Ketchikan, Alaska

Our next stop was Ketchikan, Alaska.   It is a city with a population of 8050.  In the past it was a center of logging which ceased around 2000.  Since then tourism and fishing are its main occupations.

 A clean city by appearance.

Constant take-offs of seaplanes with bush pilots ferrying supplies and people to outlying districts and tourists for an aerial view of glaciers and mountains. 

Fishing boats would come into harbor and unload fish and then head out again.

A waterfront monument featuring people from many eras in Ketchikan history.

A totem dedicated to a leader in the past.

Sitka, Alaska

We arrived in Sitka, Alaska, on August 19, 2015.  This was probably our favorite site as the weather was fine and the city was not too crowded.

The ship was anchored in the harbor and tenders, actually large lifeboats, were used to ferry passengers from ship to shore.

After a few minute ride, we disembarked at the dock at Sitka.  This time, we were the only ship visiting the port which was nice.

So we  arrived in Sitka and found this grand sign welcoming us.

 A monument to the settlers of this area after the territory had been purchased from Russia.  He might also represent those who came to Alaska seeking fortunes in gold.

Sitka was a major settlement by the Russians in Czarist days and the blockhouse in the background dates from that time.

This is a replica of a Native American canoe.  The raven was credited as a very wise bird and we heard stories and legends about it.

Fishing remains an active occupation along with tourism for the area.

Always be prepared.  Not a sign used in mid-western USA.

An excursion tour leaving Sitka harbor.  In addition to those advertised onboard the ship, there were also tour operators on the dock offering less-expensive tours.

The sky cleared up as we walked around and there was not much traffic.

This church, a replica after a destructive fire not too many years ago, was built by the Russians and served as the cathedral for Bishop Innocent.  Note the cross above.  What do you see?

A closeup of the eagles perched on the cross.

This was the house and center of the Russian Orthodox church for Bishop Innocent.

We were told that after the American purchase of Alaska, missionaries tried to separate the Indians from their culture and language while the Russians had allowed more indigenous ideas and customs to continue.  As a result, Indians held on the the Orthodox faith more tightly.  This photo dates from about 100 years ago.

A docent explained the symbolism of the icons found inside the cathedral.  At the time of the fire, many of these articles were saved and so grace the church today.

Another church nearby.

We had a bite to eat and Ruth enjoyed the time.

An old-fashioned soda fountain in a Sitka drugstore.

A view of a store selling imports from Russia.

This set was our souvenir of the trip.

Finally it was time to head back to the ship.  

Seattle to Juneau, Alaska

So we left Seattle, Washington, on our way to Juneau, Alaska. Here are some views of things aboard our ship.

This front desk kept the books, answered questions and kept track of our comings and goings on and off the ship.  We were issued a keycard with a photo ID.  This provided access to our stateroom, the location of our lifeboat and any charges that we accumulated such as dining room cover charges and beverages such as cola and beer.  It was scanned when we left the ship and provided permission to reboard after a shore excursion.

Each day the ship's naturalist spoke on things relevant to Alaska.  From bears to the Klondike gold rush.  He spoke of a man who owned a mercantile business in Seattle with a partner.  He went to the gold fields and did really well.  Upon his return to Seattle, he bought out his partner and named the store after himself, Nordstrom.

This deck was open completely around the ship.  It is where lifeboats would be boarded but is also a good walkway with three trips around equals just less than a mile in distance.

A view from the stern of the ship on this deck.  As noted, it was a bit cold and wet.

This entrance to our stateroom on the lowest passenger deck.

As we approached Juneau, we were supposed to see this glacier in Tracy Arm fjord.  But fog and rain made conditions unsafe for a ship the size of ours to go there.

This is what we saw instead, clouds, fog and another cruise ship doing the same route we were taking.

This was our first view of Juneau, Alaska.

There were four or five cruise ships in Juneau while we were there.

It was wet in Juneau and we did not see much except for some jewelry stores that had an arrangement with Holland American with coupons for a discount.  Yes, we purchased some jewelry.

Leaving Seattle, WA

We boarded the ship to begin our first ever cruise.  Al's approach was that it also could be his last....we shall see.

This was our first view of the MS Amsterdam destined to be our home for the next seven days.

First you have to get aboard with about 1,950 persons also waiting to get on board.  They board the ship on Sunday afternoons after offloading the last cruise on Sunday morning.

This is the gangway for all to enter the ship.

Meanwhile the stores are loaded with enough food for 14,000 meals a day for the 1,950 passengers and about 900 crew. 

 

 Two of the passengers ready to go.

We were assigned to Lifeboat 11.  After a roll-call and some other instructions, we were ready to get underway. 

This is the real occupation of our lifeboat leader, the librarian with books, games and other items for passengers to use. 

Last view of Seattle with Mount Rainier in the background.

Experience Music Project Museum

We returned to the Space Needle area to visit the top of the Needle.

A little different view of the Needle.

Always lines in this tourist magnet town. 

"What do you have there, ma'am?"

A view of the harbor and the location of the dock where we will embark tomorrow.  This ship is the Norwegian Jewel.

When Al was about three years old, he was sitting in his grandmother's lap.  Looking up at her, he said, "Grandma, your face is cracked!"  Perhaps she smiles now as he has inherited the "cracks".

Next a visit to the EMP Museum that

    "...is a leading-edge nonprofit museum, dedicated to the ideas and risk-taking that fuel contemporary popular culture."

The Jimi Hendrix gallery.

A gallery dedicated to Punk Rock, that along with Jimi Hendrix, originated in the Seattle area.

Costumes from the Star Wars gallery, that cost eight dollars more.  We did not go.

Ruth in the Indie Game Revolution Gallery.

A gallery dedicated to the work of Chuck Jones and the Loony Tunes family of cartoons that enlivened movies of the 1940's and 1950's.  First the newsreel, then the cartoon and finally the main feature.

Inside the circle.

That is the gallery that the older folks spent most time in.  The younger ones in our crowd spent time in the Hendrix and Punk galleries.