2022 - Bonnie's Journey to Alaska

Alaska July24 -Aug 6, 2022

This Alaska blog covers a trip by Princess which began with a week's land tour and ended with a week on a cruise ship.

Participants: David and Bonnie, daughter Tammi, granddaughter and grandson-in-law Brandon and Jami, great granddaughters Madison and EmmaLea and friend Pat. 20,133; 6,233; 13,315

July 24 Long travel day to Fairbanks

 Pat is flying Phx to Seattle to Fairbanks and will arrive ahead of us.

The Cones are flying from Gillette, Wyoming and will meet us in Denver, where David and I will meet them at DIA. 

David and I drove from Steamboat to Denver and will leave our pickup at friends, Jeff and Peggy’s. We got up at 4:00 am at Jeff and Peggy’s. They were out of town but loaned us their place to stay.

Bags out for Uber driver coming at 5:15. He was a bit early, but we were ready. We loaded up, locked the house and put the key under the milk box.

Our driver talked about changes in Denver.

We arrived DIA and checked the bags, headed to the gate on the terminal train.

We were barely settled at the gate when I heard Brandon call my name. They arrived ahead of us from Gillette. Hugs all around. We were excited! We will fly together to Chicago, then on to Fairbanks.

The weather yesterday closed the Chicago airport, so we were a bit anxious, but the departure time stayed steady. (We wondered why Princess booked us through Chicago.)

We boarded the Chicago flight, and all went well. Now we had a four- hour layover! We ate lunch and hung out at the terminal.  The girls found ways to amuse themselves while waiting. 

 

Fortunately, the weather looked OK and our flight to Fairbanks left on time. We all woke up early this morning, so some of us napped on the plane. David and Bonnie treated themselves to upgraded seats.

Princess staff met us at the airport in Fairbanks with welcome envelopes and hotel luggage tags. The packet gave us notice that we will need to have a negative COVID test before we board the cruise ship. Princess will arrange and pay for the testing just prior to boarding. It also informed us about Canada’s requirement to use the ArriveCAN app to document our COVID vaccine status.

The first bus to the hotel left and it seemed to take forever for it to return to pick up the rest of us to transfer to the Westmark Hotel, arriving about 9:00 pm.

We were disappointed that we had no food vouchers waiting for us. It is late, and the restaurants will be closing, so we will talk to the supervisor in the morning.

We headed to the hotel Red Lantern restaurant because it closes at 10. The Cones get a table ahead of us. We waited our turn. The food was good and we were tired. Our bags were delivered to our rooms, but unfortunately David’s bag was damaged and will need to be replaced.  Ready to head to bed.

Fairbanks July 25

We got up about 7 and headed to customer service. They could find no indication of a meal plan for us. I called our travel agent Louann to follow up on the problem of no food vouchers. She answered even though it was not yet 8 in AZ. She said she would follow up with her contact at Princess. He should be awake because he is in Florida.  End result was that no we did not purchase the meal plan. We will pay for meals as we go.

We ate breakfast and waited for our bus for an all-day combination tour to journey back in time aboard the stern wheeler Riverboat Discovery III for a cruise along the Chena and Tanana Rivers followed by a fun-filled adventure aboard the Tanana Valley Railroad to ride into gold mining history.

 

 

The gold mining area was complete with a dredge machine to mine gold. We toured the area. Brandon wanted a closer look and took lots of photos because he planned to document the
old equipment for the machine shop class he teaches. 

We panned for gold and pooled our nuggets so Jami, Madi and EmmaLea could each have jewelry made with gold flakes in them.

 

We saw the Alaskan pipeline which transports oil 800 miles to Valdez, Alaska on the coast.  A very knowledgeable history teacher told us the history of the pipeline and how it works. We saw the “pig” which rotates through the line to keep the oil from solidifying at the edges.

 

We had lunch of salad and stew in a big dining hall, then boarded the paddle wheel riverboat for an informative trip to learn more Alaskan history, watch some Iditarod sled dogs and tour an Athabaskan village to learn about clothing, fishing and other aspects of their native lives.

 

The dogs waited for a sled similar to the one hanging on the front of the house, except this ATV had wheels!

This young woman skillfully skinned and filleted a salmon.

Bonnie and Pat

We saw a group of reindeer who posed for photos.

We were entertained by watching a float plane land and take off from the river near our boat and learned that much travel in Alaska is on these kinds of planes because Alaska has much more water than roads.

