Last day at Sea June 25

The time has flown by and we now had our last day sailing up the inside passage.
It was a beautiful sunny day and so we had breakfast out on the deck. We had met a great Australian couple a few days before so enjoyed lunch with them and then attended a wine tasting in the afternoon. There were 5 wines, so called premium and we enjoyed a large glass of Cloudy Bay which we hadn't had for ages.The other wines  were also good quality including a California Petite Syrah and a good BC Chardonnay which of course Lloyd wouldn't drink so after 6 glasses of wine I was rather sleepy. This meant that I needed to lie on the lounger in the sun and have a little snooze to get ready for the evening.

That night we had a speciality dinner at the Pinnacle Grill and enjoyed a huge plate full of king crab legs. The food was lovely but we found the servings huge and we couldn't eat dessert. I think the eating and drinking had caught up with us. 

We had enjoyed the cruise and met some lovely people but it would have made a difference with improved weather. However as the captain said "You don't go on an Alaskan Cruise to get a suntan"

Ketchikan Part 2

On returning for our tour we still had a couple of hours so wandered the town which was very busy compared to the others ports we had been in.
Creek Street was the brothel and tavern area of the town and it was built over water to avoid tax on alcohol in the early days.

Ketchikan June 23

We docked around 9.30am in Ketchikan which is the 5th largest town in Alaska and is on an island.
We were undecided what to do so disembarked and went to the visitors centre where they offer all sorts of tours.
We decided to go on a inflatable tour of the Tongass Forest Park, we had the owner of the company ,a young guy and Lloyd drove the boat. The drizzling rain did lighten up for a bit but we did have good wet weather gear supplied. It was very interesting and again the scenery was great. We were very lucky to see some humpback whales but didn't get photos of them due to the RAIN We did have a great time and it bought back memories, lucky it was very flat sea conditions so we could go pretty fast!!

Glacier Bay June 22nd

Glacier Bay only allows two liners, one hour per day in as it is a National park. It has 2 main glaciers plus heaps of smaller ones and of course heaps of wild life.
It was yet again cold 7deg and raining so our umbrella which we had bought in a op shop came it very handy as we stood out on deck for an hour or so.
As we were at the huge Margerie Glacier we were treated to several carvings of the glacier which is when pieces basically fall off. It makes a big sound and one was so massive that it caused a swell and the ship to rock somewhat. The sea around the ship fills with bits of the glacier making great colours and patterns. the ship served hot pea soup which they do as a tradition.It really was spectacular

Lynda with 125 at the Mergerie Glacier

Sunset on Longest day

Here are a few of our late night sunset photos

White Pass Rail and cycle June 21

The train up to through the White Pass is a narrow gauge railway and it travels from Skagway up as far as Fraser in BC. It is very scenic and climbs 2865 ft going through tunnels and over trestles. You can also see the track that the gold miners had to travel carrying enough supplies to last them 1 year as a condition the Canadian Government set as they were afraid of famine in the region. Skagways population in 1889 was 20,000 and now 800.

View of Skagway from train

Half way down

 

After leaving the train we got on bikes and rode down the Klondike Highway which is all steep downhill the 25kms back to town. It was heaps of fun and the first time we have bicycled through a boarder crossing. As we cycled down we went past a huge outdoor Solstice party, a pity we could not join in as we sailed at 8pm. We did however stay up extra late and enjoyed the longest day. It was still light after 11pm and sunrise was at 3.40am.

One of the large trestle bridges

Skagway June 21

Yeah!!!, the weather was actually sunny and even 14 deg.We had booked a fun tour starting at 12.30 so spent the morning looking around the town of Skagway.

This exterior is all drift wood

It was the town where all the prospectors landed to go to the Klondike gold mines and has been restored, the museums are great and it of course has all the usual tourist stores.

Skagway, the only thing missing is the hitching rails.

Juneau

The boat took us back to the Voldendam and we then went onshore at Juneau which is the capital of Alaska. You cannot reach the town by road.
We still had rain so we had a quick look at the shops which were all the same tourist type,even the Russian shop.

The boat docks right in town

We had a great feed at the renowned Tracys Crab Shack,the king crab legs were Lloyds favourite and they went down well with Alaskan beer.

See those huge crab legs!!!

Tracy Arm Fjord Part 2

The Sawyer Glacier

There was so much to see and luckily the boat was warm inside so you only went outside to see the spectacular sights as it did continue to rain for some time.

Harbour Seals who stay up in the fjord to give birth and avoid the killer whales

The bear was crushing the barnacles with his paw and licking the paste

Tracey Arm Fjord June 20

We had an exciting day ahead, so breakfast was quick and we were ready to head off on our first port excursion.Warm clothes were needed as it was raining and about 8deg.
This involved boarding a smaller boat which came alongside the Volendam and heading up into the Tracy Arm Fjord,the excursion was about 5hrs.
The boat travelled into the fjord dodging the ice bergs and the amount of waterfalls was amazing.
The highlight was the colours in some of the icebergs and of the course the Sawyer glacier which is at the end of the fjord.

