On Solid Ground

Skagway
Today was a wonderful day!  I slept late, ate a BIG breakfast, went to the gym and probably worked off half of breakfast, then walked into Skagway.  It's a very small town that exists because of gold Mining and is, therefore, steeped in history with all things associated with gold: a red light District, a very cool old steam engine train and probably some modern prospectors.  Although there were a lot of choices for excursions, I decided to avoid the crowds that were panning for gold and riding the train to walk around town and hike across a footbridge out to Smugglers Cove.  It was great except for the box of confections I was carrying in my backpack while I hiked alone and then saw the notice on my map about bears!  Duh!  What was I thinking?  I have luckily made it back alive and did my favorite thing - listen to the Amber Trio.  They consist of two violins and a cellist and play beautifully!  Attended my first onboard performance which was a husband and wife acrobat team from Cirque du Soleil.  They were amazing!
I have met many nice people on this trip but my favorite is Desi, a very young lady from Bali.  We talked about Bali for awhile until tears came to her eyes.  She is very homesick but will be returning in November.  Hang in there Desi!  I have to admit that the ladyboy greeting people by the breakfast buffet while singing loudly comes in a very close second.  She has a great voice too!
Ketchikan
Ketchikan is a booming fishing town with roots in gold mining and the coolest red light district I've ever seen.  It's all built on a boardwalk on a stream.  Now the buildings house souvenir shops, cafes and local art instead of ladies.  While here, I went snorkeling which was quite an interesting adventure.  Our guides were great and, while it's not coral reefs and clownfish, it's very interesting to see what lives in Alaska waters.  The hardest part of the day was the 7 mil wetsuit, booties, gloves and hood hours had to put on before your mask and snorkel.  The water temperature in Ketchikan was a warm 58 degrees compared to the 44 degrees in Northern Alaska.  The other great thing about Ketchikan is the totem poles - beautiful!
Cruised the Inside Passage on our last day and it was magnificent.  So much wilderness and beauty!  It was another beautiful day so I spent a great deal of time just watching and relaxing.

Have landed in the bustling but friendly metropolis of Vancouver and have only one day to explore.  The first thing I saw when disembarking - Tim Hortons, of course.   My tip for the day:  If you haven't been to Alaska - GO!

Below are some totem poles.

Cruisin'

I feel incredibly lazy.  It's only day two and the sun and sea have gotten to me (not to mention the embarkation day massage special.  Cruise ships are full of pluses and minuses.  Free food, room service whenever you want it and a great gym along with spectacular scenery are on the plus side.  The negatives are wifi that costs. 75/minute and impossible to log off of, expensive alcohol and exorbitant prices for drinking water, although I have figured out how to get around that.  Room service brings a pitcher of water to my room every day.
This is a different kind of trip for me and I sorta like it.  I have trips planned for our stops in Icy Point Straight,  Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway - all involving wildlife and, hopefully, photo opportunities.
Today has been very pleasant and sunny, but because the water is so cold (44) and the air is warm, there are patches of dense fog and the foghorn blows every 3 or so minutes.  It is currently sunny with total white out conditions.  How can that be you ask?  Got me!  Some things I learned today about Hubbard Glacier: It's named after the first National Geographic president, it's the only glacier that is increasing in size and it's been around for over 400 years.  It was, unfortunately, not visible due to the aforementioned white-out conditions.  Ah well, as the Buddhists say, "Shit happens.". Tomorrow whale hunting in Icy Point Strait.  Wish me luck.
Whale watching:
Day one in Icy Point Strait (Hoonah Tlingit) -
Big boat, Lotta people and Lotta whales.  There was a little girl around eight who, I swear, spoke whale.  She knew where they were going to surface before anyone.  Guess who I hung out with?
Day two in Juneau (a great place by the way) -
Went on a photo excursion, small boat,  thirteen people, most with cameras that cost an easy month's wages and had lenses as big as me.  I actually learned some stuff and saw eagles, whales and harbor seals as well as Hiking to Mendenhall Glacier.  By the way, all the whales are humpback here to feed from Hawaii and Mexico.
We have just completed a cruise of Tracy Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier.  It was breathtaking.
Tomorrow is Skagway and I canceled my hike through a rain forest as I've hiked through two and need a 'down' day to sleep in, go to the gym and  just walk around town.  Skagway, here I come.
In Skagway - beautiful but more spotty Internet.  Alaska really is the last frontier!

North - to Alaska, of course.

So, it's ten o'clock (11 to me since there's an hour time difference) and it is not even dark yet.  In fact, it looks like an overcast evening out there - disconcerting!  Had fun, good food and wine in first class.  One could get used to this, but not unless it's complimentary.  There are TWO Cinnabons at Anchorage Airport!  Two!  Here are a couple pictures.  Don't you love the wallpaper in my hotel room?  I'll try to write more but it may be sketchy due to limited Internet access.
Today I ate reindeer sausage from a street cart - yummy and unbelievable.  Walked through aparkthat used to be an airstrip and goes through most of Anchorage.  They have yoga in the park on Wednesdays.   There is a huge office building called simply "Nana" (no idea) in the downtown area.
Things I learned on the bus: anchorage is only 100 years old.
There are more pilots per capita than anywhere.
Largest city and population in Alaska.
Saw this - Bang kok cafe Thai restaurant... Two words.
They have a Bowling alley.
There is a very long body of water between Anchorage and Whittier called Turnagain arm and a BBC place called the Turnagain armpit.  Turnagain Arm is so named because Captain Cook kept running into dead ends while searching for a route to the Orient from the Northwest and yelled, "Turn Again!"
This body of water is so full of silt from glaciers and snow runoff that it supports very little life - spawning salmon and another fish that's so oily that they are used as lamp oil (name forgotten).
The sand that is exposed at low tide is quicksand which has claimed the lives of many.  Some ingenious rescue methods have been introduced to save people.
There are many dead trees from the 1964 earthquake that the locals call Dead dog forest (the trees have no bark -har har).
There is one big ski resort that is very expensive and has some of the most difficult runs in the US.
Lastly, Whittier is called the unluckiest place due the earthquake and the Exxon Valdez oil spill, not to mention that the sun never shines there.
Now then - learning my way around the ship and I wish you all could be here, having a glass of wine, listening to a string trio, people watching, guessing the price of an original Picasso . . . and we haven't even sailed yet!