Month: September 2010

Contributed by: filbert Thursday, September 23 2010 @ 01:20 PM CST

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Seven

September 2 (Thursday, Day 12, Cruising Hubbard Glacier) –

Approaching Disenchantment Bay

Snookums and Filbert ordered room service breakfast of a bowl of mixed berries, a bowl of mixed fruit and two raisin buns for Snookums and hot water and coffee for Filbert. Then it was time to go out on deck and watch our approach to Hubbard Glacier. At its widest point, it is six miles wide and towers 500 feet about Disenchantment Bay. It is 75 miles long! We bundled up and headed for the bow of the ship.

More after the jump . . . This was the second time during the cruise that access to the bow was allowed. (The other time was when we were cruising in Glacier Bay.) We immediately realized it was raining so we didn’t stay on the bow for long. We were still a couple of hours from the glacier anyway. We decided to go up to the Crow’s Nest to watch for whales and to watch the glacier get closer and closer. Soon it was time for the seafood chowder to be passed around. Snookums ate two bowls of it while sitting in the Crow’s Nest! Filbert had one. Filbert liked the split pea soup served while cruising in Glacier Bay while Snookums liked the seafood chowder better. Don’t let anyone tell you that 10:30 AM is too early for seafood chowder!

Blue ice

We finally got bored in Crow’s Nest and wandered around the ship and went outside on the bow and the Promenade Deck. From the Park Rangers on board the ship spoke over the PA system and we learned that icebergs are generally taller than 15 feet. Shorter pieces of ice are called growlers or bergy bits. These smaller chunks of ice floating in Disenchantment Bay were bigger than the ones we saw in Glacier Bay. There were also a lot of seals lying on the chunks of ice, too. They didn’t move at all until the ship got a little closer than they liked and then they would get in the water and disappear. Otherwise, they were black lumps.

Seals on the ice floes

In general there was much more ice floating in the water here than in Glacier Bay the other day. The weather wasn’t as nice as in Glacier Bay on August 28, but the blue color of the Hubbard Glacier was spectacular. It was an awesome sight.

Blue glacier

Splash

After dinner Mom, Dad, Judy, Snookums and Filbert attended their invitation-only cocktail party. We determined that it was for suite guests and since the ship knew that Snookums and Filbert were traveling with suite guests, they were invited, too. Captain Olav van der Waard, Hotel Manager Henk Mensink and Cruise Director Jayme McDaniel were there to greet us. Everyone enjoyed the free alcohol and Snookums managed to get three cans of Diet Coke to take back to the cabin. She also took the little bottle of mixed nuts for snacks on our next shore excursion. That was Judy’s idea.

The first fall color

Next: Juneau!

Contributed by: filbert Wednesday, September 22 2010 @ 01:12 PM CST

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Six

September 1 (Wednesday, Day 11, Kodiak, Alaska) –

Fishing boat in Kodiak Harbor

Filbert, Snookums and Judy left the ship around 9 AM to explore Kodiak, population 6,000. The day started kind of overcast and probably in the mid-50s. Alaskans layer their clothes and so did we. We walked about a mile into town. Kodiak is known as the “Fishing Capital of Alaska”. On the way to town we saw the Kodiak Island Brewing Company but it was closed until noon. We had to be back on the ship by 12:30 so Filbert and Judy weren’t sure they were going to be able to get any of Kodiak’s beer.

More after the jump . . . Then we saw a tourist store that had an ad for salmon leather wallets. We hadn’t heard of these before at any of the other ports and were curious what they were. That store was closed but we went into the one next to it and the cashier said that her husband has owned one for the last ten years and it’s as good as new. She also told us to go to the tribal community center next door for the flea market and the man that makes them would be there. Sure enough, a man buys salmon skins and 72 steps later has a wallet or moneyclip or checkbook cover. He said that the salmon processors just throw the skins out, but he has to buy them from them. He is certainly a craftsman and if he had had the styles of wallets that any of us used, we would have bought one. Judy did buy a pin in the shape of a salmon made from salmon skin. And, it was in the bin with items with slight imperfections so she got it for $3 rather than $11. We don’t know what the imperfection is. Snookums bought a jar of salmonberry jelly for Mom at the next table. The woman canned it two days ago. She said that whenever she sees berries growing along the road, she stops and picks them. Salmonberries look like raspberries but are more of a salmon color. They only last for about an hour after picking them and she said that as soon as she picks them she juices them and then freezes the juice and when she has enough for a batch of jelly then she’ll make some.

Our next stop in our wanderings was the free Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. This was a new two-story building that housed exhibits. We watched a 15-minute film and then oohed and aahed over the skeleton of the grey whale that was suspended from the ceiling. In 2000 a local biology teacher found a dead grey whale on shore and decided that the skeleton would be great for tourists. They buried the carcass for four years to let it decompose. Then they spent a year cleaning all of the bones. Finally, seven years after she found it, it was suspended from the ceiling of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. The biology teacher had no idea how much work would be involved with her find!

Whale bones

After the nice visit learning about nature, we went to the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church. It was built in 1945 but different churches have stood on this same site since 1794. When we left the church we decided to walk up to the Fred Zharoff Bridge in order to get photos of Kodiak. Next on our list of things was to get our picture taken under the “Welcome to Kodiak” sign at the harbor.

