Enjoying Juneau, Alaska

On our first visit to Juneau, we arrived to a cool and cloudy day, with occasional rain showers. Later that day, when I asked Captain Annie when the rainy season ended, she laughed and said, "it is 365 days a year." Little did she know that our second visit would come with the sun.  Our port days in Juneau were May 10 and 18.

I don't recall when we arrived, but I am certain that my first stop was the Wakeview Bar area. Here I could get the fresh air and stay dry under the overhang while watching for wildlife.

I got lucky and caught this shot of an eagle as it flew past the ship and flew up to the top of the mountain beside us. As I turned to look for it, I was amazed by the view on the mountainside. This photo was taken later, when I was on the dock waiting for the bus for the whale watching tour. It almost looks like a diorama, but I can assure you it is real. 

The whale watching tour bus left the dock about noon and the naturalist on board kept us entertained with stories about Juneau, Hawaii, and whale watching. Donna normally lives and works in Hawaii but had followed the whales north to Juneau for this season. 

Juneau, for those like me who aren't aware, is the capital city of Alaska. It is one of two United States capital cities that cannot be reached directly by automobile (Honolulu is the other). All goods are brought in by air or sea. The humpback whales travel from the warmer waters of Hawaii and Mexico in April to the cooler feeding grounds of Alaska. Our whale watching tour that day was considered scientific and we would make a stop to check for invasive species of crabs, collecting data for NOAC (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

First though, our bus drove us to the dock where we would meet Captain Annie and board the boat.  I had a chance to chat with her on the return and she's been on the boats since 2017 and a captain since 2019. At best, I'd say she's in late 20's, early 30's. On our way out to where the whales might be (we weren't the only ones searching) she kept in contact by radio with the others who were out that day. 

Our first stop was at the crab pots. How they find these pots with their orange bobbers in the midst of all that water is beyond me, but she found it quite easily with Donna's help. We were on the look out for a Europe green crab, which has made it's way into Alaskan waters. It feeds on native sea animals and competes with native crabs for food. We didn't find any, these are just a regular crab (name I've forgotten) and not the highly sought after Dungeness crabs. One of the other passengers, helped pull them from the crab pot, and then they were released back into the water.

You can see how low the clouds were that day, and we did run into a few rain showers as we travelled through various areas searching for the less than cooperative whales.

Next up, was a visit to a marker where the sea lions like to rest. The one on the left reminds me of my cat Saku's sleeping positions. :)

We didn't stay there long, just time enough for a couple of photos and then a radio call came in. A humpback had been spotted closer to the area we had originally started the search. Captain Annie throttled up the boat and off we went to find the whale.

It's not the best photo, and I didn't catch the fluke but it is a humpback whale above the water. We didn't get to see it breach again but did see it's spout a number of times. The company will not stay longer than 30 minutes in the area of the whale due to the stress it can cause the animal.

The spout looks much different from the small boat!

We'd been out for a couple of hours at this point, and it was time to head back to the dock. I'm so grateful we were able to see the one whale. If I ever have the chance to do another whale watching tour I'll be there.

No notes to remind me, but I'm pretty sure I was on the aft of the ship for the rest of the afternoon. Late in the day, I caught the sun trying to break through the clouds.

On our second visit to Juneau, May 18, the sun truly shone.

I had no excursion planned for the day, so walked into the city's downtown for a little shopping. In particular I was looking for a yarn shop. I had been attending the almost daily Knitters and Knatters group on the ship and was inspired to make a purchase.  First though, I found a local cafe with free WIFI where I sat and enjoyed a tea and took care of e-mails and some necessary banking. Utility companies don't seem to care that I'm on holidays!

Downtown Juneau was a short walk from the ship.  On the left the building with the lovely mural is a government building and contains the local library. I visited there when my search for a yarn shop on foot came up empty. I had a lovely chat with the librarian, who had actually lived in Manitoba many years ago and had driven through Regina. She pointed me to in the right direction to Changing Tides, a fabric store that carries Alaskan yarn and other craft items. I purchased a skein of yarn for a cowl and a floral cross stitch pattern to add to my to-do pile. 

