Made it to the hotel yesterday with only a minor detour or two when we missed the turn to the hotel. Luckily, it’s big and we spotted it from a distance as we looped through the airport. Today, after a short walk to loosen stiff travel legs, we are now killing time until we eat some lunch and check-in for the cruise. Hope we aren’t the only ones with so much luggage.Check-in was a lengthy process, but we finally boarded the boat (or ship—we were later told by the captain in his presentation about the Empress, that she could be referred to by either term) around 4:30 PM or so. Security procedures since 9-11 make everything take longer, but reminded ourselves that’s the small price we pay to help keep everyone safe. Being greeted by the crew with champagne and strawberries wearing chocolate “uniforms” eased everyone’s impatience to get our voyage started.

Our cabin is on the third (Discovery) deck, starboard side, and just four cabins forward of midship. After unpacking and a safety drill to familiarize us with our muster station and how those horribly uncomfortable life preservers are worn, we headed to the top deck (of four) and the viewing area at the stern of the boat. Great view looking down on the paddlewheel from here as well. So different to see Seattle from the water.

Since our departure was delayed, so was dinner. Being in the second seating, we had plenty of time to enjoy the views and then take in the first shipboard entertainment event in the Gold Nugget Showroom. Tonight it was a magician. Not bad. My hubby and another passenger with the same first name were drafted to help with one act. Their job was to put the magician into a straitjacket and onto a unicycle. Good sports!

Dinner was yummy—especially the chocolate raindrop for dessert. I had the beef tri-tips with a sesame/soy sauce marinade. Dinners most nights were served in four courses: a choice of appetizer or soup; choice of two salads; choice of four entrees (or grilled chicken breast or fish for those wanting “plainer” fare); and finishing with a choice of two desserts or the option of ice cream treats as we learned along the way.

Despite the ship vibrations, I slept pretty good. The times I did wake, it was fun to peek out the large window (no small portholes on this ship), and watch the water and distant shoreline by moonlight.

Hurry up and wait again—this time for Canadian customs to arrive to check and make sure none of us were vacationing terrorists. My passport picture probably left them wondering.

We docked at Sidney for customs, then boarded buses for a tour of Butchart Gardens and the Victoria area. What a beautiful wonderland of flowers and other flora fill Butchart Gardens. And what a transformation from limestone quarry to all this beauty. I think the tranquil Japanese Garden . . . no, wait . . . the Sunken Garden? Well, those two were my favorites out of several styles of gardens featured here. What amazed me the most was that they only keep blooms until they peak, then pull those plants out and replace them with the next variety; and so on and so on. My gardening budget would never cover that.

Tour of the municipalities that make up the greater Victoria area was a fun trip mainly due to our first of several very entertaining bus drivers we would meet on this trip. In Victoria, our driver was not only very humorously informative; but he had a lot of driving skill to negotiate some of the narrow roads. Saw lots of beautiful homes and lots of riding stable. I’ll have to remember to tell my horse loving friend she would love an area like this to live and ride in. If she could avoid the high cost of living here. Whew!

Also toured downtown area of Victoria on bus. Chinatown and the narrowest street in the world(?) was interesting. Empress was now docked in the Inner Harbor right in front of the Empress Hotel and the Royal British Museum. After lunch we walked over to the museum. Tickets to it were part of our excursion packet, so we went in and spent an hour or two viewing some very well thought out and designed natural history exhibits. Already finding it fun to spot fellow passengers.

After the museum, Hubby had no interest in walking through the Empress Hotel, so I missed that experience. Instead, he wanted to walk through some of the area we saw while on the bus. Hoped to get picture of “narrowest street.” Unfortunately, we didn’t think to find a tour map, so we missed several interesting sites and never did make it back to Chinatown (think it was a lot farther away than we thought). But having a local map in hand was a good lesson to learn.

Entertainment this evening was a musical-comedy duo, Wig and Thistle, who bill themselves as “great English music hall entertainment.” Hubby liked them so well he got their CD so we can re-enjoy the experience. Dinner again required making some tough choices between several tasty sounding offerings. I finally settled on the crabcakes and chocolate pecan pie. Hopefully all that walking today wore off at least yesterday’s calories.

Later this evening, we sat out on our private verandah and watched the harbor and city lights as we departed about 10 PM. Water is a bit rougher tonight. Hope I handle it. I have so far, though I discovered reading at times can be as unsettling as it is if I try while riding in a car. So I concentrated on watching the lights of businesses and homes reflecting and then fading on the water as we sailed on to Vancouver. I think I’m going to like this cruising lifestyle.

Hurry up and wait again—this time for Canadian customs to arrive to check and make sure none of us were vacationing terrorists. My passport picture probably left them wondering.

Customs was in a huge hangar size building built for the 1986 World Expo. You basically walk form one end to the other to get from the ship to customs to the tour buses. It actually went faster here than I expected after the same experience in Victoria. What took time here was adjusting the dock’s gangway to our ship. Took at least two tries because of the receding tide.

The tour bus took us through part of the city as we headed for Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium. Lots of new building going on: a docking expansion to handle all the cruise ships and lots of condominiums as people realize it’s cheaper to live close to work and entertainment, etc. rather than commuting. At least all the building is done with taste and flair. Loved all the glass buildings—black, green, bronze and even purple. These create beautiful reflections of the other buildings around them. Also saw both sports stadiums, one of which will host the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic Games.

Stanley Park was another beautiful example of preserving nature within a city of thousands of people. Miles and miles of walking and biking trails, an inspired water play area for kids, a converted saltwater (now regular type) swimming pool that sits right at the waterside, horse-drawn touring carriages, a cricket field, several other sports fields, a totem pole area, lots of memorial statutes, the oddest looking “nurse trees” (logged trees with only stump left in which seedlings take root, sending down their roots on the sides of the stump, and as it rots away, you get these trees that look like they are growing on stilts). Also saw and heard a 2-string Japanese instrument at one of the viewpoints our bus stopped at. The gentleman playing it is a professional musician (plays with local symphony?) and the music he played was perfect for the backdrop of the forested park around us.

