Writing on a sunny morning in January, 2021, the day before a new president is inaugurated. For the past few days I have been working on rewriting some of the earlier blogposts for the year 2010. In the process of making my annual hard copy books of the blog, I discovered many problems. Photos are no longer located on Picasa, the formatting of many posts is awkward, with dots and spaces used as an attempt to force photos into their proper positions. In addition, I discovered as I reviewed my writings about our Alaska Cruise that I simply stopped writing after on last day at sea. I guess I just wore out. Only the photo record, which is thankfully preserved on several backup devices, google photos, and my photo site on SmugMug let me know what was missing. So I am attempting to write about our last two days on this lovely cruise, completed more than 10 years ago. As is often the case, photos will remind me of what I have forgotten, and when the book is printed for my hard copy memories, I will remember the rest of the story.
We approached Victoria late in the day after cruising for two days through the Inside Passage of Alaska. It was a beautiful cruise and a lovely two days on the ship as we relaxed. Mo and I had traveled to Victoria by cruise ship several years prior in 2004, and with the short port time for this visit, felt no need to return to Butchart Gardens or to see any of the other possibilities available for excursions.
Instead we got off the ship and enjoyed walking around town viewing some of the beautiful buildings that grace the city . The sun was brilliant and lit up the local gardens with gorgeous color.
We took our time strolling the streets, peering into the wonderful and varied shop windows, and relaxing on park benches for lots pf people watching.
Based on the photos I have of our time in Victoria, I see no sign of us eating a meal in town. The photos of the city at night are a good indication that we departed after dark and the lights were wonderful.
A beautiful city for our last day aboard the Sapphire Princess
Even though it was chilly in the afternoon, the sun tried to warm the fog a bit and we decided to try a swim. We are on the 12th deck, and the terrace pool at the back of the ship is on 12 as well. We discovered that we could leave our room and travel all the way to the back of the ship without having to go into a public space at all. The hall emerges within feet of the pool. It was perfect for us, with no one else in the pool. It was also pretty nice to make a run for the room and the hot shower after our swim. The water was heated, and is fresh water, which is nice, but the wind was still really cold. It did feel good to get in a bit of a swim, though.
Today has been another quiet time in the cabin, punctuated by a meal here and there. After morning tea, we started watching a movie with Sandra Bullock, “The Proposal” and couldn’t get away for breakfast until after ten. Of course, the Neptune deck “Taste of Alaska” buffet was scheduled for 11:30 so I had just over 90 minutes to get ready for more food. Finally this ship came through with the carved fruit, ice sculptures, and fancy production. The Alaskan salmon was poached, delicate and perfect, the sushi was fresh and tasty, and I do love having all the pickled ginger that I want with my sushi. Mo and I shared another Alaskan Summer Ale with our meal and then headed back to try to finish spending our casino money. 
This was a day that fit all expectations of what a cruise to Alaska might be. All night as we slept the ship cruised north through Chatham Strait and when we woke there was thick fog all around us. I felt relief as the fog lifted and fell, and in the distance, I could see the sidewalls of the fjord coming closer. Amazingly, we had a clear day, with only some high clouds, but nothing to obstruct the views of the magnificent mountains all around us. We heard that the mountains had not been seen for days prior to this one. Dressing warmly, we headed for the upper decks to watch as we entered Tracy Arm and our encounter with a glacier. 
When we reached Sawyer Island, the ice was too thick for us to continue any farther up the fjord for a closer look at the glacier. The captain rotated the ship around while some people boarded a small excursion boat taking them deeper into the fjord. I can see why a cruise to Glacier Bay might be impressive, with much closer encounters. For my first trip to Alaska, however, I am grateful for what I did see, and incredibly grateful for a clear sunny day to see it. As the day wore on, we kept hearing over and over how very lucky we were for the lack of rain and fog. It seems that we brought the sunlight with us, because everywhere we went we heard that it had been raining hard for the last three weeks until we arrived. Perfect.
