Alaska's Inside Passage

     The views of the Inside Passage from the boat were wonderful.

It's the only reason I broke a forty-year abstinence from cruise ships.

Always a great view.

The weather usually included low clouds; twas misty and cold, too.

Isolated communities here and there.

I can't remember exactly where I took these photos, but if we weren't close to mountains . . . 

. . . . the sky always promised a grand show.

I watched for whales with my binoculars.

One time in the distance I saw many whale spouts.

With my binoculars, I saw one whale in the far distance breach and make a big splash.

Photos below are a sunrise shot.

Surprisingly, we seldom saw another cruise ship while motoring but they were always around the corner.

At port stops, float planes were busy flying passengers to view bears and glaciers. I already saw my bear for the year.

Sometimes the weather was very foggy.

But even the fog was wonderful.

Picturesque village of Ketchikan (below).

All the ships stopped at the same villages.

I didn't disembark with 7,000 other folks at most port stops.

The views from the boat were more spectacular than tourist activities at port stops.

That's a lighthouse (above photo, on lower right island).

I did however disembark at Skagway to board a raft.

We wore warm-suits, scull caps, and goggles.

     The raft's captain took us to the same waters our big ship had just entered (translation, not worth $150). I asked him to motor 20 yards that-away so I could photo interesting rock formations. Nope, not in the plan, he said. Word of advice to others, don't do group tours if you have high expectations or any personal preferences. I would however recommend the scenic round-trip train ride from Skagway to White Pass.

See the harbor seals sleeping on the rocks?

Close-up of same photo above . . .

Never tired of the views.

     Should mention here that tourist activities are somewhat of a dumbed-down version of the real thing. My room-mate's "dogsled ride" for $150 was a 4-wheeled cart on a circular dirt path near the dog camp (not in the wilderness). 

Of all the glaciers, this one offered the best view.

Another view . . . 

And another view.

Kayaking friend Sherman (who's a geologist) emailed me later with my photo, identifying glacier landforms.

Last port of call was Victoria of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

See all the construction cranes? Wonder what's going on with Victoria and Seattle's construction craze?

     It didn't take long for 3,100 passengers to disembark at Seattle. I'm impressed with the Emerald Princess' operations staff and employees; they have a well-oiled efficient machine that is a marvel.

     Now that I've got my land-legs (and La Lair), I'm in the cute little town of Port Townsend which overlooks Victoria to the northwest (click here for the town's Wikipedia page). Tomorrow begins a journey down the Pacific Coast.