It's all over

We start our long journey home today but we leave with many wonderful memories of places we visited. This has been a well planned holiday and I must congratulate the person who organised it....oh that was me, ok I will accept applause.

We saw on the news there has been flooding in Manitoba and Saskatoon, these are the places we visited early on our trip. I doubt that people travelling through the areas now would be able to get through.

In my opinion, Canada should highlight all the beautiful huge lakes throughout the country, this may encourage more tourists to other parts of the country rather than the currently popular Alberta and British Columbia, home of the Rockies. No doubt the prairie thought Canada is flat and uninteresting but the massive lakes seem to be everywhere.

I have to also say, Canada has the most comfortable beds and pillows we have ever come across. I am talking about every hotel we stayed out from the East to west of Canada.

I am not sure how many photos we have taken, so when we get back I will choose the best ones to keep, that will probably be a job in its self.

See you soon.

Photos

The upside down tree in the Glacier Gardens in Alaska.
Above: one of the many displays at the gardens

                                             
                                     

                                   

The smallest desert in the world, located in Canada in the Yukon Territory.

Whistler

This is a big call, but Whistler would have to be on top of the list of the places we have visited while on the Rocky Mountaineer.

Whistler was the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The town has a population of about 10,000, we were informed there are a number of homes owned by Americans who love coming here in the winter. They also donate money to the town to ensure the infrastructure is maintained.

Our hotel is in the Whistler Village and has shops and restaurants at our back door. I should mention we have definitely hit Canada's summer, it is about 32 degrees here, the nights are beautiful, a cool breeze flows through which makes it ideal for dining outside.

Our first tour was to the First Nations Cultural Centre. Upon arrival we were provided a nice lunch of salmon and salad, then a Lil'Wat girl sang a traditional song, it was very entertaining. The tour was informative and we were able to enter a house that is built over a large mound of dirt. This kept the occupants cool in summer and warm in winter.

Greg and I decided to take ourselves on the Peak2Peak gondola. The first ride took 25 minutes to get up the first mountain, the second ride took us across to the second mountain, that was a little scary, it was a long way down, then we caught the ski lift to the bottom. It was a good adventure and it gave USA lot of "birds eye" views.

Quesnell

The Rocky Mountaineer took us to a town named Quesnell (the s is silent).  The population is 25,000. The town is not a well known or popular tourist place but is does have the deepest fjord lake on earth,  Quesnell Lake.

We stayed overnight, I didn't go for a walk around town, both of us were so tired we hit the sack!  We had already seen lots of scenery on the train trip so I didn't feel that we were missing on on anything.

Up bright and early the next morning heading for Whistler. Along the way we saw another black bear munching away. His coat was shining with the reflection of the sun, what a memorable sight.

The Rocky Mountaineer provides us with breakfast and a 3 course lunch. The food is very tasty and it is nice to meet other travellers while we are having a nice meal. We especially enjoyed the company of a couple we met who hail from Ontario. They both have the thickest Scottish accents which tricked us for a moment, they moved from Glasgow to Canada 35 years ago. We got some very good tips for when we travel through Scotland and Ireland.

Jasper

We are staying at the Fairmont Lodge Resort and our accommodation. Is a log cabin. The Lodge is situated on a beautiful Lake (every bit as nice as Lake Louise).

The big news is just as I was about to say I do not believe there are bears in Alaska and Canada, low and behold there is a black bear near the side of the road munching away on berries. Ever so cute and they look soooooooo cuddly.

We visited the Athabasca Glacier (1,000 feet thick) and went on an Ice Explorer half way up the Glacier. We were able to get out and walk around (very slippery). What an experience, well worth the cost.

Our tour included a visit to Bow Lake that has a massive waterfall, the Mustai River Valley and saw the Crowfoot Glacier, named because it is shaped like a crows foot and finally the Paedo Lake.

I am convinced we are currently travelling through the most beautiful country in Canada.

A few interesting things I learnt today:
  Black Bears can be blonde
  I learnt the difference between ice fields, glaciers and snow fields
  All the beautiful water colours in Canada's Lakes is due to glacier rock powder
  There is 20% less oxygen in this neck of the woods ( no wonder I have been puffing and panting)

The Lake where our log cabin is situated.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise was named after one of Queen Victorias daughters. It is a beautiful relaxing experience to visit here. The hotel on the lake has the monopoly for everything because you would have to catch a cab to get to the small village below.  I must say they certainly know how to charge, $30 for fish and chips!