Russian Orthodox Church

Welcome to Kodiak

While there Snookums talked to three guys cleaning out a fishing boat and found out that they had just been out for the 3-month salmon season. They were college kids working a summer job and had been off the boat three times in the past three months for less than 24 hours each time. They actually came back yesterday and were spending today cleaning the boat thoroughly (with Dawn and Formula 409) to get it ready for dry-dock where it would stay for the next nine months until the next salmon season. They said that it hadn’t rained for six days during their fishing season and they were sick and tired of wearing the rain gear! (By the way, the day was now warm and sunny in Kodiak.) They said that the salmon run this year wasn’t too good but that the price of salmon was $1.40/pound rather than the normal $.50/pound. They were hoping to make $40,000 each but might have to settle for $25,000. They hadn’t been paid at all in three months.

Snookums and Judy (left) meet fishermen

Our next stop was the Safeway Liquor Store for various craft beers (including “Rogue Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale” with Sig Hansen on the label from “Deadliest Catch”) and salmonberry wine made in Kodiak. On the way back to the ship we were surprised to see the Kodiak Island Brewing Company open since it was 11:45 AM. We stopped in and found out that it was a microbrewery and only sold beer from the tap (no cans and bottles). You could buy a growler of beer, but not a container with any “staying” power. However, they did have a tasting deal for $5 in order to taste all seven of their brews. Of course Judy and Filbert had to take advantage of that deal! Filbert also bought an empty glass and Snookums bought him a t-shirt that has one of the beer labels on the back. The label is for the company’s “Sarah Pale Ale” brew and is a parody of the St. Pauli girl in that it is a painting of Sarah Palin in a German bar maid outfit offering steins of beer. The employee said that they didn’t ask Sarah Palin if they could use her image and hadn’t heard anything from her, but figured she knew about it by now. Filbert likes the t-shirt since he says people won’t be able to tell if he likes Sarah Palin or not. We made it to the ship with three minutes to spare!

Beer sign

After a quick stop in the cabin we went to Lido for the salmon bake. Mom found me and Filbert and we later saw Dad and Judy enjoying the fresh salmon pan-fried poolside along with the clams and mussels. Everyone on the ship was saying it was the best salmon they had ever eaten. Even Snookums, who isn’t that fond of seafood, figured she should get in the spirit, enjoyed it.

Tonight was formal night and we had one of the free bottles of champagne in the suite prior to dinner. Roland and Bernice came, too, and then joined us for dinner since Gary and Charlotte don’t do formal dinners. Snookums ordered the deboned stuffed quail and was surprised when it showed up with its legs still on. However, she pulled off a leg and started eating the meat off the bone. She somehow swallowed a sliver of the bone and started choking (and crying due to the sensation) but she was okay. She quit on the legs after that and cut into the stuffed breast. Much to her chagrin, when she started chewing she found a huge bone in her mouth. At that point she was not going to eat the deboned stuffed quail and ordered the lasagna. So much for no bones! The rest of the meal went without incident.

We had the wine steward serve the salmonberry wine after dinner and everyone thought it was kind of different, but in a good way. Filbert and Mom thought it was tart and Judy thought it was sweet. All of the glasses were emptied so it must have been okay.

Salmonberry wine bottle

The dessert extravaganza was at 10:30 PM but Snookums and Filbert have seen enough of them and didn’t even go. Instead Snookums ate the birch syrup caramel corn that was purchased at the Alaska State Fair.

Coast Guard C-130 doing touch-and-go landings at the Kodiak Coast Guard station

Next: Hubbard Glacier!

Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, September 21 2010 @ 01:08 PM CST

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Five

August 29 (Sunday, Day 8, At Sea) –

Galley Tour

Snookums must be getting over her cold since this was the first time on the cruise that she woke up before Filbert did. She showered, went to breakfast and did a few errands (going to Mom and Dad’s room, getting an updated invoice from the Front Desk, checking out Neptune Lounge, etc.). When she returned to the room Filbert had just gotten up. She left him to attend the 10:30 Galley Tour. The ms Amsterdam has 1380 guests on it and 620 crew. The galley consists of 96 people under the Executive Chef and there are also 122 service staff. Snookums thought the soup cook was chopping the vegetables rather slowly, but she figured he knew his timing. He makes the soup in 80 gallon pans. After the galley tour Snookums went to the “Future Cruise” lecture but she didn’t learn anything.

More after the jump . . .

More Galley Tour

Mom, Dad and Judy enjoyed their invitation-only suite luncheon in the Crow’s Nest. Mom enjoyed three or four glasses of champagne while Judy drank a Bloody Mary. Dad wanted coffee and they didn’t have that so they had to go search for some!