Wrapped up in layers in front of one of the many waterfalls

First Full Day at Sea June 19

We both slept pretty well on our first night but woke up to misty rain and cool temperatures.
After breakfast we decided to check out the thermal room in the bow. We signed up so we could use the hydro pool,steam rooms and these wonderful heated ceramic couches. They only sign up 25 couples and you can use these facilities from 8am-10pm,great deal we thought.

Thermal Suite

As it was so misty and rainy we spent the day eating,drinking,thermal suiting and chatting to people . We did enjoy trying out some of the many bars and even had a dance before dinner. Happy hour lasted 3 hours and we decided to keep trying new cocktails.

Visiting the stern bar

Vancouver June 16/17

First of all it has been over a week since I lasted updated the blog but we had very limited and expensive internet while at sea, so now I will update you on what we have been up too.
We spent the night before we retuned the van at wayne and Patrea,boo dockers place in outer Vancouver. like our previous boondockers they are so helpful and welcoming.we cleaned the van ready for the return the next day and spent a lovely evening with them at the local restaurant.
The next morning they were so kind as to come to the van return place and then drive us 45mins into downtown Vancouver.
We were extremely grateful as we have gained some extra belongings and it would have been quite a mission.
We stayed in Jeffreys airbnb apartment right near the cruise terminal, such a great location and nice place.That evening we had dinner at the local Oyster/Japanese Bar which had good food and it also provided an interesting evening.

The courthouse from the balcony of our apartment.It was all glass and plants. Vancouver has some very cool buildings.

Sail Day June 18

We were both excited as we walked to the cruise terminal. The check in process was pretty quick and soon we were in our stateroom and getting our bearings on the Voldendam which is a Holland America Liner. It is fairly small for a cruise boat, 1400 passengers but it still seemed huge to us.

Our room had a great view aft but no one could look in!

Our stateroom 7086

Sailing out of Vancouver

We were very happy with our room and went up for our first meal, a buffet lunch with heaps of choice. It was then followed by our first cocktail as well.We had opted for open seating dining so our evening meal was at a table with 4 others. The food was fine, not particularly hot enough for lloyd but we have had far worse in restaurants We had a lovely night chatting to lots of people and finding out were everything was located as well as being up on deck watching the scenery.

Merritt and Rolley Lake June 14/15

It was raining when we left Lac le Jeune so we thought it would be good to go to the next town and do our laundry before arriving in Vancouver and going on the cruise.
As Merritt was the next town we found the laundry and had lunch while this was being done.We then headed off down Highway 5 towards Vancouver. It was about 200kms and the highway was really interesting. You climbed up and then for over 30kms descended between these mountains. There were so many waterfalls, not a lot of snow and plenty of trees.
We arrived at the Rolley Prov Park near Vancouver and  it was one of those dark in the trees type but it was after 7pm and drizzle rain so it didn't matter too much.
We noticed this young high school kids behind us putting up a tent and they came over to ask if we had a hatchet . Of course Lloyd had to say" you mean an axe" and so we lent them ours.
When they brought it back we said they could keep it as we were leaving soon and they were delighted.
We sat around our last warm fire using up all our wood and they drove up in their car and gave us a 15 box of Budweiser beer. We didn't want to accept it but then they told us that the Park Ranger had caught them with it and as they are under 19 years they would have to tip it all out. They then asked if they could give it to the lovely kiwi couple who gave them a hatchet instead. He agreed and so of course we accepted and suggested they come over later to join us.
The Park Ranger rolled up 10 minutes later to see us to make sure they had passed the beer on.
The 4 kids, 2girls and 2 guys came over later and sat round with us chatting for over 2 hours. Lloyd did share a beer with them, they were 17 and just finished their Year 11 with one more year to go.
We had such a fun time sharing stories, they were neat kids and just wanted to camp out. It was a nice way to end our camping in Canada.

Our last Canadian fire

Kamloops and Lac le Jeune June 13-14

Time is running out, we need to be back in Vancouver in 4 days time.It has flown by really, the days do just roll by when you are travelling like this.
Kamloops is a large town/small city maybe the size of Whangarei. Its on the Thompson River and in a valley. We managed to get haircuts there and did some shopping before leaving and staying at a free camp  about 20kms away. it was the sort of place you would only stay for 1 night and move on. We had decided to go to Lac le Jeune Prov Park for the weekend as the weather was supposed to be good.
The park was laid out so most sites had a view of the lake and as the area had been infected with the pine beetle badly they had cut down all the large trees about 10 years ago and the new growth was therefore much smaller.It did mean we had lovely sun. We had a hike around the lake and Lloyd spent some time fishing again. However you can not compete against the local inhabitants, the otter.

