our alaska cruise finale...

It has been several weeks since we returned to solid ground...

so it is time to wrap up my cruise review!

Our last stop in Alaska was Ketchikan...

...the salmon capital of the world.

Our shore excursion consisted of walking about the town...

checking out the shops...

and picking up a few souvenirs.

My keepsake is a wee jade inukshuk on a chain.

I have a Ulu knife at home that I love...

and so I picked up a set (with cutting board) for a friend.

So did many others on the cruise ship.

Who knew that one can not take Ulu knives to their stateroom?

Upon our return to the cruise ship...

all Ulu knives were confiscated.

We were given a claim number...

and told to pick up our knives as we disembarked in Seattle.

Ketchikan was established as a fishing camp in 1883.

Once gold was discovered in the area...

it became a mining supply center.

The logging industry flourished as well.

Today the economy is based on tourism and fishing.

We came by boat.

Some arrive by plane.

None come by car!

I must introduce you to Sam...

our favorite crew member.

He was our head waiter...

and knew us all by name in no time.

He had a great sense of humour!

He decided that a group our size must have a birthday or two to celebrate...

and so he declared it was Broni's birthday...

and brought in the choir...

and a special dessert.

Another night he decided that it was Tim's birthday...

and again the troops were called in to help celebrate.

Neither of them want more than one birthday a year!

As we left the waters of Alaska...

and sailed homeward...

we decided it was pay-back time for Sam.

As dinner time came to an end....

we called in Sam's troops (his fellow waiters)...

and announced that it was Sam's birthday.

We had a special dessert prepared just for him...

and a 'birthday boy' badge.

Everyone joined in singing to our friend Sam.

I'm not sure that happens too often on a cruise ship!

He was a great guy.

Back in our stateroom we had Michael at our beck and call.

Actually, we never called.

He just came...

and kept that room spic and span...

and brought us treats at night time.

His towel creations on the bed every evening always made me smile.

I have on occasion wished for Michael since I have been back home!

There are many special little things we will not forget...

like ice carvings...

...and walks on the red carpet:)

Our final port of call was Victoria, British Columbia.

Most of the passengers disembarked and set out to explore...

just a wee bit.

We were only there for four hours...

and so we decided to spend our final night on board.

We watched the sun set from the top deck...

had a leisurely dinner...

and thought about packing our bags to disembark in Seattle the next morning.

One of us visited the spa that evening.

Actually, most of us did...

just to 'see'.

I'll tell you about that...

another time.

Alaska cont'd ~ our juneau adventure

Juneau is the state capital of Alaska...

and the only capital city in the USA that is not accessible by road.  

One must arrive here by boat or air!

Juneau has a population of 30,000 and is nestled at the base of Mt. Juneau.

It was a fishing outpost for the local Tlingit Indians until gold was discovered here.

 

We walked off the cruise ship
with intentions of riding the nearby Mt. Robert's Tramway to the 1800 foot level...

and somehow got talked into a totally different shore excursion
by a most persuasive young guy at the end of the pier.

Soon we were all on board a van and headed for Mendenhall Glacier...

12 miles from the city.

 We had a great view of the glacier from the parking lot...

but it didn't take us long to decide that we were all up to the hike!

Micah got a little side-tracked with throwing stones into the water...

and needed some coaxing to keep walking.

We hiked around Mendenhall Lake...

with plans to check out Nugget Falls near the face of the glacier.

I'm not sure whose idea it was...

but these two decided that swimming with the ice-bergs next to a glacier...

was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that was just to good to pass up.

 The proof is in the picture...

and in the cold they both sported later!

Nugget Falls...

flows into the lake right at the base of the glacier.

It was a most beautiful spot...

and we were quite happy with our decision to hike to the glacier rather than riding a tram.

Juneau...
so much more than the political center of the state!

skagway ~ and beyond

Welcome to Skagway...

Garden of Alaska...

located at the northernmost point of Alaska's Inside Passage. 

Directly beyond the town are the majestic peaks of the Coast Mountains.

We left the ship...

and walked downtown to explore.

The historic downtown has been restored to its roots...

complete with the wooden boardwalks of the Gold Rush era.

Though Skagway boasts only 862 local residents...

some 700,000 tourists visit the city each year.



Residents or tourists...

they all seemed pretty laid back!

 

 

On the outskirts of town lies the Gold Rush Cemetery...

the resting place for early Skagway residents and Gold Rush gangsters.

After spending a leisurely morning exploring...

...we all bought tickets to hop aboard the White Pass Scenic Railway.

And then we waited...

patiently.

Before long the train pulled into the station... 

...and one little boy was very eager to board!

We rode in vintage rail cars to the White Pass Summit...

climbing 3000 feet over twenty miles...

and enjoying some beautiful scenery en route.

The bridge constructed in 1901...

was the tallest cantilever bridge in the world for almost seven decades.

That they laid those rails and built the bridges so long ago...

in some of the North's most rugged terrain is..

is quite an engineering wonder. 

Through Dead Horse Gulch... 

and several tunnels...

...and finally we reached the top.

We passed by the point where  Alaska meets Canada...

where all the flags flew proudly in the breeze.

And should we have needed any assistance...

I'm sure we could have knocked at the door of the NWMP (North West Mounted Police).

The grands enjoyed the ride and the good company...

...except for Micah (our train enthusiast) who was lulled to sleep not long into the ride!



When our train reached he summit...

we returned the way we came.

Without any gold...

but richer in the knowledge of what lies beyond the town of Skagway.

And we had a greater appreciation of the challenges

that the prospectors of long ago must have faced. 

Tracy Arm ~ from the upper deck

Tracy Arm Fjord is located in he Inside Passage, about 45 miles south of Juneau.

The surrounding mountains are about 7000 feet high...

and the trees along the shore are part of the Tongass National Forest...

which happens to be the largest national forest in the USA.

It also is the largest temperate rain forest in the world.

As we made our way into the fjord...

we were so thankful for the beautiful weather.

On bad weather days the cruise ships are unable to get near the glaciers...

and are often forced to

forgo this part of the journey.

We had clear unobstructed views from the top deck...

 

...of waterfalls

...and ice-bergs.

 

At the end of Tracy Arm are the twin glaciers...

North and South Sawyer.

Due to sediment from the glaciers...

both the ice and the water are glacial blue.

The seals each had their own little floaty...

next to the glacier. 

We never had to wait long to for the thundering crash of ice...

 

...as huge chunks of the glacier broke into the sea.

The seals were unperturbed!

Other than the calving glacier...

all was quiet on Tracy Arm. 

To preserve the solitude and quiet of the marine wilderness...

even the cruise ship was 'almost silent'...

following local regulations.

Our day at sea ended as we made our way back up the fjord...

the same way we came in.

Next stop a  little further up the coast...

Skagway.

Is that 'pixie dust' scattered on the waves?

According to Disney...

it is!

Have a wonderful weekend...