The boat turned and headed back out of the fjord. By the way, another thing I should have known but didn’t, is that a fjord is a glacially carved inlet with tidal salt water, no beaches and vertical walls. I am ready now to see the Scandinavian Fjords, or maybe those in New Zealand. As we headed back out of Tracy Arm, we passed another ship, the Golden Princess, and had fun cheering each other as we passed. It was a perfect chance to get a photo of a ship identical to ours in the fjord in a way that we couldn’t get while actually on our own ship. 
Another great thing on this cruise has been the commentary by Kathy Slamp, a delightful woman and naturalist who has lived in Alaska much of her life. Kathy discussed the landscape, the geology and geography of the glaciers, in addition to some of the colorful history of the area. Kathy conducted a daily lecture series in the theater, with slides and stories that helped us more fully experience the landscape where we traveled.
The visitor center at Mendenhall Glacier is managed by the Tongass National Forest. There are trails and viewpoints, ponds and wildlife, and signs about the glacier. Mo and I took off on the hike to a waterfall just east of the glacier. Previously, as we cruised Tracy Arm, we saw many waterfalls, some of them 1000 feet high, yet they appeared dwarfed by the immensity of the landscape around us. Hiking to this waterfall gave us the opportunity to see just how massive these falls are up close. Mendenhall Glacier is part of the Juneau Ice Fields and is rapidly retreating. Another local comment: “See the Mendenhall Glacier before it’s gone”. On the trail, we met another woman, walking the trails trying to find a way across the stream. She had lived in Juneau for more than 40 years and said she hadn’t seen the water as high as it was this year in that stream. She also pointed out a spot on the landscape, very distant from the present terminus of the glacier, and said when she moved to Juneau, that was where the glacier used to be. Global warming isn’t just a concept in Alaska, it’s real. Everyone in the state talked about the retreat of the glaciers. It’s dramatic and measureable.
After our hike we took the shuttle back to town in time to do a bit of shopping. Juneau was much bigger than Ketchikan, in fact, there was even a good deal of five-0-clock traffic. The shops were interesting as well, and we stopped in to visit the famous Red Dog Saloon for an Alaskan beer. 
We were definitely tired when we retired to our cabin for the night. We have discovered that an Alaskan cruise isn’t as relaxing as one to the Caribbean. Sitting here discussing, and wondering just why that is: maybe it’s the lack of sun time and deck time, or maybe the wild landscape around us that is so stimulating. We are hiking more, perhaps, and quite a bit more active, even though we do a lot on most cruises, it seems different somehow. It’s a beautiful cruise destination, but the cruising experience itself feels quite different.
Arriving in Ketchikan this morning was dramatic. The sun rose long before we were awake, but the heavy lined drapes let us sleep longer than we had planned. By the time I opened them wide to look outside we were very close to our first port. The mountains around Ketchikan are beautiful, lush and green. It is, after all, a rain forest, with precipitation over 100 inches a year. Our plan was to explore the town on our own, avoiding lines and costly excursions. Ketchikan is a small place, with few roads, and the town is clustered along the waterfront. 
Leaving the ship entails a photo opportunity for the cruise photographers, and for some reason on this cruise they seemed to think that huge cartoon animals are cute. Later, when we looked for our photos, it was hard to see anyone in between the giant salmon and giant fisherman in a brilliant yellow slicker. We surely didn’t need to buy THAT photo, even though we both looked OK. Kind of silly, really. 
