Monday July 6
Our day started about 6. I wanted to finish getting the house straightened up. I took care of the dogs while Buddy did his treadmill. There was still the last minute packing to do, too. We had a quick breakfast and got started. Of course I had to run the dishwasher and run the vacuum over the carpet. I called next door to the Rogers to verify all the info on dates. Mr Eugene thought we were leaving Sunday and had come over late last night to feed the dogs but he found out we hadn’t left yet. While we were getting ready to leave, we had a pretty nice shower so my plants got a good watering.
We left for the airport about 9:30, stopping only to get gas. Got to Jessica’s at 11:00. We wanted to get to the airport a little earlier than usual since we were on an International flight and had to check in at the counter. No problem. We had no wait, got checked in a flash, then got to the terminal to wait on the plane. Our flight arrived on time and left on time. We had a lengthy layover in Houston (on purpose) so had plenty of time to get from Terminal B to Terminal E. I received a call from Susie informing us that their flight out of San Antonio had been delayed and they more than likely would miss the connection in Houston. She told us not to wait for them. The flight out of Houston left on time and got to Vancouver on time. It really was not bad going thu customs. We checked with information, no shuttle to the hotel so we took a cab after exchanging some US dollars for Canadian dollars. Got to the hotel, where Patsy was waiting, and got to the room. Patsy and I went down the street (for a cookie) then sat in the lobby waiting for Susie, Nancy, and Ernie. They finally got to the Comfort Inn about 1 a.m. We all hugged and got Nancy and Ernie to their room then started settling down. We talked a while, but everyone was so tired. I don’t know what time we finally got to sleep.
Our day started about 6. I wanted to finish getting the house straightened up. I took care of the dogs while Buddy did his treadmill. There was still the last minute packing to do, too. We had a quick breakfast and got started. Of course I had to run the dishwasher and run the vacuum over the carpet. I called next door to the Rogers to verify all the info on dates. Mr Eugene thought we were leaving Sunday and had come over late last night to feed the dogs but he found out we hadn’t left yet. While we were getting ready to leave, we had a pretty nice shower so my plants got a good watering.
We left for the airport about 9:30, stopping only to get gas. Got to Jessica’s at 11:00. We wanted to get to the airport a little earlier than usual since we were on an International flight and had to check in at the counter. No problem. We had no wait, got checked in a flash, then got to the terminal to wait on the plane. Our flight arrived on time and left on time. We had a lengthy layover in Houston (on purpose) so had plenty of time to get from Terminal B to Terminal E. I received a call from Susie informing us that their flight out of San Antonio had been delayed and they more than likely would miss the connection in Houston. She told us not to wait for them. The flight out of Houston left on time and got to Vancouver on time. It really was not bad going thu customs. We checked with information, no shuttle to the hotel so we took a cab after exchanging some US dollars for Canadian dollars. Got to the hotel, where Patsy was waiting, and got to the room. Patsy and I went down the street (for a cookie) then sat in the lobby waiting for Susie, Nancy, and Ernie. They finally got to the Comfort Inn about 1 a.m. We all hugged and got Nancy and Ernie to their room then started settling down. We talked a while, but everyone was so tired. I don’t know what time we finally got to sleep.
Tuesday July 8
We all met in the pub where they serve the breakfast. We reviewed the various options for sight seeing. The weather was iffy but we set out prepared. We decided on the trolley tour, hop on hop off. The trolley goes all around the city. First we had to exchange our American dollars for Canadian dollars.
We all met in the pub where they serve the breakfast. We reviewed the various options for sight seeing. The weather was iffy but we set out prepared. We decided on the trolley tour, hop on hop off. The trolley goes all around the city. First we had to exchange our American dollars for Canadian dollars.
EXCHANGING OUT MONEY
BUYING OUR TROLLEY TICKETS
CROSSING THE BRIDGE
Our first “get off” stop was at Grandville Island. We crossed the bridge on foot then wandered around the area. We stopped in various stores and went to the farmer’s market.
HARBOR
FLOWERS
FARMERS MARKET
ELEPHANT TAPESTRY
PARK WITH GEESE
CHANGING TROLLEYS
LIBRARY
POST OFFICE
We stopped for lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory and had a really good lunch.
INSIDE THE OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY RESTAURANT
When we left the restaurant, it was raining pretty hard. We got back on the trolley and did some more touring. We didn’t get off anymore, and I didn’t have time to take pictures. We toured the Stanley Park area which was beautiful in spite of all the rain.
