Seattle and Ketchikan
From May 17-24, my husband and I took our first ever trip without the children since we were married twenty-five years before. We took a cruise of the Inside Passage of Alaska and it was the best time I have ever had. I understand the lyricist's words "Purple mountains majesty". We sailed aboard the Star Princess, my favorite of all seven cruises as far as ships go. It was just the right size and interestingly laid out.
Hang on, here we go.
This is Mount Ranier, an active volcano overlooking Seattle, the port from which we sailed. It seems as though it is close and hovering but in reality it is seventy miles away.
This was the first snow capped mountain that I saw. Little did I know what was to come.
Our anniversary decorations outside our stateroom. They also brought us a *delicious* chocolate cake with gold Princess logos and ganache...decadent.
The only stoplight in downtown Ketchikan, Alaska.
Self-explanatory as to why this cracked us up. However, our tour guide assured us that Chico was overstepping his bounds with his claim to the Best Pizza In Town.
As we all know, huskies are 'workin' dawgs', therefore when a sled dog gets old enough to retire from sledding, they continue their 'work' by riding along on the
horse drawn carriages. How pretty is this baby?
Horses have the right-of-way over wheelchairs. Trust me on this.
Old Episcopalian Church
When we were there, the temps were in the high fifties and sixties. The flowers in Ketchikan were gorgeous.
And there's my baby. Though a different color that the stereotypical husky, this baby is still full blooded. Caramel eyes and that beautiful coloring reminded
me of my toy poodle, Sheba. I gave it a very special name in my heart. He (she?) licked me and seemed to know I was a 'dog person'.
Mama watched carefully to be certain all was well but she didn't get up. She allowed me to play with Baby.
I believe this is one of my favorite pictures. I'm getting kisses from the husky baby. I was supposed to go dogsledding but you had to be able to
walk 900 feet. That's three football fields. I can walk about 25 steps. I was devastated. But God in His infinite wisdom
had another plan for me to get face to face with a husky puppy. A Very Special Husky Puppy.
These next two photos, if you live in Ky or Tn...
Reminded me very much of Gatlinburg and the Great Smokey Mountains. As a child, my father would take my brother and me right
up the center of a stream like this, climbing boulders, getting wet. Great fun.
A sea otter floating on its back.
This photo is specifically for my friend Raul, an excellent photographer who is good at getting different angles on ordinary things
to make them seem extraordinary. Our tour guide owned two fishing boats, though her rheumatoid arthritis
now prevents her from working them, so she developed the "Walk and Roll" excursion specifically for people who are wheelchair bound.
It was a very good tour.
One of her captains had trained a bald eagle to come and get his leftover bait and it would come down and eat from his hand.
Beauty on the horizon.
More beauty...layering of mountains.
Sunset after Ketchikan
Next time: Tracy's Arm
From May 17-24, my husband and I took our first ever trip without the children since we were married twenty-five years before. We took a cruise of the Inside Passage of Alaska and it was the best time I have ever had. I understand the lyricist's words "Purple mountains majesty". We sailed aboard the Star Princess, my favorite of all seven cruises as far as ships go. It was just the right size and interestingly laid out.
Hang on, here we go.
This is Mount Ranier, an active volcano overlooking Seattle, the port from which we sailed. It seems as though it is close and hovering but in reality it is seventy miles away.
This was the first snow capped mountain that I saw. Little did I know what was to come.
Our anniversary decorations outside our stateroom. They also brought us a *delicious* chocolate cake with gold Princess logos and ganache...decadent.
The only stoplight in downtown Ketchikan, Alaska.
Self-explanatory as to why this cracked us up. However, our tour guide assured us that Chico was overstepping his bounds with his claim to the Best Pizza In Town.
As we all know, huskies are 'workin' dawgs', therefore when a sled dog gets old enough to retire from sledding, they continue their 'work' by riding along on the
horse drawn carriages. How pretty is this baby?
Horses have the right-of-way over wheelchairs. Trust me on this.
Old Episcopalian Church
When we were there, the temps were in the high fifties and sixties. The flowers in Ketchikan were gorgeous.
And there's my baby. Though a different color that the stereotypical husky, this baby is still full blooded. Caramel eyes and that beautiful coloring reminded
me of my toy poodle, Sheba. I gave it a very special name in my heart. He (she?) licked me and seemed to know I was a 'dog person'.
Mama watched carefully to be certain all was well but she didn't get up. She allowed me to play with Baby.