Ketchikan has the largest number of ceremonial totem poles in Alaska. We walked past cannery row and the Coast Guard station, through thick forests with salmonberry and ferns, punctuated by small waterfalls. Along the way I met a sweet little very tiny lady with 5 cats and a gorgeous garden filled with flowers. She had lived in Ketchikan since the early 70’s and was happy to visit with us. I was surprised at the flowers everywhere, most of the shade and moisture tolerant types due 
to the heavy rainfall. The delphiniums, however, were in full bloom, farther along than my own in Rocky Point. The visitor center at the totem pole park was nice, and the local staff were helpful and informative. For a buck, you can buy a map of the poles with the history of each one. We learned that even though they are made of durable cedar, many of the original totem poles have deteriorated and most of them have been redone. The re-carving is considered an important work and done with great pride by superior tribal craftsmen. The gift shop on the premises is run by the tribe, and there is also a clan house, with traditional dancing and singing performed periodically. The carving shed is there as well, with a carver working on site. You can watch him through the windows if you wish, but he only allows visitors inside at his discretion. 
Creek Street is the classic row of one time brothels and bars, now converted to shops and a brothel museum. Most shops here are locally owned, and the boardwalk area is quite picturesque reflected in the creek. Spending three bucks each to ride the tram up the hill was well worth it, and the Tlingit lodge at the top is lovely, filled with art and informative photos about the local history and tribal economy. Walking back down to town, via the “Married Man’s Trail” was lovely as well. We sidetracked a bit, ambled along the creek viewing salmon ladders, checking out the local homes, and visiting a bit with some local residents. 
This cruise wasn’t really planned much in advance. After all, we did just do a wonderful two week trip through the Panama Canal back in January. But one day, Mo just said, “How would you like to do the Alaska Inside Passage” and before long we had our cruise tickets and our air miles took care of the transportation to Seattle for another great vacation week. 
This trip, for the first time, we chose second seating dinner at 8. Last night we went to the early show at 7 and then to dinner at the International Dining room. The theater was large, but not especially lovely and the show was just ok, with a few dance numbers and an OK comedian. Thinking this schedule would work for the rest of the cruise, we were a bit daunted to find out that this ship doesn’t have an early show and the only way we can go to both dinner and a show is to do the late show at 10:15 pm. Maybe not! I am a morning person, my kids all know this about me, and know that trying to call me after 8pm at night will result in a pretty stupid conversation. I also know that if I call them at 5am when I am all bright-eyed, they might not be so chipper either. Except for Melody of course, who is chipper on the radio at an ungodly hour. But I digress. 
Our dinner was adequate but certainly not memorable, and the dining room a bit boring. However, we did have our table for two ready for us without a hitch. The fabulous two story dining room with the incredible elegant food that we enjoyed on the Constellation came with a price. We had to fight for our table for two after some glitches, and when we did finally get one, it was right next to the work station. Entertaining, but definitely noisy. I guess there are trade-offs, no matter what. I do miss those wonderful dinners with all the flatware and elegance. Here, we both decided that we could miss dinner in the dining room without feeling as though we were missing something, and plan to do so tomorrow night so we can see the show without staying up till midnight!
The morning began with a brisk walk on the top deck jogging track, small enough that it takes ten laps to get in a mile, but certainly nice enough. The skies were clear and blue and it was windy! Then down to breakfast, which by the time we got there, was very crowded. We found a table outside the main part of the cafe, and especially enjoyed the really good watermelon. ‘People-watching’ has been fascinating on this trip as well. The crowd is completely different from any cruise I have experienced, with lots of cultural diversity, an even mix of age groups, many young people, and lots of families. The pools and ping pong tables seem to be kept pretty busy with this bunch. Midmorning we explored the ship some more, found the Alaska cruise companion book with maps, and settled into the cafe area on the fifth deck for cappuccinos. A late lunch in the Savoy Dining room was delightful, with a traditional English Pub offering of fish and chips and Bass beer. An afternoon of cards in our room punctuated by whale sightings, and somehow it was time to prepare for the formal night dinner. 
Dressing up is always fun, but this time it was also incredibly entertaining to see everyone else in their finery. Japanese women, young and old, were wearing special traditional lovely silk embroidered gowns. Indian men wore colorful pashminas over their tuxedos, and some women were in saris. It was fascinating. The captain greeted everyone and introduced his crew, and champagne flowed freely. Dinner was filet mignon, and again, adequate but forgettable. 