Vancouver Aquarium: I’ve been to large aquariums in California and Oregon before, but this one was unique in many ways. Of course, the beluga whales ( 1 male and his 3 female harem) were the main attraction. Fascinating to see, hear, and learn about this white “canary” of the sea. After that, I’d say my favorite exhibit, despite the heat and humidity and “loose” birds, was the Rainforest area. Snakes, turtles, bugs, and then an area where you walked into a facsimile of the rainforest. Orchids and other symbiotic plants, cacao trees, some parrots and other small birds, and the stars of the area: a small flock of iridescent, fluorescent orange ibis. There may have been other lifeforms hidden in the dense foliage as well, but who could tell.

After Stanley Park, we toured more of the downtown area including Chinatown (2nd largest after San Francisco?). Very clean, well-ordered open air markets. Lots of smoked ducks handing in the windows. Oh, interesting tidbit while in Chinatown. Several of the old brick buildings had false floors between the regular floors. These were used for storing black market good, bordellos, opium dens, and the like.

Also saw a historical area called Gas Town. Don’t remember much about that other than the statue of one old-timer standing on a whiskey barrel. Guess I will have to read up on Vancouver history some day.

Sailed back out under the Lions Gate Bridge late that afternoon. Hillside along channel, which was once owned by the Guinness family of beer and record book fame, is now lined with mansions owned by people like Oprah Winfrey. Gorgeous afternoon for sailing, sunny with just enough rain clouds bumping into the surrounding mountains to set off a double rainbow to bless our trip. Stayed out on the Calliope deck (top deck) for a long time enjoying the views.

Dinner was marvelous again. Tried a veal dish with veggies and pasta. It has a fancy name I don’t remember. (Author’s Note: Osso Buco. Good old Betty Crocker, she never lets you down.) We ate with a couple from Maryland were familiar with it; gentleman said he ate it whenever he got the chance. I liked it but too much to finish with everything else. Hubby didn’t let it go to waste.

Another couple at our table (opening seating at all meals so you could get to meet as many or as few people as you wanted to) was from near Melbourne, Australia. We had eaten one other meal with both couples and another from New Hampshire. Fun group—especially New Hampshire and Australian couples. Fun meeting new people. Learning a lot about cruising, other parts of our country, and other countries by talking to different people.

Another couple we met are S and J from near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Quieter seeming couple, but very interesting to talk with. In fact, our joke with them is that everywhere we go, we are sure to run into them at some point. And we do.

Evening show was “River of Song” featuring Lauri Jones and Scott Gordon, two of the cruise directors. Terrific voices and entertaining patter as they sang old and new songs about, you guessed it, rivers.

Tomorrow, Friday, begins two days of shipboard time as we sail north between Vancouver Island and the Canadian mainland, and then through the small islands along Queen Charlotte’s Strait as we head to Ketchikan, our next port of call.

Narrow channels and tree covered mountains. Spent the morning after breakfast on deck spotting eagles (look for the golf balls in the trees, those are the eagles’ white heads) and visiting with a group of fellow passengers, primarily the couples from Australia (R and L) and New Hampshire (B and K). Lots of good conversation and friendly “discussions” on some of the sights. The “what’s on that barge” debate was a hoot. Turned out what we were seeing was just the ramp onto the barge in its “up” position. But from different perspectives, it looked quite different even with binoculars. Must have been feeling hunger pain (and low blood sugar levels) before lunch because the debate rapidly degenerated into the old “growing bigger, then much smaller” allusion.

Also think we spotted a sea otter, but too brief a glimpse to tell for sure. During lunch, someone spotted a couple of orcas. Or at least the dorsal fins. Of course, we were seated on the wrong side of the dining room to see anything. Crew tell us we should see more. I sure hope so.

The historian/naturalist’s afternoon talk was on porpoises and whales. Sounds like there are several varieties we have a chance of seeing. Beautiful weather is still holding for the most part. If it does get too cold, windy or rainy, there are plenty of places to be inside and still see the views. I used part of this PM (after a nap–all that fresh air) to catch up on this journal. Missed some porpoises while doing that of course. Just my luck. I always seem to be in either the shower or the hallways when the best stuff gets sited. But it was nice to have a quiet afternoon.

Passed several small towns on Vancouver Island, often seeing fishing boat harbors and several totem poles, symbols of the First Peoples (Native Americans). Interesting to learn these are not religious symbols as early missionaries thought, but rather like “documents in cedar.” Six types: Heraldic poles that told of social status; Memorial poles; Ridicule poles (fooled those smug white folks); Potlatch poles; Mortuary poles (actually held coffins!); and House Pillars carved with crest of home owners.

Dinner was fabulous again. I had the artichoke and cheese stuffed chicken breast. Robert, our server, even brought K, L, and I a second prawn cocktail when we looked pitiful. Well, the original only had three prawns!

Unfortunately, dinner got a little unpleasant for me when we entered a section of Queen Charlotte’s Strait, body of open water after leaving Vancouver Island behind. Waves/swells had me dizzy if I looked down at my dinner plate . The really sympathetic group at our table gave me lots of useless advice and good humor. A glass of water and some Dramamine helped a bit. Made it back to cabin—despite having to climb “moving” stairs. (Putting a seasick claustrophobic in the elevator would have been a lot worse, believe me.) Once I lay down, I was fine. Watched a little TV to take my mind off the rocking boat and finally fell asleep. By the time I woke to use the washroom, we were back in calmer water as we cruised between mainland and small offshore islands between Bella Bella and Prince Rupert.

People we met today at breakfast and lunch included a couple from Big Bear Lake, California and a mother and daughter from Vermont.

The evening show was the other cruise director, Will Kiefer. Will is a banjo and guitar playing fool. My favorite show so far. (Author’s Note: See more on this later in journal.)

Today was another quiet, shipboard day of relaxing and visiting. Slept in until 8 AM and finally got up and around 30-45 minutes later. Hubby and I are usually night owls at home, staying up until at least midnight or 1 AM and sleeping until 8 or 8:30 AM, so having to be up at 6:30 or 7:00 to get in breakfast before excursions and stuff has been an adjustment.

Spent most of the morning on upper deck with my binoculars glued to my face. (And I kept wondering why I had sore shoulders at night?!) More eagles and a possible seal siting. As per my usual, I was in the shower when the school of porpoises was playing off the bow. I WILL see one before the trip is over. I hope.