The red and white building to the right of the government building is Tracy's King Crab Shack. This place was busy every time I walked by. I heard later that a pound of King Crab was $99 USD! I'm sure it was very good but well beyond my budget. The other building I'd point out in the photo is the building just above the red brick building - this is the starting point of the Goldbelt Tram Alaska.

The tram rises 1800 feet up the mountain to the Mountain House, from "sea level to see level". I did think about purchasing a ticket to ride but decided against it. I'd gotten my share of heights the day prior in Skagway, so left this option for another time. Apparently I should have gone, as others mentioned the number of eagles they saw at the top. 

Guess where I went when I returned to the ship later in the afternoon? If you said Wakeview, you'd be right.  I recall I met a young couple from San Diego that afternoon, on their second cruise.  They had the beverage package (alcohol) and were making good use of it. He was a financial guy working on his Master's, while she was a chemical engineer. Both incredibly bright and fun to chat with. As we visited, our eyes were drawn to the sight of snow tumbling down the mountain side. I imagine this will be a waterfall as the snow begins to melt at the top of the mountain.

I had two wonderful days in Juneau.  The whale watching tour was both interesting and educational. I'm thrilled to have seen the whale (reasonably) up close and the rare sunny day in Juneau gave me the chance to do a good walk about. 

Our next port is Skagway. 

The sun shines in Ketchikan, Alaska

 Before we arrive in Ketchikan I'll share a couple of photos from our sea on May 8. I started my day early and was thrilled to see we were sailing into a rainbow - a good omen for this trip!

We weren't alone on the ocean, though I'm not referring to the ship in the photo. 

I attended the naturalist lecture later that morning - Mark Harris told us that one can tell the difference between the humpback whale and a grey whale by their spouts. A humpback whale's spout looks like a spout, while a grey whale look more mushroom shaped. Hence I believe this was a humpback...but of course, I could be wrong. I saw spouts almost daily and even a couple of breaches!

On to Ketchikan. 

We were in Ketchikan on May 9 and 19. Both days were sunny and mild. Known as the rain capital of Alaska, I've visited the community three times and each time the sun was shining. A local told me at the burger stand that I must have brought it with me. I can't make that claim as our ship's captain informed us on every sunny day that he was responsible. (If it was overcast or rainy it was the cruise director's fault.) :)

On our first stop, our ship was parked right downtown and across from the Ketchikan sign. From there it was a short walk to the Christmas store (I bought nothing though I did look), and to Creek Street. Creek Street is infamous as Ketchikan's red light district and one of the properties, Dolly's house is now a museum. I've visited there years ago, and it's an interesting place to see. Creek Street is so named as Ketchikan Creek runs alongside. Behind the buildings is a winding pathway named Married Man's Way, a trail used by patrons to avoid being seen out front.

I thought I had taken a photo from the ship of Creek Street, but I did not. Instead you get a photo of Ketchikan Creek. There was a sign that indicated that salmon do spawn in this creek but it was too early in the year for that activity.

I did a wander about the downtown area and ended up at the Pioneer Cafe for lunch. No salmon in the creek, but I had a great homemade salmon burger for lunch. Delicious!

When I left home on May 6, I had noticed my Jacob's Ladder and bergenia's were just beginning to spring forth. In Ketchikan I found blooms!

After my lunch and a bit more walking I headed back to the ship, to the Wakeview bar for the rest of the afternoon. Just to give you an idea of how big the ship is, this is a photo I snapped on my walk back.

There was more entertainment to be found. The Coast Guard pulled over a small boat with it's lights and sirens and an officer went on board the smaller vessel. It wasn't long before the boat was on its way, so I presume all was well.

There were many float planes taking off and landing. For those who don't know, my first full time employment when I left high school (many, many moons ago), was as a dispatcher and bookkeeper for a charter air service in Northern Saskatchewan. I've never lost my love of listening for and watching float planes. This appears to be a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, a true workhorse of the north. 