We did a half day tour through the Yoho National Park where we visited Lake Emerald (yes the  water colour is emerald) and the Spiral Tunnels. The highlight was Kicking Horse river, now it has some serious rapids.

Still having problems with photos, on occasions it works then decides to throw a hissy fit!

Banff (2)

Banff is beautiful and the hotels are full all year. The town is in a national park so they have had to cap the population because there is nowhere else to build. The current population is 9,000, the cap is 10,000.

We had a terrific tour today. It started off with a helicopter ride over the landscape of the Rocky Mountains, then we went down where there is every type of restaurant imaginable and had lunch. Next we toured around the suburbs and down town area. We saw Lake Minnewanka and the Hoodoos (sulphur mounds created over thousands of years). Our next stop was Bow Falls

And finally and finally a gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain.

It was a real fun day and we met more very nice people. 

Next stop Lake Louise.

Banff

Another early start 6.15 am. The scenery was starting it improve to more of what I expected. The highlight was the Kicking Horse Gorge, breathtaking.

Met some really nice people on the train today. There was a retired couple from Arizona. They moved there about 6 years ago for the weather and golf courses (he plays 4 days a week). Then at the next meal break we met Lizzie. She is a Doctor who is interested in the South Pole. She has been there twice and intends going again. She comes from Townsville and resides in Tassy (closer to Sth Pole) she said it was hard at first but now she has friends and has settled right in. She doubts she would ever leave Hobart, the pace suits her.

Got to our hotel, and what a beauty it is, the Fairmont Banff Springs. We have given ourselves a small orientation of all the shops in the lobby. There is an additional wing across the car park, that can wait for another day. Off to bed now, we have 3 tours tomorrow.

Still having trouble posting photos. If I can't get it to work I will do it once I get home.

This is a photo of our hotel in Banff. It was built in 1888 and still has most of the original furniture.

Kamloops

The train ride to Kamloops didn't have particularly spectacular scenery, but it was a pleasant train ride. We get served breakfast and a 3 course lunch while travelling which is good because you sit with a couple and you get to drill them about where they are from, what is it like etc etc.

Kamloops has a population of  99,000 and is known for its wine. It is ranked number 1 for the hottest summers, most days over 30 degrees. It is a quaint town and has lots of  shops. Unfortunately they all close at 5.00pm and we got in at 6.00pm so window shopping was the best next thing.

Rocky Mountaineer

Here we are in Vancouver to begin our Mountaineer rail trip. We have done a bus trip around the city and some suburbs, the highlight being Stanley Park. We went up to the Tower Lookout and had a lovely lunch on the revolving restaurant, and we did a full day tour of  Capliano Park that included a very scary suspension bridge walk and a treetops walk, then to a salmon hatchery and finally to
Grouse Mountain where we had a talk on and saw a pair of Grizzleys ( they were orphaned in 2001 so the park built them a 5 acre enclosure and took them in). There was a lumberjack show, parts of it I couldn't watch, ( he was so high up that I got dizzy).

Vancouver is a very nice city, it has 3 times the parks and gardens that Melbourne has and it is very easy to get around. Well worth a visit.

Early start tomorrow, 6.30 am on the train to Kamloops.

Goodbye Alaska

It has been an amazing experience here in Alaska. It would have to be the. It would have to be the most friendly place in the world.

To get to know Alaska, I mean really know the place you have to travel in and around every town , go through their suburbs and go inland. Most importantly is speak to the locals. I am referring to the Alaskans who live in Alaska as opposed to the Americans who come from everywhere to work during the summer season to earn money while they are on summer break ( most of them are college students).

 This way you get to appreciate the sheer beauty of the place. Everywhere you travel (excluding the arctic circle) there are mountains on both sides. Some are green, ie covered in trees and others are rock covered in snow. Most of the coast line is a rainforest, not tropical but temperate, so rain is expected, but it is also the reason for such greenery and beauty.