Brunch instead of breakfast and lunch today. Once again, delicious food and so much to choose from. Berry blintzes were especially yummy. Met three ladies from Midland, Texas during brunch. For one of them, this trip to Alaska will give her the final notch on her belt for having visited all 50 states. Hubby and I have a long ways to go.

Weather was so sunny, I burned my nose and cheeks a bit. If this glorious weather continues, I might have to pull the sunscreen out of my suitcase.

Not many animals or even birds—except the ever present seagulls on their driftwood “boats“—this afternoon. Clara, our historian/naturalist joked they were probably having a siesta—like many of the passengers. But lots of waterfalls tumbling down the steep slopes. Reminded me of those in our Columbia River Gorge between Washington and Oregon. Only disappointment in sightseeing was the “lighthouse that wasn’t.” Crew got us all excited about an old lighthouse coming up only to find it had been dismantled since last cruise season and replaced with modern equipment. What a shame.

Late afternoon, we pulled in at an old fish cannery site to deliver a “care package” of brownies and other goodies to the caretaker, his dog, and his cat—all of whom trooped down to the dock to meet us. Place was interesting; many buildings falling in on themselves or into the water. On part of hillside, there were the remains of an old garden with gnarled fruit trees and tons of daffodils in bloom. Nearby was a spectacular waterfall, much broader, and with shorter, more sweeping rather than steep drops than most we’d been seeing. With the maneuverability of steamboat, the pilots were able to position us for great photo ops. Love those 360 degree turns.

Forgot to write down what I had for dinner this night, so guess that’s lost to history. HaHa! I’m sure it was as delicious as always. Tonight’s entertainment was “Lullaby of Broadway” with Lauri and Scott. Shows in the Golden Nugget Showroom have been varied and quite enjoyable. First night was a juggler/magician; second night was the British style comedy/singing duo. Then we had a night of riverboat songs with two of the cruise directors, Lauri and Scott. Both have big, beautiful voices that blend well and a great on stage chemistry. My favorite show so far, however, was the other cruise director Will playing banjo and assorted guitars. He’s from Kentucky and it shows in his love of bluegrass and country music influences. What a great showman and musician—even when he asked for requests and was challenged to play “dueling banjos” as his finale. He and the Showroom Band (they play during cocktail hour and evening dance time) carried this off with panache. I’m glad I made that request.

Just so you don’t think our whole trip was absolutely perfect (though close), we did hit a snag tonight. Figuratively, not literally. Seems the reservations we’d made by phone for two optional shore excursions had been lost. At least we found out now rather than when we tried to get onboard our first OSE tomorrow in Ketchikan. Luckily, neither OSE was full and we were able to get tickets without any further problems. As much as they advertise these optional excursions, I think a lot of people wait to book them. With the variety and type of included excursions, you really didn’t feel the need for a lot of extra activity to “experience” this cruise anyway.

Time zone change as we head into Alaskan waters (set clocks back an hour), but everyone seems to be adjusting okay. Arrived in Ketchikan, our first Alaskan stop, early this morning and will stay until about 2:00 PM. Hubby and I were signed up for an optional shore excursion here: riding the amphibious bus called the Duck. Unfortunately, it’s scheduled during the included excursion to the Totem Heritage Park and the Great Alaskan Lumberjack show so we will miss that.

Since our Duck tour didn’t require us to meet until 10 AM, we opted to eat breakfast in the dining room and then do a little exploring on foot. Tried the biscuits and gravy. No big thrill, but okay I guess. Too bland for me—I make mine with spicy Italian sausage. We usually eat the continental style breakfast fare available on the top deck’s Calliope Bar and Grill. Faster and still lots of choices. And you have a better view of the scenery passing by.

As for Ketchikan, interesting to see how town has adapted to very little available building space. You either build buildings that climb the hillsides, blast away the hillside, or fill in along the shore. Many “streets” are staircases and are maintained by the city if they go to more than two houses.

We walked through the “tourist trap” section along the wharf first. Not many shops open; in fact, one shop owner stopped Hubby to ask how many passengers were on the ship. Seems they are waiting for the “big” ships, and I suppose, the “bigger” spenders. Did have a nice little museum next door to the Public Library. (I would have liked to have seen the library, but it was closed on Sundays.) For a small museum, this one was well-organized and tastefully displayed. Learned about the history of logging, fishing, and mining in the area. Also saw several artifacts from the Tlingits (local Native people): fishing gear, woven baskets, and carvings. Saw “Harry Truman” totem pole: small pole with faces of Truman, Winston Churchill, and Stalin. Can’t remember now, but think it was some kind of commemoration after WWII.

As for the weather, sunshine again. Learned this was very unusual for Ketchikan which normally measures its rainfall in feet, not inches. We lucked out.

We also walked along the infamous Creek Street, a series of staircases and boardwalks following Ketchikan Creek. This was primarily the “red light” district in the early days. As far as I know, they are all just shops and cafes now.

Boarded the “Duck” for our tour along with 16 other “cruisers” from the Empress. First part of tour was on land: drove up past old fish ladder on Ketchikan Creek, past the fish hatchery and park, saw the Totem Heritage building, the Municipal building (salmon-colored, not pink as residents will emphatically point out), area for the lumberjack show, and several other sites. Learned much of the waterfront area is actually sitting on pilings over the harbor water.

Finally entered the channel/harbor. Moved a lot slower than I had expected—only a couple, maybe three knots per hour. Didn’t need the Dramamine I took. Toured the water front and saw various docks for different size/types of ships, local marinas for pleasure and fishing boats, and the fish canneries. Also saw several eagles much closer up than previously. They like to perch on cannery roofs—they know where the fishing is easy.

Our pilot also took us across the channel to the island with Ketchikan’s airstrip. There were some eagle nesting sites over there, too. Lots of seaplanes going in and out of harbor. This figures when you consider that, according to the locals, there are only three ways to get to Ketchikan: air, water, or birth canal.

Perhaps the most interesting feature we saw on this tour was back on land. It’s the only tunnel you can drive through, around, over (houses and roads on hill it goes through), and even float up under because of that piling situation I mentioned earlier.