We got back to the Comfort Inn and sat around in the lobby for a while. Nancy, Ernie, and Buddy wanted to go to McDonald’s for supper. Patsy, Susie, and I went to the Pub and had a drink and shared some appetizers. We were all sleep deprived so we turned in pretty early.
Wednesday, July 8
We all met for breakfast then just kind of hung out. I needed a belt to keep my jeans up, so Patsy, Susie, and I decided to walk to Sears to see if I could find one. We stopped at several little shops on the way and I found one so we never got to Sears. We caught two cabs to take us to the dock and started the process of checking in and clearing customs. We moved thru the lines pretty quickly and were actually on the ship a little after one. Our room was ready but we had to wait a while for the luggage to arrive. We did lunch on the Lido deck and walked around the ship trying to figure out where we were and where we needed to be. Patsy and Susie were assigned to 1103 (no upgrade) and had a different table in the dining room. We were in room 6129 and Nancy and Ernie were in room 5119. We checked out the spa. First official thing on the agenda was the life drill. After we left port, the gift shops opened and we made a walk through. Our first dinner in the dining room was nice but we missed being all together. Ernie had bought wine for the cruise. After eating, we attended the “WELCOME ABOARD” show then turned in fairly early. I watched s”Slumdog Millionaire.” Our towel creature for the first night was a dog. Susie and Patsy didn’t get one and they didn’t get bathrobes either.
Thursday, July 9
Our first full day at sea! We started our cruise of the inside passage. We met in the dining room for breakfast. Susie was feeling a little queasy so she went back to her room and took a Dramamine. She decided to take one every morning as a precaution. We looked over the various tours and decided which ones we wanted to do. After lunch we watched a little of the ice carving then Patsy and Susie participated in the Chicken Olympics. They did well but didn’t win. We purchased our tour tickets and walked around some more. Thursday was the first Elegant Dining night so we got dressed up and had pictures made. We had a new table and Patsy and Susie were at a table for 2 next to us. They served lobster at dinner and it was good. After dinner, our wait staff danced for us (to Indian music). After dinner, we changed clothes and went to the show “Jazz Hot.” After the show, Patsy, Susie, and I joined the Karaoke that was in session. We didn’t quit til midnight. It was fun I was going to watch a movie but fell asleep.. Our towel creature for the night was a rabbit.
.
Friday, July 10
We stopped in our first port which was Ketchikan. The town was founded as a fishing camp and is built on steep hillsides. We visited the gift shop on the pier then wandered around town until it was time for our tour. The houses are built up on the hillside and to get there you have to climb stair. Patsy and I climbed 120 steps and took some pictures from the top. Even the stairs are given street names. In the town square, there is a monument of an eagle. We caught the Ketchikan Highlights Express and went on a tour of the city and made a visit to Potlatch Park. Our tour guide was Augustus Jones who was highly educated. He had a wonderful Earl Jones voice. We visited a recreated native Alaskan village Potlatch Park. There were many carved totems, one was 42 feet tall. There was a collection of old cars including a 1932 Packard, a 1924 Stanley Steamer, and 1937 Ford pick-up truck. Augustus took us to a tribal house and told us some of the stories. We then went to a carving house where the lady was doing a totem on commission. She had made most of her own carving tools because the ones that had been given to her were too big for her to use. After a stop at the gift shop, and some fresh baked cookies, we headed back to town. We got back on the ship for lunch (and so did everyone else).
After lunch, we visited Creek Street, a row of wooden buildings perched over the water on pilings. The brightly painted boutiques once catered to gentlemen seeking the company of “sporting women.” There was a museum at Dolly’s house with stuff from the frontier life. Ketchikan’s red-light district wasn’t shut down until 1953. Now it’s home to artsy galleries.
Patsy and I walked to the other side of town called New Town. We strolled down the boardwalk admiring the harbor and all the boats. There were beautiful stained glass banners on poles along the boardwalk. We found a street called Hopkins Alley but weren’t brave enough to explore it. The afternoon was absolutely beautiful. We did a little more time browsing the gift shops before we got on board. We sailed from Ketchikan at 5 p.m. After dinner, we attended the show “BLUES BROTHERS.” One of the movies on the ship channel was “Slumdog Millionaire” and I watched it Our towel critter was a monkey.
