So, you may wonder what happened to me on the blog. Well, it started the last few days of our cruise. The ship was stricken with NORO virus and plenty of people caught it including Peggy and myself. We were sicker than dogs and there was no getting out of bed or our cabin. At least we weren't sick at the same time. The last day of our cruise we found out that AMTRAK had cancelled our train out of San Francisco due to the flooding on the Nebraska border. So, when we got to our hotel on Thursday, I swung into gear trying to get us on another train.We were able to get on the Zephyr and ride at least to Denver, but no further East. I managed to find a hotel in Denver that was half way between the train station and the airport that had a free shuttle to the air terminals. That was important because we had to rent a car on Sunday morning and nothing was open except the rental agencies at the airport. So, we checked into the Double Tree hotel on Saturday night around 9PM...had dinner...and went to bed. The next morning at 5AM we were up on the shuttle to the airport. We rented one of the last cars in Denver and headed towards Illinois. We drove straight through and got back to Quincy around 9:30PM Sunday nite. I put Peggy on the train Monday morning at 6 AM and I think she is home now. What an adventure. Notwithstanding the Noro virus, we had a great time.
We are finally home and I thought I would post some of the whale watching photos. We boarded a very small whaler in Juneau and spent 30 minutes going out to sea to the spot where we could see the most whales. Harv and Marv are the two Alaskans who own the ship we were on. They taught us how to look for the whale's "blow" and how to spot these humpbacks when they breached. This was a fascinating experience watching these huge animals slide in and out of the water. Ships can only come within 100 yards of the whales because they are a protected species. There were only 7 other people on our small whale spotter and we had two very knowledgeable guides that told us all about these critters.
This glacier, the Marjorie, is HUGE...we were able to stand on deck to get a really good look at it. We also went up to deck 14 so we could snap this photo.
We spent one whole day just floating around in Glacier Bay National Park. As you can see, the glaciers are huge. They are also receding quickly. The Park Rangers got on the ship and spoke to us all about these glaciers for hours. That was extremely enlightening because I don't know much about glacier formation. And, now I know, when the snow fall exceeds the snow melt, then glaciers form. Of course, that is a very simplified version of what the ranger told us...but, that is how I will remember it. Climate change is alive and well in Alaska. We saw it at the Mendenhall Glacier, as well.
Saxman Village in Ketchikan, Alaska, is home to the indigenous people, the Tlingit Indians. This was a real treat because we got to see the clan house and watch the native people perform their welcome dances. Their garb was gorgeous and was very colorful. These totem poles were everywhere and each one had a story attached. Of course, that is what totem poles depict...duh.
Here we were in Ketchikan.This is prior to being stricken with the dreaded Noro virus.We toured the Beaver Clan's house and were treated to their ancient ceremonial dances.They asked for volunteers to come on stage and don the dance clothing and join in the festivities.So, you know I just couldn't pass that one up.Peggy took a video of that and I will try to post it on YouTube. This was a great tour.These indigenous people have carved the totems poles all over that location. Fascinating.
Last night we left Ketchikan, Alaska, and swung out into the Pacific ocean. The sea was high during the night and when I woke up we were rocking and rolling again. I took some Bonine and ginger and went back to bed. When I woke up again Peggy was up and she was sicker than a dog. She has been in bed all day long. I gave her some Bonine and a green apple...and I also brought her some ginger ale. But, she is still off her feet. She hasn't eaten much else today. Lots of people on board are sick again because the sea is so wonky. The other day I had an acupuncture treatment for sea sickness, and it seems to have worked for me. I will keep you updated on how she feels tomorrow.
Peggy kept saying this train looked like a Disney movie set...and she did hum "It's a Small World" alot every time we would see these very picturesque scenes. There is a reason they say that Alaska is the last frontier. Huge chunks of this wonderful landscape is pristine and very peaceful. What a wonderful time is has been to venture through this countryside.
One vista was prettier than the next. Around each corner you could hear the gasps rise from the crowd of people on our car. Then you were treated to a flurry of click, click, click, as people were snapping away trying to memorialize this day. These vistas were something I never expected to see. I knew Alaska was beautiful, but being here is sure something wonderful. We were on the train of 4.5 hours watching all of Alaska present its beauty to us one lake at a time.
Miss Margaret, or Peggy as I call her, stopped on the trail to get her picture taken. It was really cold up the mountain outside of Bennett when we stopped for lunch. We were all seated in these huge dining rooms in the depot and were fed family style out of huge pots of food. The stew was hot and great. Big slabs of sourdough bread, coleslaw and all the coffee you could drink on a cold day was a great thing. Great lunch, cool train, and great memories yesterday.