One thing I and several others noticed was all the litter. Sadly, Ketchikan seemed rather dirty after the pristine Canadian cities we visited. Maybe they wait to do clean-up before the “real” tourists come.

Leaving Ketchikan behind, the Empress detoured back south a bit so we could visit the Misty Fjords National Monument. Loved this area. We spent most of the afternoon and early evening on deck watching the spectacular scenery. Also finally spotted a pair of white-sided dolphins as they zipped by in the other direction. But most of the time was spent staring up, up at the high, sheer rock cliff faces lining the channel. Topping them were snow fields where the layered snow and ice had formed overhanging ledges above the slopes. No wonder they cause avalanches.

Punchbowl Cove was just so awesome. Almost too beautiful to be real. I teased K and L that it was only a painted, plywood backdrop/facade put up for the tourists. I hope the pictures Hubby took captured the majesty of this area. We even passed on the evening show in the Gold Nugget Showroom as the natural show couldn’t be topped. Or missed.

At dinnertime, we did go in since we were departing the Fjords anyway. Crew passed out carnations to honor all the moms. (Almost forgot it was Mother’s Day.) Scallops for dinner in a sweet apple sauce. Ummm!! Hubby chose the duck (the fowl, not the bus.)

Tomorrow: Petersburg and LeConte Glacier.

Got have a lazy morning today watching the Empress navigate the often one-way Wrangell Narrows. Literature says we will make 46 course corrections and pass about 70 navigation aids during this 22 mile passage. Didn’t arrive in Petersburg until around 10 AM. Then the Liekarring Norwegian Folk Dancers came on board and performed in the Golden Nugget Showroom. Had such a front row seat I kept my legs tucked under my chair to keep from tripping any dancers. Great fun. The eight performers were boys and girls ranging in age from about 8 or 9 years old to teenagers and their instructor. All in traditional costume which they explained. Really gave you a feel for the Norwegian heritage of this small community. (Author’s Note: Another interesting example of Petersburg’s Norwegian heritage was all the lovely, decorative painting you see on homes and businesses over the doors and around windows. Called rosemaling and looks a bit like stenciling but I believe is hand-done instead.)

After the performance, I headed for the shuttle buses into town. Hubby had walked in earlier instead of watching the dancers. Town center is only four blocks long; but still very diversified. I enjoyed talking with three young women who had recently graduated college and chose to move to their hometown. Two drove shuttle buses and one worked in a shop. Found it refreshing not all the younger generation has deserted their roots.

Met Hubby returning as I was boarding the shuttle. Said I wouldn’t find anything to buy in town, but boy, did I fool him. Got a salmon-shaped whirly-gig for Father-in-law; a glass bead “crowberry” necklace for daughter; and a “spalted birch” salad bowl for myself. Spalted birch is created by burying a birch log in the ground and leaving it for the microbes (bacteria/fungus) to grow/work on it. This creates some great, dark-colored striations and grain patterns in the wood that really show up when it’s eventually turned on a lathe to form a bowl.

We left Petersburg around 2PM and sailed another long, narrow and winding channel towards LeConte Glacier. Spent the afternoon on the forward viewing decks watching the icebergs appear. A bit nippy, put on lots of layers today, but well worth all the shivering to see our amazing vessel work its way through the ice pack, gradually easing us closer and closer to the glacier. Captain came on the ship -wide intercom to tell us about our progress and let us know the smaller fishing and touring boats also in the channel were taking bets on how far we would manage to go. The actual journey to the glacier was a bit of a tease. Around this bend? The next bend? The next?

When not watching the ice, we spotted several mountain goats and hundreds of seals. Some of the floes were literally covered with seals. From a distance, it looked as if someone had sprinkled chocolate chips on the ice. Hubby counted 210 seals—give or take a floe or two.

As for the ice itself, it truly is blue. And so many gorgeous shades of blue as the sunlight played on it. (Did I mention we had another beautiful, sunny day?)

Suddenly we rounded another bend and there was LeConte Glacier, this vast wall of jagged ice choking the channel. We worked our way a bit farther in, but the ice was still too thick and frozen to go on. The glacier also had a blue cast to it. Some parts were very pristine and blue-white; others parts, especially along the edges, were full of dirt and ground rock debris. Spectacular. Not hard to imagine the force of it moving slowly across the continent after seeing it first hand.

Moving to the aft decks on the voyage out, it was amazing to see how the ice pack had closed in behind us. Joked that if we got stuck, once the ship ran out of food, we could hunt seals, and then if worse came to worse, start sizing up our fellow passengers. Fortunately, we made it out safely. Didn’t even break any boards in the paddlewheel as they have in the past.

Show this evening was the passenger and crew variety Show: “Anything Goes.” Some very impressive performances and lots of fun and good humor. Hotel Manager proved to be a talented singer, deckhand Colleen did a cute skit using two dupes from the audience and a few of her fellow crew members, and Zabby, who does double duty as housekeeper and cocktail server, played a mean piano—learned all by ear. Another male dining room server played guitar and sang. Performers from amongst the passengers included a Country and Western singer/guitar player and a couple of song/storytellers. All not bad.

Dinner was a special treat tonight. While in Petersburg, our maitre de, Scott, picked up fresh Alaskan King Crab legs and large prawns in the shell. This was the inaugural of the Empress Seafood Extravaganza. Everything was served family style and lots of it. After starting us with bread and salad, the servers passed out those cute seafood bibs and brought out the boat-sized platters of our main course. Besides the seafood, there was corn-on-the-cob and potato fingerlings. I think dessert was fresh strawberry shortcake, but I was so zoned in on stuffing myself with seafood, I really don’t remember dessert.

Tomorrow we reach Sitka. Hopefully I can walk off tonight’s dinner there.

Well, what I hoped would be another great day exploring Alaska suddenly took a turn and went into the toilet. Literally! I haven’t been that sick in a very, very long time—and hope to never be again. Won’t go into details, but let’s just say lying curled up on the floor of a very small bathroom wishing they’d just take me and bury me at sea right then and there about covers it.

