Roadie: Downtown Ketchikan, Alaska

Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska's famed Inside Passage,
Ketchikan is thought of as the beginning of to "The Last Frontier."(6/30/2019)

My wife and I have not previously thought of ourselves as cruise-type travelers, but after spending five of a seven day cruise "in" Alaska (including three on port excursions to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway), I am unsure there is any other way to comfortably scratch the complex surface of this non-contiguous state any other way.

Each city was geographically isolated from one another by large bodies of water and lush woodlands. Cruising by ship from port-to-port was much more cost effective and efficient than taking prop planes or small water craft. This mode of travel also allowed for multiple opportunities to view the natural wonders of Alaska's temperate rain forest (as well as glaciers and the resulting mountains) from a distance. First stop, after flying out following a single one night in Seattle, Washington, Ketchikan.

Once a Tlingit fishing camp, Ketchikan is now a sleepy town
and tourist attraction. (6/30/2019)

Ketchikan is located near the southern most tip of Alaska's pan-handle on the eastern coast of Revillagideo Island at the heart of the Tongass National Forest.

"Ketchikan" is Tlingit for "Thundering Wings of an Eagle," hence the statue that greets
visitors immediately after entering town. (6/30/2019)

Numerous totem poles, some of which tell stories and others that
memorialize historic figures are plentiful throughout the village. (6/30/2019)

The majority of totems are replicas of those previously destroyed
by settlers and missionaries. (6/30/2019)

Settlers built their homes, stores and brothels on stilts which have since
been reinforced. (6/30/2019)

Original home of famed "lady of the night" Dolly Arthur. (6/30/2019)

(6/30/2019)

Two of Alaska's most significant financial forces: salmon fishing 

and tourism. (6/30/2019)

Ketchikan Creek Waterfall. (6/30/2019)

Guess what secret path husbands would use to go home following a 

night out? Married Man's Trail, of course! (6/30/2019)

It was good too see that totems were in ready 

supply. (6/29/2019)

Only about 90 minutes of our stop in Ketchikan was spent in the town. There we walked the streets took in some of the local art and partook of some famous coffee. A recurring motif that we first became aware of in these tourist towns was the pervasive presence of (too) many jewelry stores on Main Street. These are apparently owned by the companies that run the cruise ships operations). We were much more interested in the history, wildlife, and landscape than tchotchke, though we did pick-up a few odds-and-ends for family back home.

Fair Trade Certified "Joe" at the Co-Op

Every other week or so, Anne and I shop at the local cooperative market. Among our purchases is cofee... all kinds of flavors from Kenya, Latin America... We usually shop at the co-op to buy locally grown vegetables, natural foods, and bulk whole grain pastas with a general understanding that because we shopped at here, it was good for our local community, econonmy and our own health. Although I have bought coffee there for a while I have always (I guess) taken for granted the "Fair Trade Certified" labels on the bags. Today I took a look and read the pamphlet.

Coffee is among the most heavily traded commodities in the world, while the members of the small rural communties that produce the coffee beans live in some the poorest countries in the world. Even though these farmers are producing a crop with world-wide appeal, the isolation that comes with the poverty they experience keeps them from fulling grasping the opportunity their skills/product could create.

As explained in Equal Exchange's Fair Trade pamphlet:

Using internationally recognized fair trade standards, Equal Exchange seeks to balance the inequities found in the conventional coffee trade... Through fair trade, it can be a delicious and powerful tool to bring about positive change for small farmers and thier families.

Equal Exchange certfied coffees are available in a range of varieties (inlcuding our favorite, organic coffees). You might consider th following courses of action:

1. Visit Fair Trade Certified's website (Fairtradecertified.org) and decide for yourself.
2. Seek out and give your local cooperative market a try.
3. Have a cup of Fair Trade Certified brew and help insure that those who produce the products you enjoy are being fully compensated for the work they do!