KETCHIKAN AND VANCOUVER

We sailed south all night and arrived in wet, rainy and misty Ketchikan at 9:30 a.m. We were booked on a shore excursion to the Misty Fjord on a high speed catamaran, however it was cancelled due to the bad weather and we were given a refund. Bill was very happy to stay on board the warm dry ship and relax.

Lyn and I braced the cold wind and rain and walked through the town to the historic Creek Street.

The old houses (yesteryear's brothels) are built on stilts over the water and have board walks connecting them. Today they are tourist shops. We were soaking wet and soon returned to the ship. I was a little disappointed that our excursion was cancelled but we had seen so much over the last 23 days and we had mostly fine weather so we made the most of a rest day before our long flight home tomorrow.
We had our last dinner with our friends in the Italian Restaurant with Cianti. We took in the last show and then packed and put our bags out for the last time.

Canada Place

The next morning we woke up in Vancouver Harbour. We had been given explicit instructions on when and where we could disembark. It was very well organised and 2000 of us were off in no time at all. We followed our tour guides through the maze of halls and people to our coach for the short trip to the hotel.  We were not booking in, our flight for Sydney was at midnight. Our tour company had made arrangements for us to leave our bags on the coach and to have the use of a hospitality room in the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel, where we could have refreshments, play games, read and rest until they shuttled us to the airport.

Vancouver 

We decided to make the most of the last day and do some more sight seeing with Lyn and Barry, who were also on the midnight  flight.

We took a ferry and a bus to the cable car for Grouse Mountain

Grouse Mountain is perched 4,100 ft above Vancouver. These cable cars are huge and take over 50 people. They were crowded because it was a weekend.

There are many attractions at the park on top of the mountain. One was a Grizzly Bear enclosure.

We had lunch in a nice restaurant with a view over the harbour.

In the afternoon we made our way back to the hotel and waited for the shuttle. It picked us up at 6:00pm. 

We had a long 5 hour wait at the airport. Once again we were allowed to wait in the Fairmont Airport Hotel lounge and bar, due to an arrangement that Scenic Tours has with Fairmont.

We had to sort out a problem that we had with Air Canada and our seat allocation, so that used up a few hours. Finally we were on our way with the correct seats, for the 15 hour flight home. The only disadvantage of  living "Down Under," is that it is so darn far away from anywhere.

We left Saturday night and got home on Monday lunchtime missing Sunday due to crossing the date line. We had another 5 hour wait in Sydney for our Brisbane flight. Most of that time was taken up going through customs and getting the shuttle to the domestic terminal.

After 25 hours travelling we were happy to be home with  memories of one of the best adventures we've ever had.

SHIPBOARD LIFE

It was very cold standing on the deck photographing the glaciers. I looked about me and couldn't find Bill. I guessed where he might be.

In the warm Lido Restaurant enjoying a coffee. 

Every table had beautiful fresh orchids.

At night we ate in the Vista2 Restaurant with our four friends.

On two occasions we were expected to dress formally. I'm not a fan of these nights because it means packing jackets and dresses that you only wear for a few hours on the holiday, and when packing to an airline limit of 20kg it is a nuisance having to waste space with formal wear

When our friends, Jill and Graeme bought a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the best french wine in the world, Bill was ecstatic and his need to be careful of drinking red wine due to AF, went out the window. It was such good wine that it didn't effect his heart anyway. He was one happy chappy.

After a fabulous meal, exclusive wine and great company we toddled off to bed to find this towel creation on the bed. We had a different one every night.

GLACIER BAY, ALASKA

After Skagway we sailed further north to Glacier Bay. It is a huge fjord which used to be one big glacier back in the 1700's when George Vancouver discovered it. Today there are many glaciers still feeding the bay.

It was an overcast misty day, common in this area, but we could still see the massive glaciers as we sailed up to the end of the fjord. This is the Reid Glacier.

This is Margerie Glacier the small ship gives you an idea of the size of the glacier wall.

The captain rotates the huge ship so that both sides can get a good view of the face of the glacier.

Everyone was hoping to witness glacier calving like we did here. There is an all mighty rumble and cracking sound and then the big splosh. I doesn't happen very often and I was chuffed to capture this fall, which was only a small one.

Then we had a lucky trip up the next inlet to John Hopkins Glacier. We were the first ship allowed into this area this season. The ice had been too thick and dangerous for ships before now.

The mist had cleared and we could get a good view of this one. It was awe inspiring. The little black dots on the ice pieces in the water are seals.

Nature at its best.

After circling for an hour or so we were on our way out of the fjord heading south for Ketchikan. It was an amazing place, entirely the opposite to the Australian landscapes. We live in an amazing world and I hope we don't ruin it.