Missed the narrow Peril Straits that large cruise ships can’t navigate and several animal sightings (including sea lions) as we made our way to Sitka. Worst of all, I missed the Raptor Center where they rehabilitate injured birds of prey like eagles and owls; the Sheldon Jackson Museum which houses artifacts from the four major native groups in Alaska (Eskimo, Aleut, Athabascan, and NW Coast); and several historic sites dealing with the Russian fur trade and the purchase of “Seward’s Folly” (AKA 586,412 acres of ice cubes) better known to all of us as Alaska. Made Hubby go on the shore excursion after lunch time—figured at one of us should enjoy the day. He was so good taking care of me before he left and believe me, some of that was definitely not fun. I managed to get seasick on top of my other problem when we had to cross open water to approach Sitka. (Can I blame it on being confined to a small, claustrophobic bathroom?)

Just to show how nice and helpful the crew were, the gal covering for our housekeeper (she got sick, too) brought me gingerale to help calm my stomach and checked back on me a couple of times during the afternoon while hubby was on shore excursion. Would the crew on a big ship even care—unless they thought you were contagious? Then they lock you away and hope for the best according to other cruisers I spoke with later. Hubby returned late in the afternoon from the tours. Said they were fine which is high praise for him. Told me a bit about what he saw and promised he’d taken pictures of highlights. He also said he took a picture of the horned-owl display at Raptor Center. We think we have two nests of these at home and wanted some comparison.

No reports on food today—crackers, water and soda were it for me. Oh, and the apple cider vinegar “cure” B, our new friend from New Hampshire, sent me. Ugh! K sent me some Imodium later and that probably helped more.

Sad thing about dinner that night was that it was the evening we (our group plus a younger couple also from Australia) were invited to sit at the Officers’ Table and I missed it. Heidi, who’s in charge of the beverage/bar service on the Empress was the officer at the table regaling our rowdy bunch with tales of her “youth” (She looks no older than my mid-twenty something daughter.) before she joined the cruiseline.

Supposedly everyone missed me and offered Hubby lots of advice on cures and possible food to tempt me with. Robert (our server) and Heidi even offered to track down some chicken soup for me. Appreciated the offer, but stuck to the crackers and liquids.

Weather note: It was misty, rainy, and definitely overcast while ship was in Sitka and even earlier through the straits. L, R, K, and B all bought fleece-lined, “American West Steamboat Company” monogrammed raincoats from the ship’s gift shop. Even with those, if you were out and about, you got wet. (Author’s Note: I bought my raincoat the next evening but Hubby wasn’t interested. Hey, I figured it made a quite useful souvenir.)

Our captain had announced during his presentation earlier in the trip that this was the first year American West was granted permits (a total of six, I think) to take the Empress into Glacier Bay. Usually they have to off-load all of us onto smaller sightseeing craft. So glad this was the case or I might have missed out on this part of our cruise as well. Feeling much better, but still not 100% and having a bathroom handy is still a necessity.

A ranger from the National Park Service came on board as we entered the bay. She stayed onboard all day narrating our voyage. She helped the ship’s historian/naturalist, Clara, with wildlife indentification, explained the geology and ecology of the area, and generally kept us all informed as to what we were seeing. (Author’s Note: Interesting restriction while in Glacier Bay: no paper or plastic products were allowed on the outside decks. They are serious about keeping this area as pristine as possible.)

Hubby brought me some oatmeal and orange juice for breakfast. The sweetie! Managed to eat most of it. Decided to stay in cabin and out on our private verandah for most of the day. Nice thing about this cruise, because we sail via channels and passages where larger ships can’t go, both sides of the ship had beautiful views. If something really great appeared on one side—like the brown (grizzly) bear we spotted eating barnacles and mussels at water’s edge—the captain had the pilot do a 180° turn so the opposite side got treated to the same view.

Other wildlife spotted today included seals, over 100 mountain goats, several varieties of birds including black scoters, puffins, gulls, and loons.

Interesting to note that in 1794 when Captain George Vancouver was charting this area, the bay was choked with a wall of ice (the Grand Pacific Glacier). Eighty-five years later, John Muir explored the area and found the several thousand foot thick mantle of ice had retreated 48 miles up the bay. When we got to Margery Glacier, we could also see the Ferris Glacier flowing beside what looked like dirt-covered, low hills. Those “hills” were the remains of the Grand Pacific Glacier. It’s still retreating, giving ground to the Ferris Glacier.

Margery Glacier is a big, jagged wall of ice and very blue except for striations of debris in the outside edges where it’s eroding the mountains it flows between. (Author’s Note: Glaciers leave a very distinctive U-shaped as opposed to V-shaped valley in their path.) Saw several small “growler” (less than six feet) icebergs calving off the face. A larger one calved out of sight, but we could see the waves it created. Could also hear the occasional loud cracking—almost like gunfire or fireworks going off. Seeing these massive fields of ice, it’s not hard to imagine them shaping the topography by grinding the tops off of mountains, scouring out U-shaped valleys, and leaving behind “dunes” of ground up rock.

Feeling well enough by late afternoon to attend the lecture and slideshow presentation with the park ranger. She was very well-spoken, but never preachy. I wondered if she writes, but didn’t get the chance to ask. Evening entertainment was cruise directors Lauri and Scott doing a “Celebrate America” tribute. As before, they did a wonderful job. Talented bunch of performers in this crew.

The gang were all glad to see me back amongst the living. I even managed to eat some dinner. Was hoping to try the swordfish only to discover “it wasn’t available.” Chef had prepared halibut cheeks instead. Both R and I asked Robert “Which cheeks?” I love halibut, but this had a stronger flavor. Not something I’d rave about. Luckily, the soup was broccoli and cheese which I love. Good bread, too. Tried a rootbeer float for dessert (it just sounded good), but Hubby had to finish it. Guess I’m still a bit “off my feed.”

Hope I’m close to 100% tomorrow. Train and streetcar tours planned in Skagway.