For those of you wondering what there is to do during a day at sea, the following activities happened between 11:00 and 3:00 today:

11:00 – Future Cruise Seminar
11:00 – Spa Secrets: Acupuncture Pain Solution
11:00 – Cooking Demonstration: Cinnamon Rolls
11:30 – Champagne Ring Toss
11:30 – Digital Workshop: Put Your Best Face Forward, II
12:00 – Showtime Rehearsal
12:00 – Alaskan Jade Seminar
12:30 – Champagne Blackjack Tournament
1:00 – Team Trivia Challenge
1:00 – Sing Along with Pianist Diane Fast
1:00 – Spa Secrets: The Art of Reflexology
1:30 – Champagne Art Auction Preview
1:30 – Texas Hold’em Tournament
2:00 – Salsa Dance Class
2:00 – Alaska Gold Rush Dreams Presentation
3:00 – Plan Your Day Ashore
3:00 – Indonesian Tea Ceremony
3:00 – Emerald Seminar

Mom wasn’t feeling too whippy so she stayed in the room for dinner and the rest of us enjoyed a normal dining room dinner. Sunset was scheduled for 9:21 PM and sure enough, it was very, very bright and sunny even at 8 PM.

August 30 (Monday, Day 9, Anchorage, Alaska) –

State Fair!

Today is Alaska State Fair day!!! Snookums, Filbert and Gary took the free shuttle to downtown Anchorage and walked to Avis for a rental car. Snookums had a cheap full-size car and a more expensive minivan reserved depending on how many people decided to go. As far as she knew, she needed the minivan. Unfortunately, the branch manager said that there wasn’t one even though one of the reservations was for one. Well, he realized he had a Suburban SUV that had just been returned and hadn’t been cleaned and Snookums said it would be fine. And, she got it for the cheap full-size price due to the “inconvenience”. Filbert drove Snookums and Gary back to the ship to pick everyone else up. It ended up that only Judy and Charlotte were coming since both Mom and Dad decided to stay behind. So, a full-size car would have been fine, but we didn’t mind the Suburban.

On the way to the fair we stopped at a Wal-Mart for things like allergy meds for Filbert and a wireless mouse for Gary. Filbert also bought a 12-pack of Alaskan White Beer (brewed in Juneau) and Snookums managed to get three $1.45 each bottles of soda for just $1.45 total since the vending machine was broken. It rained two times during the 45-minute trip from Anchorage to Palmer but by the time we got to the fair, it was just overcast. (Much to Snookums’s chagrin, we didn’t see any moose on the drive but were told that they are all over Anchorage.) We were dressed in layers so we were ready. The fair opened at noon and we walked through the gates at 12:30 and immediately were given our Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska free strappy backpack. (It was Healthy Living Day at the fair and Blue Cross was the sponsor.) We agreed to meet back up at 4 PM to see how everyone was doing.

Snookums printed the list of food vendors from the internet prior to leaving home so she knew the five or six places that had “Alaskan” food. Filbert, Snookums and Judy’s first stop was for salmon and reindeer sausage quesadillas at Salmon Express. Judy ordered one with just salmon and Filbert and Snookums had one with both salmon and reindeer sausage in it. We took them upstairs and ate them on the roof and had the only second-story view anywhere at the fair. The quesadillas were very good and we decided that we could eat more of them, but we didn’t. The owners of the stand were from Springfield, Missouri before moving to Anchorage years ago.

Salmon Express

On the roof of Salmon Express

After lunch we went into the first exhibit building we saw and it housed baked goods, homemade wines and canned goods. Then we went to the building that had the watercolors and photography exhibits. Next up was Raven Hall which was a mix of vendors selling “junk” like knives, candles, pots and water purification systems as well as various groups like a mining company and the Alaska Pipeline coalition. The vendors weren’t giving anything away but the other groups were giving away lots of mini flashlights, pens, candy, hand sanitizing spray and other great “loot”. After three stops at the good booths, even Filbert got in the act and got his backpack out of his pocket and started picking up the good free stuff. Judy bought a $27 jar of marjoram-spiced aromatic oils that is guaranteed to stop snoring. She said that Dad snores a lot so we all agreed that having him take five breaths of this every night while he leaves the jar open on his nightstand would be an easy solution if it works. And, after two months if it doesn’t work, the Los Angeles company that has been in business at least eight years will refund your money. Other than that one vendor, we steered clear of the vendors and just focused on the companies giving things away.

After Raven Hall it was time to see the Farm Exhibits. This included the record setting dill that was over ten feet tall which shattered the previous fair record of seven feet tall. The huge cabbage, kohlrabi, turnip, rhubarb and pumpkin were there, too. The apple exhibit was kind of funny since the apples were so small. Someone told us that growing apples in Alaska is very difficult to do. The biggest one at the fair was one pound which really isn’t that big. After we saw the vegetables we saw the various poultry and rabbits. Then it was on to the livestock. There were probably fewer than ten cows, a handful of pigs and some goats. Obviously livestock is not a major industry in Alaska!

Giant vegetables!

We continued walking around the fairgrounds and Filbert had crab cakes and bacon wrapped scallops. Snookums had two quarters in her pocket so she stopped at the Elks booth and bet her quarters that the live mouse would run to one of the holes that corresponded to her two colors. She hadn’t seen that kind of gambling before! We had to search for the Alaska Corn Company in order to buy some caramel corn made with Alaska birch syrup. We bought kettle corn, too. By the time 4:00 rolled around, all of our coats were off and we were enjoying the bright, sunny day.

