Tuzigoot Journal, Spring 06, Report 7. Alaska Quick report just to let you know we had a great cruise and after-cruise and are now back in Grand Rapids, from whence we last wrote. Leaving tomorrow (Saturday, 6/16) for Sioux Falls, then home a week or so later. More stories and profound insights to follow, I think, after we’ve had time to reflect and review our notes and pictures and discuss our impressions.
On Friday, June 2, we drove to Chicago, then flew from there to Seattle. Had Saturday breakfast and a nice visit at IHOP next to our motel with my cousin, Judy, and her husband, Bob. Her dad, my dad’s brother, Uncle Sydney, was always a favorite of mine as a kid. Later, we rendezvoused with some of our Abilene traveling partners at the motel where we all were staying. We all went down town for seafood lunch and some touristing – Pike Street Market, Space Needle, street scenes, and I stayed late to take in a baseball game. Seattle stomped the hapless, this year, Kansas City Royals in Seattle’s nice new park. Sunday morning we boarded our ship, the Norwegian Star, and sailed/steamed that afternoon. First stop: Juneau (Tuesday morning). Here’s a shot of the Seattle skyline from onboard.
	Juneau had the only day of bad weather we saw – drizzly and rainy all day. Friends who had planned on a helicopter ride to a glacier for a dog sled ride were canceled by the low ceiling. We took a bus tour out to the base of Mendenhall Glacier, not far from town. Better glacier pictures were yet to come, so I’ll omit any I got of the Mendenhall, for now. John McPhee, in Coming into the Country, which I’ve mentioned, described the capitol building as an abandoned big-city junior high school, so I made a point of checking it out. Judge for yourself. One other Juneau tidbit: They say there are only three ways to get to Juneau – plane, boat, or birth canal. You could probably add sky-dive, but technically that might be arrival by plane.
Wednesday we were in Skagway, which I thought was the most authentic Alaska town we visited. (Great website, too. Be sure to allow pop-ups.) Reminded me of Silverton, CO, for those of you who have been there. This was a busy day. I took an early morning exploratory walk, then a 2-mile group-hike followed by a 2-mile float trip. I’ll fill in the historical context of this later. After that, Susie and I and most of the Abilene contingent took a train trip to the top of the pass which marks the border with Canada. Glorious scenery all day. Here’s just a taste.			This completed the planes, trains, and automobiles hat trick.
If it’s Thursday, it must be Glacier Bay, the scenic highlight of the trip. We had a beautiful, clear day; typically there are only two or three of those a month, so we were lucky. Call it the luck of the fiords. When we visited New Zealand’s Milford Sound (placename-dropping) in 2003, we had similar weather luck. We got up close to Margerie Glacier, watching and listening to the “calving” of icebergs. Margerie’s front is about 250’ high, 200’ more below water level, and a mile long.
Friday morning we stopped in Ketchikan. I took a 9-mile bike ride and then Susie and I took in a lumberjack show. As an Alaskan farewell, here’s one of several late-night sunset shots. Got to Victoria, B. C., about 6:00pm Saturday and there Susie and I jumped ship. Will report on Victoria separately.
Cheers. Rob and Susie

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