We returned to the hotel. David and Bonnie took a cab to Walmart to buy a new suitcase. There was only one left on the shelf. We had a difficult time getting a cab back to the hotel. We called several companies and took the first one that showed up.  

At the hotel we ate dinner at the Westmark cafeteria. The food was good and we were about done when the electricity went out.

The sun here is in the sky for about 20 hours a day, so there was ambient light coming in the windows. We kept waiting for the power to come on, but it won’t before we leave tomorrow. So, no elevators, no charging cell phones, no use of C-pap machines, and no restaurants!

Staff escorted us down the halls and up the stairs -we were on the 5th floor. There were emergency light sticks along the floors. We used the flashlights on our phones to give us some light to see the steps and down the hallway.

Once in our room, we had ambient light again, except in the bathroom!

We finished packing, packed David’s new bag and set our bags out for the 6:30 AM pickup.

We slept well.

July 26 Fairbanks to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

We woke to find still no power in the hotel, but,  by using her phone, Tammi found an open Donut shop a few blocks away. Pat, Tammi and I walked there in a stiff bone-chilling wind to buy coffee, tea, and donut for us, the Cones and David. We could have made a fortune if we had a donut truck at the hotel that morning. There was no hot breakfast or even coffee for the guests.

By the time we get back to the hotel, we were just in time to board the bus for the 3-hour ride to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.

We watched the scenery and listened to our guide tell us history and facts about Alaska.

We arrived at the lodge and found our rooms, then headed to lunch.

We did not book an excursion for the afternoon, but sat on the deck facing the majestic Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, at 20,310 feet. We were so fortunate to have a warm and clear day. They say fewer than one third of the visitors here get a good view of the mountain. Of course, we all had to have our photos with it!

 

There were speakers performing in the theater. We asked about excursions at the guest service desk to have information for tomorrow.

July 27 Denali Lodge

Denali National Park and Preserve is six million acres of wild land. It was initially established to conserve wildlife. In 1980, with the passing of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Mount McKinley National Park not only tripled in size, but was also renamed Denali National Park and Preserve. Known around the world for its fantastic scenery and wildlife, Denali is a place of inspiration, exploration, and reflection.

The mountain called Denali is part of the 600-mile arc of mountains that makes up the Alaska Range. The Pacific plate pushing against the North American plate has created the jumbled geology and massive size of Denali.

Permafrost is ground that remains frozen for two or more years. Nearly half of the park is underlain by permafrost. Because Denali is at the southern extent of Alaska’s continuous permafrost, these soils are very susceptible to thawing caused by climate change. Thawing permafrost can lead to increased erosion and landslides, as well as an increased release of carbon gases as organic material becomes vulnerable to microbial activity.

Glaciers are rivers of ice that are long-term accumulations of snow that compact and slowly flow down out of the mountains. One sixth of Denali’s six million acres is covered by glaciers. The longest glacier, at 44 miles, is the Kahiltna. Most of Denali’s glaciers have receded in length over the past 60+ years and all have lost mass (or thickness) due to warmer climate.

We took the Denali National Park Shuttle to the Visitor Center. Denali means “The High One” for Athabaskan Indians. We watched the video about the mountain and history of the park, checked out the gift shop and explored nearby areas.

We returned to the lodge for lunch and boarded the bus for the natural history tour. Brian, our driver/guide told us a lot about Denali, the park and local history. 

We were fortunate to see a female moose feeding beside the road. The quick picture out of the bus window is a bit hazy from the glare. We could see wildlife in the distance along the river and a Ptarmigan, Alaska’s state bird, near the road.

 

We stopped often for views and photos. The weather was sunny, warm and wonderful. What glorious scenery on a spectacular day. We took lots of family photos too.

When the natural history tour was over, we returned to the lodge. We sat around a firepit while waiting for dinner. Cozy and comfortable family time.

July 28 Denali Lodge to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

We sat out our bags before 7am for travel to Denali Wilderness Lodge and ate breakfast at Fannie Qs with Pat and Tammi. The Cones came to breakfast later. 

We shopped at the gift shop. Tammi bought a red jacket which looked really good on her. I bought Madi and Emma journals and pens with gold flakes.

We hung out at the lodge until boarding the bus. Our driver droned on with Alaska and Denali history and facts. I learned a lot but got tired of hearing him talk.

