Fundraising on a Cruise!

Fundraising on a cruise! Where does your non-profit group want to cruise to? Increase your donor interest and giving and have more fun! Give your donors something to get excited about! It is possible to earn thousands of dollars for your non-profit organization on a 7-day cruise!

Your "Enthusiastic" Excursionist, Barbara at Carpenter Travel will help you make all the arrangements to offer your guests a great time on a cruise for a great cause. We can start with a Cruise Night to generate interest - then follow it up with a cocktail party and information about your ports of call. We can arrange for a silent auction on board the ship, special awards dinners, etc. - all at no cost to your non-profit organization.

Many cruise lines will match profits! Carnival Cruise Lines will match funds raised by your non-profit organization in the amount of $5 per day per person. If you designate $50 per person and you book 100 people that is $5,000!

Call me and let's discuss the possibilities of fundraising options for your group! Call Barbara, Your "Enthusiastic" Excursionist at (866) 963-0546 toll free today!

You choose which cruise line and which destination you want and leave the rest to me!

World's Largest Cruise Night Promotion Coming Soon!

Did you know that October has been designated National Cruise Month by Cruise Lines International Association? And, October 13, 2010 is the World's Largest Cruise Night!

Cruise Lines will be offering special reduced deposits, onboard credits and amenities, onboard coupon books and other special savings!

PRINCESS CRUISE LINES
Reduced deposit of $100 per person and onboard value booklet worth up to $325

CELEBRITY CRUISE LINES
$50 onboard credit for ocean view cabin
$100 on onboard credit for verandah cabin
$150 onboard credit for Concierge Class, Aqua Class or Suites

DISNEY CRUISE LINES
$75 per cabin onboard credit for 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises departing from Los Angeles, CA between September 25, 2011 – December 11, 2011

HOLLAND AMERICA, ROYAL CARIBBEAN, NORWEGIAN and CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES offers to be announced soon!

Call Your "Enthusiastic" Excursionist, Barbara to take advantage of these specials! (619)592-4628 or toll free (866) 963-0546

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 11 - FRIDAY HARBOR, SEATTLE AND DISEMBARKATION

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 11 - FRIDAY HARBOR, SEATTLE AND DISEMBARKATION

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010


FRIDAY HARBOR, SAN JUAN ISLAND, WASHINGTON

The Yorktown actually arrived at Friday Harbor earlier than expected and so we had to pass some time cruising around the islands before we were permitted to pull into the harbor. We had our last lunch on board the ship and then took off on our adventure to explore San Juan Island.

We rented a car and took off heading east across the island over to Pelindaba Lavender Farms in the middle of the island. The fields have a variety of lavender species growing – all with bumble bees busy buzzing about from blossom to blossom. In the middle of the back field, there is a rugged old wooden wagon with one broken wheel strategically located in the middle of the beautiful purple rows of lavender. It adds a unique dimension to the garden and offers some great photo opportunities. On the other side of the one-lane road is a small pond with its water so clear and still that the reflections from the surrounding trees and shrubs appear to be like that of the image in a mirror.

As you walk away from the fragrant purple fields, there is a small house that serves as a gift shop where you can purchase everything from scented sachets to lavender cooking products. Did you know that lavender is very versatile and not only can be soothing for a sun burn or itching skin but is also an all-natural cleaner and disinfectant and a potent insect repellant? I think it is as versatile as using vinegar or hydrogen peroxide.

When we left the beautiful lavender farm, we headed west towards Lime Kiln Lighthouse in hopes of seeing some of the J pod orcas. The trail down from the parking lot at the lighthouse heads down to the waters’ edge to the viewing area and then on around to the lighthouse. It is about a half a mile down the heavily trodden trail and well worth the hike. You can see across Hairo Strait over to Victoria from there. Jim and Mark hiked all the way to the lighthouse; Debbie stayed at the viewing area and I walked down to one of the tide pools and saw the jelly fish floating in the waters there. There were no whale sightings while we were there; but about an hour after we left we heard that Granny and Ruffles and several more orcas from J pod did show up for a visit.

After the lighthouse we drove back into town and visited The Whale Museum and then walked around the town going in and out of several shops. Friday Harbor is very reminiscent of Bar Harbor, Maine. The area is very hilly and lined with restaurants and shops. We enjoyed a delicious ice cream cone near the harbor from the Friday Harbor Ice Cream Co. on Spring Street before we headed back to the ship late in the afternoon. We sat on the benches near the circle at the bottom of the street and watched the people passing by. Then we ventured back across the street to a small shop and did a little more shopping before we headed down the dock to our ship. We couldn’t help ourselves when we passed by a small shack at the top of the dock selling fresh shrimp and crab cocktails. It was soooooo delicious!

The Yorktown sailed out of Friday Harbor late that afternoon alongside one of the Washington State Ferries that was transiting between there and Anacortes, Washington. Off in the distance towards the mainland we could see Mount Baker standing majestically and proud. Snow covered the top of the mountain.

Our last dinner on board The Spirit of Yorktown was he Captain’s dinner. The crew was all dressed in full uniform and complimentary wine was served to everyone. Desert tonight was served up in the lounge where the pastry chef had prepared a wide variety of caloric delicacies for our taste pallets. From white chocolate brittle to cream puffs to bread pudding and carrot cake – everything was displayed beautifully on the buffet table. People lined up immediately upon entering the lounge to make sure they were able to taste everything. We sat amongst those we had gotten to know during our cruise and enjoyed the photo presentation that David had put together of pictures he had taken and some from our fellow passengers (Yes, some of mine were included). Afterwards, they recapped our voyage and recalled what we had seen and experienced during our ten days on board.

SEATTLE AND DISEMBARKATION

The Spirit of Yorktown cruised into Seattle and into the Ballard Locks to travel from sea level into Lake Union where we would end our cruise. Many of the passengers were out on deck to watch as we made this journey. Because we had just experienced this earlier this summer, we finished our packing and enjoyed one last cup of coffee in the lounge before we grabbed our things and left the ship. We headed down the gangway and were greeted by all of the crew standing in line saying good-bye. Our bus to the airport was nearby and we said our last good bye to those we had met and were on our way back home.

To sum it all up in a nutshell – we have some wonderful memories from this cruise. Many thanks go to Mark and Debbie for traveling with us on this journey and for sharing this with us. We thank David and Alyssa for being so passionate about what they do as Exploration Leaders and for sharing that passion with us. Thank you to our server Scott and to Mark our bartender for giving us very special attention. And, as always I give my love and appreciation to Jim for a wonderful cruise to celebrate our tenth anniversary. Here’s to another terrific ten years and more! Happy Anniversary honey!