Hard to believe we are almost at the end of this amazing trip. Today is Skagway, “Home of the North Wind” according to local Tlingit lore. Winds can be hurricane force here during the winter when the wind blows down off the Canadian ice fields. Temperatures stay well below zero degrees F. We’re talking 40-60 degrees below!! Brrr doesn’t begin to cover it. Fortunately, during our visit the temperature was in the mild, mid 50° F range.Though gold (other than tourist $$) was never discovered here, Skagway and nearby Dyea (now a ghost town) were the supply and “stepping off” points for gold seekers headed into the Klondike. From Dyea, prospectors climbed the “Golden Stairs” of steep Chilkoot Pass. They had to make several trips over this treacherous trail to take in their required (by the RCMP) one ton of supplies. That amount was supposedly what it would take for them to survive one year at the gold fields.

Those looking for an “easier” route, chose the longer White Pass trail (The Trail of ‘98.) that started at Skagway. Part of the trail was later replaced by a toll road, and finally in July of 1900, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad connected Skagway with Whitehorse, Yukon Territory some 110 miles away. Much of the credit for this marvel of engineering goes to Mike Heney, a brash Irish-Canadian contractor who claimed, “Give me enough snoose and dynamite and I’ll build you a road to Hell.”

The WP&YR may not have led to Hell, but it was certainly hell to build. Yet what a tribute to ingenuity, daring, and determination. Only 40 miles of the original route are still used for the excursion train, but what a stunning 40 miles. Steep river canyons where the track hugs the mountainside, several trestles over deep gulches, and cold, dark tunnels boring through solid granite. Lots of snow remained up on the summit and where they shoved it to the sides to clear the track, it looked like we were in snow tunnels. Spectacular scenery everywhere you looked. And even though we all sat on the left side of the cars, the train never even wobbled or threatened to tip. (That’s an inside joke the “guides” onboard shared with us.)

Following the bus ride back to Skagway from Fraser, B.C., where we again had to prove we were legitimate visitors, we ate lunch back on the Empress and hurried to meet our streetcar tour. (Author’s Note: Bus ride was on a large purple and pink motorcoach with a scenic graphic painted on its side featuring a moose. Thus its nickname, the Moose Mobile. Driver was a very entertaining young college student who pointed out the sites and stopped wherever possible to let her passengers get photos. And, as a further side note, there definitely do seem to be only three occupations in most of these isolated Alaskan communities: fishing related, government related, or tourist related.)

After the “Duck” tour in Ketchikan, I wasn’t sure what to expect from our second optional shore excursion, but this fun and frolicking ride through Skagway’s infamous history surpassed all expectations. Of course, it didn’t hurt that our tour guide, Nikki, gave a lively and dramatic flair to all her tales.

There were three refurbished 1920’s vintage streetcars on our tour. Two carried the Empress passengers who chose this excursion while the other joined us from one of the two big cruise ships also in port. Supposedly they came by to see the Empress and decided to join our merry band. I got the feeling the three guides often work together. They were all women dressed in period costumes (you gotta love those bloomers and fancy hats) and all took turns telling the historic tales as we made our stops.

Steetcar tours were originally started by a German entrepreneur who worked delivering coal. When President Harding was visiting Alaska and planned a stop in Skagway, town leaders realized they needed vehicles to transport the President and all his entourage. They quickly called on the locals to bring every available rig to the wharf. Our ingenious GE cleaned out his coal truck, threw in some benches, painted it bright yellow, and headed for the wharf. Lo and behold, President H. picked GE’s rig as his personal transport. Recognizing the business possibilities of this coup, GE started his streetcar tours. Eventually, the popularity led to a trip to Hollywood and a meeting with that famous actress of the times, Mae West. From hauling coal to “Why don’t cha come up and see me sometime?” Not bad.

Perhaps the most interesting stop on the tour was the Pioneer cemetery where we were treated to a rousing rendition of the tale of shyster “Soapy” Smith who loved bilking unwary prospectors out of their hard won gold. He met his end at the hands of Frank Reid, town surveyor and hero. (Who unfortunately was many years later discovered to be almost as much of a shyster as Smith.) Reid has a large monument in the cemetery; Smith is buried just outside the cemetery boundaries in what for a long time was an unmarked grave. No sacred ground for scoundrels—or at least most of them.

At the end of the tour, we were invited into a meeting hall for a short talk and slideshow to finish off our history lesson. We were also made honorary members of the “Arctic Brotherhood,” a fraternal organization from the Gold Rush era. Still not up to full speed after my bout of flu, I left Hubby to walk around downtown and headed back to the ship for a nap.

That evening, our next to last onboard, was the Captain’s Farewell Dinner. Our little conclave of eight new friends had a lively time visiting and exchanging addresses while tucking into a delicious “surf and turf” (lobster and steak) meal. By this point on the trip, we’d all discovered the ice cream sundae alternative to dessert choices. (Author’s Note: By now I’m sure J has forgotten the whole sundae “pirating” incident. Not that his strawberry ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top was ever in any real danger.) Since I was feeling up to handling a small helping of ice cream, L (my new Aussie friend) carefully explained to our gracious and very patient and tolerant server, Robert, to bring me a serving of strawberry ice cream of the size that would fit in the butter dishes they used. (And what Robert did serve it in—minus the butter of course.) She, however, wanted to try something different. Had she ever had a banana split? No. Then he [Robert] would have Brittany (another server who put up with us in good spirits) to make L the banana split of all banana splits. L’s expression when her sundae arrived was priceless. That thing was the size of a serving platter! Needless to say, she asked for and got eager help from the rest of the gang in tackling her culinary giant.

Our entertainment earlier that evening was a local musician and songwriter, Steven Hites. Hites is a very talented fellow; his show, “North to Alaska,” was a hoot. Songs and stories ranged from classics like “North to Alaska” to some original tunes about people like Mike Heney who helped make the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad a reality. (Author’s Note: Think I read somewhere Hites was also involved in the revival of the streetcar tours. He provided the songs and talk at the end of the tour we took.)

Tomorrow, back down the Lynn Canal to Juneau and our final full day of this trip.

Woke up feeling pretty much as good as ever (no comments on that, okay?) and ready for our last two days of our cruise. We were scheduled to sail up Tracy Arm (a 20 mile long fjord) this morning to South Sawyer Glacier, but reports on the ice pack still in place that would keep us some distance from it and the fact we’d seen some pretty spectacular glacier already nixxed that. Instead, the captain has promised us whales. That’s the one thing the majority of passengers haven’t seen yet. So, until we have to turn for Juneau to make our excursion times for the Mendenhall Glacier and Alaskan Salmon Bake, we are going on a whale hunt.

