Traveling The Inside Passage

As I am writing this, I am sitting here on the veranda outside our stateroom watching a seal six stories below, watching me. From this distance all I see is a sleek black head that looks perfectly round and smooth, but as it swivels in the water I can see the shape of his nose.

When I use the binoculars I realize he is a harbor seal, brown with spots, not black at all. And he is just as cute as can be as he checks out this enormous building that has just invaded his world. I'm no fool though. I know although he may be curious, he is probably much more savvy, than puzzled. However, Alaska has just opened up for the cruise season and this is the first cruise of the season, so if he's very young, perhaps he really doesn't understand the three ships in the harbor.

We have had amazing weather. The last few days we have had bright sunshine and cloudless blue skies. (Of course, the picture of me proves that sunny does not equal warm! When the wind blows off the glacial waters it is cold. The temperatures are in the 50's, but add a cold breeze and extra layers feel good.) The cities along the inside passage experience far more rain and clouds than they do sun, so this weather is truly exceptional. In fact, Ketchikan gets 30 feet of rain each year! Most of the stops on the Inside Passage are accessible only by boat or plane. Ketchikan is an island, and while Juneau is attached to the mainland, there are no roads leading into it. (It is the only State Capital in the US that is not accessible by car.) Skagway is our only stop that has one road in and it is over rugged mountain terrain.

Ketchikan is known as Alaska's First City because it is the southern most port along the panhandle of Alaska. It is famous for its Salmon fishing and is mainly a seafood port.

Our day in Ketchikan was relatively short but we took the DUCK tour; a land and sea tour on an amphibious vehicle that drives through the streets and then right into the water, while tour guides share stories, facts, and tidbits about local history. There are several DUCK tours in cities around the U.S. and they are generally lots of fun, but be prepared for a lot of corny jokes!

We had a good view of the town from our room, including this tunnel. This road has one lane that goes through the hillside, and the other lane comes around the edge of the hill. Houses were built there first and then the tunnel was dug through it later. In fact, I believe it may be listed in the Book of Guinness Records as the only hillside that you can walk over (note the steps up the hillside to the houses), drive through, drive around, and live on.

The hillsides come right down to the edge of the water so as the town grew, it was built over the water on stilts....houses, roads, shops, and the concrete shipping docks! Originally this tunnel was one way at a time, until they built the road around the edge of the hillside.

Our second stop, Juneau, is the capitol of Alaska, in spite of the fact it is a landlocked city that is hard to reach and pretty far away from the main area of Alaska. The original capitol was Sitka located on several islands off the Alaskan panhandle, but that changed in 1906 when Juneau was named the capitol.  Sitka had been known for its supply of otter skins, a warm and waterproof fur that was popular in the 1800's. By the turn of the century the fur trade was waning, and Juneau was on the rise. In 1906 Juneau was the leading city economically as well as by population. There are periodic pushes to move the capitol but many Alaskans prefer it to be there, possibly to stop any territorial preferences between the two other main cities; Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Dockside at Juneau

Mountain View and Snow Melt Waterfall

Artwork on Side of Building

 I was disappointed, however, that although we were driven through town on our way to a whale watching excursion, and the bus driver pointed out a few sights, we never actually saw where the Governor’s mansion was or the State House. Our bus driver was new on the job and was totally flustered when she had to use the wheel chair lift for a passenger, and she couldn't get it to work. She finally got everything going, but we were well on the way out of town before she regained any composure. I've come to realize that since this is the first cruise of the season we are meeting a lot of newbies here for seasonal work, and we are the guinea pigs when all those practice sessions become real events.

Patsy Ann, Harbor Dog

My favorite Juneau story was of Patsy Ann, the harbor dog. Patsy Ann came to Juneau with her owners, but she soon adopted the city as her home. She would hang out at the port and became friends with the longshoremen. This was in the days before radios so the residents never knew exactly when to expect a ship. Patsy Ann could tell when a ship was coming and a half an hour before it came into view she would be on the dock, ready to greet people. She even picked out the pier that the ship would dock at. The best part of the story?... Patsy Ann was deaf.

Patsy Ann may have adopted Juneau as her home, but the people adopted her as their dog. At one point a new city ordinance mandated that all dogs be licensed so the people pitched in and bought her a collar and license. She wore it for awhile, but one day it disappeared. After that, the dog catchers looked the other way and that dog collar became a thing of the past.

The Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest lived up to its reputation. The tour is guaranteed to spot whales or you get a $100.00 refund. In the last 18 years, they have refunded customers two times. Our tour did not disappoint and I got pretty good at spotting them! I spotted two before the captain did.

Whale surfacing Starboard

Whale Swimming Alongside

Waving It's Fluke Goodbye and It Heads Down Deep

I was hoping to see lots of whales on our excursion and we did, but the pressure was off because I had already seen a couple as our ship came into port! (Seeing whales was one of my MUST DO's on this trip.) As we came up the strait into Juneau at 6 AM, I was out on the balcony when I saw a 'blow'--water spewing into the air from a whale's blow hole.

