Sunday, June 7, 2009
We took our time getting up and getting ready this morning. We puttered around most of the morning. At 11:15 we checked out of our hotel and took the town car service to the dock. We were on the ship by about 12:15. We could not go to our cabins until 2:00. We explored the ship until it was time to go to our cabins. When we got there we didn’t have our luggage yet. We had a little bit to eat while we waited. Just before we left dock we had our fire boat drill.
It was interesting watching the ship pull away from the dock. It is like the propellers can turn at different angles. The forward and aft propellers pushed the ship sideways from the dock. Then the propellers turn to move the ship forward. We will cruse until tomorrow afternoon. We will arrive in Juneau at 2:00 PM on Monday.
We had a speedboat pull up by our ship this afternoon. The ship slowed down and the speedboat either dropped someone off or picked someone up. It was interesting to watch.
Monday, June 8, 2009
It is chilly. Dad and I got up and walked the ships track this morning. We walked a little over a mile. We could see another ship behind us. When we go back to our cabin we showered and dressed for breakfast. I just ate some fruit this morning. Tomorrow I will try something else. The free style eating is smorgasbord. You can eat all you want. I am trying to keep it down. I don’t want to have to lose a ton of weight after we get back.
When the duty free shop opened we went in and bought some coats with hoods. It is cool enough that you need more than just a jacket to set on the deck.
When we came back to our cabin I was watching the water. The sea is very glassy. The waves are smooth. They call the sea “slight” with 1.5 to 4 ft. waves. The temperature is 52ºF. According to the map we are near Bella Bella the time is 10:48.
As I was watching some birds on the water when I saw a whale’s tail come out of the water. It was having quite a bit of fun. It was not close to the ship so you needed binoculars to see it clearly. With out binoculars you could see it splash. I was able to see it breach. It was so cool. I was very excited. Then we saw a pod of dolphins near the ship. We were able to watch them for quite a while. I would have liked a picture of them but you never knew where they would come up next and they were not up for long. I am excited that I got to see a whale and some dolphins in the wild. Yea! No picture however. I will just have to get a postcard.
Well time for a nap!
We ate a light lunch because we wanted to go to the Teppanyaki Room for Carol’s birthday. Teppanyaki has the chefs that entertain you as they cook your food. You would have to go to juggling school as well as chef’s school to cook there. They threw raw eggs into the air and caught them in their hat, their pocket, behind their back, and in their hand.
We dressed up for dinner. After dinner we had our picture taken. They had a set up where you went from one background to another. Just as we got to the end of our set of pictures another guy was there with his camera and told us if we wanted to wait a minute the captain would be there and we could have our pictures taken with the captain. So we waited and were the first ones to have our pictures taken. Oh one funny thing that happened at the pictures: A lady was waiting for someone. She had been in line for quite a while. She was getting very agitated. I thought boy her husband is in trouble when he shows up. She was at the head of the line but was letting everyone go by. We got our first picture and were waiting for our next picture. It turned around to see the lady that had been letting everyone go by. What a shock… she was the husband. A young girl in the group ahead of us turned and saw the couple behind us and just clapped her hand over her mouth and stared.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 2:00PM
We are now at Juneau. The ship is docking. We had to wait for another ship to get out of the dock so we could move into the dock. We are going on a whale watch and to a glacier. I will try to get a movie of a whale breaching. We have seen some off the ship. I get excited every time I see a whale tail. I am going to get a whale tail necklace.
Right now I am watching the bay as little fishing boats and seaplanes come and go. It would be interesting to be the one that controls the bay at to which boat and which plane uses the waterway.
We had a great time in Juneau. We went to the Mendenhall glacier. It is huge. We walked out to a point where we could take pictures but an area was roped off so that we could not walk into an area that is a nesting ground for Arctic turns. There was a place where we could have walked around the nesting area toward some beautiful falls but we didn’t think we would have time. Time was a big concern in Juneau.
We went out on a small boat for a wildlife quest. We saw quite a few humpback whales. Three of them were mothers with their baby calves. We also say several bald eagles. One was setting on a buoy. We were quite near him before he flew away. He was beautiful. We also some Stellar sea lions sleeping on a buoy.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
We docked in Skagway this morning. We got up early and ate breakfast. We got off the boat at about 7:00 and by 7:30 were on our way to a train ride called the White Pass and Yukon Route. White pass is where the Summit is and you cross over into Canada. We rode the train as far as Fraser, British Columbia. We saw some beautiful scenery. We passed the Gold Rush Cemetery. It is the resting place of some of the early residents of Skagway.
Another resting place is called Black Cross Rock. It seems that as they were building the railroad a blasting accident buried two railroad workers under a 100-ton granite rock. It was decided that the rock should not be moved in honor of the men who died there. They put a cross on top of the rock to mark their grave.
