[46:Sweet]
(Seattle, Washington)
"Why are we in Seattle, Eleanor?" Ochaco asked as they waited for a connecting flight at Sea-Tac airport.
"It's part of how the flight works. We have to stop at Seattle or Juneau, and then from there, go to Ketchikan. It's just how it is, I don't make the rules," Eleanor said.
That's right. They were at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. They were waiting for a flight to Ketchikan. Outside the windows, planes from multiple places could be seen. There were planes from China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Ireland, England, France, Germany, and many more.
"What's Seattle like, Eleanor?" Ochaco asked.
"Well, it's one of the major cities of the US, and also a place for the world. Many large companies have headquarters here; it's a major economic hub for the Pacific Northwest, and is an important hub for international trade with Asia. So, yeah, kind of important. It has a population of a few million. And of course, the famous tower they have here. I think it's called the Space Needle?" Eleanor said.
"That's interesting," Momo said.
"So now we've been to three major areas! We've been to Alaska, Canada, and the mainland United States!" Ochaco said.
"What are the heroes like in America, Eleanor? There's probably a lot of heroes in a city like this, right?" Ochaco said.
"It depends. There's a large hero team, or organization, here in Seattle called the Emerald City Heroes Organization, or ECHO. They're really active in the city," Eleanor said.
"So, heroes in America work in groups or organizations?" Momo asked.
"Not all the time. There are a lot of independent heroes who only work by themselves. There's a hero in Albuquerque, New Mexico, called Skyline, and he works by himself. And I mean his hero name is Skyline, not his actual name, don't get him confused with the other guy," Eleanor said.
"That's interesting. I wonder how things in America are different from Japan," Ochaco said.
"Well, one thing is that…the rules of engagement, or the…lethality threshold is different," Eleanor said.
"Oh…oh…I see," Ochaco said, realizing what Eleanor was saying.
"That's not saying every hero is wrong in the head or anything, but they need stronger wills to make more…permanent and decisive decisions in high-intensity moments," Eleanor said.
Just then, the airport intercom system came on. "Flight to Ketchikan, Alaska, is now boarding."
"Okay, come on, you two." Eleanor and the girls started the boarding procedure.
/\\//\\//\
(Ketchikan, Alaska)
"Okay, you two, put on your rain jackets. We're going to need them big time in this place," Eleanor said. Momo and Ochaco followed her instructions. The airport in Ketchikan was on an island, separated from the city. Narrow waterways surrounded it.
Ochaco noticed this. It was yet another thing that surprised her about Alaska. "How do we get to the town?" Ochaco asked.
"It's a short ferry ride to the ferry terminal. From there, we can take a ride, public transit, or a water taxi to the downtown district," Eleanor said.
A few minutes later, they took a ferry across the water. The first thing Momo and Ochaco noticed was the wetness. A gray and overcast sky stretched as far as the eye could see. There was rain. Not a storm, but a constant moisture, a mist or a drizzle. The rain jackets they had on quickly became covered in water. Again, there were mountains, but compared to other places they've been, these were much greener and more lush. Of course, some did have snow caps. There were clouds hanging low in the mountains.
"Even a little ferry trip is amazing," Momo said.
"Does it ever stop raining here?" Ochaco asked.
"No, not really. This is the 'Rain Capital of Alaska.' It rains more days out of the year than it doesn't. The reason is that this town is in a temperate rainforest, so there's always a risk of rain," Eleanor said. (A/N: RISK OF RAIN REFERENCE!)
"Yeah, I can feel it. This rain jacket is already covered," Momo said.
After a few minutes, the girls landed at the ferry terminal. Eleanor used her phone to order a ride. Some more time later, they arrived at the downtown district.
"Alright, we're here. We can do a lot of things. Most of the attractions here are mostly walking around town, native art, and a flying tour we're definitely going on. Come on, let's go for a walk. We're going to a place called Creek Street." Eleanor walked ahead, Momo and Ochaco following.
As they walked through the town, the one thing that stayed the same was just the wetness all over the place. It was like a faint mist was visible at all times. As they reached Creek Street, what stood out to them was the colorful buildings and the wooden boardwalks. True to its name, there was a large stream of water next to the boardwalks.
"Whoah, it's pretty," Ochaco said.
"Welcome to Creek Street. This place used to be the red-light district back in the early 20th century. Now, we can do a lot of shopping. There are museums, art galleries, shops, and some more stuff," Eleanor said.
"Another red-light district? Just like in Skagway?" Ochaco asked.
"Yeah. There's another brothel museum here, but it's dedicated to one lady from back in the day. We can go if you want, but if not, we can even go on a tramway to lift us up high. It's a beautiful sight, but let's walk for now," Eleanor said.
