The second stop on the cruise was at Juneau. It is the state's capital and a major fishing centre. Our onshore trip today was a 5 mile nature walk to view Mendenhall Glacier and the natural bush land surrounding the town. The trail was fairly steep in parts, but the views over the glacier and harbour were definitely worth it. After the walk we went back into town and rode the cable car up a large hill overlooking the town, Mount Roberts. The cable car felt like ...

Monday. What a surprise it was to look out of the window this morning to see trees! The ship had docked early in the morning at Ketchikan, Alaska, our first stop. To find out more about the small town and check out the touristy things, we took a Duck tour. Similar to the one we did in Seattle, this one went on both land and sea, and was great fun. We then went on to see the Lumberjack show. This is where different skills used by lumberjacks were showcased in an e...

Sunday. Today is all at sea. We are sailing through a strait between the Canadian coastline and some islands. The ship's first stop is tomorrow, so most of today is spent exploring the ship. The spa pools are lovely and warm, the sun is out and the water flat as the ship glides along smoothly towards Alaska. We check out a few performances in the theatre and in some of the bars. Also the huge food buffet on the Lido deck becomes an instant favourite, as does the...

Saturday. Cruise day! After a simple hotel bagel and cream cheese breakfast, it was pack up time. We checked out of the hotel and went shopping for some long pants for John to wear on the ship. Sometimes jeans just don't cut it. Shopping success, then back to pick up bags and head to the wharf, about 2km away. The whole boarding procedure was like an international flight check in, with scanners, passports and immigration, as we were sailing out of Canada and bac...

After the hotel breakfast of juice, coffee and toast, it was time to discover Vancouver. So onto a hire bike, complete with helmet and bike lock, and around the city we rode. The central city area of Vancouver is on a peninsular, so the track around most of it had a water view. Thank goodness the drivers are very courteous to riders and there are many bike lanes, as my traffic negotiation skills on a bike are somewhat limited. The pathway beside the harbour and ...