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 10 - CRUISING NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA'S INSIDE PASSAGE

CRUISING NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA’S INSIDE PASSAGE

When we awoke to Alyssa’s gentle voice over the intercom this morning, we got ready with our morning ritual and headed down to the lounge for a little breakfast and coffee. The seas were calm with barely a ripple on them. The skies above were clear and cloud free. It was another beautiful day!

As we passed Gil Island through Whale Channel we were greeted by more humpbacks! These were a very playful pod and were rolling and fin slapping along with diving and showing us their beautiful tails. At one point, one of the larger fins came up out of the water along with a very small one – it was a baby! The Captain was not able to stay for any longer than a few minutes because we had to make sure we got through a certain part of one of the channels south of us before the tide went out – so we had to keep moving. Even though we weren’t there long, it was still another fabulous “whale tale” for us to tell from this cruise.

After we cruised past the whales we entered Princess Royal Channel and traveled along the eastern side of Princess Royal Island. David, our Exploration Leader, had told us to be on the lookout for the elusive Kirmode bear – also known as the “spirit bear”. One in 20 black bears are born white; and there are between 35 and 40 Kirmode bears on Princess Royal Island. While we all sat in the lounge looking at the thick forest, salmon were jumping out of the calm, glassy waters – but no one spotted a Kirmode.

There is no logging permitted in this area and so the forests are thick and plush because of all the rainfall. There were people up on the sun deck enjoying the peacefulness of the beautiful scenery while they read their books, knitted or crocheted or stood at the railings taking pictures. Word passed quickly when someone said they saw either a bear or a moose swimming in the waters behind us – but neither of us saw anything. I did see a harbor seal basking in the sun all alone on a huge knotted and gnarled log just floating along the channel waters. It seemed very content and had no intention of deserting its comfortable ride. A bald eagle was spotted in a tree along the shore; and several more humpbacks were seen in the distance. This was extremely relaxing and enjoyable just enjoying this incredible scenery.

After lunch David announced that we would be coming into an abandoned cannery called Butedale where a caretaker lived alone amongst the dilapidated and weathered buildings. The Yorktown sounded her whistle several times to send a signal to the caretaker to come down to the dock to receive a small care package from us. Unfortunately, no one ever showed up. We all commented that we hoped he was just out for a walk and was safe. Soon after leaving Butedale the weather changed. The clouds thickened and became darker and soon it began raining. It was rather nice being warm and cozy inside The Yorktown in the lounge. Several of us indulged in a warm “adult” beverage of Kahlua, Baileys Irish Crème and coffee – topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles, of course! Yummy!

As the afternoon passed on, we passed several more abandoned canneries. There was one where only a rusted smoke stack remained. This was a very relaxing day. After dinner¸ there was a talk about salmon and the different varieties found in the waters of British Columbia and Alaska. We passed Ivory Pt. Lighthouse and were treated to a full moon rising at sunset.

EXPLORING VANCOUVER ISLAND AND THE SUNSHINE COAST

When we woke on Monday morning, we were almost at the northern tip of Vancouver Island. The Yorktown cruised into Johnstone Strait and continued south towards the Strait of Georgia. The skies above us were a bright blue with a thin cloud cover hiding the sun. It was cool and very “brisk” outside with a gentle wind blowing north as we cruised south. In the lounge after breakfast the passengers and crew began to gather in hopes of seeing some of the northern resident orcas.

There were more pleasure craft and private boats in this area as opposed to all of the fishing boats we saw up north. The salmon continued to jump high out of the calm waters all around us. Vancouver Island is 300 miles long and 80 miles wide. In 1792, George Vancouver and Peter Puget mapped this area by canoe looking for the Northwest Passage. We traveled into the Nodales Channel and to an area called Big Bay. The Big Bay area was populated with very large homes overlooking the waters of the channel. There were several large resorts in the area including the Sonora Resort where President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev supposedly met once during their summit meetings during The Cold War.

We were treated to a visit by a another small pod of orcas and some white sided dolphins along with several Dall’s porpoises who enjoyed swimming quickly in the waters as The Yorktown broke water and moved south. We were not permitted to stop in this area, so we had to take our pictures quickly if we saw something. I was leaning so far over the railing at the bow of the boat trying to get a picture of the porpoises that my ribs hurt – but I got the picture! It was well worth it!

The Yorktown continued south through Discovery Passage and Seymour Narrows. This is where the tide currents change swiftly and safe passage is only possible every six hours. The Captain navigated us safely through the narrow passage passed all of the small islands dotting the landscape in the Desolation Sound.

Though we did not see any more whales or much marine life from this point south, it was still another beautiful day. We will arrive at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island just after noon tomorrow. The sunset tonight was incredible. I cannot honestly ever remember seeing the sky so yellow before. It was as if it was on fire.

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 9 - METLAKATLA, ALASKA

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 9 - METLAKATLA, ALASKA

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010

METLAKATLA

After Alyssa came over the intercom system and said “Wake up Yorktown, we will be passing Ketchikan this morning on our way to Metlakatla”, we got dressed and went down for breakfast and coffee in the lounge. It was interesting approaching Ketchikan from the north past the lighthouse on the north end of Gravina Island. Being in a small ship gives you an entirely different perspective of the area around you because you are so close to ground level. When you are on the larger ships, you are hundreds of feet in the air and looking down on everything.

There were no large cruise ships at the dock in Ketchikan as we passed by, so it was easy to find Creek Street and our favorite restaurant “Steamers” which is right along the dock downtown. As we were going by, many of us realized we were traveling very slowly. .

As soon as the ship was tied down and secured to the dock, the passengers were guided to buses up the hill where we were taken to a Tshimshian Clan House for a native cultural dance presentation. Metlakatla is home to both Haida and Tshimshian natives. Their Clan House includes groups from Raven, Eagle, Humpback and Wolf clans. Metlakatla’s main source of income is fishing; and there is a beautiful small harbor near the Clan House full of fishing boats and personal boats as well. This is a self-governing community because they opted to retain their reservation status rather than to incorporate with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement.

We entered the Clan House and instructed to sit on the wooden steps that lined the edge of the interior. A young Tshimshian man dressed in full native clothing came out and began telling us about their culture and introduced the rest of the dancers. This dance group travels all over the lower 48 states performing at schools and different cultural events – including performing at The White House – to share their traditions with others. There are eight different coastal tribes – Tlingit, Tshimshian, Haida, Northern Kwakiutl, Bella Coola, Southern Kwakiutl, Nootka and Coast Salish.

