Day 1 – Seattle
Went up to Elliott Bay and looked at Skyline before heading through the Ballard locks to Puget Sound. We had a beautiful sunset.
Day 2 – Friday Harbor
We docked for the San Juan Island tours. I went on the Griffin Bay kayak tour and it was wonderful. We saw intertidal zone creatures at low tide including sea anenomes, sun stars, star fish and crab. I ate Sea Lettuce directly off the rocks and it tasted exactly like Nori for sushi….yummy! Bald Eagles were everywhere as well as shore birds in the tidal flats.
Day 3 – Southern BC
Today was an all cruising day; narrow stretches were good for wildlife watching which included Black-tailed deer, Black bear and Gray wolves. This is also a good place to observe British Columbia commerce…logging and fishing operations.
Day 4 – Northern BC
Another day of cruising as we make our way north. The marine mammals are becoming more prominent… Orca, Dall’s Porpoise, White-sided Dolphins, Humpback whales, Steller’s Sea Lions and Harbor Seals.
Day 5 – Ketchikan
We have arrived in Alaska! A lovely town with great tours and outlying nature areas. Explored Creek Street (in the old days this was a red light district and has been converted into nice shops). We made a raid on Ketchi Kandies the best candy in SE Alaska; they sold many boxes of chocolate covered mint oreo cookies…wow!
Day 6 – Petersburg
Petersburg is a small Norwegian fishing village that the large cruise ships can’t get into and it is glorious. The guests went on various tours and I went on the jet boat to Le Conte Glacier. We passed and in some cases, touched icebergs that were as large as semi-trucks with the deep blue color. At one point we were completely encased in slushy icebergs and felt like a lime in a Margarita…this was exhilarating.
Went up to Elliott Bay and looked at Skyline before heading through the Ballard locks to Puget Sound. We had a beautiful sunset.
Day 2 – Friday Harbor
We docked for the San Juan Island tours. I went on the Griffin Bay kayak tour and it was wonderful. We saw intertidal zone creatures at low tide including sea anenomes, sun stars, star fish and crab. I ate Sea Lettuce directly off the rocks and it tasted exactly like Nori for sushi….yummy! Bald Eagles were everywhere as well as shore birds in the tidal flats.
Day 3 – Southern BC
Today was an all cruising day; narrow stretches were good for wildlife watching which included Black-tailed deer, Black bear and Gray wolves. This is also a good place to observe British Columbia commerce…logging and fishing operations.
Day 4 – Northern BC
Another day of cruising as we make our way north. The marine mammals are becoming more prominent… Orca, Dall’s Porpoise, White-sided Dolphins, Humpback whales, Steller’s Sea Lions and Harbor Seals.
Day 5 – Ketchikan
We have arrived in Alaska! A lovely town with great tours and outlying nature areas. Explored Creek Street (in the old days this was a red light district and has been converted into nice shops). We made a raid on Ketchi Kandies the best candy in SE Alaska; they sold many boxes of chocolate covered mint oreo cookies…wow!
Day 6 – Petersburg
Petersburg is a small Norwegian fishing village that the large cruise ships can’t get into and it is glorious. The guests went on various tours and I went on the jet boat to Le Conte Glacier. We passed and in some cases, touched icebergs that were as large as semi-trucks with the deep blue color. At one point we were completely encased in slushy icebergs and felt like a lime in a Margarita…this was exhilarating.
Day 7 – Tracy Arm / Frederick Sound
Today was prime whale watching and more Glaciers, with some incredible calving of the Sawyer Glacier. Black Bear on the shoreline, waterfalls and wonderful fjords.
Day 8 – Should have been Sitka but to Auke Bay – Generators out
Tonight just before dinner we had an electrical panel malfunction and both generators went down. No one was injured only a slight inconvenience. The guests took it all in stride and played cards by flash light and went to bed early. We were escorted to Auke Bay by the Coast Guard and became celebrities in the Juneau and Seattle newspapers.
Day 9 – Skagway
The guests boarded a Catamaran and went to Skagway while the ship was being repaired today. They enjoyed shopping, nature hikes and the Yukon Rail Road into Canada. This is Gold Rush country with a wonderful history of the human spirit. A good time was had by all!
Day 10 – Glacier Bay NP
The Spirit of Columbia is completely up and running and we went into Glacier Bay National Park for the day. The scenery can’t be described or captured in a photo…it is vast and magnificent. Wildlife abounds: about 40 species of birds, including the sought after Tufted Puffin, Steller’s Sea Lions, Humpback Whales, Coastal Brown Bear, Mountain Goats, Dall’s Porpoise, Jellyfish and Harbor Seals to name a few. The geology is fascinating with a combination of uplift, glacial movement and volcanic activity all in one place and at times side-by-side. This is a beautiful part of the world that I hope you will be able to see someday.
The guests boarded a Catamaran and went to Skagway while the ship was being repaired today. They enjoyed shopping, nature hikes and the Yukon Rail Road into Canada. This is Gold Rush country with a wonderful history of the human spirit. A good time was had by all!
Day 10 – Glacier Bay NP
The Spirit of Columbia is completely up and running and we went into Glacier Bay National Park for the day. The scenery can’t be described or captured in a photo…it is vast and magnificent. Wildlife abounds: about 40 species of birds, including the sought after Tufted Puffin, Steller’s Sea Lions, Humpback Whales, Coastal Brown Bear, Mountain Goats, Dall’s Porpoise, Jellyfish and Harbor Seals to name a few. The geology is fascinating with a combination of uplift, glacial movement and volcanic activity all in one place and at times side-by-side. This is a beautiful part of the world that I hope you will be able to see someday.
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