He told of the history of the mountain named temporarily after President McKinley, even though it had always been called Denali, "the great one" by the local natives. 

He talked about factual history of people who made Denali summits as well as fraudulent claims of people climbing to the summit. He informed us about the park animals.

We were awed by the glory of sparkling snow-covered Denali displayed in her massive size. The bus finally stopped for our photo op. The mountain is the largest in North America, 20,310 feet.

We finally reached the lodge, which is set on an impressive campus of buildings and offers several restaurants, entertainment with speakers and shows, lovely observation deck, a guest services desk, the Tree House, gift shop and trails.

We arrived, unloaded hand luggage in our rooms and had lunch in the Base Camp Bar, admiring the mountains all the while.

Brandon knew about the Tree House on this site built by Tree House Masters which is a TV show on Animal Planet. We decided to walk there, even though it was uphill on the steepest road because the lodge said there was a shuttle partway. Nevertheless, after the shuttle ride, it was a long climb, but we enjoyed the views from the Tree House and explored the assembly of the building. We admired the structure and took more photos of Denali.

After the walk back down, we decided we had enough exercise for the day. The walk is challenging enough to keep most 80-year-olds out!

We all got our COVID test to be ready to board the cruise ship and waited anxiously for the emailed results. We all were negative. We wondered what would happen if there was a positive. Maybe they would board us on the ship in seclusion. That's what we saw happening after departure when others became ill.

By the time we got back to our rooms, the luggage had been delivered, so we got better organized. David’s bag fell off the rack scraping the front of his shins and drawing blood. I washed out his bloody sock, and helped him find his rain jacket, which was in his backpack, not the suitcase where he had been looking. I rolled up his shirts to repack and straighten his bag.

We hung around on the deck in front of our rooms until time for dinner. Jami and Brandon went out for their 15-year anniversary dinner. The rest of us ate at the 20320 Alaskan Grill. (It was named this before the elevation was corrected by satellite.)

David went to the room after dinner. The girls and I went to the gift shop so the girls could buy their parents an anniversary present. They had fun shopping and selected a game about camping.

Tammi wasn’t feeling well so went to the room to bed.

Madi and EmmaLea, Pat and I saw the film about the Northern Lights. It was set to classical music and spectacular. Pat was moved to tears.

We had talked about watching sunset at 11 over Denali, but the guys have to get up early for fishing. It is 10:50 and we are ready for bed.

 Subject: Alaska July 29 Friday Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

The men got up early to catch the 7:00 shuttle to Talkeetna to meet with the fishing guide. The Alaska Sportfishing tour description claims you will experience Alaska sportfishing at its finest. It was correct! They boarded a specialized boat and fished while enjoying beautiful scenery in a tranquil environment.  They had a very successful day; each caught several kinds of fish. Some were quite large. The fishermen wore waders and took pictures of each other. The guide was experienced, and they had a good time.

 Since the fishing trip originated and ended in Talkeetna, the fishermen stayed in town afterwards to meet us ladies for lunch at the bistro.

Meanwhile, Jami and the girls slept in. Pat, Tammi and I had breakfast at the lodge and sat on the deck looking at majestic Denali. We just couldn't get enough of taking in the majesty.

I tried to arrange an excursion but with such a late start on the day things were booked. We could get an afternoon boat ride, but the girls opted out, so we caught the shuttle to town and met the guys at 2:00 for lunch.

Everyone was hungry. We ordered an appetizer and meals and had a leisurely lunch while the guys told us all about their fishing trip. They were both so excited. Brandon said it was one of the two best fishing trips he had ever been on.

After lunch, we wandered through town stopping at all the gift shops. The girls looked for gifts for their cousins. David and I wanted an Alaska photo frame. Some of us tried fireweed ice cream. The street ended at the confluence of three rivers. (La Contenta in Portuguese). We took photos and watched the river waters of different colors combine.

The shuttle back to the lodge leaves every hour on the half hour and we wanted to catch the 4:30, so we headed back toward the bus stop. The bus wasn’t there yet so Tammi suggested she and I go back to look for a frame. The first store was mainly yard goods and quilting, so we quickly headed out. The owner asked what we were looking for and when we told her she suggested the shop next door. We hurried over and asked at the counter. A man led us upstairs and pointed to a row of frames. We chose one with fish, given David’s success today. We hurried back to the now waiting bus. David shook his head that we made it in time.