The dance group is composed of babies to elders. Each person makes their own costume. The beading is extraordinary with the detail they incorporate into the patterns. Beads made from shells were used by several of the women. The patterns on the back of their costumes represented the specific clan they were from (i.e. humpback, raven, etc.). One of the older women wore a beautiful red, full-length cape with a whale appliquéd on the back. The band around the entire cape was about 4 inches wide of ¼ inch shell beads that she had meticulously sewn on in perfect alignment with several other bright colored beads interspersed to add color. She had long black hair that fell softly to below her shoulders. She wore wire rimmed glasses and smiled when she danced showing her love and passion in her soft facial expressions.

The Tshimshian people are very proud and very willing to share their culture with you. During the performance of song and dance we were encouraged to get up and dance with them. We were told beforehand that if you did not accept their invitation to dance with them it would be an insult. So, when one of the dancers held out their hand to me, we quickly stepped down onto the floor and moved around the dance floor with our arms outstretched as if we were eagles and then brought our hands together and motioned up and down as if we were whales. It was fun and we were joined by about 50% of the people with us, so there was a large group on the floor.

We wandered through their small shops down the hallway from the Clan House where the women were selling their homemade items. There was everything from jewelry to hand-woven baskets to handmade moccasins. As we went outside, we noticed a totem pole facing the small harbor that was carved of several figures, one of which was holding a Holy Bible. After our allotted time for shopping had come to an end, we were scurried back on the buses and transported back to the ship. We all boarded and went to the dining room for lunch where it was then announced that we only had one working engine and that a crew had been flown in with parts to make the repairs. It was about 12:30 at this time. We were given the opportunity to leave the ship again if we wanted and go explore the town. Jim took off exploring and I took a nap! We finally departed Metlakatla about 5:30 p.m. that evening. At dinner they announced that we had the all-clear from the Coast Guard and were good-to-go. Because of this engine trouble, however, we would not be able to go into Misty Fjords National Monument as originally planned. I think the majority of us were just happy that the ship engine was repaired and we were underway.

So we traveled out of Metlakatla into the Chatham Sound heading south along Porcher Island and Pitt Island.

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 8 - LECONTE GLACIER PICTURES

This glacier was so beautiful that I just have to share more pictures from that fabulous experience. I hope you enjoy them.

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 8 -FIVE FINGER ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE & PETERSBURG

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 8

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010

FIVE FINGER ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE & PETERSBURG

Thus far on our cruise, we felt we have truly been blessed with unbelievable gorgeous weather and incredible memories. When I woke early again this morning, I had no idea what an incredible day was about to unfold before us. We wandered downstairs to the lounge before 6:30 a.m. when Alyssa quietly woke up the passengers of The Yorktown saying “Good morning Yorktown – it is now 6:30 a.m. and this is your wake up call. Come out on deck as soon as you can as we are amongst a pod of humpback whales.” Within minutes the lounge filled with passengers and their cameras. The incredible experience we were about to have was nothing short of a miracle and truly a blessing.

As we approached Five Finger Lighthouse we began to see a lot of humpback whales spouting and blowing in the distance. The further we traveled, the closer they came and within a short few minutes, we were amongst a pod of about 18 humpback whales ready to put on a fabulous show for us! We weren’t sure where to look for fear of missing something that was happening. On one side of the Yorktown five or six humpbacks would surface and blow then bellow amazing noises much like elephants, and then as if that was their cue, they would each hump their backs dramatically and up came those gorgeous tails! The Captain stopped the ship and we stayed there for over an hour or more. There were whales breaching off behind the ship and off the starboard side. There were whales right in front and right beside us. The cameras were just clicking as fast as they could and all of the passengers were gasping and clapping and yelling in joy at the fabulous performance.

Yes, we had an incredible experience on our Photo Safari by Land & Sea in Juneau and had seen humpbacks and orcas, but not this many! This was one of the most memorable experiences for us and we are so lucky to have been in that area at that time. And Alyssa, well, she was beyond excited – she was just plain ecstatic! She did not stop smiling for the rest of the cruise!

We finally had to leave the area, but not before the whales breached in the distance and said good-bye to us. We continued on in to Petersburg, Alaska; but soon became aware that we were traveling quite slowly. An announcement was made that we were having engine trouble and only had the use of one engine. Several minutes later, a large black and yellow tug boat appeared on our stern and began following us very closely. No announcements were made and we thought it was just protocol for a tug to guide you into Petersburg because it was such a small town

Petersburg, Alaska is on the northern tip of Mitkof Island and has a strong Norwegian heritage. It was founded in 1897 by a Norwegian fisherman named Peter Buschmann and his son August. The population of Petersburg is only about 3,200. As we disembarked the Yorktown the majority of the passengers were directed to buses that took them into the town to enjoy a traditional dance at the Sons of Norway Hall. Not only did they have a nice tour of the small, quaint town, but they were also served some traditional and decadent Norwegian pastries.

Those of us who had signed up for the jet boat excursion to LeConte Glacier (about 24 in all) were directed to two small buses and driven down about two blocks from where the ship was docked to another dock where we boarded our jet boats. The jet boats had an enclosed area where we all sat comfortably and listened to our guide, a history teacher, tell us about the area and what we were about to see. The LeConte Glacier is the southernmost glacier in Alaska.

As we traveled across Wrangell Narrows, we were told that this area is only accessible for smaller cruise vessels and the Alaska state ferries. Petersburg has the largest halibut fishing fleet in Southeast Alaska; and so you see many fishing boats on the waters here. When we left Petersburg we headed east towards the mainland. The closer we got to LeConte Bay the more icebergs we saw. These icebergs were larger and much deeper colors of blue than any other glacial ice we have seen before. Some of the “bergs” were seemingly carved out from where they were in the water and appeared to almost look like mushrooms. Because there is a shelf of glacial soot at the entrance to LeConte Bay, the glaciers get hung up there; so there is a big accumulation of icebergs in this area. The shelf is shallow; and with only 10% of the glacier being above the water, the majority of the mass is underwater and gets stuck on this shallow shelf.

After having been to Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm Fjord to visit the Sawyer Glacier, we had no idea what a treat we were about to experience. The further we traveled down the narrow inlet, the more icebergs appeared. There were small ones and there were some that were almost a hundred feet tall. Some of them appeared to be two separate icebergs – one of top of the other – the bottom being smoother and rounded; and the one perched on top was rectangular and just resting there.