I will always have Alaska etched in my mind. It is definately one of the last frontiers, but it has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Glacier Gardens -Juneau

Caught the local bus to visit the Glacier Gardens. I wasn't sure what to expect but we were not disappointed.

The area consists of about 27 acres and is the vision of one person. He originally began the project due to constant mudslides damaging buildings below and he wanted to change the structure to prevent ongoing damage. Once he got started he couldn't stop and the result is the beautiful glacier gardens.

I was particularly taken by the "up side down" trees. He has used fallen trees
 Put them in the ground with the roots on top then filled with moss and dirt, put some webbing over it to stop the dirt falling out then planted flowers . It looks amazing.

I am having so much trouble loading the photos that I have decided to give them a miss until I can get better internet access, as it is I am a behind on my posts so I think it is more important to keep up to date.

A couple of interesting facts about Grizzly Bears, they eat stones prior to hibernation, this helps to "bind"  them while in hibernation. Then once they wake from the big sleep they eat dandilyons to assist with getting the system going again. Also, they are not natural hibernates, therefore they walk up a couple of times a day to stretch.

White Pass and Yukon Rail Journey

White Pass follows the footsteps of the gold rush men. It was a cruel time for both humans and animals. Three thousand horse died primarily of starvation.

It was a good rail journey, we stopped at Lake Bennett to have lunch. The Lake is 27 miles long and is crystal clear. To get into Yukon Territory you have to cross the Canadian Border. The custom officers came on the train to check our passports, it was a fast process.

Once across the border we stopped at the quaint little town of Carcross. Our bus driver them took us to see Emerald Lake. It is called that because it is truly Emerald in colour. Then we stopped by a flat piece of the lake to play rock skipping. That is when you throw a stone across the water and try to get it to bounce. Well oh he who has never done it before managed 4 bounces and won the competition, can you believe it!

Next stop was the Carcross Desert, the smallest desert in the world. The bus then took is back to Skagway. Along the way we had to cross back over the border into the USA. Customs re fairly lenient at this small crossing.


                                                    The worlds smallest desert

Skagway Mushers Camp

We were informed Alaskan Huskies are a different dog to the Siberian Husky. If the Siberian Husky competed in the Iditerod it would take them 2 weeks to get to the finish compared to 8 to 15 hours doe an Alaskan Husky. Siberians are not bred for endurance but for strength. The Alaskan Husky is a mixture of Siberian Husky and many other dog species. The Alaskan dogs are very slim but have well defined muscles, especially in the back legs and shoulders. They have been bred for endurance. To me they look like small greyhounds.

Believe it or not, an Alaskan Husky eats 10k calories a day!!!  They are definitely elite athletes.

This is a photo of the front of the hotel we are staying at:

Here we are on our tour to the mountain. We stopped at a lookout.

Skagway Again

While on the cruise we visited this quaint small town (had 1 day) . The population is 1,000 and the down town area consists of 10 blocks long by 4 blocks wide.

We went on our dog mushers tour and want an absolute adventure that was from the moment we were picked up to the moment we got back.

A bus collected us in town and delivered us to a few streets behind where the ships dock and we hopped on another bus for the 30 minute ride to the dogs. Along the way the driver gave us lots of commentary and we got to see another part of Skagway. The road was partly made mostly gravel.

Once we got to the top of the mountain I couldn't believe my eyes, right there in front of us is this beautiful Delta, and there was many, many wild purple Iris plants growing. Made our way long the two boarded wooden pathway ( it is very wet and muddy) and into the main section of the complex that consisted of toilets, kennels with puppy's an area with displays of the sleds used in this years Iditarod and a gift shop.

To get to the dogs we hopped on a Unimog, it is a multi purpose 4 wheel drive, and believe me it was needed to get further up the mountain, finally there and the dogs start barking with excitement. Into our summer sled we get ( can take 6 people) and mush we are off. It was a great ride, at one corner the musher yelled out hold on and we took a corner really a fast, I loved it.


At the completion of the ride, we got to say hello to every dog ( it was a bit difficult getting me away) , the. Back down the mountain on the Unimog to meet the puppies.


The little girl I got to cuddle was 4 weeks old and she had 2 bright blue eyes. After that I got to touch a tiny 2 day old puppy, what a treat!