For the next few hours, the girls walked across the boardwalk. They bought souvenirs, clothes, ate some food, viewed some of the art, and visited the museum.
"Wow, that was kind of fun," Ochaco said. The girls had filled their backpacks with what they bought, so it wouldn't get wet.
"Yeah. Let's go to the tramway for the view," Eleanor said.
Eleanor and the girls went to the tramway near Creek Street. After paying and entering it, it started to go up a steep incline on the side of a hill. Their surroundings were lush greenery, but ahead, the view got better and better. As the tramway went up, the downtown area of Ketchikan and the harbor came into view. They could see the ports and the cruise ships. Behind the ships, they could see water, and beyond the water, they could see dark green forest with mountains even further in the distance. After about a minute, the tramway stopped. The girls exited and were dropped off at a place called the Cape Fox Lodge. From this place, there was a panoramic view of the harbor and town below.
"Whoa, this is amazing," Ochaco said.
"Just wait until we go on the flying tour later. This is nothing compared to that, trust me," Eleanor said.
After enjoying the scenery and eating at one of the restaurants at the lodge, they went back down.
"What'll we do next, Eleanor?" Ochaco asked.
"We are going to go to a state park next. It's called Totem Bight State Historical Park. It'll show us the native art and some totems. I'll order a ride." Eleanor ordered a ride from her phone.
Some time later, the girls arrived at the park. When they arrived, they paid a small visitor fee before entering. Momo and Ochaco picked up the brochure and map before entering. The park was filled with trees and some walkways. The roots of the trees were visible, and they were covered in moss. Of course, as soon as they entered, there were already some totems they could see.
"Whoa, those look cool," Ochaco said as she saw one of them. It was a large totem, carved by hand. It was an eagle. It was yellow and black, with some detail in the middle.
"What do these represent? Are they something like religious idols?" Momo asked.
"Not really. So, the native art here represents the Tlingit and Haida, two of the indigenous peoples of Alaska and Western Canada. Now, it may look cool, but many of the totem poles and other art we'll see here are replicas. These were carved by hand, yes, but the totem poles in this park are the result of wanting to conserve and restore the art of totem poles. You see, back in the 1930's, when the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt established the New Deal, and part of that included something called the Civilian Conservation Corps, or the CCC. The CCC were the ones who worked on the totem poles by hiring the older Natives, and this way, younger people could learn the art of carving totem poles, and it also restored and replicated many of the totem poles that were left abandoned. And since then, it's Alaska that continues to preserve the totems and the Native art," Eleanor explained.
Eleanor continued. "So, the totem poles aren't religious idols. The totem poles use different symbols carved into the wood to tell a story or symbolize a kind of history. These stories are meant to represent something. The Native people here didn't have a writing system, so these totems are a form of passing things down." Eleanor pointed at another totem near the one they were at. "See that one over there? That one is a thunderbird on top of an orca. When the wings of the thunderbird would spread out, it'd block the sun, and lightning would come out of its eyes. That's one of the stories that gets told. Come on, we have a lot more to see."
The girls started walking down a trail. It was a dirt path surrounded by trees and plants. Up ahead, there were two buildings. One was a large wooden building to their left, and another was a clan building further up.
"What are these, Eleanor?" Momo asked.
"This one to our left is a totem restoration building." Eleanor and the girls entered it. It was a small building, but inside, there was a large totem laying on its back. Other parts of totems were also inside for display. After looking for a few minutes, they left, making their way to the clan house ahead. It was more of an open field this time, leaving behind the trees.
"Whoa…" Ochaco tilted her head back as they stood in front of the clan house. A totem pole was right above the small entrance. Ochaco almost lost her balance as she looked up. Various figures were stacked on top of each other. Faces, frogs, eagles, ravens, and more. "These things are huge," Ochaco said. The front of the clan house was painted in blue and red with a Native art style.
"This is a replica of a clan house. It could fit 30 to 50 people inside it. Let's go inside." Eleanor and the girls entered. They had to bow their heads a little bit to enter. Inside was very spacious. There was a small pit in the middle, only a few steps down. There was a hole in the roof. There were four totems on the corners. They were smaller. There was a face with small arms holding an upside-down red figure by two points.
"Remember when I told you that these totems represent stories or a kind of symbolism? Well, these totems here represent the chief tearing apart a sea monster. It is supposed to symbolize the strength of the chief," Eleanor said.
"That's interesting. How was a place like this used?" Momo asked.
"Well, it was a communal space. That pit in the middle would be used as a fire, and the smoke would go out the roof. Another cool thing is this," Eleanor went to the floorboard and lifted them up. "These floorboards could be lifted up to use as storage," Eleanor explained.
"That's interesting," Momo said. For the next few minutes, they looked around the replica of the clan house before exiting. For some time afterward, they explored the rest of the park and the totem poles on display before they left.