Water Spout from Whale Right Before it Breaks Surface

While tracking that spout I heard an odd, screechy sound, like a rusty door hinge, right below me. A whale broke through the water, arched his back, sounded, and waved his fluke. It was awesome!

Seeing whales is one thing. Getting a good picture is quite another. I took several, but realized watching them was far more important than taking photos. I'll leave that to the wildlife photographers who have the time and the equipment to do them justice.

Mendenhall Glacier outside Juneau

Our tour was excellent. We had a wonderful view of the Mendenhall Glacier, while watching harbor seals, sea lions, and whales.

Seals Playing Around Boats in Bay

We've heard there are Dall Porpoise but we have not seen any yet, nor have we seen otter. The eagles haven't been showing themselves much, but we saw one majestic one in a pine tree near the edge of the road. He was poised perfectly so that we could see him in great detail. What a truly majestic bird they are! The American Bald Eagle is found only in North America. (That was a new fact for me.) No wonder they impressed the early settlers so much!

What an awesome day! (Sometimes highly overused words are still the best choice.) We've been to two stops on our cruise. Next stop on the Inside Passage: Skagway and Glacier Bay! I can't wait to get there! Tune in!......

Life on a Cruise Ship

We left Vancouver on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10. Not a bad Mother's Day treat, if you ask me! The MS Oosterdam is a beautiful ship.

Ship's Three-story Atrium

I always enjoy getting to know our stewards. Their job is not easy and they work away from home for months at a time. Our room steward on this ship has been doing this for 10 years and has 1 young child and another one on the way. He will be on board when the baby is born. I have fun identifying the Towel Animals left on our bed at night. Eduardo always seemed tickled when we knew just what it was. I'd see him at the end of the hall. "Eduardo," I called! "Octopus?" He'd give me a big grin and a thumbs up and wave.

Octopus

Already I've discovered a few similarities to life in an RV. Most noticeably, as soon as your luggage arrives at your room you can unpack everything; therefore, no living out of a suitcase! As we unpacked, Larry observed, "There's no way I'm ever going to get all this stuff back in the way I had it." (in other words....it fit like a glove before. Good luck repeating that!)

However, not everything is the same as living in an RV. For Instance:

• An all you can eat breakfast is waiting for us every morning and I have several hours to claim it.
• When I get back from stuffing myself at breakfast, my bed is made and my bathroom has been cleaned.
• I can sit outside on my verandah and watch the world go by while someone else does the driving.
• The verandah is much more relaxing than the Co-Pilot seat in an RV. On an Alaskan cruise it is also a lot colder.

Here are a few other observations about life on a cruise ship.

Working out comes naturally.
I've found that getting my 10,000 steps in daily isn't too hard. Our room is on the 5th floor at the front of the ship. The dining area is on the 9th floor at the back of the ship. The entertainment is mostly in the front of the ship at night. The activities tend to be in the middle or towards the rear. So once I put my walking shoes on, the steps just keep adding up! And if I want to set my goal higher, I can hit the stairs and skip the elevator... I've hit 10K every day...except the first one. Of course, for the determined workout fan, there is a gym and fitness classes located near the spa. Many of the classes have fees involved, but not all. In fact, if I were really determined, I would be up each morning for the free 7 AM stretch and ab workout. I haven't made it there yet. Maybe tomorrow?

"If it's Skagway it must be....?"
Don't know what day it is? Check the elevator. The rug always knows the day!

Food!
Everyone knows you can eat all you want on a cruise ship and the food is pretty good. You can approach eating in two ways. Either you see everyday as a day to gorge yourself like there's no tomorrow, or you can pace yourself. I choose to pace myself, and make every meal a little different.
Eggs Benedict, Omelet, French Toast, Cereal... I've got plenty of time to eat it all. And trust me, I'm working on it!

The Library? Yep. The Library!

There is one area of the MS Oosterdam that is a real surprise. It is the library, and for many people it is the place to be. I even have a note left for me, by my non-reading husband that I will keep forever. It says "I went up to the library at 2:45." I don't remember ever hearing him say those words!

The Library is at the top of the ship and has a 180 degree view of the surrounding scenery. There is a large lending library that includes all types of fiction, non-fiction, as well as best sellers plus several computer stations for those who have paid to have Internet access.

Besides the normal expectations of a library, there is a coffee and pastry bar,

 AND a real bar. 

 (Now, I've worked in several libraries, but I've never worked in one with a real bar!)

People lounge in comfy chairs reading, or sipping and chatting, or sit at tables playing chess or one of the many games stashed in one area, all the while with a full view of the world outside. It is a cool place to hang out. And it is usually full.

So far we are digging life on a cruise ship. But we knew we would. This isn't our first rodeo, but it is our first one heading into Alaska. Stay tuned for tales from Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.