And we all have absolute faith in our captain. So far, he has delivered every sight he promised. Well, there was the missing lighthouse, but we won’t count that.

Between sightings, we used the time to pack nonessentials and hear the “Disembarkation Talk.” Seems they don’t want any of us losing our luggage or missing our airline connections on Saturday. Passengers left behind are probably either turned out on the ice floes or sold as worker bees to the big cruise ships. Couldn’t let you stay on the Empress, even having to work on her might be too much fun.

Did I say between sightings? Yes, our captain made good on his promise. We found several humpback whales. We joked the crew lured them with the missing swordfish dinner. Didn’t see a breach, but lots of “spy-bopping” (just poking their heads above water again and again to sneak a peek); that movement where they sort of do a shallow, gliding dive with their back arcing above the water; and of course, fluking—that well recognized tail action. Gosh, but they are glorious and graceful creatures. A fitting addition to the over thirty species of mammals and birds we’ve seen in the wild on our trip.

We arrived in Alaska’s capital city about 2:00 PM. Talk about a city walled in by mountains. And it’s right smack in the middle of the Tongass National Forest as well. It fronts Gastineau Channel—which looked like a big mud flat in many places when the tide was out. Across the channel is Douglas, another mining town during the Gold Rush until cave-ins flooded the tunnels. It’s also the better place to live according to one of our bus drivers. And some years back they even put in the one bridge between Douglas and Juneau, making it a bit more convenient.

Course, there aren’t many roads here anyway. I may have my facts confused, but I think we were told the only major (4-lane) highway is about 40 miles long from one end to the other. According to our excursion bus driver, you can’t get arrested for grand theft auto here, just joy riding. Seems you have to take an auto over 100 miles away for it to qualify as grand theft.

Like most of the cities we’ve visited on this trip, Juneau has a colorful Gold Rush Era history. In fact, the hillsides directly behind the city are honeycombed with miles and miles of mining tunnels. Nowadays, its gold is the tourist industry. The whole section of town by the cruise ship docks is a collection of shops, cafes, a few taverns, and a tram-ride (an expensive little side trip we passed on) all catering to the thousands of visitors who overrun this place during the summer months. We did do a bit of sightseeing and a bit of shopping (got a couple of cute Alaskan themed Christmas ornaments) before our excursion, but not for long. We mostly walked and looked.

(Author’s Note: One thing I noticed while walking in and out of shops was the atitude of some salespeople. While most were very friendly and helpful, I had to laugh at the snooty/suspicious ones in the higher end shops with fine jewelry and furs. Guess Hubby and I didn’t look like big spenders, just lookie-lou’s wasting their time. Or maybe possible thieves.) 4:00 PM found us boarding buses to head out on our included shore excursions. We got a young driver this trip. He was a nice enough young man, but I think maybe he was fairly new and nervous at his job. He knew the patter, but had this giggly laugh after everything he said that unfortunately grew to annoy me after awhile. I tried to treat it like white noise and that helped. Arriving at Mendenhall Glacier’s Visitors’ Center made putting up with “Giggles” worth the minor annoyance. Though the glacier can be seen in the background from points all over the Juneau area, getting within about a half mile of its rugged, blue, 100 foot high face is a different matter entirely. Magnificent barely begins to describe any of these giant rivers of ice we have been privileged to see.

From the viewpoint, we walked back to the Visitors’ Center where we watched a short film about the glacier and looked through the exhibits. Our new friends from New Hampshire had visited Mendenhall Glacier about a decade ago. The Visitors’ Center wasn’t in existence then. In fact, the glacier itself was either up to the point or just a short distance away. In other words, half to two-thirds closer than it is nowadays. The magnificent waterfall to the right of the glacier ran over and down through part of it then. Earlier on our walk to the viewpoint overlooking Mendenhall Lake, we saw rocks the size of cars and trucks that were once under the glacier and had been hollowed/scooped out by this waterfall.

Looking at the historical data, it’s amazing how rapidly these ice rivers can retreat and advance. There are currently glaciers in both categories, though we rarely hear about the advancing ones. And, yes, weather patterns do have a great deal to do with that. (Author’s Note: However, I appreciated the fact all the rangers here and other places we visited tried to give us unbiased facts rather than opening that can of worms debate on whether current weather patterns are due to global warming or to just the natural, long-term cycle of those patterns. I won’t get into that debate right now either.)

Dinner on our final evening was a special treat. Leaving Mendenhall Glacier, our buses wound back through the out-lying areas of Juneau, turned into a small industrial park, and then turned again just past the transit yard where our buses originate. Tucked into the hillside and screened by trees and shrubbery from its suburban surroundings is a small, private park, home to a company that puts on an authentic Alaskan Salmon Bake. Well, at least the cooking method—grilling over a wood fire with lots of yummy seasonings and brown sugar based BBQ sauce—is probably authentic. The rest of the meal is set up on outside buffet carts and includes green salad, coleslaw, beans, rice, delicious cornbread, BBQ’d ribs and chicken. Blueberry cake for dessert. Helping to keep the place tidy and crumb free were a pair of mallard ducks and an assortment of ravens. A musician/folksinger also provided entertainment.

After stuffing ourselves, Gary took a tour of the grounds to see the waterfall and old mining equipment while I opted to visit with the new friends we would soon be parted from. (Author’s Note: I know how tired and a bit low-spirited (grumpy?) I was feeling, and I could see or sense those same feelings in many of the other passengers. As much as we all enjoyed our journey and each other’s company, perhaps we were all experiencing minor “cabin fever” from spending so much time and space with the same 200 people for over a week and a half. Everyone seemed a bit relieved to be heading home on Saturday.)

Because our excursion ran so late in the day, our seating for the evening’s shipboard entertainment wasn’t until after 9:00 PM. With some packing, farewell notes, and other last minute miscellaneous things to finish, I didn’t go down for the final show. Hubby did and said I would have enjoyed it as it was my kind of music. The performer’s were “Up Country,” a Portland, Oregon based country and western group.

