We have always wanted to visit Alaska, to take pictures and see the Northern Lights (The Aurora Borealis) and even though this is not the right time of year to see the Northern Lights, we had an opportunity to take advantage of some time off between classes to take a vacation. So we took our first cruise!!! It was amazing, the people were wonderful, there are tons of things to do, the food is fantastic, and we got some great pictures, hope you like them.
We flew into Seattle, and stayed at the Waterfront Marriott, which is right across the street from Pier 66 where we were leaving from the next day.
I went up to the top deck to take the pictures of the Seattle skyline and Alvin was taking pictures of me while he chilled by the pool. Our Stateroom attendant made these cute towel animals and left them for us almost every day, so I took pictures of them and kept them together in the room. The Staterooms are small very efficient hotel rooms, with all of the amenities you would get at a hotel. We had an ocean view.
After a day at sea, the first port of call was Juneau, Alaska. We took a land and sea photography excursion. For the land part, we hiked about 3-4 miles through trails to the Mendenhall glacier. It was cold and raining, but incredibly beautiful. This tree above was cut down by beavers, you can see how efficient they are.
There were 3 markers with dates of where the glacier ice came to. It has receded a lot over the years. In the picture above you can see how the glacier has carved its way.
Chunks of the glacier break off forming icebergs of different sizes and shapes.
We saw several whales and learned a lot about them. One young whale breached right in front of the boat very unexpectedly and scared the heck out of everyone who saw it. Even our guide was startled, and it happened so fast, no one got a shot of it!!
We also saw seals, hanging out at this buoy, they would fight and kick each other off!
I know where the pictures for each days activities start by the towel animal, go figure.
The next day, the port of call was Skagway. We took the White Pass train and Yukon expedition. We took a tour bus in Skagway, Alaska up to the Yukon and into Canada, had lunch at Caribou Crossing and then came back to the White Pass train station for the return trip back to Skagway.
These are some of the spectacular views, the picture above is of Cairns. They are piles of rocks left by visitors, basically saying there were "Here", they were all over the place in different configurations.
Here we are in the Yukon
and this is the smallest desert! It was left by the glacier in Caribou Crossing.
At Caribou Crossing (Carcross), where we had lunch, they raise and race sled dogs, the dogs are very excited to run and they give visitors rides as a way to train the dogs. The puppies were adorable.
and oh yeah!!!!, we saw bears, many bears, up close and personal!!! The first ones crossed right in front of the bus and the others were just at the side of the road eating. They are all brown bears, they can be brown, black, cinnamon or light tan to white and still be brown bears. It was AWESOME!! The bus driver kept asking if we wanted to get out to have our pictures taken with them and we all said YES, but he didn't let us.
This is emerald lake, the driver took us here, about 10 miles farther than usual to show us this lake. The color variations are the different depths and the color comes from the silt and minerals and vegetation that the glacier brought through.
On the train ride back to Skagway, we saw waterfalls, deep gorges, and beautiful scenery.
When we got off the train, we had some time to roam around downtown Skagway. The picture above is the original snowplowing engine. They have restored it and used it recently on an anniversary of the railway.
Pretty amazing to see the size of the ship, and with the snow capped mountains in the background it was beautiful.
The next day, we sailed through Glacier bay and saw several other glaciers. We even got to see the glacier calving. You hear the ice cracking and it sounds like thunder and if you are lucky enough, you can see the chunk of glacier break off and fall into the water. I am not sure how clear the splash is on the last photograph, but we did get to see it.
Next day the port of call was Ketchikan, Alaska. We did not have an excursion planned so I just walked around taking pictures and shopping. They are known for their totem poles.
The last port of call before returning to Seattle, was Victoria, BC in Canada. It was rainy, so I took the shuttle to downtown and took a few pictures, then returned to the ship to have dinner and we went to a show.
All in all, it was a fabulous cruise, with so much to do and see. I would recommend it to everyone. We are already thinking about where we can cruise next!!!
Hope you liked the photos and as always, Happy Photography.