I believe this is one of my favorite pictures. I'm getting kisses from the husky baby. I was supposed to go dogsledding but you had to be able to
walk 900 feet. That's three football fields. I can walk about 25 steps. I was devastated. But God in His infinite wisdom
had another plan for me to get face to face with a husky puppy. A Very Special Husky Puppy.
These next two photos, if you live in Ky or Tn...
Reminded me very much of Gatlinburg and the Great Smokey Mountains. As a child, my father would take my brother and me right
up the center of a stream like this, climbing boulders, getting wet. Great fun.
A sea otter floating on its back.
This photo is specifically for my friend Raul, an excellent photographer who is good at getting different angles on ordinary things
to make them seem extraordinary. Our tour guide owned two fishing boats, though her rheumatoid arthritis
now prevents her from working them, so she developed the "Walk and Roll" excursion specifically for people who are wheelchair bound.
It was a very good tour.
One of her captains had trained a bald eagle to come and get his leftover bait and it would come down and eat from his hand.
Beauty on the horizon.
More beauty...layering of mountains.
Sunset after Ketchikan
Next time: Tracy's Arm
Tracy's Arm
This day was listed on the itinerary as "scenic touring" from 6-10 am.
Now normally, it's going to take something really good to get me out of
the bed at that hour, but this day, I rolled out at 5:30 am, wide awake.
Man, oh man, was it worth it.
5:30 am in Alaska...does it get any better than this? Surprisingly, it does.
The next few pictures speak for themselves. Sheer. Breathtaking. Beauty.
Wait...what is that in the water?
My first iceberg.
Let's go back and look at the beauty and splendor.
The big 'U' scoop in the middle was made by a glacier.
Um...Captain?
Um...Captain.
Captain! Are you looking over here?
See where the flat white area is? That is a glacier.
We did not get all the way back to the glacier because the bridge crew discovered that there were hundreds
and hundreds of baby harbor seals and would not disturb the nursery. I was very pleased that they
took such a precaution with nature.
Leaving Tracy's Arm Glacier and the nursery.
Um...Captain?
CAPTAIN!
WHOA CAPTAIN! We were told that the bluer the iceberg the more pure the water. However, if you picked
up bottled water that said it was "glacier pure", then you were to remember that glaciers are really quite filthy.
Full of rocks and sediment.
This is glacial abrasion. When the glacier moved, it took pieces of the rock with it.
A closer look at the glacial abrasion.
One last look back at what the words "scenic cruising" didn't begin to describe.
This day was listed on the itinerary as "scenic touring" from 6-10 am.
Now normally, it's going to take something really good to get me out of
the bed at that hour, but this day, I rolled out at 5:30 am, wide awake.
Man, oh man, was it worth it.
5:30 am in Alaska...does it get any better than this? Surprisingly, it does.
The next few pictures speak for themselves. Sheer. Breathtaking. Beauty.
Wait...what is that in the water?
My first iceberg.
Let's go back and look at the beauty and splendor.
The big 'U' scoop in the middle was made by a glacier.
Um...Captain?
Um...Captain.
Captain! Are you looking over here?
See where the flat white area is? That is a glacier.
We did not get all the way back to the glacier because the bridge crew discovered that there were hundreds
and hundreds of baby harbor seals and would not disturb the nursery. I was very pleased that they
took such a precaution with nature.
Leaving Tracy's Arm Glacier and the nursery.
Um...Captain?
CAPTAIN!
WHOA CAPTAIN! We were told that the bluer the iceberg the more pure the water. However, if you picked
up bottled water that said it was "glacier pure", then you were to remember that glaciers are really quite filthy.
Full of rocks and sediment.
This is glacial abrasion. When the glacier moved, it took pieces of the rock with it.
A closer look at the glacial abrasion.
One last look back at what the words "scenic cruising" didn't begin to describe.
Juneau
The following pictures were taken in Juneau. The capital of Alaska was quite a disappointment.
The town itself seemed to be a rather pitiful place. I didn't see the capital building. One road
approximately forty miles long was all that went through the city. You had to come in by
boat or by plane. We saw many of the planes with pontoons. It was most interesting.
Some people drove by Sarah Palin's house. I didn't ask whether they could see Russia or not.
Husband and I went on a Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest. Here was the treasure
of Juneau. The boat was wonderful. Glassed in, binoculars for every two people. Just lovely.
The following pictures were taken in Juneau. The capital of Alaska was quite a disappointment.
The town itself seemed to be a rather pitiful place. I didn't see the capital building. One road
approximately forty miles long was all that went through the city. You had to come in by
boat or by plane. We saw many of the planes with pontoons. It was most interesting.
Some people drove by Sarah Palin's house. I didn't ask whether they could see Russia or not.