At one point on our journey back to our ultimate destination of LeConte Glacier, we passed aquamarine colored icebergs with dozens of harbor seals resting on top of them. Our jet boat got so close that we could look right into their eyes and see the beautiful patterns of their skins from ones that almost looked like leopard skins to solid colors and everything in between. One even decided to slide down the iceberg he was on and dive into the icy waters when we got close! I’ve never been so close to marine wildlife as this - Not even at Sea World!

Seeing the harbor seals so close was amazing, but when we finally arrived at LeConte Glacier, we all just stood there for a moment on the rear of the boat and just gasped. We were about 150 yards from the face of the glacier and among thousands of small icebergs. Up on one of the mountains to our port (left) side were mountain goats grazing. As we looked into a valley off the starboard (right) side we were told we were looking into a small valley that had been described as the Yosemite of Alaska.

We got to stay at the glacier for almost an hour and a half; and during that time, we witnessed several calvings.

We were so close, that when the glacier calved, we could feel the ripple of the water as the waves moved across the small bay. The deep colors of blue in the glacier were stunning. At one point, I almost felt like I was Superman on his planet Krypton with all the ice spires and columns before me. We could hear the glacier crack and moan. LeConte Glacier moves forward at the rate of 3 feet an hour – so there is a lot of calving. Our guide brings his students up here once a year to take measurements and to record the glacier activity. LeConte Glacier sometimes recedes, but other times it grows. There is approximately 100 feet of snow that falls on the ice field.

We knew our time here was limited – but we were all thrilled to have been able to see such a magnificent glacier and all of the wildlife up so close. When we arrived back in Petersburg, our bus driver took us on a quick tour of the quaint city to show us a few landmarks – and then dropped us off at the dock to board the ship.

As The Yorktown left Petersburg we headed into the Wrangell Narrows towards our next destination, the small native town of Metlakatla.

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 7 - TRACY ARM FJORD AND TWIN SAWYER GLACIERS

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. y

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010


FREDERICK SOUND, TRACY ARM FJORD & TWIN SAWYER GLACIERS

Knowing that we were traveling into an area that we have never been before, we both got up early and headed down for our light breakfast and early morning coffee. We were greeted by a lounge full of fellow passengers all with the same thing in mind. We had multiple humpback whale sightings while we traveled along Kupreanof Island through Holkham Bay and in to Tracy Arm Fjord. Tracy Arm Fjord consists of two fjords that are each about 30 miles long and is home to the Twin Sawyer Glaciers - North Sawyer Glacier and South Sawyer Glacier. Today we traveled to the South Glacier.

We had our first sighting of a goat on a hillside high above us. There are so many beautiful waterfalls that we passed along the way it was incredible. Two of the most beautiful falls were Icy Falls and Hole in the Wall Falls – both of which the Captain maneuvered the ship right up to the face of and everyone on the bow of the boat got wet from the mist. As we traveled further back we passed the Carnival Spirit and Cruise West’s Spirit of Discovery. Passengers from all three vessels were waving to each other as we passed each other.

We began to see several large icebergs floating in the waters around us and then when we turned the final corner before us was an amazing wall of ice. The face of South Sawyer Glacier is about half a mile across with spires hundreds of feet high in the sky. The brilliant deep blue of the freshly exposed ice on the glacier was nothing short of spectacular. I have never seen such blue ice nor had I ever been that close to a glacier before. The Captain stayed at the face of the glacier for quite a long time, and then David told us that if we looked to our right we would see hundreds of harbor seals basking in the warm sun on all of the “bergie bits” in the waters below the glacier. Because the water was so thick with icebergs at this point, the Captain had to keep his distance from them.

When it was time for us to leave, we traveled down the fjord to the place where we had finally turned and could see the glacier and the Yorktown stopped. They announced that Alyssa was going to go off the ship with two other crew members to bring us a sample of a “bergie bit” and that it would be on display in the lounge. She took off in a rubber dinghy and brought back two samples for us to see. They were both about 24” thick. You could actually see the ice crystal patterns in the dense ice. It was amazing to see this so close. They looked almost like a pattern had been stamped into them. Common sense told you that wasn’t possible!

After dinner David told us we would travel through the Wrangell Narrows early tomorrow morning and would pass Five Finger Island Lighthouse. We would be in Frederick Sound, one of the best feeding grounds for humpback whales – and then we would travel on to Petersburg. Guess who was getting up early again in the morning?!

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 6 - SITKA

SITKA

I woke up early this morning and let Jim sleep in. I got dressed and went downstairs for some coffee and to enjoy the scenery as we cruised into Sitka. We have only approached Sitka from the Pacific Ocean into Crescent Bay on past cruises, so I was anxious to experience gliding on the glassy waters into Sitka Harbor from the north into this small Russian village this time. There was a low lying fog hugging the islands as we passed through. Along the way we passed several fishing boats that had their cranes working hard spreading their nets in the water to gather their fresh fish that day. The fishermen would wave as we went by them. It was a very nice greeting so early in the morning. I stood out on the bow of the Yorktown with my coffee and my camera until Jim finally joined me and we went inside for our light breakfast.

Sitka is the oldest non-native settlement in Southeast Alaska. It is full of Russian and Tlingit history. Sitka means “behind the island or by the sea” in Tlingit. Sitka as we know it today was founded in 1804 by the Russians and was the capital of Russian America for 63 years. It was known as the “Paris of the Pacific”. Once Alaska was sold to the United States, most of the Russian residents left and returned to Russia.

Our included “shore excursion” in Sitka was a tour of Totem Heritage park. When we disembarked the ship, the heavens opened up on us and the rain poured down. Even though we all had our umbrellas and hats on, we still got soaked. But that didn’t stop us from enjoying our time here. Inside the visitor center there were many original totems on display that are now protected from the weather and harmful elements they would normally be exposed to. Among the displays inside were also Tlingit blankets woven from goat hair with very intricate black and white native patterns. There were baskets that had been hand woven by the women in the tribes and samples of beautiful items that had been sewn meticulously interweaving beautiful beads and fur into the patterns. As I walked outside, I noticed an island across the channel with a white and red lighthouse on it. And, yes, I had my camera in hand to capture the moment.

After our tour, we were given the option to be taken back to The Yorktown or to be dropped off in town. We opted for the second and were dropped off near the Heritage Visitor Center where we took off with our umbrellas above our heads to explore the city. We had a very enjoyable lunch of crab melt sandwiches at the restaurant inside the Westmark Hotel up the street from the Visitor Center. After lunch we walked down through some of the local shops and passed the St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church in the center of town. St. Michael’s green dome was graced by a bald eagle perched proudly on the cross on the top of the dome as we walked by. Across from the heritage Visitor Center under a wooden cover was a Tlingit ceremonial canoe, painted in bright red, black and white on display.