Goodbye Juneau

On our last day we went for a small trip across to Douglas Island. Sounds like a far off land but it isn't, just across the bridge and we are there. Douglas Island is another suburb of Juneau and has lots of families living there.

There was some fun family activities and picnics happening on our visit, I really felt a part of the community.

There are no roads going in or out of Juneau so you have to fly or go on the marine highway. We chose the marine highway and got a ferry. It carries cars, motor homes, boats and people, similar to the Tasmania ferry. It took about 6 hours to get to our destination of Skagway. The trip was pleasant, smooth sea and the fact you can wonder around was good. They even have a movie theatre on board.

Looking forward to Skagway, it is where we do our Alaskan Husky ride.

Juneau 3

This is a photo of the old guy playing the piano. It is a little blurred but you get the idea.

More photos of residences around Juneau.

Juneau 2

What a busy day we have had, and it has been warm and sunny. After we checked out Walmart and Fred Meyers shopping mall came back into town and decided to go to a little out of the way cafe about 40 minutes walk. Unfortunately it closes at 2.00pm we got there about 3.00pm.

Oh he who loves climbing up hills and steps said lets go and see the Governors residence, it's not very far.  Yes you guessed, it was up hill but you had to go up steps. I counted about 100, and as  my hips and knees are gasping in pain , all he can say is nearly there!  Finally got to the very last step and I am thinking lucky me my knees and hips are still working, then he tells me it is just up this short hill!!!!

All I could say to him was it better be worth looking at!  It was and so was the surrounding houses and suburb. We got yet another perspective on Juneau.

 
                                                          Governors Residence

Greg at the front door of residence

By the time we walked back to town it was about 5.00pm and both of us were very dry. Greg suggested we have a beer at the Red Dog Saloon. The place was packed, we had to go upstairs to get a seat. There is a "mature " Man singing and playing the piano, bowler hat, braces, garters on the sleeves, I felt likeI was back in the1890's. Anyway, he obviously had the crowd geared up for the next people to walk up the stairs.  This is how it went:

Piano player..... Oh we have some we customers, where are you from?

Audience.............Who cares (very loud and all together)

Piano player: what's your names?

Audience..............who cares. (Even louder)

The piano player says something else but by that stage I didn't catch it and hurried to our seat. He was very entertaining with his jokes and made up words to songs. We enjoyed it so much we stayed for a second beer and had dinner. It was a lot of fun.

Juneau 2

Juneau

Here we are in the capital of Alaska and the e third largest city behind Anchorage and Fairbanks. We did stop here on our cruise, but it is only for 1 day and being such a large place, popuLation 32,000 , we decided there must be more to discover.

We went on a whale watch today and saw 3 whales. None of them breeched but we did see them flipping up their tails. I learnt something new about these mammals, whales are identified by their tails, every tail is different like our finger prints, isn't that interesting.

We discovered where the locals hang out. There is a Walmart and 2 malls about 30 minutes out of town. We have found out there is a local bus that takes you to these places so we intend hopping on it tomorrow.

Our hotel is very nice and in an excellent location so easy to get around. We found an "out of the way" cafe and  had something to eat. I have gone mad on chowder,  never had it until I got to Alaska, for some reason it never appealed to me...........does now, I love it.

In our travels today we came across a picture theatre( small one) it has a matinee movie each day. We had a look at what was playing but nothing grabbed our interest so we will just have to watch the Turner Classic Movies in the room.

Seward (2)

 Feeding the Puffins

The aquarium has a giant octopus and a big seal who,is about 6 foot tall and 500 lbs. when he finishes growing his length will be nearly 9 feet and well over 1,000 lbs. he is a BIG baby.

Seward

Seward is a beautiful little seaside town about 4 hours by train from Anchorage. It is unique because it not only has the sea but is also surrounded by mountains. Travelling to Seward we saw a little baby moose. Ever so cute

The town people are very laid back and as is every Alaskan we have come across very friendly and go out of their way to be helpful.

                                             

The best and most well known attraction here is the aquarium . Prior to the oil spill in 1989 there was no facility to assist/rescue marine a animals. When the oil spill occurred it was obvious something was urgently needed. The town applied for and received a grant and the rest is history. 