We drove back to Avis and then took the shuttle back to the ship. While getting on the ship around 6 PM we asked all of the businessmen and women that were also getting on the ship what was going on. It turned out that the governor of Alaska was eating dinner on the ship! We assume the governor had business in Anchorage and didn’t make a special trip since we’re docking in Juneau, the state capitol, in a few days!

Judy went to Iron Man 2 at 8 PM and then Mom, Dad and Judy went to the Crew Show at 11 PM. Snookums fell asleep before 10 PM (and when she woke up she found her paperback on her stomach!) and Filbert stayed up and watched us leave Anchorage at 11 PM. He said that he could see the post-sunset twilight orange and red colors at 11:30 at night due north. The Big Dipper was brilliant and directly overhead.

Sunset, August 30

August 31 (Tuesday, Day 10, Homer, Alaska) –

Sunny Homer

After our big day yesterday we both slept until around 9:45 AM when the ship’s announcement was made that we were cleared to get off the ship in Homer. We got up and ordered room service (a donut, one of Holland America’s delicious raisin buns and two orders of mixed fruit for Snookums and coffee and hot water for Filbert’s high protein diet instant oatmeal for Filbert) and finally got around to showering. When we left the ship for the free shuttle to Homer Spit it was raining. That didn’t dampen our enthusiasm, though.

We got off the shuttle, which was a school bus since Homer only has school buses for the various excursions, and walked to the end of a pier and looked down and saw a bunch of starfish in the water. Then we went to the Seafarer’s Memorial. After that it was time to just wander up and down the spit. The establishments were split among restaurants, fish stores to buy your catch from you or to ship it home and a few miscellaneous stores selling basic groceries, sweaters and other gifts and curios. There weren’t any “normal” tacky tourist stores selling tshirts or jewelry. There is a world-famous saloon called the Salty Dawg Saloon. Its walls and ceilings are full of one-dollar bills that people have left. The original dollar bill was left by a man who was waiting for his friend and he couldn’t wait any longer so he tacked a dollar bill to the wall and told the bartender that it was to buy a drink for his friend. Now visitors put up a dollar bill. We didn’t, but we saw all of them.

Salty Dawg

The Time Bandit has its own store since Homer is its home port. This is the boat that we saw in Ketchikan and is one of the boats featured on “Deadliest Catch” on Discovery Channel. We talked to the employee who has been a family friend of the Hillstrand’s for the last 35 years. It was her idea to open a store a few years ago since she wanted some summer work. It has now turned into a full-time job for her since she also fills the internet orders. We told her that we saw the Time Bandit in Ketchikan and she told us that it is doing salmon tendering. It goes out to the salmon boats and gets the salmon and then tenders it back to Ketchikan to the canneries. Filbert bought a Time Bandit hoodie and a book, “Time Bandit”. (Note – We both already read the book and are amazed that Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand are both still alive. As if the danger of crabbing on the Bering Sea isn’t enough, they are daredevils off the sea.)

Tourists at the Time Bandit store

Dinner tonight was at Canaletto for all of us, including Gary and Charlotte. This is the no-fee Italian restaurant located in part of Lido (the normal seating area for the buffets). It is now on all Holland America ships but is new to all of us. The menu choices stay the same for the length of the cruise. We really enjoyed it. Filbert and Gary had the pasta with various seafood (clams, mussels, shrimp, etc.) and Snookums and Judy had the penne pasta with tomato cream sauce. Dad had veal and Mom and Charlotte had cod. This was after the waiter came by with a nice antipasti platter for everyone to choose from as well as a couple of soups to try. Dessert was gelato, tiramisu and a lemoncello dessert. The odd thing was that while we were waiting for our desserts the waiter brought a large plate of cotton candy for the table. None of us know how this fits the Italian theme, but Judy and Charlotte enjoyed it. The seven of us decided that this was a very nice meal and we thoroughly enjoyed the food, atmosphere (Lido has big windows and we were leaving Homer) and service.

Filbert and Snookums watched a taped ship’s lecture on tv about the Kodiak, Juneau and Victoria and then another one about Alaska’s wildlife. Mom, Dad and Judy went to Paul Pappas’ show and his magical journey into music. Then they watched “Blades of Glory” on their DVD player.

Next: Kodiak!

Contributed by: filbert Monday, September 20 2010 @ 01:03 PM CST

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Four

August 27 (Friday, Day 6, Skagway, Alaska) –

Amsterdam at Skagway

We didn’t have any excursions planned in Skagway and it was just as well. Had it been a sea day Snookums would not have gotten out of bed due to her cold. She was just exhausted. However, she did get up and went off the ship with Filbert to explore the town of Skagway which is home to 860 year-round residents. Skagway is historically significant since it was the last stop for prospectors beginning their long trek into Canada’s Yukon Territory. Today its main street is home to boardwalk sidewalks and fake-front buildings that house Diamonds International and other Caribbean jewelry store chains. Filbert and Snookums quickly got off the beaten path.

More after the jump . . .

Skagway. Not much there, really.