Alyssa gave a talk on humpback whales after dinner. Her enthusiasm is contagious when she talks about whales in general. She is ¬studying marine life at Western Washington University and also working on a 3rd and 4th grade curriculum on orca whales for the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, WA. When both David and Alyssa talk in the evenings, they have fabulous examples to share with us and actual specimens of their topic for the day. We saw everything from baleen from inside a humpback whales’ mouth to grizzly bear claws to the fur of most of the wildlife. Their talks in the evenings were very interesting and informative.

When we left Sitka, we followed the same path we had traveled in the early morning hours through Peril Strait around Baranof Island and west into the Chatham Strait where we would then turn west into Frederick Sound and travel to Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers tomorrow.

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 5 - GLACIER BAY

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 5

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010

GLACIER BAY

The next morning we awoke to heavy fog and rain. We pulled into Bartlett Cove to the ranger station to bring on board our forest ranger and Tlingit Indian at 5:45 a.m. and then began our way into Glacier Bay – an excursion that would take us 60 miles back into see Marjorie Glacier and the Grand Pacific Glacier. One of the interesting places we passed on our journey into Glacier Bay National Park was the Marble Islands. This is an area that is designated to protecting nesting birds. As we crept closer, we could see the boulders covered with stellar sea lions near the waters’ edge. Then, as the fog lifted a little, we could see black cormorants and white kittiwakes – nesting birds – all perched on the higher rocks of the islands. We could hear the sea lions barking and could see some of them jumping into the frigid glacier waters below. Further on, we came upon our first sighting of puffins. These plump little birds were floating in the icy water proudly. They have a black neck and back with white sides of their head and breast. Their most noticeable feature is their bright orange bill. The puffins we saw were tufted puffins because of the yellow tufts of feathers that curl back from each side of their head.

There were a few sea otters in the distance, but we never got close enough to get decent pictures of them. At one point, one of the crew members pointed out several of them swimming together almost forming what appeared to be a log. These furry mammals were almost hunted to extinction by the Russian fur traders in the 1860’s. They were given full protection in 1911 under the Fur Seal Treaty that was signed by the United States, Great Britain, Russia and Japan. We also saw a humpback whale in the distance.

There was a misty rain falling for most of the morning. The Captain took us into a cove at one point on our journey back into the park. The fog was almost lining the curves of the mountains as they gently met the ocean waters. The aquamarine color of the water was incredible as well as how calm and still the water was. There was not a ripple on it. It was so peaceful and serene and I could not help just stand there in awe of the entire majestic wilderness before me. This beautiful place will forever remain just as it is today thanks for the preservation efforts of people like John Muir.

Later in the morning, our Tlingit (pronounced Klingit) native Alice Haldane spoke to us about her heritage. She is the grandchild of the Wolf clan, the original people of Glacier Bay. Tlingit means “the people”. The Tlingit natives were run out of Glacier Bay because the Grand Pacific Glacier was moving forward. It destroyed all of their homes and artwork. Glacier Bay was the Tlingit homeland and now means “the bay in place of the glacier”, according to Alice. The Tlingit tribe moved to Hooneah or Icy Strait Point on Chichagof Island to wait for the ice to release in Glacier Bay. Unfortunately, that did not happen soon enough and after the turn of the century and the formation of the National Park in 1925, much of the Tlingit homeland was incorporated in the park land and thus prohibited activities of the Tlingit there. Hoonah means “village by the cliff” in the Tlingit language and Hooneah became Hoonah in 1901. The Tlingit tribe did not return to Glacier Bay for many years. The National Park Service maintained relations with the Tlingit and recently has encouraged them to return to the park where they can carry out some of their traditions. They have also been encouraged to return on boat trips for the children and the tribe natives to come back and learn about how this all figures in to their spirituality. Alice seemed genuinely appreciative that she was “allowed” to return into the park on our Cruise West boat and to share her heritage with us. She ended her talk by saying “Gunalchéesh” (Thank you) and “Tsoo Ye Lek’waa sa Teen” (Until we meet again). Alice was very interesting to listen to, and we thoroughly enjoyed hearing her speak about her people.

Around 1:00 in the afternoon, The Spirit of Yorktown arrived at the face of Marjorie Glacier and Grand Pacific Glacier. Because of the fog and rain, it was difficult to see the massive ice mass before us. The green glacier waters below had a few icebergs floating in the glassy waters here and there. Because of the weather conditions, it was difficult to see the glacier face all at the same time. We were encouraged when the fog would lift for a moment and we would get a glimpse of the towers of ice – but we never got to see the truly incredible river of ice as we have seen before on earlier cruises. We were further disappointed when the Captain left Marjorie Glacier after only being there for about half an hour because The Spirit of Yorktown only moved at 12 knots, and we had to be out of the park by a certain time. On our way out of Glacier Bay, the Captain did slow down at one point to show us a faraway glimpse of Lampugh Glacier; but those were our only glacier sightings for the day. We stopped at Bartlett Cove to drop off our ranger and Alice before we headed west between Baranof and Chichagof Island through Peril Strait to Sitka which would be our next port-of-call.

That evening after dinner, David talked about Sitka and its’ Russian heritage. When we returned to our cabin after his talk, we were surprised to have received a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries from the crew of The Yorktown in celebration of our Tenth anniversary. We shared the champagne the next evening at dinner.

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 4 - SKAGWAY

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 4

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010


SKAGWAY – JEWELL GARDENS AND GLASS BLOWING

Skagway is a small town at the very end of the Lynn Canal and is well-known for being the jumping off point for the Gold Rush of 1898. The thousands of hopeful prospectors came to Skagway and then found themselves having to hike the treacherous Chilkoot Trail up the mountains to the Yukon Territory and Dawson City where gold was found by Mr. George Carmack. Back in the late 1800’s, thousands upon thousands of people converged on this small town increasing its’ population almost overnight from a mere 500 natives to a city where 1,000 people were passing through it every week for several years. The population grew to almost 20,000 during the Gold Rush. There is a lot of memorabilia around Skagway from that period in tine. There are many pictures of the unbroken chain of people hiking four miles of the steep trail and climbing the last 1,500 steps that were carved out in ice because of the weather conditions then. It is hard to imagine what they endured in hopes of striking it rich.

Today, the year-round population is only about 300 people and increases to about 800 during the summer. When the mega cruise ships come in to port, the town has an influx of almost 2,000 people or more instantly.

