Skagway

Greetings from Skagway. By the way how much does a Skag weigh? Just some local humor. We had another fantastic day. The sun came out and it warmed up to the mid 60's. We took the White Pass - Yukon Route Railway. This railway follows the route that the gold prospectors took in 1898 to get to the gold fields in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. The scenery was fantastic and it was unbelievable how rough the route was that the prospectors had to take. Many of them didn't make it. The train crosses from Alaska into Canada. That is how we got a picture of the sign welcoming us into Alaska.

When we got back to Skagway we took a walking tour of the town. What a colorful history it has! At the time of the gold rush here, there were 15,000 men and 300 women in town. Now the entire population is less than 1,000 year-round residents. The building below is the most photographed building in all of Alaska. It's covered with tens of thousands of pieces of driftwood.

Juneau

We did one of the best things ever today -- flew on a helicopter to the Herbert Glacier. It was simply unbelievable. The pictures we've seen of glaciers just don't do justice to the colors and textures of the real thing. We were in awe and still are, several hours later, when we think about what we saw. So far, it is the highlight of our trip, hands down. Now for more about our day in Juneau, here's Bill . . .

First thing I want to tell you about is the best water in the world. We filled a bottle with fresh water running in a small stream on the glacier and it is the best water we ever tasted. As a matter of fact I still have a half bottle of the water I'm going to put on ebay for $500 an ounce. So get your bids in early!







After our helicopter ride we had to have a drink in the Red Dog Saloon. Recommended by our drinking friend Linda (Taki's mom). Linda, the Alaskan beer was great!

Next we strolled up to the house where our next Vice President lives now, the Alaskan Governor's mansion. We knocked on the door and the butler said she was out of town at some convention! Go figure, I guess she didn't know we would be calling on her. The house is really nice with a large totem pole out front. Just like most of the houses we have seen lately. I guess I will have to get one for our place in Antioch. It will blend in with the rap music and pinatas. Oh life is goooood!

Ketchikan

We arrived in Ketchikan after a rough day at sea yesterday. Thankfully my seabands worked, and I didn't feel the slightest bit sick. Many other passengers weren't so lucky. Sometime during the night, the seas calmed.

We started out our day in Ketchikan by taking a horsedrawn trolley tour. It was a nice way to get an overview of the town, which is very "Alaskan" and also very wet. They get on average 13 FEET of rain a year! We really lucked out, though and had only a few sprinkles. After the tour, we walked around to get a few pictures. The Ketchikan River, which runs right through the town, was loaded with pink salmon.

I would just like to add one thing to what Cindy said about the tour of the city. We went through the red light district which is also on the Ketchikan River and the men had to go up the river to get to the brothels. So they have a sign in town that this is the only place in the world that the Salmon and men go up river to spawn.

Next we went snorkeling in the ocean right off the island where Ketchikan is located. We had to don super thick wet suits, hoods, booties and gloves before we got into the water. Because of the Japanese current the water is a warm 57 degrees (yea right!) Let me tell you when that water starts running into your wet suit the first time it feels like water from a glacier. As you can tell from the photo of us in our snorkel gear Cindy went snorkeling with a whale (man I looked good in that outfit!!!) Who needs a six pack when you have all that rubber tucking you in. The snorkeling was great -- we saw all types and sizes of sea stars, jelly fish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, fish and small crabs. The floor of the ocean was granite and not sand. It gives you a whole new perspective on snorkeling. Tonight on our trek to Juneau (named after Joe Juneau) we were up on the top deck watching whales swim by the ship.

Day 2

We woke up to clear skies and strong winds, but as the day went on the winds calmed somewhat. The seas have been smooth. Around 10:00 this morning, we passed from the border of California into Oregon.

So far today, we've gone to a lecture on Alaska and a martini demonstration, plus had some reading time in the library and an ice cream sundae out on the deck. Lots of relaxation time before we get to our first port on Thursday.

Day 1

What a beautiful, sunny day in San Francisco! The air was pleasantly cool and the wind was very brisk.

Heather and Nikos met us at the Emabrcadero BART station and walked with us down to Pier 35 to meet the ship. (Yes, that's him under the blue blanket in the stroller! Poor little guy tried to stay awake until we got to the ship, but after all, it was his nap time.)

Did I mention that is was very windy???!! (Note the flags . . .)

Will we fit under the Golden Gate Bridge?

Yes, we made it!

Here we go!

This afternoon, we'll be boarding the Dawn Princess for a 10-day cruise to Alaska. It will be so convenient taking a cruise that is round-trip out of San Francisco --- no flying involved!

Before we leave, we're stopping over at Melanie & Vernie's house to see Maile before she leaves for her first day of kindergarten! So exciting! We'll have good-bye hugs and kisses for Mason and Kira, too.

Heather and Nikos are meeting us at the Embarkadero BART station to walk us down to meet the ship at Pier 35. It'll be nice to have them see us off --- another advantage of leaving from San Francisco!