Saturday, July 11
The next stop was Juneau which is perched on the mouth of Gold Creek. It is nestled between the two mountains, Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts. Juneau can only be reached by boat or plane and is the home to 30,000 year-round residents. It is in the Tongass Rainforest. Over ½ of the world’s population of eagles live in Juneau. It is frequently called “Little San Francisco”
Our first stop was some of the downtown shops. In the town square, there was a local artist who was just beginning a painting of the beautiful flowers. We walked around the town square which was across the street from City Hall. Patsy, Susie, and I decided we would walk uphill to the Capitol Building. Nancy, Ernie, and Buddy did not want to make the steep walk. Outside the Capitol, there is a reproduction of the Liberty Bell. Since it was Saturday, the governor was not in her office but we did take pictures and Patsy bought a commemorative Alaskan coin. Across the street from the Capitol is the museum and the Fisherman’s Building. It is also close to the State Office Building which they refer to as the SOB. As we started down the hill, we saw them cutting into the rock preparing to construct some kind of building. There is very little soil on top of the rock. In Juneau, as in Ketchikan, the houses are built into the hillside. We ran into Ernie, Nancy, and Buddy as we were heading back down the hill. They had stopped for lunch at McDonalds.
Our tour for Juneau was to the Mendenhall glacier and Glacier Gardens. We took a short path thru the wildlife area before arriving at the tourist center were we viewed the glacier from an observation house. They showed a short movie about the glacier. There was a waterfall close to the glacier and some of the tourists had hiked to the base of the waterfall. The deep blue of the ice was something we had seen on our last trip. The denser the ice, the bluer the color. We just couldn’t get enough pictures. On the ride from the glacier to the garden, we passed a beaver dam and a beaver hut.
We then went to the Glacier Gardens located on the side of Thunder Mountain. It is actually a temperate rain forest. The garden was a part of a restoration project of an area that was affected by a landslide. The man who undertook the project had to restore it back to a natural state. In the process, he had an uprooted tree fall and get stuck upside down in the dirt. He decided to try to use the root system as a flower garden and it worked. So now, there are acres of upside down trees as well as many other beautiful flowers and plants. At one area, there is a viewpoint where we saw an eagle up close. From the viewing area you can see Gastineau Channel, Douglas Island, Auke Bay, Stephenson’s Passage, Admirality Island, and Chilkat Mountain, all landmarks in Juneau. We returned to the ship for supper but Patsy, Susie, and I got back off for a little more shopping. Nancy and Ernie went to the night’s show, “MARCUS RAYMOND.” Patsy and I did a little karaoke but didn’t stay late. I wanted to watch the movie “Marley and Me.”. The towel critter for the night was a turtle.
Sunday, July 12
Our next port was Skagway which is located in a mountain valley on the north end of the Tiya Inlet. It is home to year long 900 residents. One of the unique building is the Artic Brotherhood Hall on Broadway Street. It’s façade is made of over 10,00 pieces of driftwood. It is located in the Tongass National Forest and was known as the “Gateway to the Klondike” during the Alaskan Gold Rush. Because there was no way to record incoming ships, they started painting dates, ships, and captains on the side of the mountain. Patsy, Susie, and I had an early tour of the Dog Sled Discovery and Mushing Camp. We were bused down a dirt road to the dog camp where we rode on a custom-built wheeled sled pulled by 16 dogs. We took off in a flash and had the equivalent of a carnival ride. After the ride, we were able to pet the dogs and had photo ops. They gave us information about sledding and the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. The tour guide, Garrett, was from Texas. The musher was from Costa Rico. We got to visit and pet some of the older puppies as well. The dog camp is located at the most northern point of the Lynn Canal past Chilkoot Trail located on Taiya Inlet tidal flats. The scenery was beyond description. Definitely God’s handy work.
After lunching on the ship, we had a second tour, the Skagway Streetcar Tour. We rode on a 1920 yellow bus around the town and attended the Arctic Brotherhood show. At the show, Susie suddenly started coughing severely and we all just laughed at her. After the show, we went to the overlook and then to the Gold Rush Cemetery, final resting place of the scoundrel Soapy Smith. As we were headed back to the ship after the tour, the Whitepass and Yukon Railroad tour train was getting back. Steve Hites (Mr. Skagway) who did the Artic Brotherhood show did an afternoon show in Pharaoh's Palace after we got back on the ship. He did some more stories and songs from the gold rush
Sunday night was the second Elegant dining night and once again the waiters danced for us. Our assistant waiter, Goofy, who is from Bosnia, was one of the feature dancers that night. Patsy, Susie, and I had our pictures done again and did some of our own pictures. The show for the night was “SINGING WITH THE BIG BAND.” The towel animal was a frog.