In addition there was a squadron of helicopters nearby. I believe some of my fellow passengers took a flight on a helicopter in order to land on the Misty Fjord. Sorry, not sorry, I won't fly in a helicopter...ever. A fixed wing plane can usually glide to a landing spot (search Gimli Glider), while a helicopter becomes a piano when the rotor stops. I know they are flown safely every day but I simply cannot convince myself.

On a happier note, on our return trip to Ketchikan we were parked at the other end of town, basically next door to the float planes. I did laundry that morning before heading off the ship - I knew the laundry would be busy our last day at sea. I spent some time on the decks watching the dock crew tie up the ship. They use massive ropes for this purpose - it takes three guys and a winch to bring the ropes up. 

Look who sailed in shortly after we arrived. It's the Holland America Koningsdam we'd seen in Vancouver. I seem to recall they were in another port one other day but otherwise their itinerary was different than ours.

We off boarded from a lower deck and had a ramp to climb. This photo was taken from the ramp. Those posts are starting to look a little worn for wear from my perspective. :)

My goal that day was simply to do a walk around that area, and go to the Dairy Queen for lunch. Several of the crew members had told me that it was the best place in town for a hamburger - I just had to give it a try. There was a bit of a line-up when I arrived at 11:30, and it was a half hour wait before I got my order. As the cashier said, "we aren't making fast food here, we're making good food". Look at the size of that burger - no fries required! Like every good burger it was messy. I enjoyed my meal sitting on a bench on the dock, people watching.

While I waited at the burger joint, I noticed these ferns growing out of the rock wall at the back of the property. Again, at home my ferns were just barely out of the ground.

Back on board ship, I headed once again to the Wakeview bar. I'm sure you are sensing a trend here. This was the afternoon I was bound and determined to get another photo of an eagle. Unfortunately my zoom just couldn't do the job as they circled high overhead. Frustrated, I had put my camera away and was reading when someone hollered eagle. I looked up to see the bird flying just a few feet away from the ship! Did it fly by again? Of course not. 

This tug was pulling these large barges with freight cars down the channel. At one point it moved from the side to the the front (as shown here). I assume it has to do with the depth of the water. Amazing that something that small can manage that kind of load.

If you have a cool $9.2 million available this yacht can be yours. Another couple told me they'd talked to someone at a bar in town who said the price had recently been reduced. 

Though I didn't do anything special in Ketchikan, I definitely enjoyed our time there. There were people and airplanes to watch, a few elusive eagles, and great food. I even did a little shopping on the last day, picking up a photo album for those that I'll print and a t-shirt for Eli.

And that eagle photo I wanted? Well, as we sailed away from Ketchikan, I finally spotted another one. I've cropped the photo because so it isn't the best, but you can see the bird on the pole.

Next up - Juneau, Alaska

Catching the sun

Despite the rocky start it has been a good week.  The weather got cold again on Tuesday and Wednesday but it warmed up on Thursday to the freezing mark and above.  The long range forecast seems to be showing we're past the really cold weather so by the end of March I expect we'll start seeing some signs of spring.  Fingers crossed!  The longer daylight hours and lots of sunshine are certainly encouraging.

On Monday I made a run to several hardware stores looking for a replacement for the wand for the kitchen faucet.  When I was talking with my friend K about our plans for Tuesday, she asked me if the entire faucet needed to be replaced.  I took a look at it more closely and realized I could simply replace the wand portion.  Woohoo!  It took me three stores to find it - the first I went to because I have gift cards to use, no luck there, the second I was picking up birdseed and thought I'd check, and the third store because I looked it up on the internet before I went.  For just $36 I was able to replace the piece.  All I had to do was unscrew the old broken wand and screw in the new one.  Even I can do that!

