Seattle, Washington was where our boat dis-en-land-ed itself. Nautical terms are very strange like that. Don't question my vocabulary.
Tyler ponders the mysteries of the ocean.
Settling in to our luxurious cabin.
This is Juneau, Alaska. It's the smallest capitol city I've ever seen. Literally, it would fit in the palm of your hand. Provided you're the size of Alaska.
I must have seen a hundred of these planes land and take off in the duration of the cruise. They're everywhere!
We toured a Salmon Hatchery in Juneau and, sadly, the stuffed bear was the most exciting part of the whole thing. At least he smiled for the camera.
After the hatchery, we went out to the Mendenhall Glacier. It was the first glacier I'd ever seen and it was stunning! (Click on the picture to see the larger version)
YES! A real bear! We were on our way to the shorefront of the lake and found this little guy digging in the grass! He was adorable!
The next town on our stop was Skagway, Alaska. Notice the sign that says, "Begin." How cryptic...
Alaskan flowers. Tight.
In Skagway we took a train up to White Pass. The guy in the far right of this picture stood there for the entire duration of the trip, filming. I felt really sorry for his friends and family that must endure hell every time he shows a home movie.
As we rose higher, a thick fog crept closer and closer.
Old, broken bridge + atmospheric fog makes for a great picture.
Fractured arctic lake near the top of the pass.
What's this? Another bear!? Yes! This guy was peeking out from the bushes as the train passed by.
That evening, we were presented with a great sunset ay.
Everyone came up on deck to enjoy the view.
The following morning we woke up in Endicott Fjord. This eagle was enjoying breakfast on the rocks.
These seals were a couple among hundred that we saw that day.
This iceberg got stuck at low tide.
At the end of the fjord was a massive glacier. Apparently, those who had binoculars could see massive chunks of ice breaking off into the water.
Fellow cruisers off on the horizon.
Another shot of our cabin.
Ketchikan was very pretty, but we didn't really do anything there. Just took pictures.
Getting back on the boat...
This is the backside of our ship. (Taken when we docked in Victoria, BC)
We went on a tour of haunted locations in Victoria (including this graveyard.) It's supposedly Canada's most haunted city.
This was our hippie tour guide. He told interesting stories but kept trying to apologize for how boring and/or unbelievable the stories were. Definitely needs to work on his storytelling skills.
The headstones were gorgeous.
And this one was crooked.
Victoria was full of great architecture. I'd like to go back sometime.
-Barry
The clouds were absolutely beautiful on Friday!
On Friday night nature put on a little firework show of its own.
Does anyone else see Jabba the Hut in that cloud?
We had breakfast in a little park in town and watched the annual Fourth of July parade.
This little guy sat next to me and was entirely fascinated with the firetrucks and police cars that led the parade.
Everyone stood as the veterans passed with the flag.
That night, we lit fountains in front of the house.
To capture them, I left my shutter open for anywhere between 5 and 15 seconds, trying all the while to hold the camera very, very still.
Watching the show...
Shan and Andrew (or "Shandrew" as we affectionately call them) admire the pyrotechnics.