This is the train depot in Bennett. We got off the train here for lunch. Bennett was the boom town that grew up because of the gold rush. There isn't much there these days. But, there is an old church and remnants of the Klondike gold rush trail that these miners all trudged down trying to strike in rich in Alaska.
Every once and awhile the conductor would come through our car to see how we were doing and he would answer any questions we would have. This is our friend Joannie who is traveling with us. We are having a ball with her and her husband, John. We met them last year on the QM2 on our way to Ireland.
We made it up the Klondike trail to Carcross to pick up the White Pass Yukon Train. This train uses the original cars which each have their own wood burning stove to supply comfort for all of us. There were volunteers on board to tell us all about the history of the gold rush and how hard it was to build the rail road in this area of the world. Carcross is in Canada and on the way to Dawson where the gold miners were headed. Once on board we saw some breath taking scenery.
When we pulled in to Skagway early yesterday morning, Peggy spotted Mickey Mouse already in residence. I have always heard about the Mouse's cruise line, but have never actually seen his floating house. Well, yesterday we were treated to Mickey and Minnie right next to us at the pier. All of you who are interested in a Disney cruise...here they are in all their glory.
We took a very comfortable bus for about 2 hours up the Chilkoot trail to Carcross where we were to pick up the White Pass train. As you can see we were treated to the most majestic vistas that Alaska has to offer. We have taken hundreds of pictures and it is hard to decide which ones to post because we have so many.
As we pulled in to Skagway yesterday morning we saw all these paintings on the rock face that we could see from our balcony. We originally thought this was a large set of graffiti and wondered where it all came from. When we met our bus driver and were touring Skagway he told us that when each new ship came into the Skagway pier the captain would send their first mate up the rock face to add their ship name and logo. Who knows who added this skull, but we both thought it would be a cool addition to our blog.
We got off the ship very early and got on a bus that would take us up the Klondike gold rush trail to Carcross. First though we had a tour of Skagway which is the gateway to the Chilkoot trail that the gold rushers took in the late 1890s.
Yesterday we were shopping on one of the decks and we heard all this raucous laughter coming from below. I hung over the railing to see what was going on and I spotted this monster Jinga game in full swing. Lots of people we playing trying to see how many of the blocks could be removed before the whole thing toppled over. Earlier in the day they had a goofy golf tournament going on the same deck. So many people signed up for that, but we were busy elsewhere.
These folks are our table mates each nite at dinner. The woman in green is named Judy, so that is easy to remember. Her husband is a travel agent and his sister is in the black jacket. Her name is Barb and the woman sitting next to her is Lynn, a family friend who always goes cruising with them. They are alot of fun and we lucked out again getting good dinner companions. We have traded horror stories of the weirdos and oddballs we have eaten with on our various cruises. One was funnier than the next.
This morning I took a walk on the deck and it was VERY cold. I had fleece on all over and was still cold. I spotted this group of Chinese women doing a fan dance so I stopped to watch and take a picture. Fascinating.
Everyone is required to do a lifeboat drill the first day on board. So, we all congregated in the forward club. Peggy and I got there early so we could sit in the back and not get trampled by all the folks coming and going. This place was packed by the time the drill got started. These folks are pros when it comes to these safety drills.They told us where to muster, they played the emergency signal, and also how to put on our life vest. There was no pirate news, or pirate directions, so that made me feel good. I guess there have been no pirates spotted off the coast of Canada.
This is the view from our balcony as we sailed out of San Francisco Bay.What a sight that was.It is very cold on deck and we have to wear a double layer of fleece. Of course I forgot my coat, natch. So, I will have to pile on the layers underneath my rain coat. And, we have four pairs of rain pants.
If I wanted to be truly correct, this would be a picture of the bathroom.That is where I spent most of yesterday.I got terribly sea sick.The ship was rocking and rolling in very rough seas. Almost half the ship was sick and they had barf bags all over the place if you were adventurous enough to leave your cabin.This picture is where I spent the time when I wasn't in the bathroom.I slept in the sun and that is how I passed the day.Peggy was a wonderful nurse fetching me green apples and ginger ale.By night time I felt much better and was able to join everyone for dinner. This morning the sea has calmed down and I am feeling pretty good. Peggy is down at the whale lecture, and I am going to blog a bit and then hit the shops.
Peggy kept saying this train looked like a Disney movie set...and she did hum "It's a Small World" alot every time we would see these very picturesque scenes. There is a reason they say that Alaska is the last frontier. Huge chunks of this wonderful landscape is pristine and very peaceful. What a wonderful time is has been to venture through this countryside.