On Tuesday, K picked me up and we went for one of our lovely long lunches.  She arrived about 11:30 and dropped me off shortly before 3.  We never run out of topics to discuss.  This visit revolved around their recent stay in Arizona, upcoming travels for both of us, recycling, my grandson, and a myriad of other topics.  She brought her camera so I could see the photos from their sightseeing - Arizona is another place I need to visit!

D and Eli were here on Thursday, as she attended the funeral of her friend.  It was well attended and she saw a number of people she hasn't seen in years.  They didn't stay the night but went home after she got back to the house.  Eli was very adamant he wanted to go home to his treehouse.  He was very good for me while she was away; he even put himself to bed for an hour long nap.  


Eli loves Sasha, and while Sasha doesn't reciprocate, he does tolerate the little guy.  Here Eli was sharing his blanket.  It had warmed up by lunch time so I opened up the sun room for the cats and the kid.  Eli sat on the chair beside Sasha while he ate his lunch and chattered away at the cat.    

I've kept busy for much of the week with the curling and knitting.  I'm actually happy the men's Canadian championship won't start until Friday evening....my house needs some serious attention!  I did the bare essentials, laundry, dishes, and cleaning of bathrooms.  My son had to fend for himself several evenings as I didn't get around to figuring out what to make for dinner.  He didn't mind at all and is quite capable of making his own meals.  Dishes on the other hand.... not so much.

With all the time to sit and knit I managed a couple of finishes this week.  First up is the little lamb to go along with the blanket I made for my cousin's son and his wife.  Baby is due in April, so I made the blanket just big enough to cover a car seat.  The lamb was made with the leftover yarn.  By the time it was finished and sewn together, I had pretty much used up all the yarn, though  I did have to buy some additional cream yarn to finish the lamb.  I'm not showing you a close up, because although it's cute, my ability to sew knitting projects isn't the most professional.    

In addition I finished another baby blanket.  This one is also a smaller blanket. I'm using the yarn I purchased for a whopping $4 at Michaels (when I bought the cream) and I have a half a ball left.  I'll probably use the rest of it, along the cream for another blanket.  But I'll crochet the next one as I've done lots of the knitting the last few weeks. 

On Sunday I'm off to my brother's in between curling games to help my niece finish her top.  We're onto buttonholes and I've been watching videos to learn how to do it with my sewing machine.  I don't have a one step option, so it will be a little more tricky.   We'll practice with some additional material she has until we're both satisfied we're doing it right!  

I'll end this post with a photo from R's run along the river last week.  Maybe one day I'll go for a walk there too, though there will be no running.  

Wishing you all a week of sunshine ahead!

Sunny days in Harvest Caye and Costa Maya

Our third port was Harvest Caye, Belize - one of Norwegian's privately owned island (they also own Great Stirrup Caye in the Bahamas).  The island has been developed to permit the cruise ship passengers to enjoy a day at the beach with a few extra attractions thrown in.

For the adventurous, there are several ziplines, for the less so, a large pool, a butterfly and aviary enclosure, and of course, a long stretch of beach to enjoy.

The lighthouse is the starting point for the zip lines.  Two of the ziplines took the riders over the ocean. 

I've never been on a zipline but was told that riding on one's tummy is more difficult that sitting.  I'll never find out...far too terrified of heights to attempt it.

Or one could ride solo across the jungle.  (Again, not me).

This line took the rider past the aviary and butterfly enclosures.  I didn't see where it ended but the lines were busy the entire time we were off ship.

The pool was huge and absolutely beautiful.  In fact, the entire complex was meticulously maintained.  There are no permanent inhabitants in the island and the shops and restaurants are only open when the ship(s) are in port.  There is, however, security on the island at all times.

 K and I took a walk along the beach while J stuck to the boardwalk.   The beach contains a lot of crushed shells, so I think he had the right idea!

We met up at the end of the public beach (and where security was located), and after a pit stop, we walked back along the golf cart path to reach the macaws (no photos) and the butterfly enclosure.

There was something about J's hat the attracted the butterflies.  While it would appear these are different types of butterflies, in fact they are one and the same.  

