Robin's NCL Alaska Cruise -  May 6-16, 2000

Port of origin: Vancouver

Dates: May 6-16, 2000

Ports of call: Skagway, Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan

Ship: Norwegian Wind

Sunday, May 7, 2000

Alaska. The "last frontier." The land of the midnight sun. Who would have ever guessed we would be on a cruise to Alaska? Certainly not me! We're on the Norwegian Wind, on a 7-night cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia to Skagway, Haines, Juneau, and Ketchikan Alaska.

We flew to Seattle (Washington), and arrived around noon. We were surprised to see that it was sunny - weather reports said it would be in the low 60s, but you always picture Seattle being cool and rainy. We had a perfect day – high 60s and lots of sun. We dropped our bags at our hotel, and left to do some sightseeing.

The Space Needle was only a couple blocks down the road, so we walked. It was built in 1962 as part of a World's Fair, and is currently undergoing some major reconstruction and renovation. It will have a "grand reopening" next month at the same time the Rock `n Roll Museum is being opened next door – the architecture of that "building" is quite interesting – evidently it's supposed to represent the inner-ear. Around the Needle is Seattle Center (once the World Fairgrounds), which covers 74 acres, and where you can find the Ballet, Opera, theaters, sports, Children's Museum, Pacific Science Center, Space Needle, Fun Forests Amusement Park, International Found, and the start of the Seattle Center Monorail to the heart of downtown Seattle.

We purchased our tickets for the Space Needle, and took the 43-second elevator ride to the Observation Deck, 520' above ground. At the top, we had a 360° view of Downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, Lake Union, Mt. Rainier and beyond. There is a restaurant at the 500' level, but reservations are required far in advance, even for lunch.

The most amazing part of the view was Mt. Rainier. When we were on the Needle, we looked out, and saw lots of clouds… and then realized it was the top of a mountain in the middle of the clouds! It truly looked as if it was out there in the middle of the sky! The top is covered with snow, and was surrounded by white clouds, so it was almost like a ghostly white specter, hovering in the distance.

We took the monorail from the station near the base of the Needle, and took the 5-minute ride into the town. Then we walked about 8 blocks down to the water, and ate at Ivar's restaurant, where we could watch the boats go by. The food was excellent! They are known for their chowder, and we now know why – even the kids loved it.

Monday, May 8, 2000

We got up early and took the train from Seattle to Vancouver, where we would get on our cruise ship. The weather this morning was a little more like we expected – it was 47 degrees, and started drizzling when we got into the cab. The train ride was great – they even played a movie for us to watch!

We had an advantage on the cruise ship – we had taken a cruise on the sister ship, the Dream, a year ago, so we already knew our way around the ship! The Norwegian Wind was originally built as the Windward in 1993 (maiden voyage was May 14). Former First Lady, Barbara Bush, christened her in Los Angeles. It was built in France at a cost of $240 million. In 1998, it was sent to Germany, and 130' feet were added on, in the middle (they cut it in half). They then renamed her the Norwegian Wind. Her new total length is 754', width of 94', and height of 164'. Average speed is 23 mph (20 knots). Passenger capacity is 1,750, and crew is 614.

The weather is pretty nice again – no rain clouds in sight, light jackets for the wind, but not heavy ones. The sun is shining, and it's probably in the low 60s.

Now the decision I had been dreading – how to choose our excursions from the 10-page book of options?! There are two kinds – the "excursions" and the "adventures". The latter consists of biking, hiking, rafting, and kayaking trips, most of which the kids were too young for (or we're too out of shape for). They even offer a scuba diving trip in Ketchikan – can you imagine? Brrr… Excluding those 20 trips, there were still 11 in Skagway, 9 in Haines, 15 in Juneau, and 10 in Ketchikan. They range in price from $28 per person for a salmon bake, to $339 per person for a helicopter that lands on a glacier where you get out and walk to the dog sleds and ride/drive them for 20 minutes before flying back over waterfalls and glaciers. That last one was my personal favorite until I investigated further. Originally that was to be done in Juneau, but they evidently haven't flown the sled team up there yet, so it's in Skagway, and the dog sledding is a lot shorter and not a real ride, like it is in Juneau. Good… saved a few dollars there!

We finally chose the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari. The description in the book is:

This tour offers a unique opportunity for a close look at the "friendly edge" of Alaska's wilderness by air and on foot. Begin with a 20-minute scenic flight over Alaska's deepest fjord to a remote beach landing strip on the tip of Glacier Point, 20 miles south of Skagway. You'll be met by experienced wilderness guides who will share their extensive knowledge and love of the glaciological, cultural, and natural history of this area. Next, board a four-wheel drive vehicle for a short drive to a trailhead, then take a ¼ mile walk with your guide, crossing the terminal moraine of a glacier. When you come to the edge of a lake, the glacier will be looming right in front of you! Then board a 31' canoe for a voyage of discovery among the icebergs. This is truly a journey back in time, with a first-hand glimpse of the remnants of the last Ice Age. Return along the same route to the beach, where you'll enjoy a tasty snack of smoked salmon, cookies and warm beverages. You'll see more spectacular scenery before your return flight to Skagway. It says it returns you to Skagway, but actually the tour is from 2:45 pm to 7:15 pm, and the ship leaves Skagway at 6 pm. It goes 15 minutes across the water to Haines for the evening (6:30 to 11pm), so we'll actually go to Haines and meet the ship there. This eliminates the possibility of any tours in Haines, though, as they all leave as soon as the ship arrives at 6:30.

This tour sounds great to us – a flight, icebergs, fjords, a glacier walk, and a canoe ride. It incorporates what we liked about a lot of the different tours, but puts it all in one, which essentially is more economical. This tour is $204 per person. A flight alone is $135 per person. A canoe ride is $84 per person. The glacier walks can only usually be done with the helicopters, which are $185+ per person. So we did this one, to combine a few adventures into one. For Juneau, we decided on the Juneau Wildlife Cruise. It's 4 hours long, and $112 per adult and $75 per child, but they guarantee you'll see at least three species of wildlife besides birds or they give you $40 back per person right there on the boat. Their brochure says, "you'll have the opportunity to see humpback whales, Dall's porpoises, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, bald eagles and more – our skilled crew is so good at locating wildlife, we guarantee it!

Last week, in preparation for our trip, we watched "White Fang," so the kids have some knowledge of the Gold Rush and panning for gold, and knew that would be important to them. There are two "gold tours" – one is at the same time as the wildlife cruise, the other is in the morning in Skagway (8:30 to 11:45). Since our wilderness safari doesn't leave until 2:45, there's plenty of time to do it then.

