HERE WE ARE IN BEAUTIFUL HAINES, ALASKA

Haines, Alaska is my most favourite picturesque place I've seen in all of Alaska, It' absolutely beautiful here with a breathtaking, spectacular setting. Population - 1,811. It's not the usual cruise ship port and it's not all touristy. I heard our ship came here, because the other ports where too busy with other ships at port. Haines is a bald eagle reserve park, which harbors one of the largest congregations of bald eagles in the world. I didn't even step ashore, as all the scenery was fabulous from where I was. It was a beautiful day here and I sat outside on the deck chairs.

More about Haines. It was established s a mining supply and fishing port. Gold seekers swept up in the Klondike rush at the end of the 19th century arrived at the port and then walked northward, following the well beaten Dalton Trail. They brought every thing they owned with them, including farm animals. they felt they had no choice - they were leaving everything they knew and venturing into an unknown wilderness. The narrow and very scenic modern Haines Highway follows the original trail route Everywhere you looked it was beautiful.

This is a ferry that takes people over to Ft. Seward which celebrated it's 200th birthday in 2002, and is still in use but as a national monument. I believe it was built because in 1901 the continuing border dispute between Canada and the US prompted the American government to establish the base.

We leave here at 8:30 pm, so the crew had a lifeguard drill. One of a few they had when there was a quiet day. They even take the lifeboats down and check them out. All the time, and through the middle of the night, the work crew are out painting, and polishing and keeping the Zaandam in it's pristine condition. Everything sparkles!

The crew works VERY hard!!

The next blog, will be on the trip home to Vancouver, stopping at many of the same ports and with little explanations or descriptions of the ports. I'm just going to fill it mostly with pictures of different scenes, and the wonderful crew and also friends we met on board, at least until we are back in Canada and sailing into Vancouver. Then a bit more explanations.

I think I'm beginning to get my days mixed up but where we went is all in order of ports. This picture I believe was a few days earlier.

SUNDAY IN SEWARD, ALASKA

Welcome To Seward, Alaska

We arrive in Seward at 5:11 am. Flanked by rugged mountains and sparkling Resurrection Bay. Seward is long and skinny, and the main drag of business are along this long stretch.Named for William H. Seward who negotiated the purchase of Alaska. It's an ice free port in a setting of great beauty.

Linda and Ken disembarked here to travel on by car, making their way back home to New York. I think they are to arrive home Sept. 7Th. We made plans the night before to meet them at 1pm to spend the day here with them. However, there must have been a snag somewhere along the way, and we were not sure if our cell phones would work up here, but we charged it it and we exchanged numbers. Tom and I went out to wait outside the ship, where there was a horrible rank smell of sewage. Yuk!! We sat and watched the buses leave for tours, the shuttle bus went back and forth into town and we waited until 1:30. Tom's leg was giving him a little problem that day, so when we decided they weren't coming, Tom returned to the ship and I took the shuttle into town. Obviously our cells didn't work up here. We both were looking so forward to spending the day, so when you read this Linda and Ken, know that we felt very sad to have missed you. We hope you enjoyed 2 days in Seward and hope you seen more then I did in town.

I was feeling a little down at losing our friends, and was tired and not really in the mood for shopping, but away I went, regardless.

It was very pretty here as you can see.

The Zaandam (our home away from home) seen from shore. Look at those mountains!

I thought I better get a picture to prove I was here!

A view from the street looking both ways. I wasn't really impressed with the stores and was only in town a short time before taking the shuttle to return to the ship.It's really an old town. Get a look at this very old movie theater.
Lot's of nice wood carvings in this store.

On the way back to the ship in the shuttle, we passed though this little area that looked more interesting, but I was almost 'home', and was tired, so just came on back to the ship. Walked around the promenade deck a little, found Tom in the Library.

Another thing about Seward was that during the earthquake Alaska experienced in 1964, this little town was almost wiped out. The earthquake was centered 95 miles from Seward. Seward's shoreline dropped 6 ft.

Population here is 2,700 and on the trip back to the ship the driver told the passengers, there are 30 churches here. I had been looking at some books in a store and picked up one about the earthquake they had here and really was astonished at the damage it caused. Incredible!

Promenade Deck (our floor which I love)

Sometime in one of these past days, I forgot to mention that the Captain holds a special lunch for the Mariners who have sailed before with Holland America, and you are given little pins or coaster, and medallions, depending on how many days of cruising you have done. We were sat at a table with another couple who you will see more and hear more of in the few days ahead.

