Ketchikan

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Ketchikan, Salmon Capitol of the world, who knew.  First, that's my ship in the distance; we tendered (got on the orange boats) to get to shore.  Loved it. I am amazed at how the crew manages all of this.  Once again, we are blessed with perfect weather.

I have a busy agenda, first doing a boat tour of the area, seeing eagles and a lighthouse.  Ketchikan has so much to offer including the Misty Fords National Monument.  It is the 7th most populated city in Alaska.  Our guide informed us that when the paper mill closed, the city almost went under but tourism saved the day.

Yes, we saw eagles, but I saw more in Skagway.

Before my next tour, I checked out the town.  Ketchikan is known for its totem poles and for being the salmon capitol of the world.

Lunch was sampling smoked salmon at every store!  It was frigging delicious. We learned the hand thingy for identifying salmon - thumb - chum, forefinger - sockeye salmon, middle finger - king salmon, fourth finger - silver salmon and pinkie - pink salmon.  I met a couple from Spokane, a city I visited last year and simply loved.  I also met people on my cruise from Wisconsin, Queens NYC, South Africa, Australia, and Santa Cruz.

I visited historic Fleet Street.  It is a gem. 

See this totem pole.  Well, you'll find him in a U.S. passport.  That was the highlight for me.  Ketchikan is full of flowers and blooming trees. 

I also visited Saxman Native Village and was treated to the Tilingits culture and their totem poles.  Wow, it was a remarkable excursion.  The couple in the photo hail from Australia. I would meet up with them later on the cruise and they bought me a glass of Prosecco.  Lovely couple; I gave them tips on exploring SF upon our return to the Bay Area.  We enjoyed a concert together aboard ship on another day at sea.  I barely captured the marvel of Ketchikan.  Truly an enjoyable experience.  Back on board ship, I met someone who bought me drinks (who am I to say no) and enjoyed another round of karaoke, excellent food ( mussels, shrimp cocktails, mashed potatoes, chocolate mousse) and dancing in a bar.  Until the next adventure.

Glorious Glacier Bay

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Another perfect weather day as we sailed into Glacier Bay.  The entire morning was spent taking in this spectacular park.  We had rangers aboard (I saw their little boat dock with us; and watched them board).

There it is.  Wow.  I met lots of people of different nationalities who I would hang out with throughout the cruise; and who would buy me drinks.  Who am I to say no.  I also enjoyed taking photos of people.  I am amazed at how many people speak English; I mean, I don't speak Chinese or Russian. 

One view after another.  We saw mountain goats earlier at Lamplugh Glacier but I was unable to get a shot.

We saw sea lions frolicking for us.  The white piece is a bit of the glacier; we saw some of it break off.  Neato peato.

Marjorie Glacier.  The ranger told us it's a healthy glacier.  None of this existed 200 years ago.

So much to take in and appreciate.  In the afternoon, I sat in a chair near one of the bars to read a Smithsonian Magazine that I borrowed from the ship's library.  I met a widow from the U.K. who runs a business out of South Africa.  She likes Trump.  I met fellow Americans who can't stand his tweets but like what he is doing for the country in terms of the economy.  Hmm. Anyway, she bought me 3 glasses of wine.  Who am I to say no.... Later I went to Karaoke night.  It was a scream.  Some truly talented individuals and some god awful (stick to shower singing, please).  But I admired their courage.  Until the next adventure....

Skagway

Friday, May 10, 2019

I'm here in Skagway about to do a tour of the Klondike Summit.  Once again, we are blessed with good weather.

Our handsome tour guide Paul is as humorous as our guide Kyle in Juneau.  Paul hails from Monterey; each spring he drives his RV along with his companion, a blind dog.  Had he asked me out for a drink.... Right off the bat, he said that all the stories we heard in Juneau were not true and he would give us the inside scoop.  He was too funny.  I appreciated that he pointed out locally owned stores as we went through town. Each year Holland cruise line (if I remember correctly) hosts Prom night for the high school students.  Sweet.

It was breathtaking. The area has had quite a few significant earthquakes the last few years.

We went into Canada; Paul played their national anthem.  We returned back to the U.S. -- he played our anthem.  I've been wanting to do a train ride across Canada....

Omg, on the way back to town, we saw a baby bear!!

Taking in the history.  I also bought a t-shirt from one of the locally owned shops.  And yes, locals sound like Sarah Palin.

Another scene depicting the Gold Rush era.

I enjoyed my visit to Skagway. I don't recall what I did in the evening aboard ship. We do have television, so, I watched a lot of movies during down times. Til our next destination....

Sailing into Skagway

Friday, May 10, 2019

Sailing to Skagway, and once again, the Golden Princess is right along side of us.

I forgot to mention that while in Juneau yesterday, I saw many eagles, either in trees or flying.  Females can weigh up to 16 lbs.  An amazing bird, beautiful in flight.  I also forgot to mention that on our tour, we passed the Governor's Mansion; it looks like the White House.

A view of Skagway from our ship.  Skagway was founded in 1897.  It is 90 miles northwest of Juneau.  Today's population is approximately 1,036.  During the height of the Gold Rush, the population was 10,000.  There's much to see and do in this town including dog sledding, Klondike Summit, White Pass & Yukon (Canada), and the historic town itself.  I should have mentioned earlier that one purchases shore excursions for each port city visited.  There are many exciting adventures from which to choose.  I'm sorry to have missed the whale watching in Juneau. 