I saw fish that only a mother could love and some beautiful Alaskan birds. These birds fly under water, yes I said fly, I saw it with my own eyes. Greg and I did a behind the scenes tour to learn about Puffin birds which included going into their enclosure and feeding them.

Odyssey (4)

Photos of Barrow

Odyssey (3)

The trip was hard but worth the experience. Our pilot was a retired airforce pilot, he was great and it was obvious the experience he had.

We learnt all about the "Tundra" and "Perma Ice". We saw sights and went to places that not many people have the opportunity to visit and I know more about the native Indians than I ever envisioned.

 

Even though you know the oil pipe is 800 miles long, it doesn't register until you travel along side it for 2 days. It is an amazing engineering accomplishment. It is primarily above ground because of the Perma ice and where possible it goes under ground. It has been built to withstand earthquakes and also not to freeze up during winter. 

This is Wiseman.Plane parked in yard.

Odyssey Tour (2)

Cold Foot - Deadhorse - Barrow
The tour to Barrow was drive up and fly back. Sounds easy........ Well not when you have a cold and every muscle in your body is aching!

Lucky for us there was only 6 tourists to fit into the van, so that meant 2 people to each bench seat that would normally have taken 3 people to each bench seat. Now that would have been very squishy.

To get to our destination, we travelled on the Dalton Highway. This has been built specifically for trucks travelling to and from the oil fields. Most of it is gravel with lots of pot holes. At one point we hit a hole so hard I thought I saw my kidney travelling behind us.

This is real wilderness. After driving for about 10 hours on the road we arrived at Coldfoot. This is not a town, it is a travel stop primarily for the truck drivers to stay overnight. However, more tourists are going to Barrow so they also use these facilities to stay and have a meal. The buildings are old site huts left over from when the pipeline was being built. The room was clean and the shower hot. Nothing special about the food but it was hot and filling.

Left at about 7.00am the next morning. After a few hours driving we turned off the road and  stopped at a place called Wiseman, population 20. A guy named Jack gave us a talk about living in Wiseman. He has lived there all his life. He went to other parts of America but couldn't handle the crowds or the fences ( no fencing in Alaska).

The people living in Wiseman have to love it. Living there is not easy. They do hunting in summer to ensure they have enough food for the long winter months. There are no shops, the closest town is Fairbanks and that takes a full day driving and costs bout $500 by the time he pays for petrol and an overnight room. Like most people in Alaska, Jack has a small plane, but the engine needs to be overhauled and he does not have the money at this point of time.

Back on the road again, some of the scenery is magnificent, miles and miles of wilderness. We came across a truck that rolled off the dirt road. The cab was very damaged. Emergency workers from one of the pipeline maintenance bases were on the scene, hopefully the driver was ok.

We crossed the arctic circle and finally got to Deadhorse (12 hours on the road), our over night stop. Once again this is not a town, the buildings are site huts left behind when the oil line was built. The mud and slosh is very deep. Both of us have become accustomed to such conditions and take itin our stride, we are glad to have a dry warm place to stay. The average temperature here is -11 Celsius.

Both Greg and myself are very excited about flying to Barrow the next day (yes, I have even become accustomed to flying on these little machines with propellers). We made sure we were well rugged up, eg I had 2 pairs track suit pants and a pair of wind proof/ waterproof pants on, 3 very warm tops and a water proof jacket, gloves, scarf, beanie.

It was bloody freezing, even with all my extra clothing on. Our guide, who says he doesn't like it when the temperature gets up to about 8 degrees Celsius because it is too hot, said he thought it was a pleasant day and was laughing at our suffering the whole time. Because he is anti e, he hS permission to hunt whales to provide food for the community, thank goodness nobody offered me anything to eat!

Barrow does not have made roads or footpaths and their homes are not well maintained. There are old cars and car parts scattered all over town on the side of the road and in the front and back yards of houses. Anyway, the people who live here are happy so I suppose that is all that matters. Definitely not my cup of tea.

Time to fly back to Deadhorse and pick up 2 more passengers for the flight back to Fairbanks.

Odyssey Tour

Here we back in civilisation again. The tour was good and very informative. The last 3 days took us up the Dalton Highway and finally into Barrow . It was the toughest 3 days ever!

