Juneau, AK - In search of GOLD!

Welcome to Juneau, AK!  Our 2nd port stop on our cruise.

After docking, our first trip was a tram ride up Mount Roberts.  It was a very steep tram ride, and very scenic as well.  We hiked around a bit after getting there.  Also, there was a FANTASTIC shop at the top of the Mtn.

Then it was off to the gold mine to learn about one of the gold mines in Juneau, the Gastineau Gold Mine.  One of our tour guides was actually a miner, waiting on his next job to begin.  He was VERY entertaining and informative as well.

There were 2 boys, ages probably 8-12 yrs, who were just fantastic to be near.  They were so excited about the prospects of finding gold and getting rich, that they asked all the right questions at all the best times.  Humorous indeed!!!

After the tour, we headed back into town for exploring and shopping.  Yes, you can't hit a port and not do a little shopping!!!  

Then back to the ship and off to the next destination!

Ketchikan, AK - Totems, Salmon and Bald Eagles

Ketchikan was our first port.  It is a small fishing, mining and tourism town.  Tourist season (i.e. the arrival of cruise ships and shoppers) easily doubles the average size of this town at 14,000 with the influx of shop owners and jewelry sales people.  Yes, I said jewelry. We learned that the ports of Alaska are Tax Free-Duty Free ports, thus the reason for so many seasonal jewelry stores.  There were also 2 other cruise ships at port in Ketchikan with us.

Our ‘excursion’, if you will, at Ketchikan was really not much more than a glorified bus drive.  We rode with a bus full of 55 other tourists to Totem Blithe National Park to view ‘recreated’ totems which were cared for by the Nation Park.  They were out in the open air. 

Ketchikan is a Tempered Rain Forest, so the older totems were not outside. 

Our 2nd stop on the tour was to a museum which had a few of the older, decaying totems inside. 

Our 3rd stop was to an eagle reserve and fish hatchery.  The eagle reserve part was simply 2 bald eagles which were injured in the Ketchikan region and unable to fly.  Because of this, they were kept in the reserve.  It was almost heartbreaking to see them kept inside.

The hatchery was for salmon.  It was interesting to see and hear the tales of keeping the hatchery and the production of stronger, better fish. Really....

OK.. Enough of that!  How about just a few random, beautiful pictures!  These are of that day, some in Ketchikan, some at sea.  Enjoy!

We enjoyed Ketchikan.  Though.. I'll definitely choose a different excursion next time!

Cruise Day 1 - Departing Vancouver

Leaving Vancouver was bitter-sweet, if you will.  We were excited to be forward with the cruise and sad to say good-bye Vancouver!  But we endured, said our farewell with a cup of coffee in hand and boarded our vessel, the ms Statendam.

On board, we were first treated to buffet lunch and then, after 2pm, were allowed to go to our staterooms.

At this point, we unpacked our bags then headed back to deck to say farewell to Vancouver.

We were hoping to see a whale or two on our way out, but were not so fortunate.

Still, what a beautiful skyline,even on a cool and overcast day!

Vancouver, BC - The beginning

Since I didn't get to blog while on vacation, (which is a good thing, I needed the break from the internet!) I'll start blogging now from the beginning. 

Let me start by saying that we just LOVED Vancouver BC!  We stayed at the Days Inn Downtown which was right in the heart of the city, near everything that we wanted to see.  We arrived around noon local time and took the train from the airport and walked out 2 blocks from the hotel, an easy stroll down the street!  

 After checking in at the hotel and getting bags put away, we went out to see what Vancouver has to offer.  We walked first down to the cruise terminal, again only 2 blocks from the hotel.  We met a wonderful couple there who advised us that they just loved Holland America cruises and that we had made a perfect choice for our first cruise!  That’s always so incredibly nice to hear.  

They also shared info about a great place to lunch across the way in North Vancouver.  So we meandered over to the seabus terminal and took a seabus across the bay to the Lonsdale Gale Market where we enjoyed fish and chips for lunch. 

This turned into dinner for us, as by the time we arrived back to our hotel room, we were totally wiped out!  The next morning, we explored more of Vancouver afoot.  Again, we ventured over to the cruise terminal where we took a couple of pics with our ship, the Ms Statendam.

And then it was time to prepare to cruise!  

Soon to Cruise Alaska

It's almost ironic that my first blog trip will *not* be a road trip.  Rather, we will soon embark on a cruise to Alaska.  Although, I guess there will be a bit of road work before the flight out to Vancouver, BC.  We are in Lubbock, Texas and will travel to Abilene, Texas to drop off girls at the in-law's and then forward to D/FW to depart. 

4 more days to Vancouver, BC... So excited!