Before returning to the ship they did stop at the Alaska Shirt Co. store to see what cabin was the lucky winner of $100 in merchandise. It was cabin 2669 so they left a note for those occupants when they returned to the ship. Within 15 minutes Snookums and Filbert’s phone rang and it was the occupant of cabin 2669 wanting to know our affiliation and asking other suspicious questions. When Snookums convinced her that she was just being nice, the 2669 woman was very thankful and was planning on leaving the ship right then to go to the store. Luckily the store was literally the closest one to the ship so she only had to walk a couple of blocks.

Nice flowers in somebody’s front yard, though.

Harbor seal–in Skagway harbor, strangely enough

Snookums and Filbert visited the Future Cruise Consultant and booked a 25-day Amazon cruise on Holland America’s Prinsendam. We’ve always wanted to go to the Amazon and we love the Prinsendam (700 passengers) so it seemed like we had to sign up for it. Look forward to an Amazon cruise journal some time in the future!

Gary and Charlotte did a 9-hour White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad excursion (Gary is a huge train buff) so they didn’t attend dinner. That meant that they missed Dad’s 92nd birthday celebration one week after his real birthday. The crewmembers put a very nice round cake with two candles in front of him and sang “Happy Birthday” in English and Indonesian. Obviously the cake was meant to serve seven people, but since Gary and Charlotte weren’t there, they cut it for five people. Much to everyone’s delight, it was a very good New York-style cheesecake. Dad really enjoyed his belated birthday celebration.

Happy birthday

Filbert and Snookums were trying to figure out how to spend some time after dinner and were sitting in one of the lounge areas when the two women they met in Sitka walked up. We found out that Karen and Cheryl are sisters and travel together every year using inheritance from their mother. This way they can remember their parents every year, too. Filbert was enjoying his Manhattan and we were telling them about the ins and outs of Holland America since this was their first HAL cruise. For example, they didn’t know you could buy a cocktail card or a wine package in order to save money. For some reason, Snookums felt compelled to buy the older sister a drink. They probably didn’t realize that this is the first time Snookums has ever done this! In any event, we had a very nice chat for a couple of hours. At that point it was way past our bedtime so we went to bed.

August 28 (Saturday, Day 7, Cruising Glacier Bay) –

At Glacier Bay

Filbert surprised Snookums by bringing her a bowl of mixed berries and a container of yogurt from Neptune Lounge for her breakfast in bed. Only Neptune Lounge has the mixed berries in the morning so they are a treat. Filbert then went out and about in order to get a prime spot for viewing glaciers since we were cruising Glacier Bay. It is a national park that is comprised of more than 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests and waterways. Our ship spent about an hour at Johns Hopkins Inlet and Snookums found Filbert on the bow of the ship. In the sun it was actually hot since the ship stopped and there was no wind. Then the ship kept going until it got to Margerie Glacier. Even Mom enjoyed sitting on her balcony, bundled up, watching the scenery slowly glide by. By that time it was time to enjoy Holland America’s tradition of serving Dutch split pea soup on deck during their cool weather cruises. Snookums, Filbert and Judy each enjoyed a cup while sitting outside by the pool around 10:30 AM. Snookums and Filbert saw the glacier calve at least four times. Well, Filbert wouldn’t call it calving since we saw ice fall into the water and not huge chunks of the glacier. There weren’t huge chunks that fell in, but it was loud each time and many chunks did fall.

Approaching the glacier

Moon over Glacier Bay

The Glacier

That’s a boat in front of the glacier. It’s just right of center. Look closely.

The scenery did get better, didn’t it?

Lunch was a special beer and brats lunch. In addition to the normal Lido buffet offerings and the taco and pizza bar, venison, BBQ, and regular brats were served along with sauerkraut and two kinds of cheese fondue. Filbert decided to try all four Alaskan Beer varieties by purchasing the bucket of five beers for $21.85. Luckily Judy walked by and joined him and between the two of them, they managed to drink all five bottles. Filbert definitely drank more of it than Judy did, though.

Gary and Charlotte told us they weren’t going to attend tonight’s formal dinner so we invited Roland and Bernice. Roland is mom’s cousin and they live in Seattle and when they found out that we were doing this cruise, they signed up, too.

Formal night photo in the Neptune Lounge

Next: A Day At The Fair!

Contributed by: filbert Sunday, September 19 2010 @ 12:59 PM CST

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Three

August 26 (Thursday, Day 5, Sitka, Alaska) –

Welcome to Sitka

Today we did the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest with Gary and Charlotte. Sitka is a tender port but our tour catamaran picked us up at our ship. Snookums wore many layers, including tights and two pairs of socks. We knew that the catamaran had indoor seating, but you have to be outside to really experience wildlife viewing. Within five minutes our boat’s captain said that three orca whales had been seen so he was going to try to find them. The naturalist onboard had been doing this tour for thirteen years and had only seen orcas in Sitka one other time. We did see three of them and watched them for probably 30 minutes. This was a big deal!! Then it was on to seeing if we could find other wildlife.

More after the jump . . .

Orca-a closeup

We found a pod of humpback whales and watched them for another 30 minutes or so. They were doing a lot of surface feeding so they would surface a lot. They did ultimately do some deep dives and we got a lot of close-up views of various flukes and could really see the different designs. Each whale fluke is unique. We saw one that was almost all white and then we saw one that was almost all black and then we saw some that were made up of black and white striations.