SKAGWAY

On the way back to the ship from The White Pass Rail trip we stopped by an old gold mining camp museum. The miners rested here before their trek over the White Pass on their way to the Yukon Goldfields 600 miles away. (Before the railway was built)

The Brothel and Smithy

We were entertained by the local musicians and offered warm cider, a biscuit and a sit by the campfire.

We were taught how to pan for gold and everyone found some (imported from California)

The main street of Skagway is right next to the wharf so it is not far to walk. It is a small town with 800 residents. When cruise ships arrive the population increases to 10 000, amazingly the town can handle it. The street is lined with tourist shops mainly selling jewellery.

The town was developed in the gold rush days of 1897 and 1900 and it was filled with the drama of the lawless and rough. See the ladies upstairs plying their services.

The buildings and town haven't changed very much since then but the cliental certainly has.

After an exciting day it was time to set sail.

We bumped into some wildlife on the dock.

WHITE PASS RAILWAY

We sailed through the night and woke up docked in Skagway. Bill is mad about trains, and after he saw a documentary on the White Pass Railway, it has been on his bucket list ever since. So when we were making choices for a shore excursion in Skagway it was obvious that we would do a train trip.

The White Pass Railway is an Historic International Civil Engineering Landmark. It was built in 1898 after Gold was discovered in huge quantities in the Yukon. The building of the 110 mile track was a challenge.

The railway climbs from sea level to 3000 ft to the Summit in 20 miles and features steep grades of 3.9%.

Construction required cliff hanging turns, tunnels, bridges and trestles. Work on the tunnels took place in winter with temperatures as low as -60*.  35,000 men worked on the construction.

Another train is following us up to the Summit. After the gold rush the railway was used for moving ores and concentrates. It pioneered the "Container Route," the movement of containers by ship, train and truck in 1955. This original trestle isn't used any more, we went over a newer bridge. In 1988 the White Pass Railway &Yukon Route reinvented itself as a tourist attraction.

At last we arrived at the summit after climbing up the most rugged mountains and over deep ravines. The scenery was stunning.

We continued on to the small town of Fraser in Canada and a customs officer came through the train to check our passports before we could alight and board a bus to take us back to Skagway.

This is a special bridge built to withstand earthquakes, it is only supported and attached securely to one side of the ravine. Only one bus at a time is allowed on it. Soon we were back on board the ship at the end of another exciting adventure.

TAKU GLACIER LODGE

People often ask me which part of the Canada & Alaska trip did I like best. It is a hard question to answer as it was all fabulous but the shore excursion from Juneau was my favourite day. There are many shore excursions provided by Holland America (at an extra cost ) to choose from. When I saw the one called "Wilderness Salmon Bake & Scenic Flight" I thought that it sounded like fun. It included a float plane ride over glaciers, landing at Taku Lodge and partaking in a salmon feast before returning to Juneau and the ship.

 It was overcast and showery but it didn't stop us having a great time. The planes weren't far from the ships.

We flew over fjords, rivers and glaciers in between mountains. can you see the ice breaking off the glacier? It is called glacier calving.

The scenery was breathtaking.

After 30 mins we landed in front of the Taku Glacier and taxied towards the Lodge.

The lodge has a colourful history and too much to tell all here. It was built in 1923 by a doctor from Juneau, who used it as a hunting holiday lodge. It has changed hands quite a few times but in 1934 it was inherited by Mary Joyce the family nurse of the owners. She was very adventurous and travelled overland by dog sled to Fairbanks, 1000 miles north. Temperatures got to 50* below. The sled is still in the lodge. In 1979 the owners at that time opened up the lodge to tourists they have since retired and a new family have taken over. There are many surrounding buildings/sheds/cabins dating back to 1930's.

The view from our table in the lodge.

A close up of the face of the glacier. Tall isn't it?

Our salmon being cooked outside on a BBQ.

While we were inside devouring our salmon feast with salads, Mexican beans, stewed apple and crusty bread, Mr Bear came to clean the BBQ plate.

We left our sumptuous meal to run outside and click our cameras. He was big and beautiful.

After the meal we were taken on a short walk through the forest. We had a local guide with a big stick to shoo away bears. Black Bears are not aggressive like Grizzly Bears. I was fascinated by the moss hanging in the trees. It is actually beneficial to the tree in that it helps the tree shed its lower limbs so that it can climb more easily up to the sun.

After two wonderful hours  the planes returned to pick us up.

There were five plane loads.

It is so exhilarating skimming across the water and effortlessly climbing into the air. We followed the glaciers and rivers in between the soaring mountains back over the fjord and plopped down next to the ship. What a magic experience.