We cruised down the Lynn Canal early in the morning and arrived in Skagway about 7:00 a.m. It was clear but windy outside. We disembarked the ship around mid-morning to go explore the shops on our own then returned to the ship for lunch.

Skagway is known as “The Garden City of Alaska” where the long days of summer considerably increase the growing of the flowers and vegetables. It is a city where giant cabbages and tomatoes grow seemingly overnight because of the continuous sunlight during the summer. On this visit to Skagway¸ we thought we should explore this phenomenon a little more and chose to go visit The Jewell Gardens. Our group gathered at the end of the pier, and we were taken by shuttle buses to the gardens. As we drove into the parking lot, we saw a small building not more than 75 feet wide with a window on either side of the door with a painted wooden sign “Jewell Gardens” above it indicating we had arrived at our destination. Off to one side there was a gazebo where we were instructed to gather and begin our tour. There were a few flowers out front in planters or pots but once the gate was opened and we walked inside, it was like walking into a floral fairy land. The flowers were every color of the rainbow and with the lush evergreen bushes and trees as a backdrop, the dimensions of the landscaping became apparent. At one point as we were walking along the path, I looked across the small acre of land focusing on the beautiful colors and as I brought my head up the majestic, snow-capped mountains were off in the distance against a sky of blue. I just had to stop and take in all the beauty at that moment.

The begonias were stunning. These flowers do not grow well in Southern-California where we live. The flowers at home are only about 1 inch in diameter. The flowers we saw before us were magnificent and almost 4 inches in diameter. The colors were beautiful; and I wanted to just stand there and admire them because I had never seen a begonia like that. We continued on along the path where the gardens were meticulously manicured and landscaped. Then, when we reached the middle of the area, we realized there was a miniature train running through the area. The train set was also landscaped, complete with snow capped mountains and the main street of Skagway. As we stood there, a train whistle blew and here came The White Pass and Yukon Railway train right through the city. It was adorable and quite authentic after being scaled down as much as it was.
From here we ventured on into the vegetable garden where we found plush growth with cabbage heads twice the size of any I’ve ever seen in a grocery store before. The zucchini and yellow squash were double size as well. And, the artichokes were larger than the giant artichokes I purchase from Monterey, CA area, still standing tall on their stems. It became immediately apparent that the myth of Alaska growing larger vegetables because it is “The Land of the Midnight Sun” is very true indeed. These vegetables that we saw were proof positive.

After we finished our tour of the gardens, we were directed into a barn where we sat on long wooden benches and treated to a demonstration of glass blowing. The final product was a stunning red, white and blue decorative glass bowl. As we left, the bowl was placed into an oven where it would cure for 24 hours and then be available for purchase. Yes, our next stop was the gift shop where incredible pieces of blown glass from vases and bowls to wine glasses and miniature Christmas ornaments were available for you to purchase. Each of us in the group chose something special and carried it gently and carefully out of the building.

To our surprise, our afternoon was not over yet. We were taken into a lovely garden tea room with picture windows on one side of the room overlooking the Jewell Gardens. The room had a tall ceiling with white fans gently turning to keep the air moving. There were square tables for four set up with white linen table cloths and pastel pink floral napkins placed inside adorable silver tea pot napkin rings on each table along with white china and tea cups. At the end of the room on a table were beautiful old-fashioned ladies hats complete with feathers, lace and ribbons; and we were told to pick one out and wear it for our “tea party”. The hat I chose was a small black calico print with black ribbons and tulle netting with a wide brim and soft, puffy top. It was gorgeous; and I wish I could have purchased it. We enjoyed our tea (many of us were warm and chose iced tea) along with our tray of traditional tea edible delights like cucumber sandwiches, a slice of carrot cake, scones and English shortbread cookies.

After that we were shuttled back into Skagway where we opted to stay in town for a little longer to wander through some of the quaint shops before we walked back to our ship. On our walk back our path took us along a street where pyracantha trees were growing along the sidewalk. Their red berries were bunched together; and it looked almost as if it was a tree already decorated for Christmas. We also passed an old wooden skiff alongside one of the buildings near the dock that had been filled with dirt and transformed into a gorgeous planter of bright purple lobelia and white alyssum. The flowers were so thick and plush that they were flowing over the edge of the old wooden boat; and it was gorgeous just sitting there on the ground.

That night after dinner, Exploration Leader Dave talked about the three different species of bear in Alaska – Polar, Brown/Grizzly and Black bear.

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 3

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 3

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010

EMBARKATION AND SAILAWAY ON THE SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

We could see The Spirit of Yorktown from our hotel window at the Goldbelt Hotel in Juneau as she pulled into the harbor in Juneau on August 15, 2010 early in the morning around 7:00 a.m. Though we could not begin boarding her until 3:00 p.m. we were all still anxious to get the cruise portion of our vacation underway.

The shops along Juneau’s waterfront were all open early in anticipation of the cruise ship passengers converging on their town in hopes of finding that one special souvenir that they can’t do without before heading home. We joined all of the tourists and visited the shops one more time before we left.

We decided to take the Glacier Express bus out to see Mendenhall Glacier one more time before we boarded the ship and left in hopes of possibly seeing a black bear feeding on the salmon in the river or getting a better picture of Mendenhall Glacier. There is a very informative and interesting Visitor’s Center at Mendenhall; and we walked up to that and spent time going through the exhibits inside and watching the film that is presented by the National Park Service. After that, we headed down to the walkway that is along the river overlooking the glacier. The walkway is raised about 10-12 feet above ground and is built with sturdy wooden planks to walk on with a nice railing and thick fence wire underneath to prohibit anyone from falling. There are rangers at several points along the way to explain to you what you are seeing. The main attraction for everyone at this time of year is to see the salmon running. The river was thick with red salmon. The unfortunate thing about walking on this path at this time of year is the stench from the dead salmon on the edge of the river. Thus is the circle of life.

The passengers of The Yorktown all gathered in one room at the Goldbelt Hotel in Juneau at 3:00 p.m. We sat at round tables for eight and began chatting and getting to know some of the 130 other passengers who would be joining us on our journey from Juneau to Seattle for the next ten days. On the walls in this gathering room were poster pictures of Alaskan wildlife; and we all looked at them hoping that we would be able to get the chance to experience these animals up, close and personal on our cruise.

From the Goldbelt, we were bused in four buses across the bridge over the Gastineau Channel to Douglas Island where we arrived at the Perseverance Theater. This small theater was founded in 1979 and its’ mission is to entertain people with Alaska Native work.