White fluke bottom

Black fluke bottom

Close encounter with a humpback

We left the whales in search of other wildlife and saw several eagles in trees and a raft of around 30 or so otters. The captain told us that lots of days he sees groups of one (!) otter so the fact that we saw a bunch together was also very special. That, combined with the orcas, and the humpback flukes, made for a full day. On the way back to the dock we also saw Steller sea lions and huge strings of bull kelp. Snookums even bought some kelp marmalade for Judy’s birthday since she likes marmalade. Snookums was able to taste it first and it was okay, if you like marmalade. It also had oranges and lemons in it.

Otter, napping

Otter, yawning

Charlotte is nursing a bad knee so she decided to take the tender back to the ship while Gary, Snookums and Filbert explored Sitka. Judy was returning to the tender dock right when we were starting our walking “tour”. We saw Pioneers Home, which was built for pensioned gold prospectors.

Pioneers Home

Then we went to Two Chicks and a Stick and ordered salmon, black cod and halibut kabobs from their lunch wagon restaurant. Today was actually the last day they were going to be open for the summer and we felt fortunate to eat their food. So far the weather on the cruise has been very nice and today was no exception. We joined two women from our ship at their picnic table and talked about how to get the cheapest cruise. It was nice and sunny and we had to put on our sunglasses since it was sunny. It was probably in the high 50s or low 60s.

Two Chicks and a Stick

After lunch we went to St. Michael’s Cathedral since the $2 admission was included in our sea otter tour. It was built in 1844 and is a traditional Russian Orthodox structure that houses priceless Russian icons and is considered to be among the world’s finest. Judy later told us that she went to the cathedral and was sorry she paid the $2 for it since it really wasn’t that impressive unless you liked Russian icons. We agreed with her assessment.

In St. Michael’s Cathedral

We continued to Ben Franklin and then to the grocery store and purchased some sodas for our cabins. Then it started raining but we were ready with our layers of clothing. After a couple blocks the rain stopped. We stopped in a local gallery and purchased a picture of an otter made out of paper made from Alaska moss for our travel wall at home. The gallery owners have lived in Sitka for 20 years and have only seen orcas three times. And, they commute to work via their 12-foot boat since they live on a neighboring island. Gary continued back to the ship while Snookums and Filbert climbed up Castle Hill for its sweeping view of Sitka Sound.

Dad spent part of his day talking for two hours to Roland and that wore him out so he was a no-show for dinner. The rest of the group enjoyed seeing Filbert’s slide show of his photos from Seattle through the sea orcas, humpbacks and otters of Sitka.

Amsterdam in Sitka Sound

Next: Skagway, and more!

Contributed by: filbert Saturday, September 18 2010 @ 12:56 PM CST

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part Two

August 25 (Wednesday, Day 4, Ketchikan, Alaska) –

Ketchikan

We docked early and didn’t have an excursion until 11:30 so after breakfast Filbert and Snookums ventured off the ship. We immediately saw the Time Bandit docked next to us. This is one of the boats featured on the “Deadliest Catch” television show on the Discovery Channel. We weren’t sure why it was in Ketchikan, but it was.

More after the jump . . .

Time Bandit. It was really small, next to the Amsterdam.

Then we walked to Creek Street which used to be the red-light district. It now houses boutiques and restaurants but we were more interested in the actual creek since salmon were swimming up it since it’s spawning season.

The creek giving Creek Street its name

There was a salmon ladder for the spawning salmon, but many of them tried to make it upstream without using the ladder. We know they didn’t all make it. There were a lot of dead salmon on the rocks on either side of the creek and these salmon looked to be at least a foot long, if not much longer.

Leaping salmon

Filbert started getting blisters so we walked to a drugstore and bought some moleskin. Then, on the way back to the ship, we managed to use our free coupons at the four stores that offered free items with any purchase. We purchased a $.25 postcard at each of the four stores and walked away with a mug, a t-shirt, a baseball hat and a hematite jewelry set. And, we have two sets of coupons so we’ll do the same thing on the way back to the ship after our excursion. Not only did we take care of our postcard needs, but Filbert got a couple of nice t-shirts out of the deal and maybe some of you that are reading this will get some Alaska gifts! (They only had XL t-shirts for free so that’s why they both are going to Filbert.)

Bear country

Our excellent shore excursion was the Bear Country and Wildlife Expedition in the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. We took a 20-minute van ride to a 40-acre private reserve bordering Tongass National Forest. Our guide of four years warned us that we would be on the trail for the next three hours so Snookums decided to use the porta-potty. She was a little flustered by the slug that was sitting right next to the toilet seat, but managed to not disturb the slug and left it where it was. After that wildlife encounter we weren’t sure what to expect. As we made our way to the first elevated platform, we looked towards Eagle Creek and saw a black bear. We watched it for at least 10 minutes. Then Snookums spotted a black bear coming from the forest behind everyone (we were on a bridge so we were all safe) and everyone watched that one.

I think it spotted us

Then the one in the creek showed itself again. We think we saw three different bears at this particular time. The creek was teeming with salmon. Anyone could have easily just picked one up. At one point the bear started eating one of the dead ones that was on the bank. Our guide had never seen a bear eat a dead salmon before. She figured the bear was just lazy and already full and figured what the heck. The bear looked and acted healthy as it ripped into the dead salmon.

