Glacier Bay, Alaska

Nothing like a glacier to make you feel truly insignificant!

We cruised into Glacier Bay after picking up our National Park guides who provided commentary from the bridge. The most spectacular glacier that we saw was the Margerie glacier at the end of Tarr inlet. The very end of Tarr inlet is just about the border between Alaska and Canada.



The face is over a mile wide and 250 feet tall off the water. It is one of the few glaciers that is not retreating and it moves forward about 6 feet per day.
This made for incredible groans and creaks and splashes as sections calved into the water. The top ten feet of the inlet is freshwater because the glaciers are compressed snow which is freshwater and freshwater floats on salt water.

We saw seals lounging around on ice bergs. But, we're not going to talk about seeing whales, although some people did. We think the ones that live on our side of the ship had started their trip back to Hawaii already.









After all that cold weather and looking at snow and ice we had to warm ourselves up with some free drinks courtesy of the Captain (another Brit)!


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Skagway, Alaska

You have to feel for a community of 800 which is visited regularly in the summer months by 3 or 4 cruise ships each carrying 2500 or so passengers. Although I'm sure that cruisers do contribute to the local economy as I doubt the locals alone could support the dozen or so jewelry stores in town. It doesn't strike me as the kind of place where you would don your tanzanite and diamond necklaces to have a brew at the Onion Saloon.


We were disappointed with the weather in Skagway as there was a pretty steady drizzle. Something we are used to at home, but it's pretty unusual for Skagway and annoying when you're on vacation. Still, we walked into the pretty little downtown and checked out the local museum.

Apparently Skagway had 20,000 residents during the gold rush. A horse that would have sold for $5 in Chicago at the time was selling for $150 on the beach in Skagway. Also during the gold rush each person was required to carry 2000 lbs of provisions with them to the gold fields. This entailed 20 trips up the treacherous 17 mile mountain trail with a 100 lb pack. Once they had their supplies cached at the top they started the relay over again traveling the down the other side. Imagine how much impact the building of the narrow gauge Yukon railway made!



Of course being in Alaska you have to have a really good snow mover on the front of your train.


Tristan & Laura took a hike along the waterfront to a nearby cove. They said that there wasn't a soul in site and the hike and the cove were beautiful. Being wienies, we went back to the ship for lunch at our favorite little cafe in the Piazza. Topped off by my new favorite indulgence--a skinny caramel latte with a warm oatmeal raisin cookie! Life is Good!


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Juneau, Alaska

First off--Formal Night--don't we clean up well?


As the Capitol City of Alaska Juneau has a more upscale feel than Ketchikan. It still is built at the base of some pretty impressive mountains, and has some killer, thigh-burning, stairway streets, but the feel of the town of 31,000 is quite different.


After our hike up the hill we wandered over and hung out in front of the Governor's mansion. Nice digs with a great view!


From there we walked the two blocks to the State Capitol Building where we had a nice tour but didn't run into any dignitaries.


After a quick wander around the shops it was off to the docks to catch the float plane for a tour of the glaciers. In Laura's words "one of the coolest experiences of my life".



The photos don't do justice to the incredible blues of the compacted ice. While flying down the channel to the glaciers you get a real feeling for Alaska's vastness and lack of population.Tristan has decided that he's ready to join the 1 in 6 Alaskan's who have a private pilot's license.


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Ketchikan, Alaska

For a town that boasts 171 annual inches of rain we did remarkably well in Ketchikan with just a few sprinkles.


Being an adventurous bunch we opted for The Duck Tour. It might not be as exciting as some cities when we started out by traveling on "the road" in town.


Ketchikan is located on an island 30 miles long with access only by air or sea. "The Road" runs down one side of the island and just barely wraps around the ends. Many of the "streets" in town are really wooden steps that cling to the granite hillsides. These streets are maintained by the city for trash pick up and snow removal.

Ketchikan is proud of it's Salmon Capital moniker and fresh and smoked samples are available in many of the shops--it's like Costco, but better!


Our Duck tour showed us the town highlights, like "the athletic field" used by football, baseball, soccer and anything else they want to play. Because grass won't grow where you get 171 inches of rain the field is a combination of crushed gravel and crushed shells. I'm thinking some company should donate an AstroTurf field to these deserving souls!

Our tour proceeded into the water through the marina where we learned about all the different kinds of fishing boats--purse seiners, trollers, gill netters, halibut schooners and we even spotted an old Deadliest Catch crab boat.

Leaving Ketchikan we sat in the sun on the balcony and looked for whales. As you would expect they were on the other side of the ship, but had disappeared by the time we got there. Still, we got to enjoy a great sunset!


My favorite photo from Ketchikan. Tristan showing his Husky fever!


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Onboard Sapphire Princess

We arrived safely in Vancouver aboard the Amtrak Cascades. Tristan & Laura got on in Seattle and we joined them in Bellingham. That's such a nice ride along the coast and through scenic White Rock. We just smiled at the long lines at the Peace Arch border crossing as we just chuntered by without stopping.

Once in Vancouver we sailed through customs and walked across the parking lot to catch the sky train to the Waterfront stop--which is just adjacent to the cruise terminal. We had a few minutes of panic as Laura and I elbowed our way into a car full of football fanatics, but the guys, not being as pushy, got left on the platform. Laura and I figured they would be on the next train, but when they didn't appear we wondered if they'd got off at the wrong stop. We weren't terribly worried as we both had the passports and cruise tickets. They did eventually arrive as they had waited for an uncrowded train.

Once onboard we refueled ourselves in the Horizon Court. We like the changes they have made whereby the desserts are at a separate location, allowing easier access. A quick tour of the ship showed new gym equipment--(for those who use gym equipment while on vacation), a new library and a new big screen above the pool (not as useful for an Alaskan trip, but cool anyway). Plus they've added our favorite International Cafe in the Piazza in the Atrium.

Sailing away under the Lion's Gate Bridge we cracked open the mini bar with our complimentary supply thanks to our Elite standing--ooh ah!





Dinner was interesting because it was the first day of the new menus with a new layout featuring new dishes like Mac and cheese with a bacon topping!(Molly). Laura sent our flamingly gay waiter into a fit of giggles and hand waving when she asked him if he was married. The rest of us all turned to look at her and she says----what????

Lots of Australians, English, Canadians and Japanese onboard, so it's a nice mix of people. We almost got attacked at trivia today over a technical call on a question that caused us to win. Rather than risk violence we gave three of our six pens (the fabulous prizes) to the other team--who still glared and stomped out! We could have used the rest of our Brain Trust, but the man from San Antonio did well on who won the Best Actress Award in 1972--Liza Minnelli. And kudos to Laura on the real name of Princess Aurora--Sleeping Beauty and to Tristan for the name of Shakelton's ship--The Endurance!

The International Cafe beat out The Pub and the Dining Room for lunch because Laura and I were doing Zumba afterwards and didn't want to be weighed down with Toad in the Hole. Zumba is a cross between High Impact aerobics and Latin dancing. Needless to say that we were in the beginners section---with the Asian men. These guys are not known for their ability to keep a beat, but what they lack in coordination they make up for in enthusiasm.

The guys bagged Zumba in favor of the Packers vs. the 49'ers on the big screen out by the pool. We arrived while they were having an ice cream break during a time out. Vacationing is such hard work...

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Location:Vancouver, Canada