Bridal Veil Falls was also beautiful. It is a huge set of falls that come from some glaciers on Mt Cleveland and Mt. Clifford. The falls cascade some 6,000 feet.
Dead Horse Gulch was where some 3,000 pack animals that were neglected by their gold hungry owners died. The animals had been over packed, over worked, and under fed and many were starving to death. The owners were so cold hearted that they shot their animals and left them there to rot. Then the owners went back to Skagway to buy more animals to carry their supplies into the Yukon. Each gold digger had to have 1 ton of supplies to take with them into the Yukon.
We saw a steel bridge that was built in 1901 and used until 1969. It was the tallest cantilever bridge in the world. I was glad we didn’t have to go over it today. Now the tracks go through a tunnel.
White Pass is the border of US and Canada. During the gold rush the mounted police would allow any gold rush stampeder with a ton of supplies that were needed to survive for one year to enter the Yukon Territory.
After we got to Fraser, B.C. we road a bus back down the mountain to Liarsville. They put on a little play for us and sent us on our way.
We spent the afternoon shopping in Skagway. We went back to the ship and had our dinner and now we are moving to Glacier Bay. We will be there at about 7 in the morning.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
We are sailing up into Glacier Bay. We will not get off the ship, just sail into the bay and get a close up look at a glacier. I have seen a couple of seals as we have been sailing along. I figure they must be feeding. I will try to get my post cards written so that I can get them mailed.
We saw the glaciers in Glacier Bay. It is called calving when the ice falls off the glacier into the bay. We saw some calving. The ice is a dark blue because it is so cold. It is also very dirty because it picks up dirt and rocks as it slides down the mountain. I have spent too much money on souvenirs. I want everything I see.
The water and the weather are beautiful today. There are no waves and the sun is peeking out from the clouds. The ship turned toward some little rock islands sticking out of the water called Marble Islands. They were loaded with sea lions. The captain told us they were coming so we looked out and could see the island. We thought the island would come down the starboard side of the boat where our stateroom is. However, the ship turned just then so we ran to the other side of the ship. We got some great pictures of the sea lions on the rocks.
Dad took me out for our anniversary dinner. We had stake and lobster. For dessert they brought us a cake that had happy anniversary written on it. Then they sang “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.” They even gave Dad a sugar free dessert in place of the cake.
My kitchen floor should be in by now. Yea!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Happy Birthday Bryan!
We went to Ketchikan today. We took a tour of the Saxman Native Village. We watched a film about their culture. Then took a tour of one of their lodges. The Beaver Clan is the largest and has the largest lodge. They danced and sang for us. Their musical instrument is the drum. Next, we went to the carving house. A master carver named Nate Jackson was there to talk about carving. A good carver can get from $500- $3,500 a foot for the totems they carve. Nate Jackson can get $5,000 a foot for his.
Each totem has a story behind it. There are also totems of honor and totems of dishonor. Abraham Lincoln has a totem of honor. ___ Seward has a totem of dishonor. His totem started out as a totem of honor. The Tlingit Indians had given him three or four potlatches. During a potlatch you give everything you have to your guests. Then your guest has 2 years to give a potlatch in return. Seward never returned the potlatch so the people took down his pole and changed it to a pole of dishonor. The only difference between a pole of honor and a pole of dishonor is the color they paint the nose and ears of the person on top of the pole. They painted Seward’s ears and nose red.
When we got back from our tour we gathered some of the souvenirs and mailed them home. We have sent 3 large flat rate boxes home. Next we shopped in Ketchikan. We didn’t even take time to enjoy the scenery. We just went from store to store trying to collect the free stuff they give away. Dad also bought me some very nice earrings and necklaces. I didn’t get him anything but a dumb old map. I would have liked to stay a little longer in Ketchikan.
Tonight and tomorrow we sail.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Happy Birthday Melanie!
We will get into Victoria B.C. tonight at 6:00PM. When we get home we will need a vacation to rest up from our vacation.
When we got to Victoria the ship was turned over to a pilot from Victoria. He came into the bay and turned the ship around and backed into the port. Dad and I went down to the outside deck and watched the ship back into the port. There were about 7 or 8 cars lined up watching the boat dock. It reminded me of going out to the airport to watch the planes land.
We took a shuttle into downtown Victoria and walked down the street. We went into a souvenir shop and bought our last souvenirs. We walked back up the other side of the street and got back on a shuttle to the port. We dropped off our souvenirs in our room and went to dinner. We ate in an Italian restaurant. The food was very good. Good thing we didn’t find it earlier. I might have gained an extra 10 lbs on top of what ever I have already gained.
We picked up our photos from the photo shop. Now we are getting ready for bed. Tomorrow we sail back to Seattle.
I learned today that Mom is back in the hospital. Same problem as before we went to Alaska--obstructed bowel. Mom is getting weaker all the time. I think she is starving to death because she cannot get her food to digest properly. If she is still in the hospital on Monday when we get home I will stop on my way home to see her.
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