Eating salmon

As we were continuing our walk along the bridges, we saw a mother bear and her cub in another part of the forest, but only for a split second. We saw great blue heron and harbor seals, too.

Great blue heron

After we left the forest, we saw an eagle and a great horned owl that are both permanently wounded and can’t be returned to the wild. We also got to feed reindeer. When we asked about reindeer in Ketchikan, we were told that they don’t have any on Ketchikan island but when tourists were asked what they wanted to see, reindeer was one of the answers so this company decided to “import” reindeer to its establishment. Anyway, when we saw them they were going through their annual velvet shedding where they lose the velvet covering from their antlers before losing their antlers. The guide warned us that it would be bloody and there would be strips of the velvet hanging from their antlers and she wasn’t kidding. It was pretty gross, but that’s nature.

Feeding the reindeer

After the “petting zoo” area, we saw Wayne F. Hewson performing his craft. He is one of Alaska’s leading Native carvers and makes totem poles. He had been working on one for about three months and figured he had two more weeks to go on it. He was carving the story of the beaver. It was a great excursion.

After the shore excursion we turned in our other four free coupons and Filbert bought a case (24 cans) of smoked salmon from Salmon, Etc. It’s considered the best local salmon company and they guarantee that they have the cheapest salmon prices statewide. The case is going to be shipped to our house for $15.

Judy did her own shore excursion and had lunch off the ship at a local’s house. Mom’s cousin (Roland) and his wife are also on this cruise and they have friends in Ketchikan so the three of them visited the woman at her home. Judy enjoyed a nice lunch of lamb burgers (not her favorite food) with a beautiful view. The woman’s house overlooks the water and many days she sees whales very, very close to her beach or rocks. Judy enjoyed her day.

After a nice dinner it was bedtime since Snookums is still fighting a cold.

Next: Sitka!

Contributed by: filbert Friday, September 17 2010 @ 12:53 PM CST

Text by Snookums, Pictures by Filbert

Part One

August 22 (Sunday, Day 1, Flying to Seattle, Washington) –

Mount Rainier from the air

Matt was our chauffeur at 7:30 AM and we enjoyed a leisurely Midwest Airlines check-in process. Our flight even took off a few minutes early and we were fine with that. Mom, Dad and Judy enjoyed the extra legroom that they were given when the gate agent upgraded them to Midwest’s SuperStretch seating for free (at a savings of $35 per person!) and Filbert and Snookums liked the exit rows they were given. Midwest’s chocolate chip cookies were as gooey and melty as always and the ~4-hour flight was uneventful. We piled into a large van taxi and got to the Comfort Suites Downtown/Seattle Center with no problems. Filbert and Judy had to do all of the heavy lifting since Snookums is still recovering from her July 12 right elbow surgery. We were too early for check-in and had to wait for our rooms for about an hour, but that was okay. When our rooms were ready, we quickly got settled in and then Filbert, Snookums and Judy went exploring.

More after the jump . . . We walked a few blocks to a row of five Asian restaurants (Vietnamese, two Thai restaurants, Chinese, vegetarian Asian) but none were wheelchair accessible since they were all in old houses. However, one block from the hotel was a great grocery store with lots of ready to eat options. Snookums chose the Sunday special of roast turkey and two sides for $5.99 and Judy followed suit for herself, Mom and Dad. Filbert opted for the grilled salmon salad and a veggie tray. Then it was back to the hotel for a 2:30 dinner. Mom thought it was the best turkey she had ever had and she wasn’t even that hungry but she ate it all. By 5:00 PM, Mom and Dad were showered and in their pajamas and done for the day! The trip is good so far. (Present tense/past tense?– problem throughout, please fix.) We plan on taking a shuttle to the ship at 11 AM on Monday. Hopefully embarkation will be as easy and stress-free as today’s travel was.

August 23 (Monday, Day 2, Boarding ms Amsterdam) –

Everyone slept really well and we were all counting down the hours until our 11 AM shuttle ride to the ship. Judy made another trip to the grocery store and bought Snookums some Nyquil and Puff’s Plus. Yep, Snookums has a cold!

Seattle

The five of us piled into the shuttle with our 13+ pieces of luggage, wheelchair, walker, etc. and pulled up to the port around 11:30. The porters took care of the luggage and we were quickly processed since Mom, Dad and Judy paid the big bucks for a Deluxe Verandah Suite. Filbert and Snookums piggybacked in line after them and bypassed the normal processing line with the other peons. Lunch for returning cruisers was being served starting at noon so we dropped off our carry-ons in Neptune Lounge before heading for lunch. Neptune Lounge is the exclusive lounge for the 42 suites on the Verandah Deck. Mom, Dad and Judy have access to it and it has various foods out from 7 AM until 8:30 PM along with fancy coffees and teas. It’s a nice quiet place. Snookums talked to the concierge and told her that Filbert and she had stayed in a Deluxe Verandah Suite (due to a free upgrade!) on the 65-day Asia Australia Grand Voyage. Snookums also gave her a small monetary tip so that she might look the other way if we came in to eat and enjoy the Neptune Lounge. Since Mom, Dad and Judy are passengers with real Neptune privileges, that should do the trick! We went to the dining room and enjoyed a relaxing lunch with a magnificent view of Mt. Rainier. Then it was back to Neptune Lounge to get our carry-on luggage and go to our cabins.