Monday, July 13
Sitka was our next port. It is a small town of 9000 citizens. It is located near Mt Verstovia. It was settled by the Russians. Alexander Baranof was the chief manager of Russian Affairs. The architecture is strongly influenced by Russia as seen in the Russian Bishop House. It is accessible only by tender as the harbor is too shallow for the cruise ships. It is also a temperate rain forest. There are many boats in the Crescent Harbor. We walked around the harbor and some of the buildings before our tour. The O’Connell Bridge connects Sitka and Japonski Island.
The tour started in Totem Square and went thru town. We saw Swan Lake and other points of interest. We stopped at the Sheldon Jackson Museum were they were displaying items of the Tingit peoples (Indians). From there we went to St.Michael’s Russian Orthodox church constructed in 1840 and stated to be the mother of Russian Orthodox cathedrals for all America. The building burned down at one time but many of the original icons and artifacts were saved. Services are still conducted in the church. The last stop on the tour was the Harrigan Centennial Hall were we were entertained by the New Archangel Dancers, all girls. Our guide sang the state song. We learned he was the local Baptist minister. Nancy and Ernie continued the tour and visited the Raptor Center where injured birds are treated and returned to the wild, if possible. Buddy’s knee was hurting and he returned to the ship. Patsy, Susie, and I went back to the stores and looked at Russian baubles and nesting dolls. Susie and Patsy shared a reindeer dog. We went up on lookout point and got a good view of the town. We saw the line waiting to return to the ship and decided we needed to get in line. I had not eaten lunch and there was a girl and her mom selling home made cookies so we got some. There was also a young boy there doing Russian dancing trying to earn money for a trip he was making.
The evening show was “THE BIG EASY.” Our DJ for karaoke was absent (she had hurt her shoulder and had to leave the ship) and the new girl wasn’t very good so we didn’t stay long. The elephant towel was featured this night.
Monday, July 14
This was a day at sea. We attended the debarkation talk in the morning. During the day, we cruised the Prince William Sound & College Fjord which has 16 glaciers. I sighted a couple of whales during the day but not close up or for long. Activities for the day included the bean bag toss (Susie won a Ship on a Stick), the hairy men’s chest contest (we didn’t participate), What’s in the Bag (our team won 1st place),TV theme song trivia, and the final round of Battle of the Sexes. We arrived in Glacier Harbor at Whittier early evening. We bid Goofy farewell at dinner and did some packing. Ernie, Nancy, Patsy, Susie, and I played the final game of Bingo – fill your card for $1199 and both Patsy and I were just one number away from winning.
The finale performance was the “CARNIVAL LEGENDS SHOW “ featuring James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra. All the featured singers were people who had been attending the karaoke sessions and had tried out for the parts. Some of them were very good and a few were very bad. We had front row seats and cheered them on. Susie and Patsy got pictures after the show while I did some last day shots of the ship. Our parting towel figures were a MOTHER AND CHILD WALRUS.
Wednesday, July 15
Debarkation started at 7:00 a.m. We had an early breakfast then went back to our stateroom to wait for our number to be called. While we were waiting, we started watching the movie “Australia.” We saw about 2 hours of the movie before we had to leave. It was extremely windy in Whittier. WE traveled by bus from Whittier to Anchorage passing thru the one way tunnel that the cars share with the train. We followed the Turnigan Arm to Anchorage. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, next door to Wendy’s. We checked in about noon then grabbed a sandwich at Wendy’s before catching the municipal bus into town. Senior citizens got to ride for free. We took a shuttle to Ship Creek where the Ulu Factory and the Comfort Inn that we stayed in when we were in Anchorage before are located. From there we went to the Alaska Public Lands Information Center and watched a couple of movies about Alaska and the earthquake of ’64. We ate halibut at Humpy’s then caught the bus back to the Holiday Inn with a stop at Wendy’s for ice cream. At the bus terminal, a man who claimed to be a personal chef approached Patsy and told her how beautiful she was. It was apparent from his conversation that he wasn’t quite all there (not unlike most of the people at the terminal).
