Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan is my favorite Alaskan city. I love how the homes and building are built up above the Ketchikan Creek, necessitated by the average of 152 inches of annual rainfall. The area is supported by fishing and tourism and if you are lucky enough to be here during the salmon run, the creek is alive with spawning fish. Ketchikan is known as the Salmon Capital of the World.

Be sure to stroll along the raised wooden walkway that goes from the downtown area along Ketchikan Creek to the Totem Heritage Center.

Ketchikan has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles, most of which are located at three locations - Saxman Village, Totem Bright, and the Totem Heritage Center. There is no need to book these excursions through the cruise line as most are within fairly easy walking distance of the pier.

The abundant rainfall makes for some interesting roof artwork.

Juneau, Alaska

Next stop - Juneau, capital of Alaska. The municipality of Juneau is quite large - almost as big as Rhode Island and Delaware combined, but only has around 40,000 residents. Towns along the Alaska Panhandle are unique in that most are land locked - you can only get in and out by plane or boat.

Situated at sea level with steep mountains rising to 3,500 or 4,000 feet just outside the city, Juneau has a quaint, frontier feel. There are over 30 glaciers in the mountains above the city which feed numerous waterfalls adding to the beauty.

This is the Alaska State Capital building. Sara wasn't in the day we were there...

Native totems decorate the city's parks, streets and yards. Juneau is also home to the state's natural history museum.

Totems and much of the native artwork are storyboards depicting events from local folklore.

Skagway, Alaska

Our first stop on the Alaska Panhandle is the town of Skagway. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862. However, the population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the more than 900,000 visitors.

This building, built in 1899, was refaced with new driftwood a few years ago taking it back to its original glory.

Even though there are only a couple dozen streets in Skagway, you can take a leisurely guided tour through this historic borough.

Most of the buildings in the area are nearly 100 years old. Renovation includes the front and sides visible from the main street but the rear of the buildings reflect their pre-restoration state.

Some of the original buildings have been preserved and offer a glimpse of what it was like in the rough and tumble 1800's.

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Our second day took us into Glacier Bay, the premier glacier viewing area in southern Alaska with sixteen glaciers terminating in a single bay. This area was extensively explored and mapped by naturalist John Muir in 1879. His records provided a detailed starting point for the mapping of glacial retreat.

The scenery entering the bay is truly spectacular.

Only two large cruise ships are allowed in Glacier Bay at any one time so not all cruises will take you to this spectacular area.

Bald eagles are a common sight in Alaska and it is not uncommon to spot them on floating ice.

The Grand Pacific Glacier is the fastest documented retreating glacier in recorded history. Scientists are hoping to learn how glacier activity relates to climate changes from the retreat.

With the rapid retreat of this glacier, the calving of the ice is almost constant. Beautiful but a cause for consern.

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

Our first day of cruising took us past Hubbard Glacier. It takes about 400 years for ice to traverse the length of the glacier, meaning that the ice at the foot of the glacier is about 400 years old. The glacier routinely calves off icebergs the size of a ten-story building. Where the glacier meets the shore, most of the ice is below the waterline, and newly calved icebergs can shoot up quite dramatically, so that ships must keep their distance from it as they ply their way up and down the coast.

Princess Cruise - 7 days Anchorage to Vancouver

Taking advanatage of another last-minute deal, Betty and I head off to Alaska. We flew to Anchorage and boarded the Saphire Princess in Whittier, Alaska for a seven day trip down the inland passage to Vancouver, Canada.