Mt. Rainier and Seattle docks

Snookums and Filbert unpacked their luggage and stored everything in their tiny cabin 6179 (284-square feet with verandah) and still had empty drawers and shelves. (For comparison, Mom, Dad and Judy are in suite 7058 which is 556-square feet with verandah.) The lifeboat drill happened at 4 PM so we all went outside to our lifeboat stations. For once we were told to NOT wear or bring the lifejackets. We later found out that someone had tripped on one on a prior cruise. Holland America’s lawyers had decided it would be better to let a dead person that didn’t know how to use the life jacket drown when a ship sank sue the cruise line rather than having a live person that tripped and fell sue the cruise line. We liked not having to deal with the life jackets.

We spent a few minutes catching up with our friends Gary and Charlotte. They were our tablemates on our 65-day Asia Australia Grand Voyage and decided to join us on this Alaska cruise and be our tablemates, too.

Gary and Charlotte

Our dinner was in Pinnacle Grill. This is Holland America’s $20 per person restaurant but we get to go free on the first night (and it has to be the first night) since we booked the cruise using a certain credit card. Dad ordered the lamb kebob and it was flamed tableside. Mom had lamb chops, Filbert the filet mignon and Judy and Snookums the stuffed chicken breast. Everyone really enjoyed dinner and the service was really good since not many other guests were dining in Pinnacle Grill on the first night. Filbert and Snookums went to bed after dinner but Mom, Dad and Judy went to the 9:30 show. Since this is embarkation day there is only one show. The normal show times are 7:00 for the people that eat dinner at 8:00 and 9:00 for the people that eat at 5:45 (us).

August 24 (Tuesday, Day 3, Cruising the Inside Passage) –

Judy attended every exercise class today and was the only one in yoga. She also went to the card making class and when she saw that kits that were probably worth at least $5 were being passed out that contained 3-D stickers and fancy paper and stuff, she told Snookums to run down and get one. On the way down Snookums saw Gary and made him come, too, so Judy ended up with two extra card making kits.

Scenery. People on the ship who’d been on Alaska cruises before told us that it would get a lot better. They were right.

Filbert and Snookums ate lunch in Lido (the buffet) and sat with Charlotte. Both Filbert and Snookums really enjoyed the beef and broccoli and remembered how good HAL’s Asian station is at the buffet. There is always once dish that is actually quite spicy and very tasty. Gary joined our group later on. Holland America isn’t allowing the guests to serve themselves at the buffets or drink stations for the first three days of the cruise for health reasons. This slows things down a bit, but since we’re cruising no one should be in a hurry. However, we’re all looking forward to being able to serve ourselves. Holland America also got rid of the trays in Lido so you have to fill your plate and take it to your table and then go back to get the rest of your meal. They did this since they didn’t think the trays were sanitary. We think they did this to cut costs – people might eat less and/or the dishwashers no longer have to wash trays. In any event, we can deal with not having trays to carry our plates, cups and glasses to our seat but we would rather have them than not.

We also found out that Holland America stopped its “Dam Dollars” program. This was where they would have several events throughout the day and if you participated you would get a “Dam Dollar” that could be turned in at the end of the cruise for a prize. HAL still does the events (like golf in the atrium or a scavenger hunt) but the incentive for Snookums to show up and participate is gone now that she can’t “work” towards getting a free t-shirt. This means more time for Snookums for uninterrupted naps…. They do have “Grand Dollars” on the Grand Voyages so maybe Snookums and Filbert will need to sign up for another 50+ day HAL cruise.

Snookums took a nap after lunch while Filbert sat on the balcony and watched the waves (or lack thereof – it has been very, very smooth). He saw three orca whales, dall’s porpoises and whales that were spy-hopping.

First orca sighting. These got better, too.

Mom delivered an envelope to our mailslot outside our cabin. Inside was a poem that she wrote to Filbert. Snookums never knew that Mom was a poet, but she is! Here’s the poem:

Here’s to Filbert –
A really great guy!
We all really love him;
I’ll tell you why.

He’s just the best
Out of all the rest.
Never a pest –
Can be a great guest!

He will push,
He can store.
He’s a true stevedore.

A really true Saint
He just simply ain’t –
Has one BIG flaw.
Follows Republican Law!!

(Mom-in-law apparently missed the memo that I’m actually a libertarian (or a “classical liberal,” if you will), and only vote Republican because they scare me just slightly less than the Democrats do. Your mileage and politics may vary. — Filbert)

Tonight was formal night and Gary and Charlotte graced us with their presence since they hadn’t met Mom, Dad or Judy yet. As a rule, Gary and Charlotte don’t attend formal night dinners since they don’t like to dress up. Gary, though, had purchased a new shirt at Costco (his favorite store) and looked dapper in his suit and tie and Charlotte looked dashing in her black outfit that still had the cleaning tag on it from our Asia Australia Grand Voyage in 2008! Everyone had a great time at dinner.

Next: Ketchikan!