Alaska, 2004

Our family took an Alaskan Cruise in June of 2004. I was expecting it to be kind of chilly and rainy, but it was actually quite pleasant. We saw Bald Eagles, Whales, Glaciers and Totems. We ate some of the freshest seafood imaginable. It was the trip of a lifetime.



We flew to Vancouver BC, and boarded our ship there. This is our embarking photo. Yes, its a huge group. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncles, Aunts, and lots of cousins. We lovingly referred to our huge group as a "pod," since we were kind of traveling the seas like the whales do, in big family groups.



This is our excellent ship, the Seven Seas Mariner. This was cruising to the max. All of our rooms had decks we could go out on. The fridge was stocked with soft drinks every day. There was a huge library, a great gym, and service, service, service. The food was amazing, the nighttime entertainment and daytime lectures kept us from getting bored on cruising days. This is a small ship, and we never saw very many people. It was quiet, dignified, and relaxing. I would recomend this cruise line, which is now called Regent's Seven Seas.



Here is our official ship photo.



This one with the ship's Captain.



In Anchorage, they had all sorts of artsy fish all over town. A funny thing I remember: We were bopping around Anchorage, enjoying the sights and doing window shopping, when we all of sudden realized nothing was open. It was still light out and everything closed? Then somebody looked at their watch and we realized it was 10:30 PM. Even though it stays day-like, the people close shop, go home, and go to bed. Unlike Vegas, this is not the city that doesn't sleep, even though it stays light most of the time all summer long.


This is Fireweed. It grows wild all over Alaska and its quite beautiful.


I never saw a tsunami evacuation sign before.


A view from the ship's deck. A simple photo doesn't do it justice.


Ketchikan was fun to walk around. We went on a walking tour of the Native Alaskan's Totem Park. We also saw Dolly's House, which was originally a Brothel back in the wild days in 1919.



One of the many Totems in Ketchikan.



In Sitka, we visited the Raptor Center, where you can see eagles and other birds of prey up close. Sitka has a Russian heritage, and you can still see signs of the old days in the architecture of the churches and some of the houses there. We walked through the forest and saw some of the biggest slugs I ever have seen. We put a penny next to one so you could see how large it was.


Juneau was a great port. We took a side trip to do some whale watching, and we did see big whale tails. In town, the big attraction is the Red Dog Saloon. We walked around the shops and noticed that they were all very hot inside. They don't run air conditioning like they do in San Diego, and we got pretty warm inside.




This is Patsy Ann. She was a special dog who liked to meet the ships. Click on the next two pictures to learn about her.





Ok. You know the Drill by now. We have a thing about finding the local Post Office and getting a picture. Here is Sitka's. Its a combo USPS/Court House.



How about one more? Here we are at Skagway's USPS.

We also took two train rides through mountains, up above the tree line. Alaska is awe-inspiring and amazing. I would go back to visit again if I ever had the chance.