The start of the tour took us on a 4 hour bus ride from Anchorage to Denalli. Here we stayed at the Denali Bluffs Resort. The tiny town of Denali has about 30 small businesses, primarily consisting of tours, eateries and gift shops. We checked them all out on our first day.

The following day we went  on a 7 hour tour of Denali National Park. The place is HUGE , about 8 million acres and has bears, carabou, mousse mountain sheep etc etc.

Apparently we were very fortunate because we could see Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in Alaska, about 22,000 feet. The temperature is -148 degrees , it is usually covered with cloud

From Denali we caught the train to Fairbanks and stayed at a lovely resort that had individual cabins, very comfy. In Fairbanks we did a city tour for 4 hours then in the afternoon went on a Paddle boat "the Discovery 3" we stopped along the way and went into an Indian village and had information given to us by native descendents. The Americans certainly know how to make the most of a tour.

Cold foot - Deadhorse -  Barrow

Anchorage - last day

We saw photos of the big earth quake that occurred here in 1964. The tsunami that followed killed more people than the quake itself and registered 9.2 . It was the second largest earthquake recorded, the first being in Chile in 1989, it registered 9.4.

Had a real good 1.0 hr guided trip on a trolley thru the  outskirts of  Anchorage. Our guide was a retired school teacher. He told us lots of stories about the earthquake, high schools, different suburbs and the price of houses as well as a commendation on small planes, (he is a pilot) and what families do during different months of the year. During our tour we spotted a moose and her baby twins in the woods...that was a real treat. The guy who owns the trolley company looks about 13 ( he was selling tickets) apparently he has become a multi millionaire and just spent $350k on a new trolley that accommodates wheelchairs. Our guide said he is a very hard worker and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. Oh, did I mention he is single?

We begin our 10 day tour heading south to the Arctic Circle in the morning. There are many places that don't have wifi , so no posts for a while.

We are both looking forward to this tour, I have read it can be a bit on the rugged side and has very basic accommodation.

Anchorage Museums

The power in Anchorage went off at about 10.00 am today apparently due to the strong winds. We decided to head for the shopping mall because Greg said they would have their own generator.

It was freezing outside, I am sure the wind came directly from the South Pole and with the rain all I can say is brrrrrrrrrr.  I had on a beanie but my face got so cold it felt like it was burning so I had to wrap my scarf around  to keep the wind at bay.

Took ourselves to the downtown museum after the mall (power had come back on by this stage), it was so nice and warm in the museum but it took about 2 hours for me to "thaw" out.

On the way back to the hotel we called into a police museum, it is done really well. They had police paraphanelia from other countries, there was a NSW police cap and the sign was spelt New South Whales.
                                                Entrance to the Mall

Life size synthetic Moose

Anchorage Zoo

I was looking at the zoo tourist brochure and saw they have many animals we have never seen, so off to the visitor centre we went to catch the complimentary coach. It took about 25 mins to get there so we were able to see suburban anchorage.

Wow, the animals at the zoo are amazing. We saw black bears, grizzly bears, Yuks (from Tibet) , snow leopards,moose, caribou, porcupines, river otters, eagles, Siberian tigers and a Linx  to name a few. It was very educational.
                                                         Brown Bear

Snow Leopard

A sleeping Polar Bear......very cute

Anchorage

Back in Anchorage doing all the tourist spots, it is a nice town and very welcoming to tourists.

We were in the lobby today and a young man came in, rather upset and asked us if we could take him to the hospital. Apparently he had been attacked and his wallet stolen. It looked like his nose may have been broken and he had a swollen eye that was starting to turn black. He wasn't from Anchorage and was feeling a bit isolated. He started to get a bit teary so I got the hotel to call him a taxi to take him to the hospital, I gave the taxi driver $20 and the boy $50. He thanked me very much and said I was a good christian and then asked me to pray with him (this behaviour is normal for Americans). I didn't want to upset or disillusion him so pray I did.

We walked around town and got our bearings, called into a couple of shops, spent some money and headed back to the hotel.

Tutka Bay photos

Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge 2

The 6.30 wine and cheese was great. Most staff come in and have a chit chat, it is interesting because we hear their stories and where they are originally from.

I have decided I want to adopt the chef, the food is better than perfect and is presented in a way that makes you just want to "dig in".