Husband and I went on a Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest. Here was the treasure
of Juneau. The boat was wonderful. Glassed in, binoculars for every two people. Just lovely.
Steve's first humpback whale fluke. Pretty good picture considering how hard it is to anticipate the photograph.
Is it any wonder that fishermen of old thought they were seeing a sea monster?
Mama and baby.
Baby decides to splash.
And time to BLOW!
Time for a terminal dive. In Alaska, terminal dives are about 15 minutes as opposed to 25 minutes in Hawaii.
The fluke going in...but there seem to be extra parts to the whale...what could it be?
The herring were running and herring are the tiniest bit faster than humpbacks, therefore the
humpbacks used trickery to get their meals.
humpbacks used trickery to get their meals.
The fish are afraid of the light, so the whale would open its mouth. This gave the
fish three choices: towards the light of the surface, uh, nope; towards the flashing
pectoral fins that the whale would deliberately flap because they are white underneath,
uh, nope; or the dark gaping maw of the whale's
pectoral fins that the whale would deliberately flap because they are white underneath,
uh, nope; or the dark gaping maw of the whale's
mouth...yes! For those fortunate herring who escaped the whale's mouth, crafty little
seals would barrel roll with the humpback and snag the herring that thought they were safe.
Mmmm.....seal lunch!
seals would barrel roll with the humpback and snag the herring that thought they were safe.
Mmmm.....seal lunch!
This is NOAA. Yes, THAT NOAA.
Stellar Sea Lions
Much cuter and less stinky one at a time rather than hundreds at a time.
Yes, a bald eagle in the wild.
Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the cruise, this sweetheart belongs to Libby Riddles,
the first woman to win the Iditerod (1985)
At wheelchair height, I was perfect for this friendly sled dog to come put her paws on my
shoulders and give me a Sled Dog Facial,
including cleaning my glasses. I told Steve I'd never wash my face again and laughed. He
said I'd be washing my mouth before he'd kiss me after the dog
all but wiped my lips off my face! I loved it.
Libby uses mixed breeds sometimes, as she findis they work well as sled dogs. She had
another dog there that was the more
traditional husky or perhaps a husky mix, but it was more reserved than this one who
obviously knew a dog person when she saw one!
the first woman to win the Iditerod (1985)
At wheelchair height, I was perfect for this friendly sled dog to come put her paws on my
shoulders and give me a Sled Dog Facial,
including cleaning my glasses. I told Steve I'd never wash my face again and laughed. He
said I'd be washing my mouth before he'd kiss me after the dog
all but wiped my lips off my face! I loved it.
Libby uses mixed breeds sometimes, as she findis they work well as sled dogs. She had
another dog there that was the more
traditional husky or perhaps a husky mix, but it was more reserved than this one who
obviously knew a dog person when she saw one!
Skagway
This is Skagway, a charming little town, emphasis on little. Half of the shops were jewelry stores, all of those visited by us would gladly lower their prices if they thought you were going out the door.
Horse and buggy rides in the charming Skagway.
Can you imagine living in this charming town with that view down at the end of the street? Yes, that's our huge cruise ship way down there.
Steve decided that he'd like to take the shore excursion which was a ride on a train up the mountain.
Great scenery, according to advertising. Myself, I'm not a train person, but I am a scenery person
and it was handicapped accessible.
Once again, I draw the attention of those of you who have visited the Great Smokey Mountains to the
pebble strewn stream. We're at the bottom of the mountain.
The scenery begins.
The majesty of God's handiwork just takes your breath away.
Breathtaking...and it has nothing to do with the altitude.
Look up! Cool. Looking down...not so cool...but we'll get to that in a bit.
A Train! A Train! A Train! A Train! Would you, could you, on a train? I love me some Theodor Geisel. (and a nod to the brilliant writers of NCIS)
I've never spoken more truthfully than when I tell you that pictures do not do the reality justice.
More than one person exclaimed "It's a Bob Ross tree!"
At this point, my complexion took on a decidedly green cast...
Note the light blue frozen water on the right. This is a lake covered with snow. It was gorgeous and such a change from the little pebble strewn stream
below, yet both forms of water and both beautiful in different ways. This one seemed exceptionally pretty because it was not something I'd
ever seen before. I was raised in an idyllic small town in Texas. Water doesn't freeze over lakes in Texas. Not the part I was from anyway.
This photo was taken from inside the train...straight down...suddenly I really didn't like trains....
Gulp...uh...gulch...gulp.
