We took naps almost everyday and ate tons of good food (now I need to go on a diet and lose the 6 pounds I gained after eating cheesecake everyday.) We didn't spend a dime on all the excursions that the ship tries to sell to you. We did rent bicycles from a local lodge in Juneau and took a 26 mile bike ride to see the Medenhall glacier and waterfall. I think that was my favorite part of the trip. The people that took the tours only got to view the glacier from about 1/4 mile away. Mario and I got so close that he was able to drink from the waterfall next to the glacier. He said it was the best water he ever tasted and filled his water bottle up.
The next day we went to Skagway and it was raining. We decided to take a hike to the Gold Rush Cemetery and the bottom of Reid Falls. That was a four mile easy hike. Then we went back to the ship and dried off, ate and thought about a nap. But instead we decided to go back out hiking and hike to the top of Reid Falls. This was a much more challenging hike but absolutely beautiful. We were so glad we skipped that nap! And the afternoon turned out to be nice and sunny. This was my second favorite day.
Next our ship took us to Tracy Arm where we were able to view another glacier. We had a perfectly clear day as you can see from the picture. We were told that there are only 10 days a year where the visibility is that good. It was windy and a little chilly so we sat on the deck wrapped in a blanket drinking hot chocolate looking for bears or whales. Unfortunately we didn't see any. But it was beautiful. We saw many beautiful waterfalls.
Next our ship took us to Tracy Arm where we were able to view another glacier. We had a perfectly clear day as you can see from the picture. We were told that there are only 10 days a year where the visibility is that good. It was windy and a little chilly so we sat on the deck wrapped in a blanket drinking hot chocolate looking for bears or whales. Unfortunately we didn't see any. But it was beautiful. We saw many beautiful waterfalls.
We went to Ketchikan next. It was neat to see where my dad once lived. We got off the ship about 6:30 am and had to be back on by noon. So we didn't have much time to explore. We were hoping to find bike rentals but couldn't find any. We walked around town and visited the city park. Then we went shopping for jackets for our kids. We couldn't come home empty handed (and Erin asked as soon as we saw her-"What did you bring me?") One of the most interesting things I saw there was a boardwalk with a street sign on it. Check out the boardwalk and the street name on the mailbox.
The last night we stopped in Victoria, British Columbia. We got in an hour late so we didn't get off the ship until 8 pm and had to be back by 11:30. So we again just walked around town and got some photos of their government building all lit up. It looked like a pretty town. On the way back to the ship we stopped at a gift shop and Mario spotted a wooden nativity made from cedar that he knew I would like so he pointed it out to me. I ended up getting that for my souvenir. Not really a souvenir that you would expect from an Alaskan cruise, but I loved it.
We owe my mom a million thank you's for coming to Monterey and watching the kids for an entire week. She was their taxi cab to all their camps, she took many bike rides, walks, and scooter rides, played alphabet bingo, gave reading lessons, gave many baths, did lots of laundry, played tennis, took them out to lunch, read lots of books, played wii with Eric, weeded my garden, saved all my dying tomato plants, planted flowers with Erin, cleaned the house, and many more things that I probably don't know about. She has so much more energy than I do. Hopefully she will go home and take a long nap. She deserves it. We couldn't have made this trip without her and we really appreciate all her sacrifice (and my dad too since he had to be without mom for a long time.) Thank you mom and dad! We love you both.
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