It's actually called "Klondike Summit & Trail Camp," and is described as: This exciting tour takes you from the foot of a waterfall to the heights of the White Pass Summit, 3290' above sea level. The White Pass Trail of '98 begins in Skagway's historic downtown, with its wooden sidewalks and false-fronted buildings. Head out of town on a road that parallels the route of the famous White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad, an engineering marvel. On the way to the summit, your driver will regale you with stories of the stampeders as you follow in their footsteps along Brackett Wagon Road, past Dead Horse Gulch and into a land known as Tormented Valley. The beauty of the surrounding mountain peaks, waterfalls and glaciers here is spectacular. Then enjoy a visit to Liarsville, a Gold Rush trail camp recreated on the very spot where it stood a century ago, nestled in a lush forest at the foot of a small waterfall. A snack and cup of hot cider will warm you as you wander among the supplies left behind by the stampeders, and meet a Mackenzie River husky or giant malamute, the huge and friendly sled dogs of the North. Music will beckon you to the Liarsville Hippodrome, where the madam tells tales of the notorious Red Onion Saloon and a sourdough recites some of the whimsical poems of Robert Service. If you came seeking gold, you're guaranteed to find it in Liarsville, and better yet, you can keep all you find! That excursion is $44 per adult, $28 per child. So, all together, our excursions will cost us $1344. That's more than the cruise is costing us! And we didn't even sign up for excursions in Haines or Ketchikan – we'll explore those on our own.

I attended the presentation on excursions, even though I had already made up my mind. In each city, the cruise director had his "5 star picks" – only 1 or 2 per port. In Skagway, his recommendation was the wildlife safari, the one we had chosen. In Haines, he didn't really have a favorite. In Juneau, he liked either the Glacier Expedition via helicopter, or the Juneau Wildlife Cruise (also our choice). In Ketchikan, he recommended the Misty Fjords Cruise and Flight, but that would have been another $730 for us… we didn't select an excursion in Ketchikan.

Tuesday, May 9, 2000

Alyx and I pulled out the book "Alaska," by Donna Walsh Shepherd, from the America the Beautiful series. It was just published in 1999, so it's very current and has lots of great photographs. We read that the first inhabitants of Alaska came 7000 years ago from Asia, across a land bridge that appeared for only a short time in history. In the 18th century, Czar Peter the Great sent Vitus Bering to map the far eastern shores of Russia, and he sailed to Alaska through what is now known as the Bering Straits.

Last summer, the Norwegian Sky became the first cruise ship to have Internet access (they opened an Internet Café), and it was so instantly popular that not only did NCL put one on every ship in their fleet, but other cruise lines have now done the same thing. The room that was the library is now the Internet Café. Their computers are hooked to the Internet via satellite, and the cost is 75 cents a minute. You can also send a video email for $5, using their video cameras on the top of their monitors.

It is DEFINITELY colder today – we wouldn't venture out without our heavy winter coats, as it is quite windy. Actually, a very popular place on the ship appears to be the decks on the back of the ship – plenty of sun and views without all the wind.

Later in the afternoon, we were walking on the deck and stopped to look over the railing – and saw whales! There were a few of them in the water, spouting water, showing their tail fins… They were probably humpback whales, which are common in this area. We used our binoculars, but it was still hard to get a really good look at them. Trevor was cold (he only had his sweatshirt jacket on), so we went down to the room to watch the whales from our windows and porch. I did manage to catch a picture of the tail fins in the water, but it's not great. We'll see more, I'm sure.

We can also see a lot of white areas by the shoreline, and using the binoculars could see that they are large pieces of floating ice. They're rather far to take a picture of, though.

Today we are sailing the Inside Passage, which is a narrow strip of mainland, made up of thousands of Islands and Fjords. It is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west and by Canada on the east. It lies to the southeast of the rest of Alaska, and is therefore known as the "Alaskan Panhandle."

There are many mountain ranges surrounding the Inside Passage, and they were formed by glaciers that carved deep U shaped fjords, which were later flooded by the sea thousands of years ago. In southeast Alaska, there are 50 varieties of berries! The most plentiful of these are blueberries and salmon berries. No, I don't know what salmon berries are either, but I'll let you know if I find out.

We are going quite slow, just drifting through the Inside Passage. The water is very calm, so there's only a very gentle, rolling motion.

Wednesday, May 10, 2000

According to this morning's "Cruise News," sunrise was at 4:51 a.m., and sunset will be at 9:04 p.m. They also listed some facts about Alaska: · Alaska is over 2.5 times the size of Texas · The city of Anchorage alone covers about 2,000 square miles, roughly four times the size of Los Angeles. At 3,000 square miles, Juneau covers more area than any city in the U.S. It is also the only state capital that cannot be driven to (you must fly or come in by boat). · There are more than 5,000 glaciers in Alaska. One f them is larger than the state of Rhode Island. · The state's tidal shoreline measures 47,300 miles. · The total area of Alaska is 586,412 square miles, with a population of 550,000. · Alaska has 1.06 square miles per person. In comparison, New York has .003 square miles per person.

The kids and I read an illustrated version of Jack London's "Call of the Wild" to the kids. I was surprised – I thought the book told a little more about Alaska, but it was really just a dog-in-Alaska type of story, not as good even as "White Fang." Rather violent in its descriptions of dogs fighting, even though this was just an illustrated version for kids.

All day, we have been cruising between land masses – at times the waterways seem to be over a mile wide, at times it seems there's land very close on both sides. The water was quite choppy this morning, and we were going at a faster speed. During lunch, we looked out the restaurant windows, and there are now more snowcapped mountains on both sides of the ship. I thought we were cruising among glaciers all day, but evidently we don't reach Sawyer Glacier until 5 p.m. Vic and I attended a "lecture" on glaciers and fjords. First of all, the mountains in Alaska, as well as those all down the western coast of North and South America, are caused by the fact that it's the meeting place of a couple tectonic plates. These are deep under the crust of the earth, and one is more dense and heavier than the other. The one that's heavier sinks down under the second one in the place they meet, and the lighter one rises as the other moves under it, causing the mountains to rise.

Anyway, the glaciers are formed when layer upon layer of snow builds up, and there is less ice melted during the summer than accumulates in the winter. This has not been the case in more recently geologic history, which is why the glaciers are melting and receding. The glaciers are constantly moving and changing as they grow or melt, taking lands with them in masses that mix with melting snow and ice, called moulins. They are also giving some of the land back, leaving "scratches" in the rocks (called striations) as it recedes. A fjord is where the glacier has receded, leaving a crevasse in the rocks or mountains around it, and its filled with water. Cirques are circular areas where mountain glaciers are melting downhill, creating a u-shaped area in the top of the mountain.

The glaciers often appear to be turquoise or blue in color, caused by the bubbles of air that have been trapped in the ice for hundreds of years. The sunlight reflects off these bubbles in such a way that the blue color is refracted, making the glacier look blue. They have actually tested the air that comes out of these bubbles, and found that the air quality today is much different than it was even a hundred years ago – much more pollution and greenhouse gasses exist in our air today. This is contributing to the diminishing of the glaciers. If they melt enough, our big cities are in trouble – most of these are at sea level, and if the ocean water level rises… people in these cities might want to invest in canoes.