The blue morpho is among the largest butterflies in the world, with wings spanning from five to eight inches. ... The underside of the morpho's wings, on the other hand, is a dull brown color with many eyespots, providing camouflage against predators such as birds and insects when its wings are closed. - Rainforest Alliance

These butterflies weren't as large as the article would suggest but were so pretty.  They also wanted out of the enclosure!  There was a young man with a butterfly net at the exit to the enclosure to ensure that none escaped.  

On the way to the Landshark cafe we stopped to admire this intricately carved iguana.  Now that's a big one!  For those not in the know (that would be me) Landshark restaurant is associated with Jimmy Buffett, as well as Margaritaville.  J is a "parrothead" as avid fans of Jimmy Buffett are know.  As a side note, this is part of the reason K and J agreed to this cruise, as the ship has a Margaritaville, with accompanying Buffett music on board the ship.  The other reason was New Orleans, a bucket list destination for all of us.

I had planned to have a Landshark beer but the cafe was out of it.  Instead I had a Belikin, while K and J enjoyed a cold Coca-Cola.  It was a lovely afternoon, hot and breezy to enjoy a cold beverage and watch people.  We also did a bit of shopping before heading back to the ship.  

Look what I found in the Belize sign!

******

The following day we were in Costa Maya, Mexico.  We were in port with two other ships that day so the port area was incredibly busy!  We walked off later to avoid the initial rush but there was still a crowd.  We found our way through the port shops to the ticket office where we paid for our fare on a open-air shuttle to the nearest village, Mahahual.  

I'll be honest, this was my least favorite port on the cruise.  We walked along the path adjacent to the beach, and for every step there was a vendor, or two, or three offering us "massage on the beach, $10" or "come see my shop, everything made in Mexico".  After saying no thanks a dozen times, I was ready to scream, if I've said no to the last ten people I'm going to say no to you too!  J said absolutely nothing, while K continued to be the pleasant one of our trio.  I understand they are trying to make a living but if there had been anything I might have been interested in I would not have dared to go into a shop because of the fear of being mobbed by the next shop.  

We eventually made it to the end of the beach street, and grabbed a cab back to the port area.  Here the vendors were less aggressive, but there were no t-shirts that would fit Eli.  K had already picked up vanilla in Cozumel so no one made much money from us that day.

Instead we sat at one of the sea-side restaurants, where I enjoyed a Corona, and K and J had....wait for it...Coca-Cola.  :)

 We were early enough to miss the crowds returning from their excursions so it was relaxing.  There was a young couple sitting nearby with two small children.  The kids were digging in the sand and flipping it every which way.  They were entertaining and managed to miss tossing sand in our drinks.

We walked back to the ship (the one in the back) and headed for the balcony.  Just after we boarded, an ambulance pulled up to the ship.  We heard later there had been one that morning when we first pulled into the dock.  It's sad when someone gets ill on board, but the medical staff are good, and they ensure the passengers (and crew) are well taken care of.

Waves crashing on the shore - just beyond the restaurant.

Despite the over zealous vendors, it was still a lovely day in Costa Maya.  The sun was shining, it was lovely and hot, and we got in a good walk. I probably don't need to go there again but am glad I got the opportunity to do so once.

Next up, "almost Grand Cayman" and Jamaica, the final two ports of our cruise.

Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas - Vacation Day 5

First off, thanks to ThriftMaven for identifying the signal at sail-away.  This Canadian had no clue!  Now, I'm curious - I may have to go back through previous sail-away photos to see if that or something similar has been evident.

Day 5 started early, as we were tendering in Great Stirrup Cay (GSC), Bahamas.  According Wikipedia, Norwegian Cruise lines (NCL) purchased the island in 1977 and has developed it into a private island for the use of their cruise passengers.  I had read previous reviews, the island was under construction until October 2017.  Must have been using unionized workers....sorry, old joke.