Thursday, July 16
We had a really nice breakfast at the hotel before Patsy left. We were sad to see her leave. We finished packing and took our luggage to Nancy and Ernie’s room. Buddy and Ernie went to the flight museum while Nancy, Susie, and I downloaded pictures to my computer. When the boys got back, we headed to Flattop Mountain in Chillgach State Park. From there we headed back to the city and had lunch at the Alaska Gourmet Sub Sandwich shop (Buddy’s favorite). Buddy, Nancy, Ernie went to Dog Sled show and Susie and I went shopping and sight seeing. We started off at Grizzly’s gift shop where I purchased some souvenirs. Then we wandered around town a little. Some sights we saw were a 3200 lb bucket which was a part of the Gold Dredge #5 in Nome, Alaska, an Alaskan Mint, a gold mine wagon being used as a planter, and a mural of winners of the Iditarod that was painted by Ziggy from Canyon Lake, TX. We went back by the Visitor’s Center and got a final picture of the Peace Arch before meeting up with the rest of the group. We headed back to hotel and then to airport. We left about 9 p.m. Alaska time and had a long night. Each seat had their own individual screen to watch movies, TV, listen to music, or play games. The screens stopped working for the movies and TV screens but we were able to continue playing games. We did get a snack supper (hamburger/salad/M&M’s) before giving in for a little sleep. The flight attendants woke us up about 4:30 with breakfast snack but I wasn’t ready for food. We arrived in Houston about 6 a.m. It was in Houston that we parted ways with Susie…we were in different terminals. We arrived in Birmingham on time, about 8:30, and got away without any delay. We got into town around 11:30, had lunch Pearl Garden, stopped at Winn Dixie for bread, milk, ice cream, and finally pulled into our driveway about 1. We were glad to be home and our dogs were certainly excited to see us. After a shower and brushing our teeth, we hit the bed.
I have posted a couple of albumns of pictures on Facebook and will try to get some on the blog site as well.
We've been home a week and I'm still dreaming about Alaska.
HARBOR
MORE HARBOR
FLOWERS
FARMERS MARKET
ELEPHANT TAPESTRY
PARK WITH GEESE
CHANGING TROLLEYS
LIBRARY
POST OFFICE
We stopped for lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory and had a really good lunch.
INSIDE THE OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY RESTAURANT
When we left the restaurant, it was raining pretty hard. We got back on the trolley and did some more touring. We didn’t get off anymore, and I didn’t have time to take pictures. We toured the Stanley Park area which was beautiful in spite of all the rain.
We got back to the Comfort Inn and sat around in the lobby for a while. Nancy, Ernie, and Buddy wanted to go to McDonald’s for supper. Patsy, Susie, and I went to the Pub and had a drink and shared some appetizers. We were all sleep deprived so we turned in pretty early.
Wednesday, July 8
We all met for breakfast then just kind of hung out. I needed a belt to keep my jeans up, so Patsy, Susie, and I decided to walk to Sears to see if I could find one. We stopped at several little shops on the way and I found one so we never got to Sears. We caught two cabs to take us to the dock and started the process of checking in and clearing customs. We moved thru the lines pretty quickly and were actually on the ship a little after one. Our room was ready but we had to wait a while for the luggage to arrive. We did lunch on the Lido deck and walked around the ship trying to figure out where we were and where we needed to be. Patsy and Susie were assigned to 1103 (no upgrade) and had a different table in the dining room. We were in room 6129 and Nancy and Ernie were in room 5119. We checked out the spa. First official thing on the agenda was the life drill. After we left port, the gift shops opened and we made a walk through. Our first dinner in the dining room was nice but we missed being all together. Ernie had bought wine for the cruise. After eating, we attended the “WELCOME ABOARD” show then turned in fairly early. I watched s”Slumdog Millionaire.” Our towel creature for the first night was a dog. Susie and Patsy didn’t get one and they didn’t get bathrobes either.
Thursday, July 9
Our first full day at sea! We started our cruise of the inside passage. We met in the dining room for breakfast. Susie was feeling a little queasy so she went back to her room and took a Dramamine. She decided to take one every morning as a precaution. We looked over the various tours and decided which ones we wanted to do. After lunch we watched a little of the ice carving then Patsy and Susie participated in the Chicken Olympics. They did well but didn’t win. We purchased our tour tickets and walked around some more. Thursday was the first Elegant Dining night so we got dressed up and had pictures made. We had a new table and Patsy and Susie were at a table for 2 next to us. They served lobster at dinner and it was good. After dinner, our wait staff danced for us (to Indian music). After dinner, we changed clothes and went to the show “Jazz Hot.” After the show, Patsy, Susie, and I joined the Karaoke that was in session. We didn’t quit til midnight. It was fun I was going to watch a movie but fell asleep.. Our towel creature for the night was a rabbit.