Today, we saw a production of “Cedar House” that was written and produced by Ishmael Hope, a Juneau storyteller of Inupiaq and Tlingit heritage. He and another actor told five different native stories. The stage is simple and made of cedar planks. There are a few native Indian props that are used during the performance strategically located around the stage.

The two men began by telling us “The Origin of Mosquitoes” then continued with “The Clan Migration”, “The Birth of Raven”, “The Salmon Box”, and ended with “The Raven and the Brown Bears”. There was some dancing and beating on drums, but really not much music. The entire performance was about 30 minutes long.

After the performance, we were finally back on our bus and headed to The Spirit of Yorktown to board and get underway on our cruise! When we arrived at the dock a good portion of the ships’ crew were standing at the foot of the gangway to welcome us as we boarded – including the Captain! Once we were onboard, a crew member took us to our cabin and then we were on our own to explore and meet up in about half an hour for our mandatory safety drill.


Because the ship only carriers 130 passengers, there is only one dining room. There is a lounge area with couches and comfortable chairs which is where we would gather each evening after dinner to hear a talk on wildlife, whales, native culture and many other interesting topics. There were two Exploration Leaders on board, David and Alyssa.

The Yorktown has three decks – the Sun Deck with four balcony cabins and the bridge, the Promenade Deck and the Main Deck. It is 17 laps around the Promenade deck to complete one mile. The Sun Deck is partly covered with white Adirondack chairs and small round tables with white wooden chairs around them. Many people spent time hear reading their books as we cruised the waters of the Inside Passage. The Sun Deck is also the only place where smoking is allowed on the ship. From the Promenade Deck, if we climbed down one flight of stairs we would be on the Main Deck where there were inside cabins and the lounge towards the front of the vessel. The lounge looked like a very large living room filled with vinyl covered, curved bench seats that were on both sides of the room with marble topped round tables. In the middle of the room were love seats and chairs all placed in groupings to encourage groups of six or eight to get to know one another. There was a bar at the back of the lounge – mid ship – and the buffet station at the very front of the room under the floor to ceiling picture windows overlooking the bow of the boat.

Casual breakfast was served in the lounge at the buffet station. That consisted of English muffins, toast or bagels that you could toast yourself, a variety of dry cereal, one hot cereal such as oatmeal or cream of wheat, yogurt and a few different breakfast pastries served along with a beautiful platter of fresh cantaloupe, honeydew melon and pineapple. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate were available 24/7 near the bar. A more “hearty” breakfast was served in the dining room where you could get an omelet, waffles and the like.

In addition to a full lunch served in the dining room every day, a lighter fare was also offered in the lounge at the buffet station. There was always some sort of meat carving from roast beef or turkey to corned beef and pork. In addition, there was always a green salad with three types of dressings as well as a special salad such as a Caesar or Waldorf salad. Along with hot soup, there were also platters of quarter size sandwiches. Warm, homemade cookies were put out every afternoon around 3:00 on the bar for anyone wanting a snack.

Happy Hour began at 5:30 p.m. every afternoon with hor’sdeouvres brought around by the wait staff.
Dinner was served at either 6:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. depending on our schedule for the day. Even though dinner was “casual”¸ the tables were set with white linens, china and crystal along with a bud vase with fresh flowers in the center. You had a choice of four entrées for dinner (fish, chicken, meat or vegetarian), two choices of salads and one special desert like peach cobbler or chocolate or vanilla ice cream and a mango sorbet.

Nonetheless, at about 7:00 p.m. on August 15, 2010 the lines were tossed from the dock in Juneau and our journey through the Inside Passage began. As we left port the skies to our north glowed with a brilliant sunset of pinks on the lofty clouds in the sky. We were on our way!

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 2-JUNEAU

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 2

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010

JUNEAU PRE-CRUISE

JUNEAU AND HELICOPTER AND DOGSLEDDING ADVENTURE

¬¬After our delicious breakfast of fresh bagels and warm coffee at Silverbow Bakery in Juneau, we took off to explore the town. We walked all the way from one end of town to the other and back again several times searching for different items we couldn’t leave behind. We enjoyed going into the different gift shops to see the different offerings. Many of the shops are owned by the native locals and offer native Tlingit art from wooden bowls carved, shined and polished to a beautiful gloss out of birch wood to detailed totem poles or canoe oars.

Lunch today was at Roma’s Pizza located in the blue wooden hangar building near Marine Park. All of us had a slice of pizza with a salad and iced tea. It was delicious margarita style pizza with a nice sauce and lots of cheese. Our salads all had vinaigrette dressing.

Once we went back to the hotel to freshen up and grab our cameras we were off on our helicopter dog-sledding adventure with Coastal Helicopters. The van came and picked us up from the lobby of the Goldbelt Hotel. We were driven out to the heliport which is near the Juneau airport. We were all given special glacier boots to put on over our shoes and given our safety talk and then walked out to the helicopter. There were six of us on this trip – Mark & Debbie, me and Jim and another couple of Australia. Mark and Debbie were seated in the small front bench seat of the helicopter and the other four of us were in the small back bench seat squished in between the two helicopter doors.

As we lifted off the ground from the heliport, it seemed very calm, almost as if we were floating in a balloon above the ground. We never felt any turbulence. We gained altitude and flew over the southern part of Mendenhall Glacier over to Herbert Glacier which is to the northwest and adjacent to Mendenhall Valley. The weather in downtown Juneau was a bit cloudy, but once we rose above the clouds, the sun was shining and it was an absolutely glorious day. The suns’ rays shined down onto the glaciers below and they glistened brightly.
We flew further back into the river of ice that the Herbert Glacier has formed until we reached a large open area where we eventually saw the dogs and the mushers’ camp. The helicopter gently landed and the door was opened by Jake Berkowitz, our musher. Jake has red hair and freckles and has competed in the Iditarod four times. He has seventy dogs altogether, but only forty were with him on the glacier today. The dogs are transported to the glacier on the same helicopters that we were flying in except they remove the seats and put the dog kennels in their places.

Jake took us up to introduce us to the dogs. We slid and sloshed through the mushy, glistening snow. Even though we had on our glacier boots, it was still very slippery. There were two sleds hooked up to our team of 14 sled dogs. Mark and Debbie rode in the first sled with Jake as their driver standing behind them. A rope tied our two sleds together; and I sat down on our sled with Jim standing behind me as our driver.
And off we went! The initial start is a jolt for those sitting because the dogs suddenly begin running; and I found myself holding on for dear life. Once we were underway, we glided over the snow. It was not a smooth ride as there are many different bumps and areas thicker than others with the glacial snow that caused ruts. There were times when we were gliding along where we would pass thick clear frozen ponds that were a deep blue or deep turquoise color and absolutely gorgeous.

