Vancouver was the final port of our 2nd sailing leg but also the start of our Alaskan leg. The ship had to stay in port all day and wait for it to be low tide as well as lower 3 funnels so it could fit under The Lions Gate bridge. We have cruised out of Vancouver once before and we remember being fascinated by the crew dismantling the mast so we’d fit under the bridge. This is a much bigger ship and it’s doubtful we’ll be awake at 3am to see it this time. Vancouver is a beautiful harbour. We spent a little time ashore but the rest of the day on board fascinated by the sea planes taking off and landing on the water all the while framed by a background of snow capped mountains. Of course, they do occasionally crash, the last one being in November 2022.

All this cruising and finally we’re getting to our pinnacle, the inside passage of Alaska!

There’s something really serene and pacifying about watching a sunset over a calm ocean. Maybe the wine assists in this state of tranquillity! We have seen seals and dolphins. If only the Orcas would put on a show for us! There were flocks of wild birds appearing as well as eagles gliding the thermal currents – one even landed on the ship. There are sound environmental controls in this area preventing any music, announcements or outdoor noise so the wildlife aren’t frightened off.

KETCHIKAN

Ketchikan is our 1st port and was founded only in 1885. It is known as the salmon capital of the world but gold prospectors also moved there to find their fortune. With an average rainfall of over 200 inches per year, Ketchikan is also the rain capital of Alaska. We were very fortunate to be here on a sunny 12 degree day and weren’t treated to a little bit of liquid sunshine. It was more like a fine winters day in Melbourne. Ruthie and I walked the Main Street and at the end of it was a never ending set of stairs up the mountain. Ruthie powered up them, all that taking of the stairs on the ship had paid off. We searched for a supposed waterfall up there but couldn’t find it but did enjoy a couple of well earned Alaskan draught beers.

Creek Street provided an interesting walk. It is a street built on a boardwalk mounted on stilts on a high slope with a fast running creek below. Ruthie was fascinated by Dolly’s House which had a madam standing out the front trying to entice us in. It was the town’s oldest brothel now just open for tourist sightseeing of course.

The lumberjack show was fantastic. logging was once a huge industry in Alaska but has gone from 4,000 jobs to now a couple of hundred. I am going to call these lumberjacks athletes. This was their 4th show for the day and the amount of log cutting, tree climbing, pole rolling etc means they have to be very fit, fast and strong. They certainly weren’t built like Jack O’Toole, the Australian wood cutting champion I remember from the past.

Once back on the ship, we sat on deck chairs, facing floor to ceiling windows watching the captain cleverly navigate this huge vessel through the fjords.

SITKA

We had to catch a shuttle bus to get to downtown Sitka about 5 miles away and with 2 cruise ships in town, it was a bit of a wait. Luckily the weather was kind to us again and we enjoyed the sunshine while in the queue. The Russians claimed Alaska early as they were interested in the sea otter industry. The Tlingit people are the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest coast and Russia probably sold ice to them. Russia sold Alaska to the USA in 1867 for $7.2 million which equates to less than 2 cents per acre for 600,000 square miles. This town still bears the Russian heritage. There was a Russian church, castle, cemetery, block defence house, souvenirs and even the grave of a Russian princess.

The city is surrounded by snow capped peaks and the volcanic Mount Edgecombe. We were hoping to see some orange beaked puffins but only saw lots of eagles. Alaska has about 50% of the world’s total population of bald eagles.On our sailing out of Sitka, we got our first whale sighting. A big splash of the tail, a waving fin in the air and a spout got Ruthie and the people sitting next to us very excited. We’re hoping this is just the warm up act. The weather was turning colder and we noticed passengers in the outdoor spas sitting in the liquid sunshine with beanies and shower caps on. Lucky we’ve had our fix of the pools and spas on board.

ENDICOTT ARMS & DAWES GLACIER

The alarm was set for 5am. By 5:05 Ruthie and I were sitting on our balcony in our puffer jackets and beanies, hot tea in hand. The air was freezing but the scenic cruising was worth it. Endicott Arm Fjord is one of Alaska’s lesser known gems. We drifted through a 30 mile long stretch, past huge chunks of floating ice, some blue and some white that had calved off the glacier. We were told we may see seals catching a ride on the floating ice but it was obviously too cold and wet for them this morning. We were surrounded by granite cliffs, snow capped mountains and valleys as well as gushing waterfalls. The scenery from our balcony was a mix of white, grey and black hues only broken up by the yellow lifeboat in front of us. Iceberg ahead! Being a very large ship, we couldn’t get too close but we got our first look at a glacier.

JUNEAU

The static population of Juneau is 33,000 but today the Alaskan capital with 3 ships in port it will swell to 42,000. This city is only accessible by boat or plane. With a top of 7 degrees the liquid sunshine had finally caught up with us but we were well prepared with our rain jackets, pants, beanies, gloves and of course the puffer jackets. We caught the glacier shuttle bus and it was so nice to get out of the crowded town. The bus took us to Tongass National Forest. We hiked 7km’s around the temperate rain forest and it was so good getting our land legs and breathing in the crisp Alaskan air. There were bear signs but no bears to be seen which was a very good thing!

Within this area is the Mendenhall Glacier. The views of it were breathtaking. The glacier in the middle of the landscape, calved chunks of ice that floated away from it and a huge waterfall to the side of the glacier cascading down to a sandy beach area. Not to mention the surrounding snow capped peaks. Photos in the visitor area showed how the glacier has reduced over time.

Back at the Juneau wharf, the bus driver recommended us to visit Tracy’s Crab Shack for the best crab in town. He wasn’t wrong! The crab bisque and a couple of crab claws washed down by an Alaskan draught beer was just the tonic after all that hiking.