Last night we had to set our clocks back another hour, so we are now 4 hours different than the east coast.

We watched for the glacier for quite some time – looking out our starboard side windows and porch, watching the front of the ship on TV from a video camera on the bridge. There were lots of large chunks of ice floating around in the water, some small and some on the larger size – they're called icebergs, but none were bigger than a few feet long out of the water. While we were waiting, I read more to the kids about Alaska's history, this time going from the early 18th century, through the Gold Rush, the purchase of Alaska from Russia for 2 cents an acre, the strategic positioning of Alaska during WWI and WWII, the poor treatment the Aleuts received during WWII, and finally becoming the 49th state. We read about the pipeline built to bring the oil down to Valdez, the various climates, and the multitudes of wildlife species.

We went out on deck, and looked up and were greeted by the sight of big mountains on either side of the ship, only 50' at most from us. The ship seemed so large before, now it seems so small. Finally, we turned a corner and there was a glacier on the left, and Sawyer Glacier was ahead to the right. We had learned in the lecture today that it would be turquoise blue, but I have to admit – it wasn't as blue as I thought it would be. The glacier ice came down to the water, and seemed to be a large frozen mass of water waiting to cascade down from the mountains. But it was quite white, with only glimpses of turquoise blue at the very center. Some of the floating pieces of iceberg were obviously blue, so I took a few photos. Finally, they announced that we couldn't get any closer, due to the amount of icebergs floating nearby, so we turned around.

I guess I've seen too many of the Holland America Line's commercials, showing the ship coming up near an iceberg with falling bluish ice coming down the face. I expected large, huge, massive, intimidating. I saw a pile of ice.

Thursday, May 11, 2000

This morning's "Cruise News" says the sunrise was at 4:37 a.m., and the sunset at 9:17 p.m. It also gives background information on our two ports of call for today.

Boomtown Skagway: The Gold Rush of 1898 drove wave after wave of fortune-seekers north through the town of Skagway. The town grew until its inhabitants numbered over 10,000. Those years gave Skagway a reputation as a lawless frontier town run by reckless gamblers. During the first year of the Rush, an estimated 20-30,000 98'ers crossed two perilous trails – the White Pass and the Chilkoot, from Skagway to Canada. Finally, the White Pass and Yukon Railroad was built over White Pass into the Canadian Klondike. Skagway remains a Gold Rush town thanks to the spirit and enthusiasm of its people. The White Pass and Yukon reopened for passenger traffic in 1988, and today the wooden sidewalks, old-fashioned saloons and horse drawn carriages serve as reminders of the "Days of `98".

Trading Trails: The original Haines, adjoining the fort, had begun as a trading post and Presbyterian mission in 1879. Until then the Chilkat Indians had controlled that strategic spot where the waterborne commerce of Southeast Alaska connected with ancient trading trails. The modern Highway follows much of the route of those Indian pathways. Decommissioned in 1944, the fort was acquired by private owners, renamed Port Chilkoot, and later merged with the original settlement to form the city of Haines.

The book I had purchased, "Alaska Ports of Call, what to see and do when you go ashore," published by Fodor's, described Skagway as: The early Gold Rush days of Alaska, when dreamers and hooligans descended on the Yukon via the murderous White Pass, are preserved by Skagway. Now a part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, downtown Skagway was once the picturesque but sometimes lawless gateway for the frenzied stampede to the interior goldfields. Local park rangers and residents now interpret and re-create that remarkable era for visitors. Old false-front stores, saloons, brothels, and wood sidewalks have been completely restored. You'll be regaled with tall tales of con artists, golden-hearted "ladies," stampeders, and newsmen. Such colorful characters as outlaw Jefferson "Soapy" Smith and his gang earned the town a reputation so bad that, by the spring of 1898, the superintendent of the Northwest Royal Mounted Police had nicknamed Skagway "little better than a hell on earth." But Soapy was killed in a duel with surveyor Frank Reid, and soon a civilizing influence, in the form of churches and family life, prevailed. When the gold played out just a few years later, the town of 20,000 dwindled to its current population of just over 700 (twice that in the summer months). Virtually all the shops and Gold Rush sights are along Broadway, the main strip that leads from the visitor center through the middle of town, so you really don't need a taxi. Horse-drawn surreys, antique limousines (old Yellowstone park buses), and modern vans pick up passengers at the pier and along Broadway for tours. The tracks of the White Pass and Yukon Railway run right along the pier; train departures are coordinated with cruise ship arrivals.

We had set the alarm this morning for 6:45, as our tour left from the pier at 8:30. We woke up at that time and looked out – the sun was so bright already! Vic and I took showers, and then we all got dressed. On each of the kids, we left their "long john" pajamas on, and then put their clothes over it – a heavy shirt and pants for each. We also put extra warm socks on them, and then their boots that Vic bought before we left Florida. Then they each had a sweatshirt, then their jackets. We put the hats and gloves in the backpack. Vic and I wore similar layers of clothes. We ate breakfast in the Terraces restaurant (the Sun Terrace wasn't open this morning), and then went down to the pier to meet our tour bus.

We left at 8:30, in a bus that holds 50 passengers. The driver, Kate, is from Oregon, and has lived in Skagway for the summers for 3 years. She drove us around town a little, and gave us some highlights as we passed. A lot of the older buildings were actually moved – once the gold rush was done, the buildings closest to the pier were abandoned, run down, and an eyesore. There were continual cruises into Skagway from about 1910, but it wasn't until later that that they decided to clean up downtown, and moved the more historic buildings (like the Red Onion Saloon) closer to the pier. We also saw "pics" which were little tiny houses not much bigger than a playhouse, where miners could obtain "negotiable affections."

While we were driving out of town, Kate told us about the Skagway River. There's too much silt from the glacier melts to maintain any fish other than the hooligan fish, which is very small, only 3 or 4" in size, in the smelt family. The unusual thing about this fish is that it contains so much oil that throughout the history of this area, this fish has been caught, dried, and then burned as candles, giving it its nickname of "candle fish." They were a valuable trading commodity – caught in the summer, dried, then sold in the winter when there are only as little as 6 hours a day of sunlight.

Our first real stop was Liarsville, an old tent city. It's on the site of actual old tent city. The miners had to bring one year's supplies with them into Canada (or they wouldn't be allowed in). The weight totaled nearly 2500 pounds, so the miners would take 40-60 pounds of their supplies, leave it in a tent city, then go back and get another load, and back and forth and back and forth. When all their supplies were together again, they would move on to the next tent city with another load, after load, etc., etc.

All the buildings in the tent city were temporary, of course – the laundry, bar, food, and brothel. The current area is set up the same way, with a few exceptions. There is a gift shop (from which we purchased some moose and salmon bottle openers, little tiny bottles of gold flakes, and a license plate game for us to play on our trip north in a couple weeks. There is also a "hippodrome" area where they put on a little "show" about the area's history. The kids also saw a malamute – a sled dog! He was so big! We were given time to wander through the tents, given hot cider and ginger snaps, and then shown into the show area.