Mr. Conductor
One last scare....but the entire trip was worth meeting an extraordinary woman named Joanne. (They stick all us wheelchair folks together in
case we cause a riot, haha) She had ALS and was one year into her disease. Already the disease was ravaging her body. It was a meeting I
will never forget. She looked out the window, and with the ferocity that only a woman who knew she had a death sentence hanging over her head
could use, said, "But I got to see *ALASKA*". It broke my heart and gave me new inspiration at the same time. I will be praying for Joanne
and her husband. I hope you will too.
While in a local fudge shop in Skagway, the owner was hiring a young boy about 19 or 20. He and two of his buddies had lost their jobs in
Washington state and had pooled their money for plane tickets to Alaska so that they could find work. The man had part time work for the
boy and had directed them to cheap housing. He knew a guy who would rent them a four sided canvas tent, probably like the one pictured
here for $450 a month. Evidently housing is pricey in Alaska or scarce.
The girl who drove our bus to catch the whale watching boat said that she came to Alaska for the "season", meaning tourist season, on a three
day ferry ride from Washington state. They slept in a tent on deck, but a storm came up the third night and very nearly blew them overboard.
We were amazed at what these young people would do for work.
This is Skagway, a charming little town, emphasis on little. Half of the shops were jewelry stores, all of those visited by us would gladly lower their prices if they thought you were going out the door.
Horse and buggy rides in the charming Skagway.
Can you imagine living in this charming town with that view down at the end of the street? Yes, that's our huge cruise ship way down there.
Steve decided that he'd like to take the shore excursion which was a ride on a train up the mountain.
Great scenery, according to advertising. Myself, I'm not a train person, but I am a scenery person
and it was handicapped accessible.
Once again, I draw the attention of those of you who have visited the Great Smokey Mountains to the
pebble strewn stream. We're at the bottom of the mountain.
The scenery begins.
The majesty of God's handiwork just takes your breath away.
Breathtaking...and it has nothing to do with the altitude.
Look up! Cool. Looking down...not so cool...but we'll get to that in a bit.
A Train! A Train! A Train! A Train! Would you, could you, on a train? I love me some Theodor Geisel. (and a nod to the brilliant writers of NCIS)
I've never spoken more truthfully than when I tell you that pictures do not do the reality justice.
More than one person exclaimed "It's a Bob Ross tree!"
At this point, my complexion took on a decidedly green cast...
Note the light blue frozen water on the right. This is a lake covered with snow. It was gorgeous and such a change from the little pebble strewn stream
below, yet both forms of water and both beautiful in different ways. This one seemed exceptionally pretty because it was not something I'd
ever seen before. I was raised in an idyllic small town in Texas. Water doesn't freeze over lakes in Texas. Not the part I was from anyway.
This photo was taken from inside the train...straight down...suddenly I really didn't like trains....
Gulp...uh...gulch...gulp.
Mr. Conductor
One last scare....but the entire trip was worth meeting an extraordinary woman named Joanne. (They stick all us wheelchair folks together in
case we cause a riot, haha) She had ALS and was one year into her disease. Already the disease was ravaging her body. It was a meeting I
will never forget. She looked out the window, and with the ferocity that only a woman who knew she had a death sentence hanging over her head
could use, said, "But I got to see *ALASKA*". It broke my heart and gave me new inspiration at the same time. I will be praying for Joanne
and her husband. I hope you will too.
While in a local fudge shop in Skagway, the owner was hiring a young boy about 19 or 20. He and two of his buddies had lost their jobs in
Washington state and had pooled their money for plane tickets to Alaska so that they could find work. The man had part time work for the
boy and had directed them to cheap housing. He knew a guy who would rent them a four sided canvas tent, probably like the one pictured
here for $450 a month. Evidently housing is pricey in Alaska or scarce.
The girl who drove our bus to catch the whale watching boat said that she came to Alaska for the "season", meaning tourist season, on a three
day ferry ride from Washington state. They slept in a tent on deck, but a storm came up the third night and very nearly blew them overboard.
We were amazed at what these young people would do for work.
Canada
Now to Canada for the first time. Victoria, British Columbia. Vancouver is set to host the 2010 Olympic games. If so, there's a lot of work to be done, particularly in the handicapped accessibility department.
My beloved husband on his first trip out of the country.
The Empress Hotel
A French-Canadian bulldog. Sweet, but certainly no Mei Mei. When a German Shepherd walked by, she surrendered.
Flowers outside the Empress.
I decided this was a "Me Tree". Droopy and kind of low to the ground, lol.
Just struck me funny...
Like our painted horses, they have dolphins.
