Excursions Excite the Masses

The highlights of the cruise, and the opportunities to get off the ship and escape the thousands of couples in matching northface jackets were the excursions!

In Ketchikan we saw The Misty Fjords by boat... saw seals, bald eagles and lots of fjords. Did you know that glacial water is green because of all the silt that is carried along from the mountains? Also, we saw this tiny hut where rangers are allowed to stay after patrolling the national park by kayak since no motorized vehicles are allowed in the park. So after three weeks of camping in the snow and ice, they get to stay for two nights in this little hut that is literally on top of a tiny little island. I decided at that point to stick to recreational kayaking.

Next was Juneau where we saw the governor's mansion and learned that Sarah Palin (Bailin' Palin as she's known there) is the first governor to refuse to live in it (ahem) and surprisingly, no one seemed sorry to see her go. In Juneau we went kayaking where we saw more seals and bald eagles and got lots of information about Mendenhall Glacier which we could see in the distance. Did you know that glaciers are blue because they absorb every color except blue which they reflect and that's why we can see it?

That afternoon it was whale watching which was AMAZING! We saw about six orcas that were playing and jumping around in the water and then sevenish humpbacks bubblenetting. They literally circle around in the water blowing bubbles to pack the plankton in and then they swoop up and swallow tons of gallons of water. It was awesome! Birds are the clue to seeing this, because they hover nearby and then swoop in to grab fish once the whales push them up. In other words, they are freeriders, much like I was on this trip...

Next stop was Skagway where we rode a very old train for about four hours. It was beautiful with amazing views and tracked the trail that the goldrushers had created by foot and by horse back in the day.

After two more days at sea, we arrived in Whittier and we drove through the longest tunnel in North America, from Whittier to Anchorage. It's only one-way so if you miss your time slot, you have to wait another hour and a half to get through and it was the only route. Those tourists in matching jackets almost made our bus late... 10 seconds to spare!