The show started with the malamute, named Kobuk. They explained that he was bred to eat only about 3 cups of food a day, so that when his ancestors were one of many dogs on a sledding team, they didn't have to carry a lot of dog food with them. He weighs 175 pounds, and is actually very sweet. He could consistently pull weights of 500 pounds, and for short spurts could pull as much as 2500 pounds. The speedier dogs, as in the Iditarod Races, have been bred with faster dogs, like greyhounds, for speed rather than endurance. There are three male actors, one female actress, and a guy who plays a little accordion for musical accompaniment. They do a little presentation about what a miner would have gone through in his quest for gold, and then the "madam" comes up and relates a little history of women in the area. Then the players act out a Robert Service poem (a poet who wrote about the rush and Alaska) about a man who paid for a coffin, but was frozen solid in such a position that he wouldn't fit.

They then showed us how to pan for gold. Using a pie tin with gravel, dirt, and a little bit of gold flakes (planted there by them, of course), we went to water troughs, put some water in the pan, and sloshed it around. Using the water and gravity, we kept shaking the pan around, getting rid of the gravel and dirt on top with the water, leaving only gold flakes on the bottom. Gold is heavier than the dirt or stones, so it will sink to the bottom. Once the flakes were all that was left (or visible enough, anyway), you took your little tiny ziploc bag and filled it with water. Then you dried off your fingers, and touched the gold flake. It stuck to your finger, and you put it in the water in the bag, and it immediately sunk to the bottom because of its weight. Then you drained all the water out of the bag, and you had a little bag with your flakes of gold in it! They gave Alyx and Trevor a double portion of the dirt, and Vic and I combined our finds with those of the kids, and still they each ended up with only 6 or 7 flakes each. Of course, one of the ironic things about this is that there was no gold ever found in Skagway!

I'm not sure which was the highlight of the stop for the kids – panning for and finding gold… or seeing and touching the giant malamute dog! After the show, we took pictures with him too. When we were leaving, I asked how many groups a day go through Liarsville, and they said they had 4 today, but in the summer it could be 6 or 7. I think some of the tours even include a salmon bake at Liarsville as well.

Next our tour bus went up to the White Pass Summit of 3,292 feet above sea level. Not very high in comparison to other elevations, but because of its proximity to the poles, it is practically a frozen wasteland where nothing grows. Evidently they don't get a lot of snow here each year – the wind is the tough part. On the way to the Summit, we passed a glacier that is actually the first (or actually last) in the Juneau Icefield. You could walk from here to Juneau on the ice over the field. Outside of the poles, the Juneau Icefield is the largest in the world.

At one place, we went over a bridge, and Kate said it was secure on one side, but not on the other. The reason is that it is right on a fault that sees about 80 tremors a day. Most are too small to even be felt, but the bridge needed that flexibility, so it was specially designed to be able to withstand the tremors. It is actually toward the northern end of the same fault that's near California – the San Andreas Fault.

Then our bus went to Tormented Valley. If you want to see what this area looks like in the summer, you can rent the video "Never Cry Wolf," which was filmed here one summer about 15 years ago. It was filled with snow, and the kids were thrilled. Luckily (thanks to Vic) we were all wearing boots, so we went out and walked down the snow into the valley a short distance. Some of the other people were sinking in the snow – some up to their thighs! We took a few pictures, the kids made a few snowballs, and we went back to the bus. Kate then asked the nationality of anyone who wasn't American. We had crossed into Canada, and would now be going back into Alaska, so she needed to know for the border crossing. At the crossing, she told the total number of people on board the bus, the numbers of each nationality (2 from Nassau Bahamas, 2 from Ottawa Canada, 2 from Czech Republic, 2 from Germany, and 4 from Argentina). The guard wrote it down and waved us on. Kate explained it was probably one of the easiest border crossings in the world… it's only manned for 18 hours a day, so from the hours of midnight to 6 a.m., when no one is in the building, you pull up to a gate, and do a video recording. You press the button to start it, and give it the information they ask for (names, citizenship, license plate number of vehicle) for each person. Then at the very end, it even asks you if you have anything to declare, which again you do into the video recording. Kate then recited her own favorite Robert Service poem, called "Klondike Fever." It was quite long, and was about a man who struck it rich in Alaska, then went home with his riches. He was soon missing Alaska – he had come for the gold, but had found a new land that truly got under his skin.

Kate talked about the two ways that prospectors could get up to the Klondike. The gold was actually to be found in Whitehorse, which is in Canada and is 500 miles away from the sea. They would come into Skagway, take either the White Pass or Chilkoot Trail up to Lake Bennett. There they would make a boat that would take them 400 miles upriver to Whitehorse. Anyway, the Chilkoot Trail begins with a hike up a mountain. An enterprising father and son carved steps into the side, and maintained the steps, charging prospectors to climb up. These were what we saw in the movie "White Fang," called the Golden Staircase.

Chilkoot Trail is now a National Park as well. Years ago, locals tried to convince the government to make it a national park, but when they came up to look, they saw too much "trash." The prospectors, who couldn't carry all their supplies up, would dump them right off the trail, so it was littered with pans, clothes, tents, etc. They felt then it would take too much to clean up the area to make it a park. In 1977, the locals tried again. This time the representatives of the park service said "Wow! Look at all this great trash – what a historical record of the Gold Rush!" Now it's all like a 30-mile long museum. The National Park Service created the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, and bought and restored many important buildings in Skagway as well.

We also entered a rainforest – Tongass Rainforest covers southeastern Alaska, and we were at the very tip of it. Too far south to actually get any rain, but technically in the rainforest. We actually dressed quite appropriately – in fact, if anything we were a little overdressed. But better warm than cold! For our afternoon excursion, they specifically said to "dress warmly," and we will be in a canoe, so we're leaving our clothing on. We're not going to bring the raingear, though.

Back to town – Kate explained that the town was pretty quiet in the winter – only 7 businesses stay open (video rentals, 2 restaurants that alternate breakfast and dinner seatings every week, grocery store, bar, school and post office). We asked when the season started, and Kate said we were only the second ship of the season – the first came on Sunday, and it was a little 98-passenger cruise ship. The shops stopped their cleaning and opening preparations long enough to service the people in town, then closed again until today. Anyone who wanted could get off the bus in town, rather than 6 blocks away at the pier where our ship was. It was 11:30, so we went back to the ship for lunch. From our table, we watched the helicopters and airplanes take off from the very small airport. Kate had told us that there was no control tower – the pilots just communicate amongst themselves as to who is next. In the summer, it is a very busy place – flights take off every 5 minutes!