We went out for about 1.5 hrs last night on our boat ride and came across some sea otters and mountain goats. Problem is the goats were so high up they looked like little white dots.

There are  2 female writers staying here. They are doing an article on the Lodge. What a life both of them have led. One of them lived in Australia for 12 months. She went to Melbourne University for her final year. Since then she has travelled and lived in numerous places. The other one lived in Russia for 12 months. She was working for some agency and was stationed there. They are both very funny we were in stitches at times.

Being daylight at 11.00 pm at night is an experience. We don't have trouble sleeping, probably because of the clean air we are breathing in.

I had my complimentary massage today, all  I can say is my body felt 20 years younger . Greg went on a 4 hour hike with a couple of the staff.  I am so glad he has somebody to go on his "short" treks instead of dragging me along. Apparently husband extraordinaire tripped and fell over into a bit of a ditch, it took 2 of them to get him out!

The sun is shining so we are going to sit outside for awhile.

Tutka Bay Wilderness Lodge

We caught a plane from Anchorage for a quick 45 minute flight to Homer which is about 120 miles south of Anchorage. We caught a taxi to a place named the "Spit". It is where all the boats are anchored and has a few little shops as well. We shared a cab with a guy from California, apparently he comes up here each year to do some fishing. He was "interesting"..... He knows everything about anything!

Hopped on the (very small) water taxi that took about 25 minutes to get to the lodge. There we were greeted by 4 staff members (we are special you know) , given an orientation then shown to our cabin. We are staying in the Eagles Nest cabin. The views, peacefulness, fresh air are all heaven. I could sit on the porch in the rocking chair (yes you heard correctly, rocking chair) and take in the view for our entire stay.

After a most delicious lunch of red salmon and lentils, we went on a short walk with 2 of the guides. We were taken through a rain Forrest, nothing like the tropical rain forrests, and discovered all types of plant life, it was very interesting. The guides were so enthusiastic that when we finished the walk I almost decided to become an expert on moss and fungi.

Apparently we have wine and cheese at 6.30 pm followed by dinner at 7.00 pm. After dinner we are going out on a boat ride, very exciting. By the way, the sun is now setting at about 11.00 pm.

End of Cruise

At long last we are able to connect to the internet free, easily and fast. It was not only very very expensive on the ship ( I paid about $250 for about 3.5 hours), but it was also very slow and in certain places it dropped out or you couldn't get access at all.

Anyway, it was a great trip and we are pleased we did it, there was some very scenic cruising through Glacier Bay ( yes we saw some ice break off and hit the water, very thunderous) College Fjord and Prince William Sound. Can you believe it was 25 years ago that the big oil spill occurred in PrinceWilliam Sound. After all that time the whales and the herring. Fish have not returned. The area is still recovering all this time later.

The ship docks at a place called Whittier which is about 2.0 hrs from Anchorage. We got a bus to take us downtown. On the way we passes through the longest tunnel in the world that has trains and cars passing through it. Get this, the tunnel has 8 safe houses inside in case of some catastrophe!

Our. Hotel is more of a motel than a hotel, but the staff are great. We are here for one night then we go south to a place called Homer and catch a water taxi to the Wilderness Lodge, we will be there for 3 nights, then we come back to Anchorage for 4 nights. The staff have very kindly agreed to store our suitcases while we are away. God bless Americans.

Below are some photos of Glacier Bay:

Princess Cruise - Skagway

Going on a cruise is very bad for the weight, I am sure both of us have stacked on the weight. I have been cutting back on the food but oh he with the sweet tooth can't resist the sweets.

There is soooo much entertainment, we have seen a magician, he was great and tonight we are going to a singing and dancing show.  We also had a talk from the 1st woman to win the husky race back when. She took us through what her and the dogs had to persevere to get to the finish line. It is really very amazing.

We have docked in a number of small towns now and have done a few tours to get to know each place.

We went on a restored 1927 bus today and did a tour of the town and residential area. The conductor was very entertaining. He came to Alaska from England in 1995 and loved it so much he ended up staying. If there was not tourism in these small towns they would not survive. Today there are 4 ships docked and we are told ships come in every day until the end of summer.

As much as possible we try to go off the beaten track and find little cafe's that the locals use and we have come across some nice ones. Tomorrow we start cruising along side the glaciers. I wonder how big they will be.