Tammi and Jami did laundry while we showered. EmmaLea wanted to hear the lecture by a climbing expert who had an artificial leg, so some went to hear Todd. Pat and I waited for the clothes to dry, then went for a drink on the lodge deck. The others joined us after the lecture.
The Cones and Tammi went to dinner, but Pat, David and I ate kettle corn while we watched the sun setting over Denali.

We packed our bags last night for the 6:30 am baggage pickup and when we returned to the room, we’re surprised to see it is already 10:00 pm! These days of long daylight can surprise us! 

We got to bed, and David was soon fast asleep. He had a big day fishing. I was awake for an hour or so to journal but finally dozed off.

 Alaska July 30 McKinley to Whittier (Embarkation Day)

On Saturday we stayed in bed- no reason to get up. We waited until 11:30 for the shuttle to Talkeetna and the train.

We headed to the cafe for breakfast. The others went to Starbucks. We all gathered in the great room, debating about whether to go into town early, but because it started to drizzle, we opted to stay warm and dry inside the lodge.

The rain means it is cloudy around Denali. We were so fortunate to have a full view for the entire time we were in the Denali area until this morning.

David and I went back to the room to collect our hand luggage and do a final room check.
Back at the lodge, Jami helped us complete the ArriveCAN app to prepare to enter Canada. We were glad for her help. It was challenging but she was patient. All but Tammi were successful. 

I stopped at the desk to drop off room keys and leave a comment card commending Annie and Xavier who were so helpful at the front desk.

We sat around the great room until the call for our 11:30 shuttle transfer bus to the train. It was drizzling lightly as we boarded.

The driver talked about the three rivers, Chlulitna, Susitna and Talkeetna.  Na means river in Athabaskan.

She also talked about Fireweed which is the first plant to start growing after a fire. Her degree is in plant nutrition so she also told us about Elderberry.

The bus took us to the train tracks near Talkeetna. We waited about 20 minutes for the train. This is an exchange point for people who started the trip on the cruise, who got off the train and boarded the buses we just left.

We got on the train into car 3. We had seats assigned. The car has big domed ceilings with a full view outside except a center console at the top of the roof. Our route followed the river.

Our car had a waiter who took drink and food orders. It’s past time for lunch as it is now 2:00. 

There were general announcements. We ordered lunch and rode the train for almost 5 hours. The Cones played hearts. We visited and nodded off as the train rocked side to side. 

Lunch was good. Brandon bought David another beer.

As we neared the end of the ride, port staff from the cruise ship stopped at each table to check our passports, vaccine records and negative COVID tests from Thursday. We got a slip of green paper saying, “direct to security”. This ticket should speed up boarding the ship.

We got off in the drizzle. David and I had packed our rain gear so got a little damp. We went through security and to our staterooms to settle in before dinner. My bag had not been delivered.

Brandon hurt his ankle getting off the bus, so the Cones chose to order dinner in. Food on the ship, including room service, was included. They wound up ordering several entrees to their room. Tammi, Pat, David and I went to the main dining room to order off the menu.

Emma stepped out on the balcony and called for whales, “Whaley, whaley”. She did not know David was on his balcony next door and he responded which scared her and they both laughed.

At dinner, we sat with an east Indian family from Boston and got acquainted. By now it was after 9:00 and when we got to my room my bag was not there. We called guest services and learned my bag was being held in security. David and I had a hard time finding the right place on a lower deck, but finally did and a woman produced my bag.

She opened it and I took out the brown paper bag with our souvenirs which contained two pocketknives. She examined them, returned one to me and gave me a receipt for the other. They will keep it until I disembark Aug 6.

A bellman delivered my bag to my room. I unpacked and we went to bed.

July 31 Day One on ship Scenic Cruising, Hubbard Glacier

We discover many perks on board the ship.

·         Most adults chose a drinks package which incudes up to 12 drinks a day.

·         The cafeteria buffet is open nearly all the time, so we can show up and eat as we choose. We used the buffet for breakfast and lunch.

·         Tammi made reservations for us at the nicer restaurants for dinner.

·         Room service is unlimited, and we find it very convenient for drinks and snacks. The girls loved it! OK, we all did!

·         There are exceptional photographers to take family photos and we are very pleased with results.

We slept in til 8, then joined the family in the breakfast buffet to discuss the day.

Tammi went to origami, David, Pat and I heard a naturalist talk about glaciers. I also listened to the lecture on shore excursions.