Our afternoon tour left at 2:45 from the end of the pier. After signing the waiver, we hopped on an old school bus (with padded seats better than I remembered from school days). We rode the less-than-5- minute ride to the airport, where six small 5-passenger planes were waiting. They put a woman with us who was traveling alone, and we took off. We were behind 3 of the other airplanes when we left. We flew south out of Skagway, past Haines on the left, then around in front of Davidson Glacier, and then down on the runway on the beach near it. We were met there by a bunch of "adventure guides," who put us in a four-wheel drive vehicle all right – another old school bus on which they had put 4-wheel drive. And we did need it – once the bus almost didn't make it up a hill. After a 10-minute ride, we stopped at a shack, where, after quick rest stops in the fancy outhouses, we put on their rubber boots. We also put a windbreaker on Trevor over his coat.

From there, we hiked ¼ mile to the water. It was up and down hill – nothing too strenuous, but not a walk down the street, either. The guide pointed out various types of plants on the walk, and the kids were right in the front of the group listening (there were 29 people in our group total). During the walk, I spoke with Diane, the woman who had ridden with us on the airplane. I asked if she was on the cruise alone, and she said no, she was with her parents, but she had left her family at home. Her parents hadn't been interested in this particular excursion because of the flight. I asked about her family, and she said her husband couldn't get off work, and her 8- year-old son had school. I said that's the reason we homeschool, so we can bring our kids along for our learning adventures. She said he goes to private school, and they wouldn't let him miss school for travel. Funny, I always thought the parents were the ones who knew what was best for their child.

At the end of the trail, we put on life jackets, and were assigned to one of 3 10-person canoes. Alyx asked to sit in the front of ours, so she did, and Vic, Trevor and I sat in the second row. Trevor wanted to row, but since it had turned a bit windy, the guide thought it best if the adults rowed. At first it was quite easy, but then we hit an area where we really had to work hard. We kept getting stuck on shallow areas, and then the wind would blow us backwards. The first boat had no problem, but because we were stuck, we were blocking the third canoe, which was behind us. We even bumped into them a couple times. Our guide got out and pushed a couple times – he had on the rubber boots too, but the water was deeper than his boots. The canoe does have a motor on the back, but the water was too shallow to use it. We kept trying, and finally made it.

Once past the shallow area, we turned the motor on, and cruised around the small lake made by the melting glacier. There were even a few "icebergs" floating around, and we went and touched one. The guide broke off a piece of the top, and we passed it around. There were a few larger icebergs, but the guide said they don't go close to it because what we see on the top (which was a good size) was only 10% of the mass, usually – the rest is underwater. They also tend to roll over unexpectedly.

We used the motor to go as close to the glacier as the guide dared. A few days ago, a piece of the glacier suddenly broke off. At the area where we boarded the boats, a few hundred feet away, it caused a wake 2' high. If we were close to the glacier when something broke off…. The weather had been so nice at the beginning of our adventure – we had jackets, but were carrying them, not wearing them. Once we got on the beach and had to put life jackets on, we put our jackets on underneath. Even at the beginning of the canoe trip, it was still comfortable. But as soon as we got near that glacier, the wind really picked up, and the air blowing off the glacier was cold! I put on my gloves, and we all put our hats on. At one point, Trevor was even so chilly that he took Vic's hat and held it over his face. I think I got a sun or windburn on my face – it's a little red in the cheeks and nose.

We had a great view – the glacier on one side, in the middle of a small glacial lake, and a range of mountains on the other. The water was a nice color – light bluish from the color of the glacier. We put our hands in the water to feel – it was freezing! The guide said the water temperature was probably about 33°. It finally felt like we were in Alaska!

After going around in the water for a while, the guide told us we were heading back, and gave the order "All forward!" We rowed back to the beach, and it was a lot easier downstream! We had been going against the wind and against the water flowing from the glacier before, now we were basically rowing once in a while to help steer. We got out of the boat, and took off our life jackets. Our guide got out, and took off his boot. When he turned the first upside down, a stream of water came out – the freezing water he had stepped into. I asked if he could feel his toes, and he said not really… but he wasn't complaining.

On the way back to the shed, the guide explained that he and all the others live on Davidson Glacier Point during the summer. They have cabins, their supplies are brought in my plane or boat, and there is one common cabin with electricity provided by a generator that is used when necessary. The guide was previously working in Seattle for an Internet company, but had felt the need to be in the outdoors, so he left the office environment behind. He is here for the summer, then he's not sure where he'll end up – maybe Costa Rica. Anyway, we ask everyone we meet if they live here in the winter, or are just here for the summer – we haven't met one year-round Alaskan resident yet! They all come up for the summer tourist season, and then go home. Actually, correction – we called ourselves that to the guide, and he said they don't call us tourists, they call us travelers. The bus took us back to the beach area where our planes were waiting, as was food and drinks. There was hot chocolate, coffee, and lemonade. There were also bagels, cream cheese, fresh smoked salmon, cheese, salami, and peanut butter and gingerbread cookies (my personal favorite part).

We all finished eating, and then went back onto the same airplane on which we had flown over. After a very quick flight, we landed at the airport in Haines. It was now a little after 7 – our cruise ship was scheduled to leave Skagway at 4:30, and arrive at 6:30… but we didn't see it in port when we flew over. I thought it must be at a port over the mountain that we just couldn't see, but Vic said he didn't think it was in port yet. I had seen a cruise ship coming down the inlet during our flight, and pointed it out to Vic, but we didn't really think it was our ship.

All 6 planes landed, and we all got onto another school bus. The driver stopped in town and asked if we wanted to get off there (most of the bus did). We looked around, but it looked like a boring town, so we stayed on the bus to go to the ship. I was surprised – I had read that the movie "White Fang" had been filmed primarily in Haines, but I didn't see a single site that I recognized. We drove down to the pier… and it was empty. We looked off in the distance, and saw our ship approaching. It was nearly an hour late. The parking lot at the pier was full of vans and buses waiting for the ship and the people booked on their excursions. We went out to the end of the pier and waited for the ship to dock. We yelled lots of "Welcome!" and "Hello!" greetings to those on shore, and waved madly. That is something that is practically impossible – to see your cruise ship pulling into port! You're either boarding it when it's in port at the beginning of a cruise, on it when it's sailing, or seeing it parked at a dock in another city. To see your ship on the water in front of you (and of course take pictures of it) was quite unique! A number of the excursions in Haines had been canceled, as there was an hour left of daylight and the temperatures were getting cooler. My hands were freezing after standing on the dock for half an hour waiting for the ship to finish its docking procedures.