I See Land

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Land, I see land!  We're passing through the Gastineau Channel on our way to Juneau, our first port.  I can't wait to plant my feet upon solid ground.

Coming into Juneau.  We're lucky because it's not raining, in fact, we only encountered light drizzle in Victoria (but I'm getting ahead of myself).  Juneau became the capital in 1959 upon statehood. It is the only state capitol with no road access.  It is approximately 3,081 square miles.

The library is the first building one encounters when getting off the ship! I have little time to explore downtown before my excursion to Mendenhall Glacier, the Alaska State Museum and a rain forest garden.    I went into a fur store.  Omg, the touch of mink is exquisite.That's probably not P.C. to say.  Our guide Kyle who hails from Idaho when not doing a stint in Juneau was so funny and knowledgeable. We had an hour in the museum.  It was an amazing learning experience.  Hey, it's not all about being on the Love Boat.... The rainforest garden was sort of a bust but the couple who manage it gave us a good lecture on Alaska. 

Next stop on the bus is Mendenhall Glacier.  Kyle, our guide, shared funny stories about the grand opening of McDonald's, the closing of Walmart, the husband who didn't speak up that his wife didn't get back on the bus....  The Internet has made a big difference; Amazon delivers in 2-3 days.  My companion on the bus told me his sister got married the night before in the chapel on our ship.  Omg, small world, I happened to have walked by the chapel and saw the ceremony!  I'm wearing my university windbreaker.  Turns out quite a number of people on the bus are graduates and one is a professor.  Small world, eh.

Here we are at Mendenhall Glacier.  It stretches from the Juneau Icefield to Mendenhall Lake.  My companion and I walked to the waterfall which you can see in this picture.  I tried to capture the rainbow in it in another photo but was unsuccessful.  When we got back to Juneau, my companion went off to do the Mt Roberts Tram ride.  I should have signed up to do that!  He and I would meet up later to see a show aboard the ship.  Shout out to the crew in terms of getting us on and off the ship.  Remarkably well organized the entire trip.  Tomorrow we enter Skagway.  Another adventure awaits.

At Sea

May 7 and 8, 2019

We're at sea.  I'm starting to panic.  Nothing but ocean.  What to do?  I explored the ship trying to understand all the different decks.  Oooh, I can eat pizza or have an ice cream cone. It was much too cold and windy to stay out on deck for very long.  Oh totally cool, I received a text message from The Boyfriend.  He is following my cruise online.  He knows more than me since my Internet access is limited.  I didn't buy the onboard package.  What's sort of creepy is that Verizon knows where I am and is informing me what to do....

Thank God for entertainment like the food sculpting event.  Hilarious. My U.K. dinner companion bought me a Bailey's Irish Cream.  Who am I to say no...

This was super. The captain poured champagne and took photos with passengers.  And we got a glass or two, or in my case, 3, plus the pineapple mojito I had earlier.  The next thing I knew, I was dancing the night away at the Motown musical and with crew in the Explorers Lounge.  It was a fun evening.  Sleep has been exquisite.  The rocking of the boat is perhaps like being in the womb?  Until tomorrow.

10 day Alaska Inside Passage on the Grand Princess

Monday, May 6, 2019

Oh hello.  Here I am aboard the Grand Princess, my first cruise experience.  The Boyfriend dropped me off. I had to hop out of his car since the traffic was horrendous, so, no teary eyed farewell.  I will be traveling alone (hmm, all by myself -- time to party!!) from San Francisco to Alaska's Inside Passage and back.  My captain John Harry Smith from Cheltenham, England informed us that the total distance traveled is:  3,193 nautical miles or 3,675 statute miles.

A view of San Francisco.  Boarding was incredibly well organized.  I had lunch with a widow from Vacaville whose husband was, wait, wait for it, yes, a fireman!  After lunch I proceeded to my stateroom, Emerald Deck 8 where I was greeted by my steward.  Each evening, he places chocolates on my pillow.  What can I say....

We all gathered around 4pm to set sail.  Already, the party has begun.  I'm dancing with a woman to "North to Alaska."  It's quite chilly but my belly is full of some alcoholic beverage that warms me up.  I have already forgotten my life outside this cruise.

The Golden Gate Bridge looms in the distance.  We had a delay to due to a freighter.  No worries, we continued dancing and drinking.

Whew, we made it under the bridge.  Into choppy weather the next few days.  I didn't need sea sickness pills after all. In the evening, I went to the Botticelli dining room to meet my companions. Several of them had done this cruise multiple times.  One woman fascinated me -- she was a retired police officer from the U.K. on holiday for 3 months.  She was 6'2 and was present for Princess Diana's wedding and funeral.  She only flies Quantas first class.  She bought us wine.  Many people bought me alcoholic beverages on the trip.  Nice.  I only went 3 times as I preferred doing the buffet and I quickly got over my fear of eating alone.  The food is frigging delicious and healthy -- seafood, vegetables, salads, poultry, and more.  Our crew is represented by 46 nationalities.  Wow.  They often work 9 months at a time.  I learned later that when we returned, they turned around and did the cruise again.  Omg.  There are approximately 2500 passengers, majority being Californians. However, I met people from New Jersey, Nevada, Minnesota, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, etc.  Until tomorrow....