I read before lunch. The kids had pizza, and the rest of us ate in the buffet.

We took a nap after lunch, then Tammi, Pat and I went to afternoon tea. Great food and desserts.

 We watched Hubbard Glacier from the observation deck as the ship made a very slow 180 so we could see the glacier and all the little ice chunks. Spectacular!

Our cruise itinerary has changed. We are now going to Icy Point because a rockslide closed our berth at Skagway. We need to plan substitute shore excursions at Icy Point, so I researched the shore excursion options for Icy Point and Vancouver.

We had three adjacent cabins. One was shared by Pat and Tammi, one by me and David, and one by the Cones. The cabin steward opened the doors outside between our adjacent balconies so we could more easily visit back and forth on the outer deck. We spent a lot of time on these balconies sightseeing, looking at glaciers and watching for whales.

 

Our travel agent, Louann sent us chocolate dipped strawberries and they were delicious.

We dressed up for formal night. Tammi made reservations. Everyone looked great so dressed up, especially the girls who are growing so fast. We were impressed. These girls are 12 and 13 years old who were full of giggles during the day, but once dressed up were sophisticated in behavior and ordering. They did better than many high schoolers would do. Hard to believe they are already in middle school. They were on their best behavior, ate dinner with perfect manners and great conversation.

We stopped on the way to dinner to have our pictures taken by the ship's photographers. I love this four-generation picture!

I told the waiter about Jami and Brandon’s anniversary, and they brought a cake and candle and sang happy anniversary. We all clapped. 15 years!

We finished dessert. The girls headed out to the teen center for movies. Jami and Brandon went to have their formal picture taken.

We went to the room to change. I tried to get tickets for the Icy Point zip line but could only access my own account so couldn’t book for others.

Tammi came by and invited us to go to the aft observation deck to watch for whales. It was chilly and no whales. We gave it an hour and headed to the room. I kept trying to locate Jami with my Princess Medallion app, and we found her in the casino.

Tammi and I talked to Jami and Brandon about the problem of booking the zip lines. Jami pulled up her account to notice their account has been credited with the cancelled Skagway zipline trips. So Jami booked 3 zip line trips and Tammi booked one. They are now set with the zip lines for Icy Point. Hooray!

I headed up to bed.

Subject: August 1 Day Two on ship Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is part of the US National Park system and can be reached by boat or plane only. Because the glaciers are retreating, to see glaciers today, we must travel 65 miles up inside the bay which was once fully covered by glacier ice. Just 250 years ago, Glacier Bay was all glacier and no bay. A massive river of ice, roughly 100 miles long and thousands of feet deep, occupied the entire bay. Today that glacier is gone, having retreated north. Fewer than a dozen smaller tidewater glaciers remain. Impressive in themselves, sequestered at the heads of their inlets in the upper bay, they flow from tall coastal mountains to the sea, and calve great shards of ice that bejewel cold waters with diamond-like bergs. Glacier Bay is a homeland, a natural lab, a wilderness, a National Park, a United Nations biosphere reserve, and a world heritage site.

I had made a plan to meet the kids for breakfast at 8, but to my surprise, we didn’t wake up until nearly 9:00! I have been drowsy and blaming it on my motion sickness medicine.
We got up and dressed and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast.

We are heading into glacier bay and want to see how much the glaciers have changed since we were here 20 years ago. We could tell they had retreated.

We went back to the stateroom and found the kids bundled up sitting on the balcony, planning to spend the day so that Brandon wouldn’t have to walk very much on his sore ankle. It is so cold, we only stayed outside a few minutes at a time. The kids are wrapped in blankets and hats. We are watching for glaciers to calve and looking for whales. David, Pat and Brandon were using room service to order multiple drinks.

Madison came and went from the room where the teens hang out. She is enjoying the trip and was up late last night at a movie with them. Today she came back with a white bucket hat she painted. She said the kids saw a whale, or at least the splash.

We listened to a Glacier Bay Park Ranger over the TV with an occasional narrative. He pointed out a brown bear that we try to find along the shore.
This is pristine wilderness untouched by cars, roads or buildings.
I stayed in the room most of the day watching through the balcony door as the scenery slipped by, taking photos of glaciers, waterfalls, and the changing landscape.

We are discussing whether to take a tour on the way to the airport in Vancouver. Princess gave us paperwork for going directly to the airport without a tour.
David and I listened to a Ranger give another talk about the area.
Tammi, Pat, David and I went to lunch and watched glaciers from there, then back to the stateroom and balcony.