Friday, May 12, 2000

The "Cruise News" says today's sunrise was at 4:35 a.m., and sunset will be at 9:20 p.m. It also describes today's port of call, Juneau, as: "In 1880, prospectors Richard Harris and Joe Juneau, led by Tlingit Chief Kowee, beached their canoes along the Gastineau Channel at the mouth of Gold Creek to pan for gold. A few hours later, they found gold in the stream that now makes its way through the center of town. Their find led to the discovery of a huge lode of gold quartz that launched the gold era in Juneau. This event transformed Juneau into a mining town. During the gold rush three of the largest gold mining operations in the world were located in Juneau – the Alaska-Juneau mine, the Alaska-Gastineau mine and the Treadwell Complex, comprising four separate mines. Congress transferred the territorial capital from Sitka to Juneau in 1900, but as the move was completed in 1906, Juneau was absorbed in mining and fishing. By the time World War II closed the last mine, the AJ, after half a century of hard rock mining, Juneau had become a labor supply base for the regional fish canning industry and acquired a position as cross roads for commerce and transportation in the Territory. The post war succession of booms within Alaska ultimately led to statehood and made Juneau's role as a state capital a growth industry in itself. Commercial fishing and an expanding tourist industry augment government to provide the city's basic sources of employment.

We came to Alaska expecting cold and rain. We've gotten some cold (although it certainly isn't as bad as it could have been), but we've had no rain as yet. And we keep hearing how absolutely amazing that is. We've been thanked by a few local guides for bringing the good weather with us. Today was the same – sunny and in the low 60s. A beautiful day! This is even more surprising, considering the fact that it rains 280 days a year here in Juneau, and many of the other days are foggy. The weather is definitely on our side!

We went down to the pier to catch our 9 a.m. bus to the Juneau Wildlife Cruise. Vic wasn't entirely enthusiastic about this one – he thought it sounded a little boring. To be honest, I brought a book to read to the kids just in case too. We boarded the last of the three buses taking passengers to the excursion, drove for almost half an hour, and arrived at the boat (a high speed catamaran built for this cruising company). We were a little concerned, as it looked like all the window seats on the boat had been taken, which they had. But it turned out that there really wasn't a bad seat on the boat – there were lots of windows all around, plus outside viewing areas on the back and top.

Our first "sight" was the Mendenhall Glacier. It's the closest to Juneau, and included in most sightseeing tours. We could see it from the water as we went out into Auke Bay. We went at a fast speed for a little while, looking for wildlife. We saw bald eagles and a few spouts from humpback whales in the distance. They were serving unlimited hot chocolate, coffee, juices, and various snacks on the main level. The hot chocolate was great, so we all had lots of that. There was one whale we followed a little – he would come up with a spout of water, float around a minute, then we'd see the hump on his back and then his tail as he dove and stayed underwater for about 5 minutes.

Then we spotted a group of whales – 5 in all. We watched as they did their "cycle" a few times. Then we saw the seagulls all get up off the water and circle near where the whales were (which was relatively close to the boat – only about 20 yards away), then we heard the whales' "song" through the hydrophone that they dropped into the water, then we saw a big circle of bubbles in the water, then 3 of the whales came up out of the water, mouths first and wide open, and swallowed huge amounts of the fish they had encircled in their bubbles. It was beyond words! They were so close, and up out of the water, catching their prey. It was magnificent! We stayed there for about a half hour, watching this over and over – there were about 3 times that they really came out of the water to catch the fish. They call this method "bubblenet feeding." I can't even describe it with words – it was like watching a nature show right in front of your face.

Our guide was surprised we were seeing so many whales this early in the season – they spend their winters (breeding seasons) in the warmer climates, such as Hawaii and Mexico. But they are faithful to their feeding grounds, and return to the same area each summer to make sure they can get their ton of food each day. That's ton as in 2,000 pounds, not just "a lot." The hydrophone in the water let us really hear the sound of the whales – it was beautiful! Kind of like a woodwind instrument, and it was a song, not just a single note. They communicated with each other just before making the bubblenet around the fish. They blow bubbles in a circular pattern below the water (which we could see when they rose to the top). The fish were then trapped in the bubbles, as they were confused which way to go, then the whales would come up through the center, mouths wide open, and swallow massive quantities of fish and water.

Finally we left the whales, and went to search for other animals. Very soon we saw a bunch of Stellar sea lions. Some of the larger ones were lying on a buoy, and about a dozen others were floating around it trying to get their turn. Then we saw some movement in the water not far away – Dall's porpoises! They were swimming very fast, jumping in and out of the water. They were so graceful and wonderful to watch! They played with our boat for a while, swimming around it quickly, then they found a fishing boat to play with, swimming fast in front of the bow. Then they were gone.

Stellar sea lions are larger than seals, with narrower muzzles that point upwards as they surface. Dall's porpoises have black bodies that contrast with their white-tipped dorsal fin and flukes. They can swim at speeds of 30-35 knots, and are said to be the world's fastest swimming small cetacean (the largest is the orca whale). You will never see a Dall's porpoise in captivity – they can only survive in their natural wild habitat.

We continued along in Stephens Passage, rode alongside Admiralty Island, which is home to over 1500 bears, but we didn't spot any. We saw Herbert Glacier and Eagle Glacier in the distance. We spotted a few more porpoises and seals in the distance. The weather was perfect – when we were going slow, we hardly even needed jackets. When we were going really fast, we needed jackets, gloves and hats! The boat provided binoculars for use on board, and they were helpful – the kids enjoyed using them.

We finished our tour and returned to dock at 12:30 – a three-hour boat trip. It was wonderful! Our nature guide on the boat said that it was one of the best cruises he had ever done – the weather was so beautiful, and they NEVER see that many whales that close to the boat. Maybe once or twice a month you get a decent view of some whales, but never that close, in the feeding pattern, with that many of them. I told Alyx she could take dozens of whale watching trips in her lifetime, and it's doubtful she'll ever see such a sight again.

We got back on the bus, and returned to the pier. The driver wasn't able to drop us off in town, so he returned us to the ship. While we had been gone, two more cruise ships had come into port. One was another Holland American ship, and the other was Carnival's Jubilee. Our bus driver said that in the summer, they get over 600,000 tourists in town! We decided to explore town a little now, as we suspected if we went back to the cabin we wouldn't leave again. We paid $1 per person for a shuttle that we thought would take us to town, but really only took us to the end of the pier. The shops weren't far from there, so we visited a few.

The first one we stopped at was the salmon place on the pier – Vic ordered some fresh salmon to be delivered to his workplace on Wednesday (the day he arrives). They have displays of the filleting, brining and smoking of the salmon, but it's done in the morning, so we could only see the empty rooms.

Juneau may be the state's capital, but it's a very small town. It's limited in its development because it is water-locked. It is only accessible by water or air – no roads lead to Juneau. There is controversy over this – some want a highway built to connect Juneau with the "outside world," which would lead to development and modernization. Others want to keep Alaska as a "frontier," and not bring it into the 20th century. There is even a movement every few years to move the capital from Juneau to Anchorage, but they haven't been successful as yet.

