The Statendam will be our cruise ship to Alaska
We depart from Canada Place--there's our ship, the smaller one
Looking back at the Lion's Gate Bridge
Looks pretty gloomy ahead in the Georgia Strait
I settle into a deck chair
The Captain introduces the crew's officers
The first night's show--the Stattendam singers and dancers
Sunset--about 10 p.m.
First day--at sea--I tour the ship--looks like a pretty good library!
Attractive seating areas abound on Deck 8--the Explorer's Lounge
Or have a latte in a private nook while listening to music and looking out for Orcas
Play cards, maybe?
There are lots of puzzles to work on.
Borrow a book from the travel section.
Indonesian folk art--many of the crew are Indonesian
Dutch settlers in Indonesia probably collected artifacts like these
First stop--Beautiful Juneau, the state capitol
Ladies and Gentleman--the Dutch captain of the be-a--u-ti-ful Statendam
Our ship at anchor in Juneau
Our Lady of the Lake Chapel in Juneau
Juneau--first stop--Mendenhall Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier
A torrent pours into Mendenhall Lake
Mural of the first settlers to Juneau
Goodbye, Juneau
Mermaid fountain dominates the Statendam's Atrium, decks 6-8
Skagway, our second stop, is the Gateway to the Klondike for the Gold Rush stampeders starting in 1896
Here we are in Skagway
“Camp Skagway”
Typical Skagway street--ready for July 4
The girls want us to come see their show
July 4 Holiday is coming--the Visitor Center has an exhibit on the Gold Rush
Colorful stores sell a little of everything in Skagway
You can take a carriage ride around town
You can even buy a Turkish carpet here!
We opt for a summit tour in a classic car--a 1946 Cadillac, with Kira and Pat Marsh from St. Louis, who become our friends
Our drive takes us along the White Pass trail highway, across the way we can see the trail railway.
The White Pass Summit trail winds along cliffs--Imagine carrying 50 pounds along that trail.
The bridge is attached only on one side because of earthquakes
The miners in the Gold Rush must have been daunted when they spied the next mountain through White Summit pass.
The view through the window of a 46 Cadillac doesn't look daunting
We made it to the summit in style and comfort.
Looks pretty desolate here at the summit.
Actually it was warm enough to wear a light windbreaker
Now we're in British Columbia.
That's the B.C. customs ahead, in Bennett
Lake Lindemann
Entering the US from BC at Skagway, after our drive to the summit
Map in the Skagway Visitor's Center of the Klondike Gold Rush from Skagway to Dawson City, in the Klondike
Every miner had to enter British Columbia with a year's supply of goods--2000 pounds, to be hand carried through the passes to Dawson City, BC
Though the stampeders used horses, most of them died along the trails, and the men had to pull their own sleds.
Once the stampeders got to Dawson, they found all the claims had been taken. They had to work on someone else's claim.
Skagway, the gateway to the Klondike
Back on shipboard, I have Indonesian tea
Everything Indonesian today for our guests!
Leaving Skagway, there's a Princess ship
Carol and Sherry from London--we had breakfast with them several times.
We're on our way to Glacier Bay--what a beautiful sunset!
Heading into Glacier Bay
Glacier Bay waters are calm as a mirror.
The Great Pacific Glacier is black.
The Marjorie Glacier is white
Everybody on deck, as the ship turns around to give all sides a view.
The Marjorie Glacier is calving
John's official picture by the glacier.
My official glacier picture
We leave Glacier Bay
The smoke stack, unfortunately a cause of glaciers' melting.
Another cru9ise ship heads in as we leave Glacier Bay.
The Glacier Bay Park service boat arrives to take the Park Rangers off.
At dinner we notice a rainbow.
A string quartet from Ukraine performs in the Explorer's Lounge.
Entertainment from around the world.
Even Paris!
Must be Las Vegas night.
Fabulous showgirls and singers!
Don't miss the fabulous desert extravaganza.
A Gold Miner's cabin in the mountains.
Maybe an eagle?
The chocolate fountain--I resisted.
Don't miss the dessert extravaganza!
Welcome to Ketchikan!
An old-timer in Ketchikan
Eagle with broken wing, resued by a wild life center.
Rescued owl.
Church in Ketchikan.
Don't miss Saxman Village, with all the totems.
John was there.
A totem pole carver in his studio.
Herring Cove, Ketchikan
Rainbow Falls, Ketchikan
Eagles' nest in Ketchikan.
Creek Street, the red light district in Ketchikan
Dolly's House
Dolly's great granddaughter?
Dolly's table offers everything a miner could want to spend his money on.
Dolly will play you a little song, “to wet your whistle.”
Dolly's bedroom
Her best outfits.
Her accessories
Dolly with one of her pomeraniums
Dolly will attend.
Perhaps she wrote a memoir?
Creek Street looks like Ketchikan in the old times, doesn't it?
Poster in a shop in Ketchikan
At sea again, heading back to Vancouver.
Pat Marsh--last day at sea.
My cabin--all to myself, with the bed turned down by Tony, my cabin steward.
Not really warm enough to swim
Last day at sea, and we're going through the Inland passage between Vancouver Island and the BC mainland.
Pretty gorgeous through here, isn't it--oh, oh, look at that clearcutting.
John will miss this good weather in Hong Kong.
Vancouver Island--signs of civilization.
Settlers!
Pat and Kira join me and John for a last dinner on the ship[.
Last show of the cruise--“Down Town”
Dancing their hearts out to entertain us.
The crew's fairwell to the cruisers.
It's late the last evening of our cruise.
Having an omelette again?
We have our breakfast on the deck before disembarking.
We head back to from Canada Place the next morning.
Now the pool looks inviting; unfortunately, we're leaving this morning.
Tony has already made up my room for the next passengers.
The fuel trucks have arrived to fuel the ship for its next cruise.
Provisions are ready to be loaded aboard for today's departure, before we have even left ship.
I'm still relaxed, before we pull into Port Vancouver.
Last picture together with John, who flies out to Hong Kong while I fly back to Chicago.