This is Delores, Linda, Tom and Boni (short for a name we couldn't pronounce) Delores is an elementary school teacher, Boni is East Indian, but I think I recall he wasn't from India. He's a very gentle quiet person and both nice people. They introduced us to Joan, who is 86, travelled all the way from Australia on her own, and is such an elegant, most sweet lady that we all loved and took care of any way we could, although she was very independent on her own.

In the afternoon, I went for a walk around the ship, I think Tom was watching Obama give his speech on CNN, so I went for a walk, went through the pool area and this tiredness came over me and I sat down on a deck chair, and instantly went into the most wonderful deep sleep for two hours. The roof was open just a little, so there was a soft breeze blowing though, it was very quiet, and I just seem to go into that zone you feel going under or coming out of an operation. I can only call it a "Zone", but it was the best sleep!!

Then back to find Tom and then we are to meet Delores and Boni and Joan in the Lido for dinner.

Tomorrow is our return trip to Vancouver, stopping at the one new port of Haines.

Before Haines, we travel back through Glacier Bay, and I will only show a few pictures and a video of that trip and show you more friends we have met and more of activity around the ship.

I have to get some work done around here!!! This travel trip for you is very time consuming, plus I keep needing naps because of my cold. Yesterday we went to Ireland!!! Well, maybe not the real Ireland, but a pub that made us feel we were in Ireland. We went with Bill and Dianne. If I have time after finishing up with my travel blog, I'll show some pictures of that. But, work is piling up and I need to get some things done, as I'm leaving on Wed 10th for Ontario to visit with my family and friends. My suitcases are still sitting here from Alaska, ready to go again. I'm babysitting a cat upstairs for a neighbour, Batman howls like he's dying everytime I go out the door and always has one eye on me, even while he naps, making sure I don't leave him again. He was more then ticked off at me for leaving him for 14 days. Hopefully he won't mind so much, me being gone to Ontario with Tom here loving him. I also have to take a cat on the plane with me for a friend who needs the cat delivered to Ontario. What is it with these cats!!!

DAY FIVE Thursday Aug. 21-SKAGWAY, ALASKA

6:o4 am, we arrive in Skagway. 14 C and overcast with showers. 94 miles from Juneau.

Skagway still retains the 19th century look, when it swelled with hopeful prospectors to become Alaska's most populous town A year round town with a population of 863. However, in 1897 when prompted by the cry "GOLD IN THE YUKON", thousands gathered supplies and rested in Skagway before embarking the difficult ascent up the Chilkook and White Passes and Klondike gold fields beyond. The population grew to 10,000. the hopeful newcomers faced temptation back then with 80 saloons, houses of "negotiable affection" and other last chance of civilization and also plenty of sly thieves. This was one of the most colourful periods of Alaskian history, that of a lawless frontier town, controlled by the villainous 'Soapy' Smith, who was finally removed from power in a gunfight with the town hero, Frank Reid. At the height of the gold rush, Michael J. Moore, an Irish contractor, convinced a group of English investors that he could build a railway over the White Pass Trail to Whitehorse. The construction of the White Pass & Yukon Route was nothing short of a superhuman feat and the railroad became the focal point of the town's economy after the gold rush and during the military buildup of WWII. The line was shut down in 1982, but was revived in 1988 to the delight of cruise ship tourist and the backpackers walking the Chilkook Trail. Although the train hauls no freight, it's rebirth was important to Skagway as a tourist attraction. Today Skagway survives almost entirely on tourism, as bus tours and more the 400 cruise ships a year turn this village into a boomtown again every summer. Up to 5 ships a day stop here and on the busiest days over 8,000 tourists - 10 times the town's resident population! March off the ships and this little Broadway turns into an ant hill. It's the modern day version of the Klondike Gold Rush, and the fact that one gift ship is called the "Alaska Fleece Company", probably has Soapy Smith smiling in his grave.

I really liked everything about this little town and so after having breakfast, we left for an excursion on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. It's a great fun ride up higher into Alaska, but the higher we got the foggier it became and harder to see what the conductor was pointing out to us. Some places we only got glimses of, others found us looking down way down into gullies and rivers and some sights that made our hearts make loud thumps in our chest. Very scary at the wooden trestles we were going over. It was a really neat old train, with even a stove inside to keep the passengers warm, hard bench seats and just a whole lot of fun.
It was a 4 hour trip taking us across Glacier Gorge, Bridal Falls, Dead Horse Gulch, all the time climbing 2885 ft.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxg2_O6D0vw

I've included this link (above) of a video of the same trip. Only it being August we had no snow. The first part as we are leaving, the little creek on the left was teaming with salmon. Later you see the cemetary where Soapy Smith and Harris are buried. Looks very old and spooky. Later you see a cross stuck in a rock which is a bit blurry, but that rock fell of some miners, and rather then try to get them out, they just placed a cross on top for a memorial to all the workers that lost their lives building the railway. There is Dead Horse Gulch, where the miners brought horses, but had no idea how to look after them or feed them, so they would die, and into Dead Horse Gulch they would go.

