Alaskan Cruise
Signal, Deban and I headed out on an Alaskan Cruise starting in Seattle, WA with stops in Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Victoria, BC. Here are some photos of our travels.
Ready to roll! Signal scored an upgrade to first class on the first flight, and had his own seat on the second flight. The flight attendant even gave him wings since it was his first time flying.
We arrived in Seattle at sunset.
Once we were on board our ship, the MS Oosterdam, Signal decided it was time for a nap.
He quickly made friends on the Lido Deck.
Our first port was Juneau, where we visited the Mendenhall Lake and Glacier.
Mendenhall Glacier from the river.
We joined Signal for his first river rafting adventure.
Rafting on the Mendenhall River.
Back in the stateroom, Signal decided to catch up on what was going on in the world.
The next day we sailed into the Yakutat Bay. Signal enjoyed the view from our verandah.
Scenery along the Yakutat Bay.
The Hubbard Glacier is 6 miles wide, about 200 feet high, and extends 67 miles into the valley behind it. Our ship stopped very close to the face and we spent about an hour there enjoying the views and sounds of the ice.
A section of ice begins to slide off into the water. This is called calving. The next four pictures were taken just seconds apart as the ice hits the water.
The natives called the sound of the ice falling “white thunder.”
First, you hear a sharp crack, and then a rolling sound like distant thunder.
Close up of the Hubbard Glacier. I was mesmerized by the shades of blue and the patterns showing the many layers of ice pack.
Each night on the ship, Signal was visited by a new animal friend. He said they were nice, but not very colorful.
After docking in Sitka, we took a small boat to the Magoun Islands State Marine Park. As we reached the island, we saw a momma bear and her cubs.
Our next big adventure was some backcountry 4-wheeling. Signal can’t wear a helmet because it would interfere with his antenna.
This lily pond is only about 10 feet across, but is 20 to 30 feet deep. It is in the middle of a bog.
We saw an adult bear along the way. Fortunately, he was a good distance away and going in the other direction.
We then saw a young bear playing near the water, and in a few minutes a second popped his head up to look our way. There was actually a third with them that was down in the water.
Our next port was Ketchikan, Alaska. Signal and I went ziplining here.
This was our view from atop one of the zipline towers.
Signal earned a medal of bravery for completing the zipline course.
After returning to Sitka, Signal and I took a walk in the Sitka Historical National Park where we saw some beautiful wildflowers.
This was one of the many totem poles we saw on our walk in the park.
I was hoping to see an eagle at the park, and as I was leaving heard one high in the tree near the entrance.
The cry of the eagle is not nearly as majestic as portrayed in the movies. It is more of a high-pitchced squawk.
We arrived in Victoria, BC on the evening of July 1 as they were celebrating Canada Day. This was a special year for them, celebrating 150 years.
Signal and I hosted a geocaching event in the port at Victoria. It was well attended by 24 geocachers from the area as well as one man from Anchorage, Alaska.
These two cachers arrived after the group photo, so we posed again with them.
After the event we walked to the end of the breakwater to find a cache next to this lighthouse.
We then stayed to watch the sun set on our last evening of the cruise.
antbedy 
Loved your photos. This is on my bucket list. Interesting to see the Alaskan wildflowers.
Beautiful pictures! Someday……