A rather odd sculpture because the thing balanced in the center is a canoe with those flower pods in it. I am uncertain as to the meaning, or if it
was unfinished. There was an arts fair going on which appeared to be an inferior version of our local Pioneer Festival. I did see some
exceptional hand made local art pieces in the shops. They just didn't come from these folks.
One of the highlights of the cruise and certainly the highlight of our few hours in Canada. We heard the bagpipes from far off and I knew
immediately what I wanted. We sat and listened to him and then I asked him if he took requests. He said he did and asked what I wanted to hear.
I told him "Amazing Grace". He said he went to church so he'd play it for me. I always wanted a bagpiper to play "Amazing Grace"
at my funeral but when I saw this man I immediately knew that having it at my funeral was not what I wanted. I wanted to hear it while I was alive!
So he played for me. And the tears rolled down my cheeks. And I was blessed in a very special way.
A government building.
An adorable sheepdog and very expensive carriage rides.
Now to Canada for the first time. Victoria, British Columbia. Vancouver is set to host the 2010 Olympic games. If so, there's a lot of work to be done, particularly in the handicapped accessibility department.
My beloved husband on his first trip out of the country.
The Empress Hotel
A French-Canadian bulldog. Sweet, but certainly no Mei Mei. When a German Shepherd walked by, she surrendered.
Flowers outside the Empress.
I decided this was a "Me Tree". Droopy and kind of low to the ground, lol.
Just struck me funny...
Like our painted horses, they have dolphins.
A rather odd sculpture because the thing balanced in the center is a canoe with those flower pods in it. I am uncertain as to the meaning, or if it
was unfinished. There was an arts fair going on which appeared to be an inferior version of our local Pioneer Festival. I did see some
exceptional hand made local art pieces in the shops. They just didn't come from these folks.
One of the highlights of the cruise and certainly the highlight of our few hours in Canada. We heard the bagpipes from far off and I knew
immediately what I wanted. We sat and listened to him and then I asked him if he took requests. He said he did and asked what I wanted to hear.
I told him "Amazing Grace". He said he went to church so he'd play it for me. I always wanted a bagpiper to play "Amazing Grace"
at my funeral but when I saw this man I immediately knew that having it at my funeral was not what I wanted. I wanted to hear it while I was alive!
So he played for me. And the tears rolled down my cheeks. And I was blessed in a very special way.
A government building.
An adorable sheepdog and very expensive carriage rides.
Around the ship:
These photos were taken around the ship, the Star Princess. I've been on quite a few Princess ships and this, by far, was my favorite.
I liked the layout, the fact that the casino was not crammed in. The fact that it wasn't too long. Many things about it.
An elephant made of towels by our lovely steward Henry. He did an outstanding job.
The duck was my favorite and in all my cruises, one I hadn't seen before.
The atrium, taken from the floor of the piazza.
The giant stained glass rose light taken if I looked straight up from the center of the piazza floor.
Pastries in the International Cafe in the Piazza. They had fresh warm cookies in the afternoon that were out of this world.
Breakfast in the Int'l Cafe.
Youngest son and I discovered a love of sea turtles while in Hawaii on a cruise. These appeared to be Lladro,
but I could be wrong.
More of our sea turtles.
A sculpture at the outside pool which was far too cold to use. Steve saw real orcas when we were out of
Seattle headed for Alaska.
The covered indoor pool with some impressive mosaic work.
The enclosed ceiling over one of the two big pools in the center of the ship. There were some brave souls who swam in here.
It would have been far too cold for me.
These photos were taken around the ship, the Star Princess. I've been on quite a few Princess ships and this, by far, was my favorite.
I liked the layout, the fact that the casino was not crammed in. The fact that it wasn't too long. Many things about it.
An elephant made of towels by our lovely steward Henry. He did an outstanding job.
The duck was my favorite and in all my cruises, one I hadn't seen before.
The atrium, taken from the floor of the piazza.
The giant stained glass rose light taken if I looked straight up from the center of the piazza floor.
Pastries in the International Cafe in the Piazza. They had fresh warm cookies in the afternoon that were out of this world.
Breakfast in the Int'l Cafe.
Youngest son and I discovered a love of sea turtles while in Hawaii on a cruise. These appeared to be Lladro,
but I could be wrong.
More of our sea turtles.
A sculpture at the outside pool which was far too cold to use. Steve saw real orcas when we were out of
Seattle headed for Alaska.
The covered indoor pool with some impressive mosaic work.
The enclosed ceiling over one of the two big pools in the center of the ship. There were some brave souls who swam in here.
It would have been far too cold for me.
