Sunday, July 15, 2012

7-Day Alaskan Explorer

I spent the first week of July on a cruise to Alaska with my parents, sister and niece. The weather was great, meaning no rain, which is amazing for Alaska! The seas were also calm. On past cruises I have always enjoyed the best nights' sleep, as the ships ever so slightly rocking motion makes it feels like you are sleeping on a cloud. However, this cruise could be described as "Sleepless at Sea." We noticed a plaque on the wall of our stateroom about noise and vibrations that are normal and not to be alarmed, it did not say anything about the lack of sleep we would experience. When we visited mom and dads stateroom it always smelled of fresh baked bread, they were located above the pantry! All in all, it was a good cruise, the food and entertainment were super! Alaska is a beautiful place to visit and a cruise is the best way to experience it, even with a couple of zombies on board.

We sailed out of Pier 91 at Seattle on July 1, 2012

We'll be cruising on Holland America's Oosterdam

Stateroom 1086

Little did we know.....this would be a sleepless cruise for us!  This plaque was on the wall in our Stateroom

Even the chocolate didn't help us sleep

The first day was a sea day and Tour of the Galley

My niece, Jordan checking out the goodies

Outside glass elevator and "The Elevator Girls"

I always get plenty of exercise on cruises using the Promenade and taking the stairs.......I am not an elevator person

The Promenade deck is a fun scenic walk around the ship

On the back, or aft of the ship with my sister Sandy

We are cruisin' along

A glimpse of an iceberg from our window

Cruising Tracy Arm to Sawyer Glacier

Pretty in every direction

Harbor seals on an iceberg

Sawyer Glacier calved while viewing it with a thunderous roar

Mom and Dad just celebrated their 59th Anniversary on June 27

Sandy and Jordan, my roomies

The Norwegian Jewel was headed to Tracy Arm as we were leaving

Docked in Juneau, the Capital city of Alaska

Patsy Ann was a deaf Bull Terrier who greeted the ships in the 1930's

4th of July Parade

I am headed 1.1 miles through Juneau to the Mt. Robert's Trailhead

Cute name for a park, there were no chickens

Alaskans love their staired sidewalks, lucky for me I got a lot of practice on the ship

Here's where I started the trail

It was a mucky trail, Juneau has had a wet summer

After hiking for about 5 minutes I came upon this sign showing the way

I met a family form NY and hiked with them.  They could not believe that I would venture out by myself 

Views from up high

The trail climbed 2000 ft. in 2 miles

For $10 in merchandise from the Tram giftshop you get a free ride down the mountain......what a deal!

Day 4  Sailing into Sitka

Cute Lighthouse

Mount Edgecombe an extinct volcano

We took a short tender ride to Sitka

Sitka has a beautiful harbor

I visited a few of the local attractions during my time in Sitka

Totem poles are common in Alaska

View of our ship from the beach

I walked out past Merril Rock and gathered a few neat rocks and shells

Merril was a photographer in the 1920's who devoted a lot of time to the park

Peaceful and serene

Through the years this served as a school, residence and a place of worship

A pretty church in Sitka, a sign said they were serving scones and tea

I walked up to Swan Lake, it's just north of downtown

Swan Lake

We docked right in downtown Ketchikan, it was a 5 ship day



Every year this is a popular place to see the salmon

Creek Street is a quaint little spot east of downtown Ketchikan

I took this path up to view the fish ladder

I didn't see any fish use the ladder, but there were some huge salmon swimming upstream besdie it

Rubber Ducks waiting for the tide to come in, Ketchikan has an annual 4th of July Duck Race

Salmon berries were growing throughout Creek Street

A fun path behind Creek Street

The boardwalk goes up or down, that is a lot stairs

Whether you go up or down, that is a lot of steps 

Bald Eagle watching over Creek Street

Ketchikan has a pretty Harbor

Float planes coming and going all day long

Fishing boats are a common sight in Alaska

I took a walk out on the bulkhead at Victoria, B.C

Three ships were docked at Victoria

The end of the path

A nice sunset for our last night on the cruise

Cruise memorabilia