We had received an invitation for a tour of the galley (kitchens), since we're members of NCL's repeat customer group, called Latitudes. We did the 4:30 tour, and were done by 4:45. It was interesting to see – the chef gives the tour. Most of the food preparation is done on deck 3 (a deck only accessible to crew members). Everything is brought up to the kitchens on the 9th and 11th decks for final cooking only. The crew kitchen is there too, and they prepare a variety of foods from the nationalities of the crewmembers. In other words, each night they prepare Norwegian food for the officers, Philippine food for many of the waiter staff, etc. They do this to keep the crew happy. They also give the chefs lockers to keep their knives in, as they are not allowed back to the cabins – Vic said after 8 months in tight quarters with long working hours, it was probably better that knives not be accessible. There is storage area below decks for 7 days' food. Longer cruises require additional supply purchases and loading. The galley is manned by 129 crewmembers representing over 17 different nationalities. They wash 14,000 pieces of chinaware and 3,000 glasses everyday. There are 6 dishwashing machines to help do the job. The daily soups are prepared in four 175-gallon soup pots. To preserve the vitamins and minerals in the vegetables, they are steamed in 6 large steaming units.

A typical stores list for a week onboard the Norwegian Wind is: 1300 lbs. Apples, 1600 lbs. Butter, 2000 lbs. Bacon, 3000 lbs. Bananas, 10000 lbs. Beef, 2000 lbs. Cheese, 700 lbs. Coffee, 750 lbs. Duck, 3500 lbs. Fish & fresh seafood, 4250 lbs. Flour, 6000 lbs. Fresh vegetables, 4000 lbs. Fresh fruit, 1600 lbs. Grapes, 1600 lbs. Ham, 70 lbs. Herbs and spices, 500 gallons ice cream, 1300 lbs. Juices, 700 lbs. Lemons, 3500 lbs. Melons, 900 lbs. Milk, 400 lbs. Oranges, 5000 lbs. Potatoes, 2000 lbs. Pork, 6000 lbs. Poultry, and 3500 lbs. Rice.

The dinner menu was interesting this evening. It was called the President's Menu. One of the main chefs on board was once a chef in the White House. This menu was a collection of some of our past presidents (Johnson, Nixon, Carter, and Reagan) favorite dishes, as well as the favorites of some of their distinguished guests (such as Prince Charles and Princess Diana). The menu gave little stories telling a little bit about the personalities of each of the presidents and their relationship with the chef.

Saturday, May 13, 2000

Well, we did it. We used all the beautiful days this area will probably have all year. I doubt any other Alaskan cruise this summer will have three days in a row of weather this beautiful. It never rained once! Today in Ketchikan, it was in the high 60s and sunny. Even the captain said yesterday that in Ketchikan it is always raining!

Our Cruise News said sunrise was at 4:32 a.m., and sunset will be at 9:22 p.m. It describes Ketchikan as: Alaska's First City. Ketchikan is one of the most livable cities in the US; it has a surprisingly gentle climate and extraordinary natural beauty. Located in a rain forest, it is known as the Rain Capital of North America. Ketchikan is also known as the First City of Alaska, which refers to its geographic position; it is the first city along the Inside Passage. Alaska's fourth-largest city, Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo Island. Ketchikan was also once known as the salmon capital of the world because of the number of fishing canneries found there. According to local folklore, the city's name comes from the Tlingit phrase kitschk-hin, which, broadly translated, means "eagle wing river." If you climb 3,000' high Deer Mountain, which overlooks the city, you will see that Ketchikan spreads out along the shoreline in the shape of the original Tlingit fishing village; the distinctive form of an eagle in full flight. American pioneers arrived in the late 1800s and began to exploit the salmon fisheries. In the early 1900s, Ketchikan, like many of its sister villages, grew as a result of the gold rush. When the gold and copper mines closed down during World War I, salmon fishing and lumber once again became the city's major industries.

The ship was supposed to arrive in Ketchikan at 9, but didn't arrive until after 10. We have found out that it one of the engines probably isn't working, which is why we are consistently late, and why the ship needed an extra "push" into some of the ports, and why our table shakes a little when we're at sea (our restaurant is in the back of the ship). Because we are generally traveling quite slowly, the second engine isn't needed for speed, so they must be waiting until Vancouver to repair it. Hope they fix it in time for the next cruise to leave on time.

We stopped at the Visitor Information Center and got a walking tour map. We decided to check out the Discovery Center, the fish hatchery and eagle center, and walk through town.

The map described the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center as: Discover the Tongass National Forest, walk through world class exhibits – Rainforest, Native Traditions, Ecosystems and Natural Resources. View award-winning feature presentation "Mystical Southeast Alaska" in the theater. Visit the trip planning room for recreational information on Alaska's public lands. Browse the Alaska Natural History Association bookstore for books, videos, maps and gift items highlighting Southeast Alaska.

First we saw the movie, which was well done. Lots of interviews with people who live in Alaska, great videos of the scenery in southeast Alaska, and information about the natives in the area. We went into the rainforest area and saw (stuffed) eagles, owls, black-tailed deer, brown bear, squirrels, and a marlen (looked like a fox). Then we went into an area with artifacts from the native cultures. Then we went into the ecosystems area, where hands-on displays showed different types of environments in the area, and there were large photos of wildlife, and a video showing the wildlife in this part of the state.

The next room featured different displays, which talked about different resources in the state. The first display showed the fish, showed a small area with some of the equipment, and a button you could push to watch a video about the fishing industry in Alaska – a lot of interviews with people who work in that industry. Next was a section on the mining, showing a moving display of various gems and minerals found in the area, and again a video with people who work in that industry. The next section was people who work with wildlife, the next was recreation, and the final was trees. The kids watched every video – they were very interesting.

At the entrance, which was also the exit area, they had a computer on which kids could do four quizzes of 10 questions each, on various subjects about the area. Alyx did all four quizzes, and did very well on all of them. She has been paying attention (and learning) after all. Phew!

After leaving the center, we walked down the street to Creek Street. I kept wondering why all the tours made sure to highlight that as part of their tour – so what if it used to be a red-light district? Well, they have redone the district to be a very pretty shopping area. It's all on pilings over the creek, with a boardwalk connecting all the buildings in the side of the hill. We walked through to get to the tram, which takes you up the hill to a lodge and civic center – we just wanted the ride and the view. At the top of the hill, we walked through the hotel, and out to the stairs back down the hill.

We then went to the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Center. The map describes it as: Alaska natives will guide you through this expanded facility. Over 350,000 King & Coho salmon and Steelhead trout are now raised and released annually. The new Eagle Center stabilizes and cares for Bald Eagles. With wingspans of up to 8', discover why these magnificent raptors are one of the great clans of Ketchikan Natives. Sample delicious Alaskan smoked salmon and learn how indigenous lifestyles are tied to the sea.

The first thing we saw were two bald eagles. Their wings had been clipped, and they were taking care of their nest, which contained two eggs. This, of course, was Alyx's favorite part. Then we went to the area where there are currently 400,000 salmon of various ages. They are raised there, then after 2 years are released into the local rivers and streams. They are each marked with a 1-millimeter silver tube that indicates from which hatchery they came. If fishermen find fish with that marking, they can cut off the nose and send it in to determine how far the fish came.