We were surprised by a tap on the door with more chocolate covered strawberries. They are so rich, we can’t keep up. I’m not sure 🤔 how they got here. There was no card. Maybe the ship double delivered the gift from LouAnn.

The fog has come in so we couldn't sightsee the shoreline anymore We heard the ship's foghorn as we settled down to read. Pat knocked at our door trying to donate their plate of strawberries. I declined. Maybe the girls will eat them later.

The Cones have been ordering room service all day, enjoying snacks and hot chocolate. They stack dirty dishes on a tray outside their door for the steward to pick up.

I was reading The Street Lawyer and looking outside as the fog cleared enough to see the shore. Once in a while we saw sea otters in the water, but we weren’t lucky enough to sight a whale.

Madi is having fun with her teen group. There have been up to 22 of them. They are doing a scavenger hunt all over the ship right now, taking picture of the finds with their phones. She showed us how to play games on the ship’s big communication screens.

Tammi made reservations tonight at Allegro. Emma didn’t feel up to going. She ordered a club sandwich to her room. The rest of us enjoyed a three-course meal. Some had prime rib. We all had dessert.
Jami and Brandon had a good time listening to a band. The rest of us went to our staterooms for bed.

Aug 2, Day 3 Cruise,  Icy Point

We docked at Icy Point overnight. We spotted an eagle in the trees on shore.

I am coughing a bit from a sinus infection, and everyone is trying to take care of me.

Pat, David and I had breakfast in the cafeteria.

When we arrived at Icy Point, Pat decided to stay on the ship. The rest of us walked the gangplank to shore and boarded the complimentary gondola up the mountain to the shops. We wandered around a bit, but prices here are over the top. We decided not to buy anything.

Tammi, Jami and the girls had tickets for the zip line at noon. Emma was undecided about whether she was brave enough for the zip line. Brandon offered to take her ticket, but she finally decided to go and squealed with delight as they flew down the mountain. We made a plan to have Brandon take a video of them midway and David and I took photos from the bottom. We couldn’t tell when it would be their turn, so took lots of extra photos of earlier groups. Finally, we saw them board and took their pictures too. David’s photos were better than mine.

Boarding the zip lines. We have three blue jackets and one black one.

The ship moved while we were on shore, so we waited in line at the dock to board the tender to return to the ship.

It was nearly 2:00 and we were ready for lunch, so headed to the restaurant. David got a hamburger at the grill. We enjoyed our lunch.

Jami helped me fill out our form to get transferred from the ship to the airport on the 6th. There won’t be time for a shore excursion in Vancouver after all.

I booked a massage for August 5. Wow was it worth it!

We hung out in our staterooms and read or slept until 5:30, then headed to deck 16 aft to watch for whales and have a drink before dinner.

We ate again at Allegro and I could not finish my mushroom lasagna after my peach Bellini cold soup. I did polish off a crème Brule.

Madi again rushed off to the teen room for an evening of games and got permission to be out after midnight. Emma has a cold and was ready to go to the room. David and I went to the stateroom to whale watch off our balcony.

Pat and Tammi, Jami and Brandon went to watch a Neil Diamond band.

After they returned, just before Brandon headed to bed, he decided to take one last look outside the stateroom to find a whale. He was rewarded by seeing three orcas jumping in and out of the water. He called Emma to quickly come to see them.

Although the rest of us looked for whales every day, the best we could spot was some spouts now and then, but not a whale out of the water. We sure saw beautiful scenery anyway.

Aug 3 Juneau, Cruise Day 4

We docked in Juneau about 6:00 am having traveled slowly last night from Icy Point.

Juneau

We ate breakfast at the continental cafe before boarding our bus for the excursion to Mendenhall Glacier. We asked to have the girls travel with us today, so they sat beside us on the bus as the guide talked about Juneau and the glacier.

We arrived in a light drizzle so hurried into the visitor center to watch the 15-minute movie. We looked at the displays and an impressive model of the glacier.

This amazing glacier is 12 miles long, a half mile wide, and from 300 to 1800 feet deep. Mendenhall Glacier is one of 38 large glaciers that flow from the 1,500 square mile expanse of snow and ice known as the Juneau Icefield. As the glacial ice accumulates seasonally, gravity pulls the ice down valleys. Slowly and steadily the glacier scours bedrock, grinding everything to powder or transporting huge bolders on its 13-mile path to Mendenhall Lake.

