North - To Alaska

It took three flights to get to Vancouver but we made it. The first two flights were good. However, we landed in Salt Lake City, Utah at 10:30 AM and the next flight was taking off at 10:55 - in another terminal. We got an electric cart and made it to the gate and of course, once on, they didn’t take off for another 10 - 15 minutes. It was a small plane, no food other than snacks, (but at least we saw the Great Salt Lake on take off and the beautiful snow covered mountains before we landed). Poor Gerry was SO wiped out and sweaty. Once in Vancouver we had to walk quite a distance to the terminal. Once there we had to check in and by then we had to get him a wheelchair (which I could have used for me, too….working on less than 3 hours sleep and all that travel). Anyway…the cruise company was great and exchanged our bus vouchers for a cab ride (45 min) and we finally got to the ship. After lunch and a much needed rest Gerry felt better. The room is big and lovely, with a big veranda. It’s too cold to sit on it right now but I think that perhaps around 3 PM, with a blanket around me, it is do-able.

The ship is beautiful - quietly elegant. Of course, as on all cruise ships the crew can’t do enough for you. We really do have a butler… a real, live, black-tail tuxedo wearing butler - Jorge, from Honduras. He brings us fresh fruit every day, canapés in the late afternoon, dinner menus at night if we don’t want to eat in the main dining room (and last night, we didn’t, but ordered from the same menu). Tonight we will probably do the same as we want to attend the Broadway Revue show and then go to the casino. It’s formal night so if we were to dine in the main or specialty dining rooms we would have to dress accordingly. We could go to the buffet but Gerry wouldn’t have the stamina to add dining out to the show and casino.

Today we went to a cocktail party that we were invited to - for Honeymooners and Anniversary celebrants. It was no biggie - champagne if you wanted it, a piece of the lovely anniversary cake, and dancing. I had champagne, I ate the cake, Gerry humored me by coming with me. Then we walked around the ship’s stores and came upstairs.

Right now the sun is shining on the beautiful sea and the sky, which was very cloudy all morning, is pretty clear. You can’t feel much of the motion of the ship (even on the 8th floor of our room). It’s our cruising day and we are headed to the Inside Passage and glaciers. Tomorrow we will be in Ketchikan and have an excursion to the Saxman Native Totem Village - can’t come to Alaska and not learn about the totem poles now can I?

Inside Passage - we entered around 3 PM today. The water is like glass most of the time. We move along fairly slow, at what looks to be swimming distance to the land. The hills are full of tall evergreens. After awhile the hills become mountains covered with snow, some with waterfalls of ice or water running into the waterway. We finally were able to go onto the veranda as we are on the west side and have the sun in the late afternoon. At first Gerry was bundled up and had a blanket on his lap. Even I had on my Ugs and a neck warmer.
We were both using binoculars to search for wildlife… didn’t get to see any yet. After Gerry went in the sun was strong and I fell asleep for over an hour. It was the most relaxed I have felt in weeks. I woke with a start when Jorge knocked on the sliding glass doors to get our dinner order. I just can’t stop looking out the doors to the scenery. I am awestruck by the beauty of it all and I know this is just the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended). There is something so serene, so spiritual about cruising along quietly, watching nature as it goes on and on for miles. We sat out on the veranda to have our appetizers and finally came back in for dinner (which, by the way, was wonderful).

After dinner we went to the Broadway Spectacular show. The performers did a great job singing and dancing. Gerry wanted to go topside to have a cigar. We walked outside to get to the other side of that level and it was pretty cold s he went directly inside. I stopped to take some pictures of the sunset - it was almost 10 PM! The colors of the water and sky were very pale aqua and coral and the setting sun was a vibrant orange.

We returned to our room so he could smoke his cigar. As we sat there it was amazing to me that I could read something outside at 10:30 PM. After the cigar a stop in the casino was quick and unproductive. I was so tired I could barely stand up (I didn’t want to go to the casino but Gerry wanted me with him, so…). When I got to bed it was WONDERFUL!!