Last month I took an Alaska cruise on the Sapphire Princess. It left Seattle on Sunday afternoon and got back the following Sunday morning. The entire trip was 1974 nautical miles (2270.1 miles for you landlubbers). We made four stops en route, in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, B.C., travelling through some of the most mind-bogglingly beautiful scenery I have ever seen. The ship itself carries 2670 passengers, and was so stable one rarely felt a wave. I had not a moment of queasiness.
We left Seattle (left) and spent the rest of Sunday and Monday at sea, arriving in Ketchikan about 0600 tuesday. That is when I discovered something I should have expected: When you have small towns with a year-round population of about 1000 people, like Ketchikan and Skagway, and moor 2 to 4 ocean liners carrying over 2000 passengers each, plus crew, something of the local color is going to be lost. These two towns had large blocks of shops which were about 90% jewelers. I didn't take any side trips in Ketchikan, just walked around looking in the shops. The town itself was in a lovely, natural setting (above), and very clean.
We left Ketchikan tuesday around 1700 and headed for Juneau. In the morning, the ship passed through a 30 mile twisting fiord called Tracy Arm. Tracy Arm is home to the calving Sawyer's Glacier. Since we were sailing in August, the calves had pretty much left home and were replaced by small ice floes. This is not surprising as the temperature was in the 80's all through the trip, and the only time I wore jacket and sweater was standing at the prow as we passed through the magnificent Tracy Arm.
Wednesday afternoon, we arrived in Juneau, and I went off whale watching on a catamaran, and then to Mendenhall Glacier. The whale watching was wonderful. We must have seen about 20 humpbacked whales frolicking in the bay. These magnificent whales mate and calve in Hawaii, then travel to Alaska in the summer to feed. A hard truth about this trip was that by the time I tripped the shutter on my digital camera, there was enough delay for 1) someone's head to pop in front of my lens, or 2) time for the whales to be back under water, leaving barely a ripple behind. To the left, my best shot, of twin tails as two whales dive in almost perfect synchrony. (Honest). From the catamaran, we also saw a couple of bald eagles, and a stretch of coastline covered with seals. (The brown line at the water's edge is dozens of seals basking in the sun.)
From there, we went to Mendenhall Glacier. This beautiful glacier normally retracts about 60 feet in the course of a summer. This summer, it retracted about 600 feet. There was a film and bookstore. Again very touristy, but the glacier was beautiful.
We left the Juneau that evening, and arrived in Skagway at about 0600 Thursday morning. That morning, I walked to Skagway and found another small town filled with jewelry shops. Fortunately they also had the Bonanza Saloon, which had served large tankards of good cold beer, and after a couple of those, I was ready to ride the White Pass and Yukon Railway. This tiny railroad creeps up the mountains into the Yukon Territory. While the train and the ride are unimpressive, the views as you pass through tunnels and over narrow bridges are spectacular.
Friday night was spent at sea, and saturday afternoon, we arrived at Victoria, British Columbia. With only one evening there, I elected to tour the gorgeous Butchart Gardens. These beautiful gardens are built on the former rock quarry for Jennie Butchart's husband's cement company. Located on 130 acres, 55 of which are open to the public at a given time, the gardens are made up of a rose garden, a Japanese garden, a French garden and an Italian garden. On Saturday evenings in the summertime, (unfortunately after we departed) they feature a fireworks show. A spirited band played as well. Topiary like the deer on the left dotted the landscape.
After leaving Butchart Gardens, we went to the Church and State Winery. This lovely spot was our setting for a chocolate and wine tasting. The pairings were delightful and I developed an appreciation for combining the two. Creamy and lovely...and decadent. Could be habit forming.
Then back to the ship for the return to Seattle. I have not said much about shipboard life. My quarters were far from the most expensive, but were roomy and well laid out. The bathroom was small, but the shower had good water pressure. There was plenty of closet space, and an in-stateroom safe. And mints on the pillow at night.
On shipboard, there were a variety of lounges with live entertainment, contests and games. There were shops, and several restaurants. The food was plentiful, and if you wanted top end food, there were a couple of restaurants you could eat at for an extra charge. I ate in the restaurants, and found the food to be plentiful and good, if not always hot (where appropriate) or cold (also where appropriate). But you rolled with the punches, met your neighbors and had a good time. I managed to eat salmon at least once a day, and also ate lobster tails and king crab legs. Not bad. In addition, you could get fast foods at any time. There were also live shows every evening. I tried one or two, but they did not hold me. So during the day, I was happy sitting on the deck reading or doing crosswords, and enjoying the magnificent scenery, which, afterall, made the trip.
Then, back to reality. Unfortunately, I don't mean the reality of returning to home and work. I mean the reality of airline travel. (I took the shot of Mt. Rainier to the left from my window seat. Lucky, that.) I left the ship at 0700 on Sunday, and flew to Dallas/Ft. Worth. There they promptly had a bad storm, closed the airport, and cancelled several flights (mine was touch-and-go for awhile). I finally got home about 2 AM. With a cold which I felt coming on sitting in that darned airport. Allowing for the time change, it took 16 hours to get from coast to coast. As much as I enjoyed the cruise, I might not take it next time knowing that the flight could be so onerous.
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