Here's a few pictures we took.

That's it for today, we set sail at 9:12 pm and tomorrow, the beautiful Glacier Bay!!!!!

DAY FOUR - JUNEAU ALASKA

JUNEAU, ALASKA

Day 4, Wed. Aug. 20th, Juneau, Alaska



The only capital in N. America, you can't reach by road. Alaska's state capital has more than 100 miles of pavement around it, but none of it goes anywhere! Bank robbery is nil, because it's hard to escape! Also, we didn't know it at the time, that McCain would choose his running mate, Palin from Juneau, or we may have gone to look for the Governer's mansion. I hear they are trying to get roads in, but the problem of so many avalanches in the area where the roads would have to go is a big concern.


Juneau is a strange little capital. In the winter it's a beehive of legislators, and lobbyist, locked in political struggles. Then no more then leave, then in May, the cruise ships arrive with swarms of of passengers. It's the most geographically secluded state capital in the country, the only one that cannot be reached by road, only boat or plane.


When gold was discovered in 1880 it started the first gold-rush to Alaska, with prospectors rushing to stake claim





Among the Alaskan capital's most famous historic residents, Patsy Ann, was a familiar friend to every citizen and visitor during the pre-WW11 years. A pedigrree English Bull Terrier, she was born in Oregon (1929) and came to Juneau with the Keyser family, who gave her to Episcopal minister. How the deaf do did it, is a mystery, but she acquired the mysterious habit of appearing on the dock whenever a ship was coming into port. A statue on the quayside honors her memory and Tom was giving her a little pat on the head.

We woke early and went to the Rotterdam (fancy restaurant) for breakfast. I had my favourite, egg's bennie and Tom had kippers! YUK! I was to meet Chris from the photo shop at 10am and he was to take me shopping for my charger to where he thought they may have it for sure. So with much hope, off we go. Juneau is a really nice port, with lots of little streets and where we had to go was UP a steep hill. I was puffing and huffing, and when we got there, was disappointed to find out that this store had these chargers on order for a year now and they still hadn't arrived. If he had them, they where $80.00! However, they phoned another store and voila....they had a universal one that may work. Chris had to get back to the ship, so he gave me directions of "turn left at the corner, then hang a right, another left, take the street that veers to the left and just down the hill on the left hand side, is the store. We said goodbye, and I thanked him so much for his kind care, and then tried to remember the directions. I remembered the first turn left, but forgot what came after that! I forgot the name of the store!! I was lost, so I rambled and hunted and finally found it and asked if someone had just called a while ago about a charger and when he said yes, I was certainly very relieved. Anyway, I got this universal charger with was $18.00 and was as happy as can be....let the holiday begin!!!

The temperature had to be high 70's in Juneau which is unusual, so it was nice to look around. Juneau is surrounded by high mountains and very pretty. I returned to the ship, found Tom and out we went together. His leg hasn't really improved much and he's feeling a little down and disappointed. We looked around a little and I knew his leg was hurting, so decided to wait by the dock and I could scoot around the shops. I had bought a few postcards, then discovered I forgot my address book. Damn!! I was hot and tired and returned to try to find Tom. I spotted him and what a welcomed sight he was. I took this picture which is really my very favourite of him.

Here's a few more photo's I took on my excursion around Juneau. Here's a pile of whalebones.

So, we go back aboard and see three more ships have arrived, one is right back to back with us. The town looks like a zoo with all the tourists now. So, we go have an ice cream cone, and go up to the top of the ship to the Crow's Nest for the view. Then wander the ship. Tom goes back to his room to watch CNN and I go and sit out on the deck and enjoy the warm weather. We havn't seen Linda and Ken yet, as they are out on an excursion to the ice fields, that we will also see soon and to a salmon bake. I heard after, that they cook the salmon on a big BBQ and when its taken inside, for the tourist to eat, a bear waits until the coast is clear, comes down and licks the BBQ clean. The cook says, he never has to clean it, the bear does it for him!

We meet up with Ken and Linda and go for dinner in the Lido and talk about our day. We are all tired, but enjoying ourselves. There is no good entertainment tonight. They are showing a movie!! A MOVIE...gads, it must be hard to get entertainment to come to Alaska! Off to bed, and tomorrow is Skagway.