We left on the upper trail where we could see Mendenhall Glacier and walked to a small waterfall before turning back to find the trail for the large waterfall. It is two miles round trip. Pat decided not to go. Tammi soon turned back and later David did too. It is so wet here that it has created a rainforest full of mosses.

The girls and I enjoyed taking photos and talking as we walked along. We met Jami and Brandon on their way back and they urged us to keep walking.

We reached the falls, took photos, and headed back. I took off my outer layers. It was no longer raining. Madi kindly offered to carry my pack, but I kept it.

We made it back with plenty of time to spare, so visited a while until Andrew came with the bus. We boarded and waited while he looked for two missing passengers. He gave us more history on the ride back.

We ate lunch on the ship. Pat, the girls and I went shopping for jewelry. Pat found a sweatshirt and a $10 purple vest.  Emma bought a silver and white whale tail, and a pair of pink earrings. Madi shopped at Pandora and found a dainty sterling silver infinity necklace with matching earrings. Pat encouraged me to buy a zippered teal sweatshirt which quickly became a staple in my wardrobe. We had fun shopping. Back in the staterooms, the girls showed their jewelry to David and thanked him for their gifts.

Madi wanted to do a teen activity tonight and Emma wanted to see a magic show. Tammi and the Cones went with her.

Pat, David and I will do dinner together at Allegro.

David ordered tea and a drink to our room, and we visited with Pat and Brandon while watching for whales before the Cones left for dinner.

We never saw a whale and decided to go to dinner at 7. Great food and service. We talked about how blessed our lifestyle is and how much we enjoy spending time with family and friends.

The Cones enjoyed the magician. It was getting too cold to watch for whales from the deck, but David stood at the glass door looking through the twilight searching for one.

 Alaska Aug 4, 2022 Ketchikan, Cruise day 5

We have about 150 miles to travel overnight so are moving more quickly than last night. We will dock about 10:00 am.

We ate at the buffet restaurant and met our group on deck 5 for departure. There were some technical problems with docking as a truck on shore had mechanical problems, so getting off the ship was delayed.

Jami, Brandon and the girls had a quick snack at the continental cafe. Tammi and I shared one of their delicious donuts and I had a chai tea.

We went back to the staterooms to wait for the announcement that we could get off the ship. We decided that all of us except David, would walk to Creek Street to see the salmon running. 

It was a glorious sunny day, about 55 degrees and we are blessed again with wonderful weather.

It was about a six-block walk to the creek. We could see the salmon in the creek, but they were not moving upstream very energetically. 

Jami and Brandon took the girls to get a drink. Pat, Tammi and I sat in a bench and watched people. When the others came, we walked to the bus stop to take the free shuttle back to the pier. 

Tammi went on her own to buy shoes. Shortly after she left there were sirens and ambulances. Brandon called Tammi to be sure she was ok. 

We got in the shuttle and rode to berth 4, where we were docked. We did a bit of shopping then boarded the ship for lunch. I picked up David from the room so we could eat together.

Our tour was at 1:45. We headed to the pier to wait for the bus. Our driver was Hunter. He told us about Ketchikan as we drove to the Totem Park. He also served as our guide on a narrated tour of the park. He told us some legends about the totem poles and recited a poem written by a native woman.

Ketchikan is home to the largest collection of totem poles in the world. The more than 80 varieties displayed throughout the city stand as a stately reminder of the traditions and values of tribal culture and a powerful representation of Alaskan Native art.

Commemorative totem poles are usually the largest in size, memorial poles celebrate important tribe members and family lineage poles celebrate one family’s unique history.
A visit to Totem Bight State Park took us on a scenic walk along winding rainforest trails to an old native campsite filled with colorful poles, each telling a fascinating tale.

At Saxman Native village, we found a totem park as well as the Saxman’s Beaver Clan tribal house, reported to be the largest in the world.

The Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary hosts a totem pole collection made in the on-site carving facility where resident master carvers create works of art featuring wildlife and legends of the area.

 This 40- acre rainforest reserve is home to towering trees, a series of nature paths, wildlife and a host of activities to experience the area’s bountiful resources. We walked along the shoreline and the girls found seashells and crab legs.

We shopped at the gift shop and the girls got $5 grab bags of souvenirs.