Look at the color of the water! I truly love the Caribbean blues.  The tenders started at 8 a.m., though I'm certain they were running earlier than that taking staff from the ship to the island where they set up a bar, buffet area, and equipment rentals (snorkeling and paddle boards I believe).  Sandra, Amy, Helene,  and I were among the passengers on the 2nd shuttle as we wanted to get our choice of chairs - far enough from the main area to be less noisy, close enough to the bathroom and bar, bar and bathroom, and any other amenities.  

This isn't the best photo (the colors look washed out to me), but it gives you a sense of the size of the island.  It's not very big!  According to the trivia we were provided, there are 6 permanent inhabitants of the island AND one cat.  No, I didn't get to see the cat.  I suspect the tender operators were the resident islanders, as the ship did not use its life boats as tenders. The tender landing is to the left of the photo, and there are additional areas for hanging out on the beach to the right.

We needn't have worried about getting there early because the passengers were about 4500 - I think there were at least that many chairs set out. I guess that is for the days when more than one ship is in port.  

The tall structure is apparently going to be used for zip-lining.  This I overheard from a conversation as I was heading to the bar bathroom.  Our chairs were situated almost in the centre of this photo.  Sandra and Helene were under the trees, while Amy and I headed out into the sun.  There is a shallow area of water on the right, and was perfect for a quick dip.  Of course, I tasted the water...you bet it's salty.  The strawberry daiquiri I followed up with was pretty tasty too. ;)

In the midst of the trees in the photo above there are several cabanas.  These contained 6 loungers, and came equipped with food and a cabana boy (or possibly girl) to run for beverages.  Sandra had looked into it for us, but the price had increased from $300 to nearly $700USD.  A tad lot more expensive than we were willing to pay! 

Amy and I stayed out on the island until close to 1 p.m, then headed back to the ship.  Sandra and Helene stayed for another hour.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day but I wasn't about to risk a sun burn.  Thank goodness for SPF50!

This photo and the last one were taken with my cell phone as I wasn't about to lug the camera equipment to the island.  

The Epic sure isn't the prettiest of ships, but she looks pretty nice sitting out beyond the reef.  

There weren't many other people out on the island when we first got there so it was very pleasant.  Amy and I chatted for awhile and watched the tenders moving back and forth from the ship.  Then she turned her music on and I read my book.  What a life!

After returning to the ship, we grabbed a bite to eat.  Amy headed to Posh, while I did a walk on deck 15 and 18 to get some photos of the island from the ship (all of the other photos in this post were taken mid-afternoon).

This was one of the tenders arriving back at the ship full of passengers.  

You would think they were worried that they won't be allowed on board...almost everyone jumps up as soon as the tender is tied up.

I tend to relax and wait...they've yet to say no.  When we board the ship, we present our key cards and our bags are put through the security scanner.  I can't recall if we did this at GSC but assume we must, as I'm sure I'd remember not doing so.  I wonder what we might have been able to bring back from the island?  

This is one of the last tenders of the day, heading back to the island with only the crew aboard.  

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Posh.  Sandra joined us on her return, and Nestor made certain the daiquiris (me), margaritas (Sandra) and mimosas (Amy) arrived as needed...just to be clear, I had two more drinks that afternoon.  It was the first time I've ever had the unlimited beverage package and I'm pretty sure I brought down the average.  The most drinks I had in one day was five, a couple I had none, and the rest I might have managed three drinks.  If I had paid for my drinks I would have spent about $200, with the UBP I paid $120 for the gratuities as they assume $80 per day.  I won't bother with the package again - if there is a free at sea offer I'll take the free internet minutes instead.

We had dinner at Taste again that evening.  I don't recall how many solos were there, but I would think 10-15.  When I arrived back at the room that evening, I found this fellow waiting for me.  Richard, my room steward took the other towel art the rest of the week but he let me keep Epic the elephant - Epic spent the rest of the week hanging out on top of the safe.  

So ended the day at GSC, and vacation day 5.  The following day I woke up in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.