KETCHIKAN - RAINING KATS AND DOGS

Today our port was Ketchikan – and it was drizzly then rainy and always cloudy. It was not a good weather day at all. We stepped off briefly to wander but were soon chased back inside. Lunch today was at the Pinnacle Grill aboard the ship. It was quite lovely – as it was a port day, there were not many guests dining, but it was very special. The afternoon was spent reading, sudoku puzzling and Brian was putting a plastic model together. After all, it was a good day to be inside!

Later we had a special invitation by Cpt. Bos to join him on the bridge. That was such a surprise and yet another adventure. Early on in the cruise Brian had asked if he would be kind enough to put mom’s picture up on the bridge in a place where she could have a good view of the Alaskan Voyage. So he invited us up to see where her picture had been placed for the trip. She was front and center of the bridge with an unobstructed view. He is a very kind man and we had a lovely visit with him before leaving him to his duties. He had to go to the little chapel to administer to a couple renewing their wedding vows. Tomorrow is an at sea day – we are traveling back down the inside passage and after going through some dreary weather and gale force winds during the night, we should have clear skies all day tomorrow for the rest of our journey home. There might even be some good whale watching from the ship. I think he mentioned that we might even see some orcas and a sperm whale if we are lucky. Humpbacks are a given – and we don’t get tired of those. So tomorrow is another day….and the last of our special voyage together.

SHHH... I THINK MARGERIE IS ASLEEP

The scenic cruising day of Glacier Bay begins early. We set the alarm for 6:30 as we begin the entrance from Icy Straight into Sitakaday Narrows. Whales and sea otters have been seen and we should be able to spot Puffins, Marbled Murrelets, Harbour Seals and certainly lots of bergie bits in the water. Always there is a running commentary from the park rangers that come on board for this very special journey into Glacier Bay National Park. It is my most favourite day up here. There are several glaciers on the way There is the Reid Glacier, Lamplugh Glacier, Johns Hopkins Glacier and then we get right into Glacier Bay and there is the spectacular Margerie Glacier and Grand Pacific Glacier. It has been so cold up here this year that we will be very lucky to hear the cracking and see the calving that we have seen in previous visits, but I will have my camera ready just in case. Just heard that the one of the glaciers that we saw drops off 15 feet per day – WOW – that is a lot of calving that must be going regardless of weather as I said. Hmmm something to be learned every day!! So we are well onto our way to the end of Glacier Bay and should have our first sighting of Margerie momentarily. Margerie is a growing glacier. That means that it is snowing all year round in the ice field and although Margerie advances forward 7 feet every day, that is not enough of a melt for the collection of snow in the ice field above it. Brian, Eileen and I have had the traditional pea soup that they serve in the Glacier Bay area – it is cold outside today only about 10 – so it was a welcome treat. The skies are overcast, but getting brighter – so maybe….just maybe….Eileen and I are now drinking our traditional Baileys and Coffee. We have been known to bring on our own Baileys, but today we bought the souvenir mug with the Baileys. These are Kitiwakes

Well the day was lovely and there was lots to see – no good pictures of puffins or otters…the glacier wasn’t very active and only a small amount of cracking – the skies were not as clear as we were hoping and it was freezing!!!…but any day spent in Glacier Bay National Park is still a wonderful day! After dinner when we came back to the room – look what we found – now between all of us we have seen some fancy towel folding – but this was a new one for all of us! I want to take him home – so early night tonight – last stop Ketchikan tomorrow and then we will be motoring home!

See you soon!

SKAGWAY

What a treat we had last night at the Indonesian Crew Show that began at 11:00 at night! If you have cruised and never attended one of these shows, you are missing out on a lot of fun! The selections of dance on song are all done by truly amateur performers that consist of members of the staff that you see daily around the ship. But the piece de la resistance, is the grande finale which is the Angklung Orchestra. Cruise guests are encouraged to join in. We couldn’t hold Brian back – he was fidgeting throughout the rest of the show ready to jump up at a moments notice and ready to take the stage! Yes he was first on his feet and front and center to receive his #3 Angklung. Eileen and I were cheering him on from the second row. This instrument only plays one note and the musician must shake the instrument back and forth vigorously when his number is called. The selections that we heard were Spanish Eyes and My Way – what a treat! There were about 30 eager participants to entertain us with these very special renditions of familiar songs.

Well, we have lucked out with two wonderful days of mostly sunshine. We had a lovely walk into town in Skagway. Eileen and I are wearing our most beautiful necklaces designed by the silver artist Lisa McCormick. The card with the piece read…. “The masks are singing mouths are open. They are forever connected”. They are beautiful and we are so very lucky to have such a wonderful and caring brother.

The trip is going so wonderfully. I can’t even begin to explain how lucky we are to be able to do this trip together one more time. It is so special for me to travel with Brian and Eileen. These are my favourite trips. We have so much to remember and share with each other – good good times.