To our surprise, our ride was extended by Jake; and we continued on our venture for 5 or 6 miles instead of the 1 or 2 that we had anticipated. We traveled in a circle 8 configuration and kept traveling closer and closer to the face of Herbert Glacier. After our ride was over, we were taken to meet the dogs and to visit with some of the dogs in their kennels. We saw the cooking tent where things were set up for cooking for the two mushers. They said they ate a lot of chicken. There were some very large shallow holes dug into the ice where they said they would gather the dog hair after brushing them and then scoop them all up and fly it down back to Juneau for waste.

Our helicopter ride back to Juneau took us back up over Herbert Glacier and then across the face of Mendenhall Glacier and through the valley back to the heliport. It was a calm flight and as we always say, over too soon.

JUNEAU AND OUR PHOTO SAFARI BY LAND AND SEA

I think what we all want most is for our vacation experiences to live up to our expectations. Our Photo Safari by Land and Sea that was offered through Gastineau Guiding did not disappoint us in any way and gave us memories we shall cherish forever.

Our afternoon began around 2:00 p.m. when our group gathered and we met our guide, Adriane. We were taken by a shuttle bus out to the Mendenhall valley. On our way there, Adriane asked about our photo experience and explained that we would be hiking for about a mile up the back side of one of the mountains to where we would have beautiful views of Mendenhall Glacier. After our hike, we would then be taken down to Auke Bay where we would board a whale watching boat and head out to find some marine wildlife.
Before you reach the entrance to Mendenhall Glacier Visitor’s Center, there are several hiking paths leading from Mendenhall Valley Road. We gathered on a bridge that crossed a small river full of spawning salmon. The salmon were turning bright shades of red and were very easily seen through the clear, shallow water of the river. Everyone once in awhile, one of the salmon would jump and splash in the water creating a lot of commotion. This was seeing the “circle of life” come full circle as these salmon were swimming back to where they were born to lay their eggs and be fertilized before they quickly died.

As we walked up the trail, Adriane would point out different interesting aspects of the forest from trees that had fallen because beavers had gnawed on the trunks, several varieties of forest mushrooms, different berries that were ripe for the picking of the 17 black bear that live in the area to the beautiful mosses, ferns and wild-flowers that blanketed the forest floor. The mushrooms were all different with some being in clusters and some standing alone. Adriane also offered suggestions on settings for our cameras to take certain pictures and was helpful to several of us who did not have as much experience as some of the others in the group.

There were ponds of water still and clear as a mirror with dozens of mosquitoes flying above. As we climbed higher, we crossed several streams that were gently flowing down the mountain. You could hear the babbling of the water as it flowed softly over the rocks. The forest floor was thick with moss and ferns and lichen gently falling from some of the tree limbs indicating that the air at that point in the forest was the purest air there is, thus allowing the lichen to grow. We all stood on the trail and took in deep breaths. Most noticeable to me was the pine scent from the trees surrounding us. There were several rock markers along the trail that indicated the ice from Mendenhall Glacier had been there at one time in the past.

As we crested the trail and started down, Mendenhall Glacier appeared in the distance. The views of the glacier were spectacular. The sun was shining which added a deeper hue of blue to the cracks and crevices of the glacial mass. We hiked on down to ground level, where we went out to the edge of Mendenhall Lake and were able to see icebergs floating in the frigid waters within a few feet from us. Icebergs are also known as “bergie bits”. There was one bit floating near the shore that was completely transparent. You could see the ice crystals in it. Others were much larger and were beautiful shades of turquoise or deep blue – and yet others were still white on top from just breaking off the face of the glacier.

After we left Mendenhall Glacier, we headed to Auke Bay which is north of Juneau about 15 miles and the harbor where most of the fishing boats call home. Adriane introduced us to our boat captain; and after our safety talk, we were off and gliding across the calm waters of Auke Bay into the Lynn Canal in search of marine wildlife – hopefully – whales!

We traveled up along the coast for about half an hour or so along Shelter Island and Lincoln Island with Herbert Glacier off in the distance to the east. As we reached the northern tip of the island to our west, we came upon a pod of humpbacks who were feeding in the plentiful waters of the small ocean inlet. We have never been so close to whales before. Our captain turned off the engine which allowed us to just ¬float quietly amongst these gracious mammals and watch as they would crest the water then dramatically hump their backs and dive down for their feast. As they would dive down, their tails would glide out of the water so majestically. They were within about 50 feet of the boat, and everyone was clicking pictures as fast as they could to be able to get the succession of pictures from each whale as they began feeding below. There must have been about half a dozen humpbacks around us. It was an incredible experience; and when the captain told us he was going to leave, we all moaned and groaned – until he told us he got word there was a pod of orcas about half a mile ahead of us. We all quickly went to our seats and off we went!

The sight we came upon was nothing short of spectacular! There were about four other whale watching boats already in the area when we arrived. Each of the boats had their engines turned off as we did once we came within 100 yards of the whales. There was a group of about five or six orcas who were diving up and down in quick succession and all staying very close to each other.

After we had been there for several minutes, it appeared that the whales became curious about the boats and they began swimming to each boat as if to say hello. The passengers in each of the boats were screaming with such excitement as the orcas would get closer and closer to them. When the orcas came over to our boat, they began diving right under us! One spouted close to us and some of us got wet from the spray. Other than seeing Shamu at Sea World, I’ve never been so close to an orca before! It was thrilling and incredible and absolutely the experience of a lifetime for me. I couldn’t take pictures fast enough.

These majestic black and white mammals swam around and graced us with their presence for several minutes. They seemed very gentle and playful; and I never felt in danger of them being so close. When they swam away from our boat and swam on to the next, we were all so disappointed. Though they were only a few hundred yards away, it seemed like miles compared to having them diving right next to us a few moments before. We stayed in the area for quite awhile watching this spectacular show, but then had to leave to head back into Auke Bay as our tour time was ending.

The waters in Auke Bay were calm and serene and like a mirror when we entered the harbor. The sun was just beginning to settle in the west and a light pink hue was on the clouds. There were a few sea lions on one of the buoys as we entered, and as we passed one of them barked like he was saying hello. We pulled into the dock and saw several fishing boats that had fishermen proudly showing off their catch from the day. The salmon derby was being held in Juneau the weekend we were there – so all of the fishermen were hoping to catch “the big one” and win the trophy.