Finding myself with very mixed emotions about the end of our trip as I write this. Sad to see it end; sadder yet to say goodbye to friends we were just getting to know. We all promised to stay in touch, but. . . . Maybe I’m just a bit homesick, too. And ready to sleep in my own bed.

(Author’s Note: We lucked out again. Weather both days in Juneau was sunny and warm. Shirt sleeves or a light jacket were all you needed during the day. Evenings it cooled off fast.)

Up a bit earlier than usual today as we are in the “white coded” group scheduled for an 8:15 AM disembarkation. Early as that is, it’s much better than J and S’s group. They had to leave at 4:30 AM to make their connections back to the Philadelphia area and will be flying and “laying-over” until very late tonight to get home.

K and B, the couple from New Hampshire, also left earlier (7 something) for their departure from Juneau. But go figure this: once they reach Seattle they will have to lay-over until 10:00 PM or so, and then fly all night to Boston area. It will be sometime Sunday morning before they reach their home. We promised to track them down when our flight reaches Seattle and visit a bit longer.

L and R from Australia will leave about the same time we do from the Empress, but they will head straight to the airport to make their connections. From Seattle, they are heading to Whidbey Island for their last week in the States before heading back to Oz. We had a long good-bye with them while our buses were loading. (And all for nought as it turned out later.)

Since our flight isn’t until nearly 2:00 PM, we are being taken to the Baranof Hotel in downtown Juneau to spend the next 3-3½ hours in a “hospitality room.” From there, we will take our final bus ride to the airport.

Later. Too bad there weren’t cots in that hospitality room instead of just tables and chairs as several of us declared we were tired enough to sleep. No munchies as we’d had in our similar waiting room back at the start of the trip, but they did have water, coffee and tea.

With time to kill, Hubby and I went back down to the waterfront tourist area and browsed some more in the shops. That was a spendy decision. I decided I really needed an Alaskan Jade souvenir so I bought a 2-3 inch high little green horse. Got my daughter a tiny cat sculpture as well. Pricy stuff, but very beautiful. And traveling is no fun if you don’t buy a few things to remember it by, right? Well, maybe not as many as some people do (I’m not mentioning names).

Our eventual trip to the airport was actually fun as our driver was a local from Douglas across the channel. Had lots of amusing tales of the local area he shared with his captive audience. (Author’s Note: Though someone really needs to coordinate/assign jokes in all ports of call on these cruises. We heard a lot of jokes again and again at each stop.) My favorite tale from this driver was about the only air-traffic accident involving a plane and a flying salmon. Seems an eagle on his way home with his salmon catch and a departing Alaskan Airline jet nearly bumped into one another. In avoiding the plane, the eagle dropped his dinner which smacked against the pilot’s window. Pilot kept his cool and his plane on course, but had to radio in an incident report to the control tower as required. Once he got them to understand what he hit (or hit him)—and that took some time—they checked all the regulations, couldn’t find procedures to cover such an incident, but decided it was probably best if he returned to the ground and got the plane checked out. A bemused ground crew inspected the plane, cleaned off the salmon splatter, and sent the pilot and his plane on their way. Being a smart bird, the eagle probably found a stream far from the airport and spent the rest of his day fishing to relax his jangled nerves.

At the airport, we gathered our luggage which the cruiseline had delivered during the night and packed it about a mile to the check-in counter. Well it seemed that far (and it wasn’t just a short hop) with four big suitcases and 2 carry-on bags. And of course, no luggage cart in sight. Next time I vow to pack lighter. Then came more waiting as it was only noon and our flight time was still a couple of hours away. Ate a nice lunch in the airport cafe and were finally allowed through security about 1:00 PM. (Author’s Note: After experiencing Hubby setting off the metal detector in both Victoria and Vancouver, I kept my distance from him while proceeding through this checkpoint. Needn’t have bothered, he didn’t set off even a peep of an alarm this time.)

After security, we waited some more. Spent the time reading, people watching, and visiting with (you guessed it) some of our fellow cruise passengers. We’d all seen each other so much it almost felt as if we were part of the same, large, extended family. Only bad news during waiting was that our flight was delayed about half an hour to forty-five minutes due to weather conditions near Seattle. Guess our good weather luck had run out.

However, about that time, more bad news arrive in the form of a very hassled, harried, and understandably grumpy and tired R and L. When asked why they were still in Alaska, and hopefully not because L got sidetracked at the local Wal-Mart, they told us of their latest adventure in travel hell. They arrived at the airport in fine shape that AM only to discover the cruiseline never issued/set-up their airline tickets back to Seattle. When they finally got that straightened out, they headed for security. There the lucky ducks had that magic code on their tickets that entitled them to a full body strip search . . . well, almost that bad. And then guess what? The ticking agent must have had them on standby because, oops, the flight was full. Have to wait for a later flight.

To make a long story a bit shorter, after spending some more time back in Juneau sightseeing and learning some cabdrivers don’t know what making change is, they ended up on our flight. Happily, the airline did graciously upgrade them to first class.

For the rest of us, seating assignments were rather haphazard. Hubby and I weren’t even close to each other. (Not always a bad thing.) However, the flight wasn’t full and there were enough empty seats for everyone to shuffle around and end up seating where they wanted to.

Too cloudy to see much on the flight back, so I read and dozed. No flying fish on this flight, not even much turbulence. Still lots of familiar faces including several of the Empress’ crew who were rotating out for vacation. The rest of the crew and their replacements were busy, right at about our flight time, greeting the next group of passengers and heading out on a seven day cruise.

K and B were there to greet us (all of us as they’d learned of R and L’s adventure) at the gate. We visited for a bit longer, had another tearful goodbye-stay-in-touch session, and at last went our separate ways. Hubby left me at curbside guarding our luggage while he took the shuttle bus to the hotel to retrieve our car. Note to self: remember to find a waiting spot in a non-smoking area next time. A short time later, we were loaded up and heading out into Seattle traffic (oh joy of joys). We are staying overnight in a hotel near Seattle Center and will meet up with Hubby’s brother’s family for lunch and a visit tomorrow. Then, I think we will head for home. We’d talked about spending a couple of days in Seattle, but home is calling me. If Hubby doesn’t mind, this trip—as fun and exciting as it’s been—is over. When we recover, we can start planning our next grand adventure.