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My favorite place is also the place I am proud to call home, Ketchikan Alaska. This is the place where I’ve grown up and where my roots are planted. Ketchikan's scenic beauty always gives me a feeling of peace and reverence.

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Ketchikan is an island city located at the very beginning of the inside passage, which travels the length of southeast Alaska. As I walk down the streets of this small fisherman town, I can look up and see Deer Mountain towering above, dark green with the pine and spruce that scale its surface. The warmth of summer has melted away its white snowy tip. Looking toward the shoreline, I see an enormous Princess cruise liner slowly make its way up the passage, carrying tourists through the majestic Alaskan countryside.

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I hear the loud rumble of float planes as they take off and land on the water runway that runs along Ketchikan’s shore. I hear the shrill call of a bald eagle as it circles around the cannery dock, looking to pluck up an unguarded salmon. The clip clop of horses’ hooves echoes off the pavement as they pull a trolley full of wide eyed tourists.

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As I breathe in I feel the cool crisp air travel to my lungs. The subtle smell of fish wafting up from Ketchikan Creek mingles with the faint smell of freshly cut cedar to give Ketchikan an aroma all its own. The atmosphere around me is so clean I can almost taste its freshness.

 

I’ve lived in Ketchikan almost my whole life, yet its familiarity never puts an end to the awe given to me by its magnificent scenery. There is a busy quietness in its hustle and bustle that gives me peace. Ketchikan is a little town with a big heart, and it’s definitely where mine is.

©Tressa Lynn Towne