It is such a beautiful day – the kids and I wore a shirt under a sweater and a coat… we were walking around without our coats on, and tempted to pull off the sweater layer too. Back on the ship in the cabin, the kids watched today's National Geographic special on Alaska, which was about polar bears (they featured a different educational program each day). It covers the town of Churchill, Manitoba, which was built in the path of the polar bear, and therefore is the only place on earth where, for 8 weeks each year, the polar bears walk down the streets of town. It is a challenge, keeping them from people (they are one of the most dangerous carnivores in the world) yet protecting the bears themselves as well. Even Halloween is a challenge, with all the kids running around the food in their hands.

There is only one other cruise ship in town, the Holland America ship we saw in Skagway two days ago. That reminds me of something interesting we saw yesterday at the other Holland America ship – when we were in Juneau and were driving back from the boat ride, we saw that there were floatplanes next to the ship. They had opened a door on one of the lower levels, and a platform was up against the ship. The floatplanes would come right up to the platform at the ship, load the passengers, and take them on their excursions from there. A few other Ketchikan facts: Revillagigedo Island is 55 miles long and 35 miles wide; the tallest peak on the island is Mount Reid at 4,592; There is a total of 75 miles of road on the island – about 31 of those miles are asphalt or tar roads and the remainder are dirt roads; Revillagigedo Island is nicknamed "The Rock" because it is almost completely stone. Depth of topsoil has been measured between 2" and 8'; average rainfall is 150"; over 500,000 tourists visit Ketchikan each year; about 13% of the population is Native Alaskan; The longest day of the year is June 20 when the sun rises at about 4 a.m. and sets around 9:30 p.m.; the shortest day is December 21, when the sun rises at about 8:15 a.m. and sets around 3:15 p.m.; the aurora borealis, known as the Northern Lights, is visible throughout the year, most frequently during magnetic storms and sun spot activity. And no, we haven't seen the Northern Lights yet. Actually, I had thought it could only be seen from further north in Alaska…

Tonight's dinner is called the Farewell Dinner, as tomorrow night will be more casual, because everyone's suitcases have to be outside their cabins at midnight. Also, the waiters "perform" a little dance while bringing out the baked Alaska – a way for them to show off a little before you determine their tip the following day. The chefs and maitre d's are also introduced.

At nearly midnight that night, the kids and I went down to the Four Seasons dining room on Deck 9, and stood in line for about 20 minutes. What kind of buffet could be worth staying up that late, and then waiting in line for 20 minutes for? It's a Norwegian Cruise Lines tradition, done at least once on every cruise (twice on our transatlantic). It is…. A Chocoholic Buffet! All the chocolate you can eat! All the food is made with chocolate, covered in chocolate, or dipped in chocolate. The decorations are made from chocolate – 3' high Eiffel Tower, 2' high fish and houses. Big ice sculptures (the only thing not chocolate). Sounds like heaven on earth, right?

Sunday, May 14, 2000

Mother's Day!

Mid-afternoon, I heard a foghorn and looked out the window – I couldn't see anything! We are in a very dense fog. Our cabin is midway through the ship – looking out the balcony to the front, even that is in fog! Vic had said this morning that it reminded him of the weather crossing the English Channel – now it REALLY feels like that!

Time to pack up today – our bags have to be out in the hall by midnight. The only things we brought and never really touched were the raingear – we never had rain once! I'll bet if I ask the excursions director, who has been doing Alaskan cruises for 6 years, he'd say he's never had a spring or summer cruise to Alaska without any rain. Vic's Mom had taken an Alaskan cruise a couple summers ago, and didn't care for it mostly because of the rain and the chilly temperatures.

The crewmembers did a few things to honor Moms on board. First, at dinner I was handed a pink carnation. Then all the moms (actually, all the women) got a glass of champagne. They also sent a plate of chocolate covered strawberries to our room with a Happy Mother's Day card on it.

Monday, May 15, 2000

We arrived in Vancouver this morning. We took a cab to the train station and locked our bags up there, and then grabbed another cab into the city. Our first stop was the Aquarium at Stanley Park. I had heard it was good, and it was. Not large, but well done. The kids were thrilled to see a real, large octopus in one of the big tanks. We saw river otters, more Stellar sea lions, a beluga whale show, killer whales, many varieties of frogs and fish and crabs and lobsters and turtles… and a gold crocodile. It was raised in Thailand, and was only in Vancouver temporarily until its new home at the Mandalay Bay Aquarium in Las Vegas was complete. It was a gold- colored crocodile – quite unique.

We spent a few hours in the aquarium, and then went outside into the park. Right at the entrance to the aquarium was a man who doing some unique art – he held a piece of glass to catch the sun ray's, and was using that to burn images onto wood. He took small pieces of driftwood and wrote Trevor's and Alyx's names on them, with a little bit of art as well. Vic gave him a few dollars, and we took the kids' picture with him. Very interesting.

Then we went to the children's zoo – Alyx's favorite parts were the baby chicks and the egg display. Trevor liked the goats, even though one of them started to poop just as he went to feed it – you should have seen the look on his face! They also had a little train, so we all rode that – a cute ride through the woods. We saw a beautiful swan in the water on the way.

We also saw an animal wandering around the park that we don't have at home – a black squirrel. I had seen them before in Toronto, and believe they are only seen in Canada (although why, I'm not sure). We also saw signs warning people to beware of coyotes, which sometime enter the park. Stanley Park is quite large, and is actually across a waterway from downtown, so it's not right in the city.

Then we went to the playground and let the kids burn off some energy before we put them on the train for 4 hours. Finally, it was time to go. We called a cab, and it met us back in front of the aquarium and took us to the train station. We walked across the street and picked up some Subway sandwiches for dinner and brought them on the train to eat. We picked up all our suitcases, and with the help of a porter, got most of them checked into the baggage car, and brought our carry- on bags onto the train.

The weather had once again been wonderful – in the high 60s to low 70s and sunny. Before leaving the ship this morning, we did ask the excursions director how unusual our weather had been on the cruise, and he said that for May, it was pretty much unheard of. You get a few good cruises during the summer, but it's rare that the entire cruise has weather that nice.

So, our train pulled out at 6 p.m. We arrived in Seattle on time at 10 p.m., and spent the night at the same hotel we had stayed at a week ago at the beginning of our journey.

Tuesday, May 16, 2000

We flew back to Florida today…

When I look back at each stop, I have this "photo image" in my mind… going out on the top deck and seeing our large cruise ship surrounded by mountains… panning for gold…Tormented Valley…us in the canoes, struggling to paddle upriver to the glacier…the whales jumping out of the water while bubblenet feeding…the tram uphill from Creek Street…. the Space Needle in Seattle, and Stanley Park in Vancouver. It was truly a unique experience.

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