"That was nice. I may not know a lot, but I think they've done a good job preserving this stuff," Ochaco said.
"I agree. The original totems are in museums, but we may not have enough time, since we have to do the flying tour of the Misty Fjords," Eleanor said.
"If you praise it so much, it must be good," Ochaco said.
/\\//\\//\
The girls took a shuttle from the cruise ports. It was a short trip to the seaplane bases. After they, or Momo, paid and waited for a short time, they finally boarded the seaplane. It was a plane for at least six people, but luckily, only the girls and the pilot were the only ones in it. The seaplane rocked gently against the dock as the waves lapped against its pontoons. Above them, thick clouds drifted between mountains, stubbornly blocking the view.
After bulking in and putting on the headsets, the seaplane started to take off. The water rushed beneath the seaplane until it didn't. The seaplane climbed higher and higher into the gray sky, and the town below them shrank into a cluster of colorful dots along the shoreline.
Ochaco was already basically glued to the window. Momo was close to the window as well, but was also taking video and photos. Once the seaplane reached a certain height, the mountains started to come into view. The mountains had snow at the top, with rocky edges being visible. The bottom of the mountains was entirely filled with trees. There were some waterfalls that cascaded down the side of them, some looking like white ribbons that vanished into the water and lakes at the bottoms of the mountains, and some thundered down the sheer cliffs of the mountains.
The mountains were massive, yes, but from the view of the seaplane, they looked more manageable. Until the trees and forests that slung to their sides were more like patches of moss going up the roots of a tree. Seeing the same trees that towered over them reduced to something like moss, it showed them that these mountains were much larger than their mind could fully comprehend.
"This doesn't even look real." Ochaco was taking as many pictures and videos as she could. She'd probably never see something like this for a very long time.
The water below was a picture-esque blue, still and giving off small reflections of the nature around it. Hidden lakes in the mountains could be seen. Rivers flowed through the valleys. And in those valleys, there were clouds drifting in between the valleys. The clouds curled around the cliffs and forests, looking like fluffy and white rivers of their own.
As Ochaco and Momo were taking pictures, in the distance, they could see some bald eagles flying. They've already seen many of these, so they didn't show as much surprise as they did the first time. Down below, there was some splashing in the water; the small sight of the tail of a humpback whale could be seen.
"Whales! Just like in Juneau!" Ochaco was excited. She tried to record a video of the whale.
Momo looked at the brochure in her hand. The picture on it did very little to truly convey what she was seeing.
"While other places may change, some don't. We may not be able to see what some parts of Alaska looked like in the early 21st-century, but in this case, we can," Eleanor said.
The farther they flew, the fewer signs of humanity remained. No roads. No buildings. No boats. Nothing but mountains, forests, waterfalls, and mist stretching to the horizon. It felt less like they were flying over Alaska and more like they were flying over a world that had existed long before people and would continue long after them.
/\\//\\//\
(Evening. Ketchikan, Alaska.)
"So, what did you two think?" Eleanor asked Momo and Ochaco.
After the flying tour ended, they went back to the downtown district. They went to a local restaurant to eat before they had to go back to the airport.
"That was amazing. I don't really know what else to say," Ochaco said.
"This just set my standard so high for other places," Momo said.
"Well, if you want the same kind of experience we just had in terms of nature, there's Western Canada, Alberta, Iceland, some places in Washington state, remote places in Northern Europe, the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, and the Altai mountains where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan meet. But you don't even need to go so far, just go to Hokkaido; I'm sure you two are very familiar with Hokkaido. As the northernmost island, Hokkaido should be similar to what we have here in Alaska, and the Shiretoko Peninsula should offer the experience we weren't able to have here in Alaska," Eleanor explained.
"You're kind of familiar with Japan already, huh," Ochaco said.
"Why wouldn't I be? I've been there for some time, and it's common sense that I'd learn about the country I'm studying in and temporarily living in. I'm not saying I know everything, but I'm trying my best. It's more than what some people do, at least," Eleanor said.
"I guess so," Momo said.
The evening, despite it still being bright, passed on. It was a long journey back to Anchorage. They took the ferry to Ketchikan's airport, waited a long time to board the plane, and had to have another stop in Seattle before going on a connecting flight to Anchorage. When they arrived in Anchorage, they ordered a ride to their hotel.
"Finally! We're back!" Ochaco tossed everything aside and jumped into the bed. Except that the curtains were open. "Why is there still daylight‽" Ochaco complained.
"Relax." Eleanor closed the curtains. "There, all better. Don't blame me, blame the Earth's tilt for this," Eleanor said. "We can organize everything tomorrow. We're still on vacation, but it's coming to an end."
Eleanor sighed. "And that sucks."