Final Day - Inside Passage to Vancouver - June 30, 2018 June thirtieth . . . Bobby's birthday, my baby brother. He's been gone for about seven years now. I still miss him and think of him often, but especially so on June 30. Rest in peace, my dear brother. After four days full to the brim of activity during the day and fun at night, a day at sea was welcomed. We said good-bye to passengers and cruise staff members we particularly liked. The four of...

Ketchican, Alaska - June 29, 2018 Let's talk about Alaska for a moment. First, Alaska is big, really big; I never truly grasped that. Everyone knows it is the USA's largest state. But actually being in Alaska causes one to get a more realistic understanding of its size. Its footprint is twice the size of Texas but most of the area is uninhabitable. Much of the mass is ice and rugged, and its unsurmountable mountains magnifies the feeling of big lands. I...

Juneau, Alaska - June 28, 2018 Our big adventure for this port was an all-day trip into the Tracy Arm Fjord aboard a jet-powered catamaran. The boat was nice and the young crew members were great. Although we did not fully explore Juneau we found it interesting that even though it is located on the Alaskan mainland, Juneau it totally isolated. It sits beautifully between rugged mountains and the ocean. There are no roads connecting the city to the re...

Hubbard Glacier - June 27, 2018 NOTE TO EVERYONE: PLEASE DO NOT LOOK FOR UPDATES ON A DAILY BASIS -- PUBLIC & CRUISE SHIP WIFI IS FAR TOO SLOW TO UPLOAD PHOTOS. I WILL WRITE ON A DAILY BASIS BUT POST BLOGS WITH PHOTOS ONLY WHEN I HAVE GOOD INTERNET ACCESS The highlight of the trip is the Hubbard Glacier. The ship traveled from Sitka into Disenchantment Bay toward the glacier. People began to get excited and when the crew opened the helicopter deck many...

Northern Exposure . . . remember the quirky TV show? Sitka reminded me so much of the little Alaskan town, Cicely, in Northern Exposure. Buildings were made of wood and painted colors faded by the weather. Originally settled by the Tlingit tribe over 10,000 years ago, Russians discovered the area in 1799 and set up trapping Sea Otters for their luxurious pelts and created a major trading post. They nearly killed all the sea otters in this endeavor. Russi...