TOOTLING AROUND SKAGWAY and.......

....then on to Glacier Bay.

Skagway is a quaint little fishing village that gets inundated with cruise ships from May until the middle of September.

Then business slows, and the locals can hunker down or hibernate for the winter. Either way, I'm sure it's a mixed bag for them.

I think I mentioned purchasing five hours of Internet in Katchekan that worked in all three ports....except in Juneau, I was on an all day excursion so didn't get into town to hang out. But once in Skagway, I found time to post.....

This is Skagway from the ship's deck. It's very small and is dwarfed by all the cruise ships. I never did connect with Pumpkin Delight, but I did leave her a voice message. Cell service was bizarre to say the least. I hope to catch up with Pumpkin, Jason, JLo and all the other goofballs bloggers in the LA area while I'm in So CA.

I loved all the shops in town, and stopped at a cute shop to buy fudge and some Victorian Vanilla Cremes for my travelling companions and Joey and Brian, our waiters every night for dinner. The gal that waited on me in the fudge shop was hugging and kissing her boyfriend, and after a few minutes, I started laughing...I mean it was bordering on rediculous, there were about four customers waiting to purchase candy. Finally her boss came by and said something to her. I ordered my two boxes of chocolates, and half pound of maple fudge. She put the Victorian Vanilla Cremes in two separate boxes for me, and of course my fudge. She asked if they could all go in one bag and I said sure. When I got back to the ship, I only had the fudge and one box of Victoria Vanilla Cremes. I called the shop (their number was on the bag) and told the manager. She said the other box was there and I could come back for it.....not!! She then offered to mail me a full pound to my home address next week when the fudge maker gets back. I gave her my daughter's address, since I will be in CA. I hope no one opens the fudge. She said he makes fudge every two weeks, so it will be supper fresh. I really appreciated her excellent customer service, and can't wait to get home and order some more fudge for Christmas gifts.

That evening, John and I had dinner alone because the others went on a land excursion that was delayed up some river without a paddle looking for bald eagles.

Here is Joey and Brian. Are they not the best? We had crab legs until we almost burst. They kept bringing more and more. We ordered a dessert called The Love Boat that was pure chocolate delight, shaped like a heart. Then Joey brought us each Cherries Jubilee!

The next morning we were at sea all day, travelling up an inward passage to Glacier Bay.

Here is a picture from level 18. You can see hot tubs on two separate levels in the foreground, and people looking at the scenery.

How about some pictures of different glaciers.....

These are calfing....breaking apart and falling into the ocean...or sea, I get confused.....

I'm currently at the Anchorage Airport, waiting patiently for my flight to Southern California...connecting through Phoenix in nine hours! I still have to post about our last night, but that will be coming in the next day or so. My little boy is picking me up late Sunday night, and I will spend the first day at his house before renting a car and trekking south to Heartshapedhedges.

FROM WHALES TO MARSHMALLOWS......

...which isn't a reference to me and John, or Gavin, or any neanderthal man. Hi Nick.

Well, I trekked by pack mule into the cozy little town of Skagway this morning to post about yesterday. The thought of Chesapeake Bay Woman selling the family estate to pay my Internet cafe fees on ship just for a picture of an old man made me scared for her children feel compelled to comply with her wishes.



Tuesday was an early morning rise in Juneau, capitol of Alaska. We were up at six, and of course I headed outside to take a picture of early morning Juneau, then on to nice sit down breakfast at seven, then head on out for a day of whale watching, tour of the Mendenhall Glacier, a nature walk then a salmon bake.

While waiting for the dining room to open, I was pleasantly surprised to see Kristie, a fellow blogger. I'd started following her daughter’s leukemia journey in October 2005, right after my grandson was diagnosed. Thankfully, her daughter has been off treatment for almost three years…..yeah, Kendrie.


We went by bus to Auke Bay, where we boarded a tri-level catamaran. This is the sun coming up as we heading up the inland Saginaw Channel. The weather was in the high fifties which was warm for Alaska.

Of course John was thrilled to be up run

ning on his umpteenth Alaskan whale watching excursion.

The girls were ready too. One nice thing is the boat had a snack bar with free beverages and snacks like bagels, salmon and pastries.

The tour guide would announce the sighting of a bald eagle, or hump back whale and the whole pack of tourists would scramble to the side of the boat with cameras and binoculars.

I caught a few pictures of humpback whales.

Today there were three of them having a feeding frenzy, which shouldn't be confused with Grandma J.in the buffet line. They were blowing bubbles underwater, causing the schools of fish to scurry away from the light and up into the darkness, which was the open mouth of a whale. The whales would surface as they scooped them up. The tour guide said it’s not that common for whales to orchestrate a “bubble feed”, and it was a rare opportunity to see. BTW, Humpbacks eat about a ton of small fish a day.

We saw Killer whales which are smaller and are actually in the dolphin family. They travel in pods, and are hunt prey twice their size, such as humpback whales. We saw quite a few killer whales, but they surface and dive back so fast, that it’s hard to get a good picture. I was going to draw one in with a sharpie…


Next we headed to the Mendenhall Glacier. It’s a fantastic sight to see. There are waterfalls, ice masses, majestic mountains and bears…lots of bears. We weren’t allowed to bring food into the area because it attracts the wildlife.

We topped the day off with a salmon bake that included ribs, chicken, corn bread, wild rice, beans, salads and a marshmallow roast. We headed back to the ship in time for a nap before dinner. Tomorrow, Skagway. Life is good in Alaska

Thank you Postcard Cindy for the BB update. If anyone who watches BB and doesn't want to know what's going on, please be forewarned that this is the only way I can keep up. I don't have access to network TV. Sorry, Heartshapedhedges. Please don't put any ideas in Beauty's head. We aren't going to the American Girl Store this time around. We will have fun getting our pedi/mani and shopping. We also have a hotel sleepover and a Disney Birthday celebration with her BBF William. Carol Z, thanks, I can't believe I won the first week of the pool, and next time I invite you to come on a cruise....just know the boys will survive! I'm also hoping to connect with Pumpkin Delight sometime today.....You there Pumpkin?

TO HONOR THOSE WHO SERVE


Today we remember those who have served and sacrificed to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Cherish the day, celebrate, and given the opportunity, thank a service man or woman. I know I will.