Day 1 - Leaving Seattle
We left Seattle on a Saturday afternoon on a beautiful sunny day.
Day 2 - At Sea on the way to Juneau
The sea that morning was running about 10 feet. I was queasy enough to go looking for the Sea Bands, but I was fine by noon.
Day 3 - Juneau
Another beautiful day. I went on a photo safari that day. The first part of the trip was by boat from Auke Bay into Favorite Channel and the Lynn Canal. We went by Sentinal Island Lighthouse. Brendan, of Gastineau Guiding, was a professional photographer and was able to give us tips during the trip. We got to see Eagles, Humpback Whales, Stellar Sea lions, Doll Porpoise, and lots of beautiful mountains and glaciers.
After the boat trip we got on a bus and went to Mendenhall Glacier, taking a walk on the Mendenhall Loop Nature Trail there. The colors of the icebergs were amazing and there was plenty of flora to look at too. Unfortunately it was getting late, so many of the photos in the forest didn't come out.
Day 4 - Skagway
We arrived in Skagway about 5 a.m. and got to watch the sun touching the mountain tops first. Later we hopped onto the Haines-Skagway Ferry down the Taiya Inlet, past where it meets Lutak Inlet and into Haines for our excursion of the day.
Mom and I took a river raft float trip in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. During our bus trip from Haines to our rafts, wildlife naturalist C. P., of Chilkat Guides, gave us an entertaining narrative of what we would be seeing. We floated down the Tsirku River into the Chilkat River. The mountain scenery is gorgeous and so were the bald eagles. Because the glacial water is so silty that they can't see anything in the water, the eagles tend to stand on the bank and wait for the salmon to swim by.
After a picnic lunch at the Preserve's Eagle Viewing Area it was back on the bus to Haines. On the way the bus had to make a brief stop as a moose and her two calves decided to cross Main Street in Haines. Then it was back onto the fast ferry back to Skagway.
Not long after returning from Haines, it was time to leave Skagway on the way to Tracy Arm Fjord.
Day 5 - Tracy Arm Fjord
The day was overcast, but we're told that the blue in the icebergs gets washed out by the sun. We cruised through Holkham Bay into Tracy Arm Fjord, part of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. The mountains seemed massive, the icebergs and floes were Windex blue, and this little stretch seemed so calm and peaceful. The quiet was breath-taking and because it was so early, most people missed seeing the Orca that briefly surfaced to take a look at us.
Tracy Arm Fjord is one of the few places where you can see both hanging glaciers and tidewater glaciers. As the hanging glacers melt, waterfalls tumble down the mountain into the fjord. The silence was broken as we passed by the Sun Princess, the sister ship to the Dawn Princess, on her way out of the fjord.
All the icebergs are from the calving of the tidewater glaciers. They often get beached during low tide. Our progress into the fjord was halted by the amount of ice in the water, forcing us to turn around near a little islet. At this point we got to view both tidewater glaciers, North Sawyer Glacier and South Sawyer Glacier, which are the source of all the icebergs and floes.
On the way out of the fjord we saw more glacial waterfalls and a couple of harbor seals.
On the way out of Tracy Arm Fjord and into Holkham Bay, we saw several humpback whales. Most of them were way off in the distance, but a few got really close to the ship.
Day 6 - Ketchikan
We arrived around 6 am into Ketchikan and got tendered into port. It was raining, but then we were told it almost always rains in Ketchikan. According to one of our tour guides, it rains so much, the school was built on stilts, so the playground could be built underneath it. Mom and I opted for Lighthouse, Eagles and Totems excursion. You had the option of staying in the heated cabin or going up to the observation deck. Mom stayed in the cabin, while I chose to take photos from the observation deck. Needless to say I got a little wet, but it was OK.
After a short bus ride from Ketchikan we boarded the Lighthouse Endeavor and left Refuge Cove, through the islands there and into Ward Cove. In Ward Cove we saw the floating lumberjack camp, Loggerville, and the cannery. We also saw several eagles. Along the route of the excursion there are several eagle's nests.
We also went by Totem Bight State Historic Park, where we got to see some really interesting totem poles.
After passing Totem Bight, we went through some more of the little islands, many of which had eagles nesting alongside large homes. We even spotted some of the immature bald eagles, which are hard to see. Their head and tail feathers don't turn white until they're about five years old.
Then it was out to the Guard Islands, taking a trip around the lighthouse before heading back to Refuge Cove. There were several eagles and a bunch of harbor seals in these islands.
Day 7 - Victoria, British Columbia
We arrived late into Victoria because of our late departure from Ketchikan and the headwind as we traveled. Many of the shore excursions were cancelled, but neither Mom or myself had planned on leaving the ship. We did see a both ends of a beautiful double rainbow, but the second rainbow didn't come out in the photos. Victoria looks like it would be an interesting city to explore.
Day 8 - Returning to Seattle
We arrived back into Seattle at about 6:30 am on a slightly overcast morning. The weather got better during the day, but we had to return home.
Links for More Information
Princess Cruises - http://www.princess.com
Seattle, Washington
Seattle.gov - http://www.seattle.gov
Juneau, Alaska
City and Bureau of Juneau - http://www.juneau.org
Gastineau Guiding - http://www.stepintoalaska.com
Skagway, Alaska
City of Skagway - http://www.skagway.org
Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve -
http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/eagleprv.htm
Chilkat Guides - http://www.raftalaska.com
Haines, Alaska - http://haines.ak.us/
Tracy Arm Fjord
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness -
http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildview&wname=Tracy%20Arm-Fords%20Terror
Ketchikan, Alaska
City of Ketchikan - http://www.city.ketchikan.ak.us
Lighthouse Excursion -
http://www.lighthouseexcursion.com
Victoria, British Columbia
City of Victoria - http://www.city.victoria.bc.ca/common/index.shtml