.
Friday, July 10
We stopped in our first port which was Ketchikan. The town was founded as a fishing camp and is built on steep hillsides. We visited the gift shop on the pier then wandered around town until it was time for our tour. The houses are built up on the hillside and to get there you have to climb stair. Patsy and I climbed 120 steps and took some pictures from the top. Even the stairs are given street names. In the town square, there is a monument of an eagle. We caught the Ketchikan Highlights Express and went on a tour of the city and made a visit to Potlatch Park. Our tour guide was Augustus Jones who was highly educated. He had a wonderful Earl Jones voice. We visited a recreated native Alaskan village Potlatch Park. There were many carved totems, one was 42 feet tall. There was a collection of old cars including a 1932 Packard, a 1924 Stanley Steamer, and 1937 Ford pick-up truck. Augustus took us to a tribal house and told us some of the stories. We then went to a carving house where the lady was doing a totem on commission. She had made most of her own carving tools because the ones that had been given to her were too big for her to use. After a stop at the gift shop, and some fresh baked cookies, we headed back to town. We got back on the ship for lunch (and so did everyone else).
After lunch, we visited Creek Street, a row of wooden buildings perched over the water on pilings. The brightly painted boutiques once catered to gentlemen seeking the company of “sporting women.” There was a museum at Dolly’s house with stuff from the frontier life. Ketchikan’s red-light district wasn’t shut down until 1953. Now it’s home to artsy galleries.
Patsy and I walked to the other side of town called New Town. We strolled down the boardwalk admiring the harbor and all the boats. There were beautiful stained glass banners on poles along the boardwalk. We found a street called Hopkins Alley but weren’t brave enough to explore it. The afternoon was absolutely beautiful. We did a little more time browsing the gift shops before we got on board. We sailed from Ketchikan at 5 p.m. After dinner, we attended the show “BLUES BROTHERS.” One of the movies on the ship channel was “Slumdog Millionaire” and I watched it Our towel critter was a monkey.
Saturday, July 11
The next stop was Juneau which is perched on the mouth of Gold Creek. It is nestled between the two mountains, Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts. Juneau can only be reached by boat or plane and is the home to 30,000 year-round residents. It is in the Tongass Rainforest. Over ½ of the world’s population of eagles live in Juneau. It is frequently called “Little San Francisco”
Our first stop was some of the downtown shops. In the town square, there was a local artist who was just beginning a painting of the beautiful flowers. We walked around the town square which was across the street from City Hall. Patsy, Susie, and I decided we would walk uphill to the Capitol Building. Nancy, Ernie, and Buddy did not want to make the steep walk. Outside the Capitol, there is a reproduction of the Liberty Bell. Since it was Saturday, the governor was not in her office but we did take pictures and Patsy bought a commemorative Alaskan coin. Across the street from the Capitol is the museum and the Fisherman’s Building. It is also close to the State Office Building which they refer to as the SOB. As we started down the hill, we saw them cutting into the rock preparing to construct some kind of building. There is very little soil on top of the rock. In Juneau, as in Ketchikan, the houses are built into the hillside. We ran into Ernie, Nancy, and Buddy as we were heading back down the hill. They had stopped for lunch at McDonalds.
Our tour for Juneau was to the Mendenhall glacier and Glacier Gardens. We took a short path thru the wildlife area before arriving at the tourist center were we viewed the glacier from an observation house. They showed a short movie about the glacier. There was a waterfall close to the glacier and some of the tourists had hiked to the base of the waterfall. The deep blue of the ice was something we had seen on our last trip. The denser the ice, the bluer the color. We just couldn’t get enough pictures. On the ride from the glacier to the garden, we passed a beaver dam and a beaver hut.
