Where you are standing, in case you didn't know:
Japonski Island, that once was Naval Air Station Sitka (NAS), PBY base with the hanger behind you now University of Alaska (UAS) Sitka, formerly Mt. Edgecumbe High School (MEHS) wood, metal, and auto shops when the school was run by Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), now run by the state, and the other hanger MEHS gymnasium. They built full size homes for shop class in the hanger and trailered them to sites. Red brick building on far west end is MEHS classroom bldg. Up on the hill behind UAS are MEHS dormitories.
Blue bldgs. on the left in picture is one of our two canneries.
USCG dock and buoy tender on the right.
I grew up on "The Island", as we called it, and we took a "shore boat" to Sitka side, from around the corner of bushes on right to area behind the boat harbor in the distance, before the bridge was put in.
Lots of info of Sitka and NAS on line.
"we had two of those food storage vacuum machines, and they both stopped working way too soon"
We had three, two were free because they stopped working, wouldn't make a very strong vacuum, as did ours that we bought. Finally figured out that putting the upper and lower gaskets under running water and putting them back wet made the machines work.
Did some commercial crabbing in there in the late 70s...king crab.
Things to remember is that between Ketchikan and Skagway you will be in a temperate rain forest, the Tongass. We get a lot of rainy, cloudy days, and when the sun is out it's fantastic! The pink and red (humpies and sockeye) salmon will not be running (going up rivers to spawn) in May so not much river activity...eagles, bears. Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway will most likely be very crowded with multiple tour ships in town. Logging used to be very big around here, but not any more. I'm guessing when you leave Ketchikan bound for Juneau you will go back out into the ocean and come back in at the south end of Chatham Straits, connecting into the Inside Passage. Back in the 60's you would see logged off areas all over the place. Now most of them can be seen as different color, younger trees. In Juneau if the weather is nice the helicopter tours of the glacier might interest you. The Mendenhall glacier has receded quite a bit since the visitor's center there was built, so the glacier is now viewed from quite a longer distance away (why I suggested the helicopter tour). I think you'll enjoy the train ride in Skagway, especially if the weather cooperates. Check online which side of the train to sit on as you will be traveling along side mountains. I think they said the left side going north. You can get online with Google Maps and street view to do some planning of what you'd like to see and do. Check the dates at the bottom in fine print in street view as some are old. As for camera gear? I have my own boat and we did a lot of camping and fishing on the weekends (thus "Wkndr", my 34' Tollycraft "Weekender") The only camera I ended up using was my Canon SX 50 HS (thanks to UHH). When you spot something, you gotta be quick. Hope this helps.
Alan
Sitka, AK