The driver told us about Gertrude, a special person in Ketchikan history. Pat and David liked the tour but thought Hunter must have had a "religious experience" at the park and emoted his presentation.

We went shopping again after getting off the bus. I still did not find anything that called to me as a souvenir.

Tonight is another formal night. We planned to dress up for family photos. The photographers were great and took lots of good pictures.

At dinner the waiter joked with the girls and David encouraged them to call over the manager to give a compliment about the waiter.

Aug 5 At Sea, Cruise day 6

This is our final day before departure tomorrow. The girls slept in until nearly noon. They came to find me and invited me to go to tea with them at 3:00. They were very poised and waited patiently for me to finish my tea.

Others read, went to the 18^th and 19^th deck to explore. There was supposed to be pickleball going on, but it was cold and windy and no one was playing.

There was whale watching from deck 16 aft while enjoying drinks. David is always moved by the ocean, but we saw no whales.

Tammi and Emma went to the pool. I didn’t join them because I had a terrific massage at the spa. 

Tammi made arrangements to celebrate the 80^th birthdays for me and Pat and David. We were all born in 1942, so each turn 80 this year.  She hung happy birthday streamers in our staterooms and ordered a fantastic chocolate cake for us all to share the last night while the staff sang.

Aug 6 Disembarkation, Cruise day 7

We both woke before the alarm and dressed. David stepped outside on our balcony to look at Vancouver and was greeted by Brandon who was looking outside from next door.

Today is another sunny day. What beautiful weather we have had on this trip.

David wants Tylenol but it is packed so I stepped next door to get some from Tammi. She and Pat will be a while, so we headed to breakfast with the Cones.

The buffet was busy as an anthill with everyone scurrying around to eat and get to their departure area. David declined breakfast and we went back to our room for backpacks and a final check.

We headed to Vista Lounge where Brandon and Emmaea were holding seats. It was about 8:30 and we will leave the ship about 10:00.

We chatted and played cards and used the restroom while they called groups 1-5. Tammi and Pat were group 6 and went ahead of us. Finally, it was our turn. We queued to go to 6th floor where I handed over my claim check to retrieve my pocketknife souvenir. They had it ready and I signed that I received it.

We headed down the gangplank and boarded our bus.

We have already cleared Canadian immigration and COVID issues by using the ArriveCAN app. This saved us time on the Canadian side.

Our bus driver wasn’t sure where to take us but after turning back for instructions, stopped at an on-airport hotel where we collected our luggage that was transported by Princess. I took time to stash my knife in my bag to get checked and we used a kiosk to check in for our Air Canada flight to Portland. We had a problem using the kiosk, but an attendant helped us get boarding passes and bag tags.

Now we were ready for security, customs, and immigration. Long lines. We wondered why our TSA numbers don’t get us through more quickly. At least we had time before our flight. Others are scrambling to get through.

Finally, we saw signs that say entering the USA. We were in the terminal and looking for our gate. We grabbed sandwiches from a convenience store and wondered where our partners were. They showed up with lunch in hand.

We were ready to board the first flight to Portland. There were only minutes to spare to catch the connecting flight to Denver, but we made the change. Unfortunately, our bags didn’t make the connection, so we arrived in Denver without bags.

The Wyoming folks went on to Gillette while our friend Jeff, now back in Denver, picked me and David up to spend the night with them. There was a big thunder and lightning storm all along the front range, and Tammi reported later that they saw lightning all the way to Gillette.

Peggy had kebabs ready for us for a late dinner and we all chattered trying to catch up on Alaska and Chautauqua and the Afghan family Peggy’s church is helping. 

Our bags are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. 

Aug 7 Bags

We went grocery shopping at Costco, then drove back to DIA to collect our bags before they were loaded on the delivery truck. Then we headed to Steamboat. The Wyoming folks got bags delivered the evening of the 7^th, except Tammi, who gate checked her backpack and it has not been recovered yet.

A final note

We are aware that at 80, we are not as agile as we once were, and Jami and Brandon went out of their way to be available to us, to be sure we did not fall getting off the bus and helping with bags. What a joy to spend quality time with family and have this trip fully meet our expectations in that regard.

It was also fun to travel with my lifelong friend Pat, taking her on her first cruise, and having the kids include her like family. What an absolutely terrific trip this was!

Tammi bought us a thank you souvenir of a native-carved stone fisherman. Thanks, Tammi!