Our friendly chipmunk

We have enjoyed looking at all the different creatures and birds. The chipmunks and squirrels and fascinating for us  to watch.I guess its because we don't have them at home. The weather did not really perform as we hoped, it got cold and wet but the sun did shine occasionally. We find the weather can change hear very quickly but its probably because we spend a lot of time in mountain type areas.At least we brought suitable clothes for the weather.

Revelstoke

Revelstoke was a small town which was rather quite as it is all about winter. It evidently has very skiing and related sports so there were lots of outdoor/sports shops.
There also was a train museum as all the trains go through here its the gateway to the rockies.
We had lunch there a look around and then headed up to lake Revelstoke which is about 20kms north.

View from our van

We got this lovely campsite right on the lake and it was so hot and with good weather forecasted  we decided to chill out for a couple of days. of course the rainbow trout were waiting for Lloyd too!
We met an english couple travelling with their 2 children and spent some time around the campfire with them.They lived in Devon and loved skiing so where considering moving to Revelstoke to live, its always interesting to chat with people. We enjoyed our days reading, walking and playing cards and of course Lloyd did fish and even caught  couple of rainbows who were put back. Time to move on.

Trout waiting for Lloyd

Glacier National Park June 10

The drive through the Glacier National Park was all that I thought. So many glaciers, however they are much smaller than our NZ ones. We then stopped for the night at Cannon Hot Springs,yeah. The place had a huge number of camp sites but luckily was very empty and we had a great site in the sun.

Our favourite birds Humming Birds who are able to fly backwards. They feed off sugared water from hangers.

There were 2 pools one at 42 deg and a large pool at 32deg and we were able to swim in the evening and again the next morning with hardly any one around. Great views from the pool with nearby mountains.

Canyon Hot Springs

Some of the glaciers you see on the drive thru the National park

Lake Louise Re visited

We just had to go back and visit Lake Louise to see it when the ice had thawed. It is so stunning, the colour was not so green now but more turquoise.  We also enjoyed morning tea at the hotel. It was fun to go in and have a good look. the rooms evidently cost about $500 a night. The inside is what you would expect, very gracious and old fashioned.

The Lake was still a bit frozen

 We enjoyed a walk right along the side of the Lake which takes about an hour. There were so many photo stops. The ice was fascinating how it was melting. This photo shows all the long spears of ice.It will look better larger.

This is the park ranger trying to break up the ice, Lloyd joked and said they had put the Canadian Navy out to do the job, he was paddling around and banging the ice with his paddle. I think they wanted it clear so they could rent out their canoes. Evidently they charge $50 for 1/2hr so its good income for the park!!!

Valley of the 5 Lakes, Jasper June 8

Before we left Jasper we visited these lakes, the hike was about 2 hrs and it was quite different to previous hikes as it was in forest. The lakes had the most amazing colours of green. The photos don't really show this.The plan was then to drive back down the Icefield Parkway.Every one said it was a worthwhile drive as you see things quite differently.

Green lake I can't remember the name!!!

The weather was certainly better than on the drive up and we did enjoy the scenery.Some of the hikes were still closed.

We arrived in lake Louise quite late so decided to visit it the next morning. We had bought some nice steak for dinner and Lloyd had got it already to put on the bbq. He came inside to get the oil and while he was away a large Raven swooped down and took the largest piece of steak. You can imagine what he said.We have learnt our lesson not to leave any thing out even for a minute.

The large Raven who enjoyed our steak,this was he revisit and he was obviously not made welcome!

Jasper

Jasper is a tourist town but a larger area than Banff. The railway tracks are right next to the town and the Rocky sightseeing train stops here so many people spend a night or two in a hotel and explore the area. they offer many hiking and white water rafting tripsThe main campsite  is really large, it has over 780 campsites so we decided to travel a little further out to Snaring 12kms and found a delightful campsite right on the river. The whole area of Jasper is in the National Park.

We had spent time catching up with our laundry and the visited the Maligne Canyon. We did a 2 hr hike around this area which was very picturesque,it is very narrow with lots of waterfalls. Many of the hikes were closed because of bear activity. There has been late sno

I so love my Merrell hiking boots, they are so,so comfortable.

Sunapata Falls and Jasper

The other main attraction to see was the Sunapata Falls. Some of the smaller lakes were still closed so we decided to do some hiking around Jasper. The falls had great canyon and as usual we went over board on the photos.

We are always on the lookout for wild life and are often rewarded,these long horned sheep are pretty common on the road side

Sunwapta falls and canyon

The canyon was really interesting to walk through, it was about 2kms