Travelling must have caught up with me yesterday, I slept solid for about 12 hours, but I felt great when I finally got up.

Cruise - Ketchikan

The ship arrived in Ketchikan at 6.30 am. The town has a population of 8,000 with a further 6,000 living outside the town limits.

Ketchikan is the Salmon capital of the world. They have smoked, canned, jerky salmon to mention a few ways it is processed.

We did a tour of the state park and learnt about how the Indians lived and went through one of the houses. Afterwards we had a tour of the small town as well as going walking around ourselves.

Back on the boat and we had dinner with 3 couples from different parts of America, they were a lot of fun and had some very funny stories to tell. Great company.

Coral Princess Cruise

We have had our first day at sea. The waters are so calm there are times I think we have stopped!
There is so much to do on board that I get tired thinking about it, I had a wonderful facial today and tonight we went to the theatre and saw a magician, he was very entertaining.

While we were cruising we spotted 3 or 4 whales. Not a lot of breaching but I did see a big tail come up out of the water and water coming out of their blow holes. I can't explain why, but somehow it is very different seeing an animal in the wild, sort of puts a rush of adrenalin through the body.

Did I mention the Canadian who believed she ate road kill while in Australia?  She was telling us about her trip to Aussie land then went into when she was out eating and asked the people she was with (obviously a couple of very naughty Australians having fun with a tourist) what it was on her plate and they said road kill!!  She believed them and very happily told us how she will try anything and the road kill kangaroo was very nice.

We anchor at Ketchikan tomorrow and have booked a 2 hour tour, should be good.

Vancouver - British Columbia

We left beautiful Calgary on a Greyhound bus. It takes about 12 hours to get to Vancouver, but the reason I booked it was because you see some of the best scenery in Canada. We had about 4 stops to stretch the legs and get a bite to eat.

The bus was well worth the travel time, not only did we get the wonderful scenery but we also got to see a number of towns along the way, these are places you would never see if you are flying to each destination.

Got into Vancouver and made our way to the hotel. We had a suite again, how nice. Vancouver is a lovely city, easy to get around and there are many, many tourists. We went on a flight simulation that was called fly over Canada. Nobody should come to Vancouver and not go on this flight, it is GREAT.

Before we knew it, the time has come to go on the Alaskan cruise. There was 3 ships in dock ready to load passengers, so you can imagine how many people were at the port. The way it was organised to get on the ship was very well done. First passengers from each ship met in an auditorium at the Convention Centre, here they took your bags then gave you a number and said to sit down until your number was called.

Once called you went thru security, then a different room and take a seat again. Next we were called up to go through customs then onto the ship. Overall it took about two and a half hours but it didn't seem that long. Here we are on the ship, we have had a practice drill, been watered and fed and walked around the ship to get our bearings. All good.

Calgary

We have learnt that Calgary is reasonably wealthy because of their oil and gas enterprises. It is not uncommon to spot Cadillacs, Lambouginis and Feraris about town.

The weather seems to have broken, it is about 19 degrees today. After lunch we had a sit in the sun near the mall. It was good to soak up some vitamin B.

Although we will be sad to leave Calgary, we have been told that British Colombia has scenery just as pretty.  We will be travelling by Greyhound bus because I read the bus travels through some of the most beautiful scenery in Canada.

Vancouver, here we come.!

Calgary

What a long but wonderful tour we hD today. We met a lovely couple from England, Ian and Eileen. They were a lot of fun.

We went on a tour from Calgary to Kananaskis which is At the bottom of the Rockies. The scenery in this area was beautiful. There is still a lot of snow around primarily due to their bad winter. We stopped at a town called  Canmore for lunch. It is surrounded by the Rockies. We also stopped at Cochrane to have some icecream made there at the shop. Yum

I can't find the words to describe the peacefulness of this area and the air is soooooo clean, I almost felt like a different person when I was breathing it in.

Calgary - Albert

Both of us were feeling energetic so we walked to the Calgary Fort. It was built in 1875 and marked the beginning of Calgary. There is a lot of history relating to the Fort and it is all documented , including photos inside.

This is Canadian Mounty Greg Anderson beside his faithful horse. He had a little trouble finding a jacket that would fit as is noticeable around the mid section.