide kept us entertained on the ride back though.

Our first excursion was a big success! We had a great time on this tour and feast. We took in lots of crisp and clean air, we felt so much better with lungs filled with fresh air. And yes, it felt even better with stomach full of delicious seafood feast. The boat tour was not as great as it could’ve been better with more wildlife, or more close ups of them. Regardless, it was pretty cool. The “hike” was…kind of disappointing, but very interesting. Then the feast, which kind of made up for all of it. I had a high expectation for the feast, and it certainly delivered! I am so glad we took this excursion!

 

Alaskan Lodge Adventure & Seafeast – 11728 S. Tongass Highway Ketchikan, Alaska 99901