We then went to the Glacier Gardens located on the side of Thunder Mountain. It is actually a temperate rain forest. The garden was a part of a restoration project of an area that was affected by a landslide. The man who undertook the project had to restore it back to a natural state. In the process, he had an uprooted tree fall and get stuck upside down in the dirt. He decided to try to use the root system as a flower garden and it worked. So now, there are acres of upside down trees as well as many other beautiful flowers and plants. At one area, there is a viewpoint where we saw an eagle up close. From the viewing area you can see Gastineau Channel, Douglas Island, Auke Bay, Stephenson’s Passage, Admirality Island, and Chilkat Mountain, all landmarks in Juneau. We returned to the ship for supper but Patsy, Susie, and I got back off for a little more shopping. Nancy and Ernie went to the night’s show, “MARCUS RAYMOND.” Patsy and I did a little karaoke but didn’t stay late. I wanted to watch the movie “Marley and Me.”. The towel critter for the night was a turtle.
Sunday, July 12
Our next port was Skagway which is located in a mountain valley on the north end of the Tiya Inlet. It is home to year long 900 residents. One of the unique building is the Artic Brotherhood Hall on Broadway Street. It’s façade is made of over 10,00 pieces of driftwood. It is located in the Tongass National Forest and was known as the “Gateway to the Klondike” during the Alaskan Gold Rush. Because there was no way to record incoming ships, they started painting dates, ships, and captains on the side of the mountain. Patsy, Susie, and I had an early tour of the Dog Sled Discovery and Mushing Camp. We were bused down a dirt road to the dog camp where we rode on a custom-built wheeled sled pulled by 16 dogs. We took off in a flash and had the equivalent of a carnival ride. After the ride, we were able to pet the dogs and had photo ops. They gave us information about sledding and the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. The tour guide, Garrett, was from Texas. The musher was from Costa Rico. We got to visit and pet some of the older puppies as well. The dog camp is located at the most northern point of the Lynn Canal past Chilkoot Trail located on Taiya Inlet tidal flats. The scenery was beyond description. Definitely God’s handy work.
After lunching on the ship, we had a second tour, the Skagway Streetcar Tour. We rode on a 1920 yellow bus around the town and attended the Arctic Brotherhood show. At the show, Susie suddenly started coughing severely and we all just laughed at her. After the show, we went to the overlook and then to the Gold Rush Cemetery, final resting place of the scoundrel Soapy Smith. As we were headed back to the ship after the tour, the Whitepass and Yukon Railroad tour train was getting back. Steve Hites (Mr. Skagway) who did the Artic Brotherhood show did an afternoon show in Pharaoh's Palace after we got back on the ship. He did some more stories and songs from the gold rush
Sunday night was the second Elegant dining night and once again the waiters danced for us. Our assistant waiter, Goofy, who is from Bosnia, was one of the feature dancers that night. Patsy, Susie, and I had our pictures done again and did some of our own pictures. The show for the night was “SINGING WITH THE BIG BAND.” The towel animal was a frog.
Monday, July 13
Sitka was our next port. It is a small town of 9000 citizens. It is located near Mt Verstovia. It was settled by the Russians. Alexander Baranof was the chief manager of Russian Affairs. The architecture is strongly influenced by Russia as seen in the Russian Bishop House. It is accessible only by tender as the harbor is too shallow for the cruise ships. It is also a temperate rain forest. There are many boats in the Crescent Harbor. We walked around the harbor and some of the buildings before our tour. The O’Connell Bridge connects Sitka and Japonski Island.
The tour started in Totem Square and went thru town. We saw Swan Lake and other points of interest. We stopped at the Sheldon Jackson Museum were they were displaying items of the Tingit peoples (Indians). From there we went to St.Michael’s Russian Orthodox church constructed in 1840 and stated to be the mother of Russian Orthodox cathedrals for all America. The building burned down at one time but many of the original icons and artifacts were saved. Services are still conducted in the church. The last stop on the tour was the Harrigan Centennial Hall were we were entertained by the New Archangel Dancers, all girls. Our guide sang the state song. We learned he was the local Baptist minister. Nancy and Ernie continued the tour and visited the Raptor Center where injured birds are treated and returned to the wild, if possible. Buddy’s knee was hurting and he returned to the ship. Patsy, Susie, and I went back to the stores and looked at Russian baubles and nesting dolls. Susie and Patsy shared a reindeer dog. We went up on lookout point and got a good view of the town. We saw the line waiting to return to the ship and decided we needed to get in line. I had not eaten lunch and there was a girl and her mom selling home made cookies so we got some. There was also a young boy there doing Russian dancing trying to earn money for a trip he was making.