We were in town for quite a long time and even had lunch at a small Alaskan Brew Pub – Eileen and I had a halibut burger and it was delicious – Brian had halibut fish and chips and all of us washed it down with a glass of Spruce Tip Blond Beer – it was very good. I was going to have the Prospector’s Pale - but was advised that it was more bitter, so I went with the other selection. The ship was docked from about 7:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night – so once again we were underway and ready to get to our next adventure – Glacier Bay. ttfn

WHALE WATCHING AND WILDLIFE VIEWING IN AUK BAY

Today began with a bit of disappointment – we didn’t go up Tracey Arm as I as thinking we would….don’t know why. I know that the last time we were up on this cruise in August, it was difficult to navigate because of the large bergs that had calved off the glaciers – so we could only go part way. Maybe they take that piece off the itinerary for the cruises that are later in the season – not sure, but if I get a chance, I will ask someone.

Still a very pleasant day of scenic cruising and then we arrived in Juneau at 1:00. We disembarked and got on a bus that would take us to Auk Bay where we would get on our boat to go see wildlife and whales. Our first viewing was harbour seals. They are the cute ones – there was a small colony on one of the little islands that we drifted slowly by. Next was the giant Stellar Sea Lions. They are large and noisy. As the naturalist put it, the colony sounds like a bunch of rowdy teenagers all burping the alphabet! and it did sound like that! They were very active and I was able to get some good pictures.

Now it was time to find whales. We were very lucky to be able to spot one orca and several hump backs. The lone orca was just passing through, so we weren’t able to get a good look at him – just a few glimpses of the very high dorsal fin that was about 6 feet tall. It was a large male. He surfaced and blew only a few times and then he swam well out of view. Now the stars of the day were the humpbacks. They put on quite a show. I had a hard time getting good pictures of them as I seemed to always be focused on the wrong one! Loved seeing what we did though, and the pictures I did get will help me remember what a special sighting we did have.

Time for bed!

A QUIET DAY

Today was spent at sea. The weather was overcast at times and sunny at others…all in all a calm and leisurely day. Just before noon we were at a small reception with the captain. Good eats and free drinks and a lovely chat with Cpt. Peter Bos. We have sailed with this particular captain for at least three of the trips we have taken. He remembered our mother and he took her picture up to the bridge so she can have the best view of the Tracy Arm and Glacier Bay on this – our last Alaskan voyage. He seemed pleased that we were doing this family cruise in her memory. Most of the day was spent enjoying the spectacular views of the Inside Passage. At times the ship is so close to the shore on either side that it seems if you threw a rock you would have no trouble reaching the shore. We could see lots of salmon splashing about and the odd spout of a humpback whale. Eileen and I were fortunate to see one sound – that is when the tail comes out of the water and they dive to feed. We weren’t close enough to get a good picture, but definitely close enough to have a good look.

We passed by one of only 27 manned lighthouses. Most of them are automated. This one is quite isolated – the lighthouse keepers are helicoptered in from Prince Rupert for a 28 day stretch – as you can see from the picture, this structure sits on barren rock with no room to even walk – just precipitous cliffs down to the water. The captain’s narration told us of it’s reputation having many mishaps and tragedy associated with it’s staff. There have been attempted murders, successful murders, incidences of mental breakdown and deaths from attending to maintenance. I’m sure the close quarters of the staff and the isolation is key to the problems that develop here. Cpt. Bos always has interesting stories to relate when we travel this route. So tonight our clocks are turned back by one hour and we can look forward to scenic cruising in Tracy Arm tomorrow and then a stop in Juneau where Eileen and I will go on a whale watching tour. Sure hope I have some spectacular pictures to share with you tomorrow! Bye for now…

FIRE ON MIDSHIPS

Little bit of excitement before we left port today. Seems that there was an electrical fire in the midship around the shops. Didn’t cause much damage, didn’t delay our leaving – but did leave a nasty smell that made the eyes water. Had no trouble getting “mom” on board. They did ask what was in the box…and then said how nice it was to be taking her on a cruise. So she has taken up residence on the desk looking out the window. We don’t want her to miss a thing. We joined the sail away party on the Lido deck and enjoyed BBQ…. ribs, steak, salmon and chicken. They also had some really nice salads and lots of bread to choose from. It was crowded there so we brought our selections down to our cabin and ate on our deck. It was very lovely. The deck has so much room. It is really great for sitting and enjoying, eating or lounging. The skies cleared as we began our departure and it has stayed clear right into the evening. At midnight we get to Ripple Rock and Campbell River, so we will watch outside to see the swirling waters. We tried our luck in the casino. Played for a while, but no one was winning and it was cold in there. Already I am looking in the shops for another sweatshirt to wear. Have a feeling that I should have brought some warmer clothes – in the next few days I will know for sure. If we get into Juneau in the morning on Friday and if I am still cold, I will go to our favourite clothing store and get a sweatshirt and maybe a jacket……course they will have Alaska written on them or have Forget-me-nots or have the Big Dipper or a moose or a fish or or or…..but at least I will be warm! It was hard to think of warm clothes after only being home from Vegas for 1½ days. It was over 40 down there!! But this is Northern BC and Alaska. Well, I will talk to you again later and maybe I will have some pictures to share then too. Bye for now…