Part Deux
All of those are of College Fjord, our first stop. These were all taken at about 6-7 AM, which means I watched the glaciers while warm in my bed, and Mom and Dad went outside to take pictures. Damn it was cold! But it was just so beautiful. You could hear the popping and cracking of the ice, literally, as the pieces separated. A piece crashing into the ocean sounds like thunder x10.
Next day- Glacier Bay. Pretty much the same thing, but later in the day. The captain stopped in the middle of the bay, and then did a 180-degree turn in the water to exit.
Skagway! We pulled into port, which is right near downtown (yes, THAT is downtown). We had a land excursion which was a train ride through the area up to the Yukon in Canada.
Then we took a bus back down and stopped in a tiny suburb of Skagway called Liarsville (it's called that because journalists set up camp there to bring people up to Skagway and search for gold, even though there is none!). We were there for a salmon bake and camp reenactment. I don't really like salmon, but this was DELICIOUS. Fresh-caught salmon... mmmmm. Anyway, tents and small buildings were set up like the original camp- a saloon, a "madame's tent" *ahem*, barber shop, and foods and goods shop *coughGIFTSHOPcough*. We watched a show, in which the actors sang, performed a poem, and showed us how to pan for gold. Being a teenager, wearing my DV sweatshirt, and sitting in front must have screamed "VOLUNTEER!" at one of the actors, so I had to scream when I saw gold in his pan. He had NO IDEA what he bargained for- you know what I mean if you've heard me scream. Anyway, I guess I turned him on or something, because he told me he got off work at 5.
The next day, we went to Juneau, and that day we did a white-water rafting! It was excellent, but you look like an ass (poor Mom, Dad chose her as his camera victim) and any water that gets in the raft freezes your toes, even through such sturdy boots. That's not our raft; our boat turned backwards and Dad got a shot of the raft behind us.
Last night of the trip. We were originally scheduled to go to Ketchikan and take a Jeep/canoe tour, but the weather was too dangerous, so we were an additional day at sea. The last night we got Baked Alaska for dessert (get it?). I didn't really like it much. The second one is kind of random: I bought a stuffed moose onboard because a moose was the only wild animal I saw. When I got back from the movies with Kaila, Ben, and Matt (yes, there was a movie theater/lounge onboard), our room steward, Manny, had positioned it like this with my gloves on its arms, holding the TV schedule, and keeping the remote by its side. A great source of amusement for all.
Vancouver, 6 AM. Everyone is depressed and the weather matches our moods. We will miss each other, but we miss our own beds and our loved ones. It's time to go home.
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I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!! They are the Island Princess crew, and they are amazing.
Kaila and I
Jackie, Mara, and Nat
Ron playing video games @ the Center
Nat and I couldn't decide on whether to look sexy or cute, and I got "sexy." I really didn't do very well; despite Matt's encougragement, I look like I'm pissed off. Nat looks cute, and Ron looks like he's going to pounce on us or something.
Just playing around on the Deck 10 balcony!
Aww, the whole group together! Ron and Dave are flexing in the back; Matt is hugging Nat, and Scott looks like he's a deer in headlights; I'm leaning/falling against Kaila, whose shoulder is supporting Mara. Jackie is taking the picture. Got that?
That's all! Hope you enjoyed!