The evening show was “THE BIG EASY.” Our DJ for karaoke was absent (she had hurt her shoulder and had to leave the ship) and the new girl wasn’t very good so we didn’t stay long. The elephant towel was featured this night.
Monday, July 14
This was a day at sea. We attended the debarkation talk in the morning. During the day, we cruised the Prince William Sound & College Fjord which has 16 glaciers. I sighted a couple of whales during the day but not close up or for long. Activities for the day included the bean bag toss (Susie won a Ship on a Stick), the hairy men’s chest contest (we didn’t participate), What’s in the Bag (our team won 1st place),TV theme song trivia, and the final round of Battle of the Sexes. We arrived in Glacier Harbor at Whittier early evening. We bid Goofy farewell at dinner and did some packing. Ernie, Nancy, Patsy, Susie, and I played the final game of Bingo – fill your card for $1199 and both Patsy and I were just one number away from winning.
The finale performance was the “CARNIVAL LEGENDS SHOW “ featuring James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Garth Brooks, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra. All the featured singers were people who had been attending the karaoke sessions and had tried out for the parts. Some of them were very good and a few were very bad. We had front row seats and cheered them on. Susie and Patsy got pictures after the show while I did some last day shots of the ship. Our parting towel figures were a MOTHER AND CHILD WALRUS.
Wednesday, July 15
Debarkation started at 7:00 a.m. We had an early breakfast then went back to our stateroom to wait for our number to be called. While we were waiting, we started watching the movie “Australia.” We saw about 2 hours of the movie before we had to leave. It was extremely windy in Whittier. WE traveled by bus from Whittier to Anchorage passing thru the one way tunnel that the cars share with the train. We followed the Turnigan Arm to Anchorage. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, next door to Wendy’s. We checked in about noon then grabbed a sandwich at Wendy’s before catching the municipal bus into town. Senior citizens got to ride for free. We took a shuttle to Ship Creek where the Ulu Factory and the Comfort Inn that we stayed in when we were in Anchorage before are located. From there we went to the Alaska Public Lands Information Center and watched a couple of movies about Alaska and the earthquake of ’64. We ate halibut at Humpy’s then caught the bus back to the Holiday Inn with a stop at Wendy’s for ice cream. At the bus terminal, a man who claimed to be a personal chef approached Patsy and told her how beautiful she was. It was apparent from his conversation that he wasn’t quite all there (not unlike most of the people at the terminal).
Thursday, July 16
We had a really nice breakfast at the hotel before Patsy left. We were sad to see her leave. We finished packing and took our luggage to Nancy and Ernie’s room. Buddy and Ernie went to the flight museum while Nancy, Susie, and I downloaded pictures to my computer. When the boys got back, we headed to Flattop Mountain in Chillgach State Park. From there we headed back to the city and had lunch at the Alaska Gourmet Sub Sandwich shop (Buddy’s favorite). Buddy, Nancy, Ernie went to Dog Sled show and Susie and I went shopping and sight seeing. We started off at Grizzly’s gift shop where I purchased some souvenirs. Then we wandered around town a little. Some sights we saw were a 3200 lb bucket which was a part of the Gold Dredge #5 in Nome, Alaska, an Alaskan Mint, a gold mine wagon being used as a planter, and a mural of winners of the Iditarod that was painted by Ziggy from Canyon Lake, TX. We went back by the Visitor’s Center and got a final picture of the Peace Arch before meeting up with the rest of the group. We headed back to hotel and then to airport. We left about 9 p.m. Alaska time and had a long night. Each seat had their own individual screen to watch movies, TV, listen to music, or play games. The screens stopped working for the movies and TV screens but we were able to continue playing games. We did get a snack supper (hamburger/salad/M&M’s) before giving in for a little sleep. The flight attendants woke us up about 4:30 with breakfast snack but I wasn’t ready for food. We arrived in Houston about 6 a.m. It was in Houston that we parted ways with Susie…we were in different terminals. We arrived in Birmingham on time, about 8:30, and got away without any delay. We got into town around 11:30, had lunch Pearl Garden, stopped at Winn Dixie for bread, milk, ice cream, and finally pulled into our driveway about 1. We were glad to be home and our dogs were certainly excited to see us. After a shower and brushing our teeth, we hit the bed.
I have posted a couple of albumns of pictures on Facebook and will try to get some on the blog site as well.
We've been home a week and I'm still dreaming about Alaska.
