Tracy Arm

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Nanette Harter

Most people have heard of Glacier Bay, Alaska, as the place to go see tidewater glaciers. I do recall it as quite impressive twelve years ago. This trip was the first time I had heard of Tracy Arm Fjord as an alternative choice for cruise ships to view tidewater glaciers. Although we couldn’t get quite as close to the front of the glacier as the ship had in Glacier Bay (due to a rock island creating a narrow passage), the scenery entering and exiting the fjord was stunning. We sailed through the 3000-foot steep granite walled fjord while icebergs and seals floated around us, the walls spouted waterfalls plunging into the sea, and cirque glaciers clung high up in the small depressions of the rock left shaped by the retreating glaciers. I think it is best to let the pictures speak from themselves.

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Photos and commentary by Neil.

Ketchikan

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Nanette Harter

First, in answer to many questions about that last post: Yes that really is Neil in a suit and tie!!! That image is not photoshopped! The suit (and some of our other “warm” clothing for the trip) was purchased at a thrift store in Seattle the day before the trip. The suit coat and vest have since been passed on to Neil’s son-in-law Greg who is delighted to have them. (Greg looks great in them, by the way.)

After a day at sea, our first stop was Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketchikan is known for fishing, timber, and rain! It is listed as Alaska’s wettest city, with on average, 13 feet of precipitation annually. And it didn’t let us down. Neil, Mom and I donned our rain coats and headed out. We even bought an umbrella later on (yep, we found a thrift store in Ketchikan). That purchase was well worth it since it brought us the gift of sunshine for the rest of our trip!

The Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian were native to this part of Alaska. Their culture is honored in town with parks and some exhibits such as the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, the Totem Heritage Center and the Salmon Hatchery and Eagle Center. We enjoyed touring through the informative Discovery Center with its exhibits on the natural environments, flora and fauna, as well as the area’s cultural and developmental history.
Mom then headed off to shop and we continued our walking tour, off to see the famous, or should I say infamous, Creek Street. Many of the streets used to be wood-planked due to rain and mud. And the available places to build were limited by the mountains surrounding the town. So they just built one of the streets out over the creek with houses right on the wood planks. Creek Street became the red-light district in the early town history. Today it is filled with tourist shops and restaurants. But Dolly’s house, home of one of the most famous madams in the heyday, has been refurbished for touring. We skipped the tour but a scantly clad “lady” was in the doorway to tempt you inside as we walked by. The creek itself was incredibly picturesque with the moss covered rocks lining the sides. We just stood and listened to the water flow by this gorgeous view.

It was raining so heavy through much of our walk around town that we didn’t dare get the camera out. Our photo journal is a little limited here.

We celebrated Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, as we sailed away from Ketchikan while viewing the stunning panorama of the town and Gravina Island on the other side.

Ship Life

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Nanette Harter

Quite spontaneously, we decided to join my mom Audrey and her husband Bill on an Alaskan cruise in June. What a wonderful adventure! Our ship was the Sapphire Princess leaving and departing out of Seattle. Our route took us to Ketchikan, Tracy Arm glacier viewing, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria.

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We arrived in Seattle a few days early to visit friends and stayed a week after to visit with Mailea and Greg. I’ll write several more posts incorporating more great photos Neil took of our trip. Let’s start with our life on board the ship.

The Sapphire Princess has capacity for nearly 2700 passengers and over 1100 crew so you get an idea of the size of the ship. As we boarded, they gave us a pocket size fold out map of the ship and we needed it the first couple of days. Several decks are all for entertainment and of course lots of dining rooms and food areas. Yes, the food was fantastic most every meal. We had the evening seating with same waiter and assistant every night and they got to know our preferences. There is food service nearly 24 hrs a day in one location. One dining room was opened daily for afternoon tea. The waiters even wore white gloves! Yep, I did go a few times to that.

We had an inside stateroom right next to mom and Bill. We didn’t spend much time in the room as there is plenty to do, see, and explore. We realized the only photo we took in the room was on departure day with all our luggage slung on our backs (and fronts) for walking off the ship. The photo is blurry because the camera started acting up the last few days of the cruise.

It wasn’t nearly as cold in Alaskan waters as I remember from 12 years ago cruising with Mom and Madison in May. People would actually be out sunbathing on the deck at times. It was still quite cool to me after living in Hawaii so I was bundled most of the time in long sleeves. We would often walk the deck in laps when we had a day at sea for our exercise and that would warm me up. Of course the hot tubs were a pleasant diversion to the cold as well.