Alaskan Cruise Vacay Day 10: Last day at sea 070717

As it is our last day on this boat, we decided to try and do some of the activities today. We woke up and find out we missed the activity as we crossed a time zone and lost an hour over night. So we go grab some breakfast and get our bags packed and get everything ready for disembarkation per the ships instructions then go to a camera demonstration.

Mountains on Mountains. Lovely blue view to start our final day.

Canadian outpost. Kind of a cool little island outpost.

Just a beautiful pic.

Some more scenery I will never grow tired of.

There were some of these little dudes jumping around in the water.

Breaching the surface. See this all the time with boats, guess they love this kind of thing.

 Couple dolphins jumping alongside the boat

Saw an Orca just swimming along the coast.  

As we were running around the boat looking at all the wildlife, we stumbled upon the boat we saw earlier in the trip. This is where they store it in case anyone was wondering.

Amazing mountain landscapes if I say so myself.

Without taking pictures and really experimenting with the camera, the demonstration was kinda useless (though it did have some helpful tidbits for a novice like myself). We then go to another wine tasting which was similar to the one a few days ago, and then hit up the happy hour raffle happy hour (each happy hour they would give you tickets for a raffle later in the week to win things - it took place during a happy hour); we did not win. Have a drink to celebrate losing then head towards the dining room once it opens for dinner. Sit at a 2 person table but the tables are close and wind up talking to these people next to us; one thing leads to the next and I come to find out she is the aunt of a friend I met in Cambodia 2 years earlier. We talk for a while longer  and then finish our dinners and head onto the balcony to check out the porpoises and orcas swimming nearby. After enjoying some of the outside air, we go in to finish the cruise like we started it, watching rhapsody and enjoying the final happy hour. They take a break so we go outside to take in the full moon and then go back inside to finish their segment. After that we go check out Jere Ring play some tunes and entertain on the piano (apparently he used to play with some hot shots in the music business). He was really good/funny and I am kinda disappointed we waited till the final night to see him as I am pretty sure I would have been there every night he played if I knew about it sooner. Go back to see if rhapsody is playing a later segment, and turns out it is a dj playing club music with a bunch of teens dancing. We quickly run the other direction and head to bed as next day is an early one.

Those are some delicate shades right there. Wonder what itll look like in a little bit.

I enjoy the many things happening in this pic (soft ripples, streaks in the sky, color gradations, etc.)

Such a colorful/beautiful sky.

Beautiful moon over the mountain. 

Hey there moon man.

Was nice that the first night it actually got dark, dark, there was a full moon to enjoy.

Watching Jere Ring do his thing on the piano.

Alaskan Cruise Vacay Day 9: Flying through the Fjords 070617

Take it easy this morning as our shore excursion isnt till later in the afternoon. Go grab some breakfast then head out to explore Ketchikan. Walk around downtown a little bit then find our way over to Creek Street to see what these stilted houses are all about. Poke our head in a few of them and enjoy the scenery of the water flowing between the rows of houses before walking through the park district and winding up at the totem center.

Not a bad sight coming off the boat.

Found a totem pole on our walk over to creek street in the middle of the city.

Ahhh so we found the infamous Creek street. Time to check it out.

Lets see what this place has in store for us.

Unfortunately it wasnt salmon spawning season.

Chinese restaurant on creek street?

This place has a storied past.

This is a cool looking area. Houses on stilts over some flowing water. 

leaving creek street but one last pic.

In case you were interested.

Totem at the totem center with some craftsmanship

A little info on the totem in front of us.

Figured the building would be one giant totem structure.

  

Ummm dont use that door please

As we get back to town, we see creek street from the south side entrance.

Decide to try another way back after seeing some direction signs which was pretty helpful for people not from there. Get back to the main area and explore some of the shops downtown before heading back to boat to grab some lunch then get ready for our plane ride. Pick us up near the boat, get to the plane station (its a float plane), divide into groups for the various planes going, and then we load up and head out. No one wanted the front seat so I took it. We are quickly up and flying over the mountains into Tongass National Forest where we are able to see many of the fjords, along with some waterfalls and the occasional animal (at one point he banks hard left for a good 360 so people can try and see a black bear down in the grass - not sure how he saw it). Then we fly into a fjord where there is a floating dock and as we land we see another plane paddling around near the coast so we drift over and come to see a brown bear playing in the grass right there. Dock and stretch our legs a little bit while enjoying the cooler temps and the scenery of being in the fjord. We all get back in the plane where Amy and I switch places so now I am in the very back. We fly back a different way and at a higher altitude to get over some of the higher mountains to see some of the mountain goats. After cruising at the higher altitude, the cabin cools off quite a bit, which was nice, then we descend back to the plane headquarters.

First plane we see as we come out of the check in station.

Our guy with our plane. lets do this!

This should be a beautiful plane ride.

Beautiful area below us. 

Getting deeper into the park and find some waterfalls.

Series of small waterfalls flowing down the mountainside.

Another big beautiful waterfall. I dont quite understand how these fjords are at various altitudes and feeding each other but it is pretty awesome.

Hopefully our ripples dont scare this lil dude off.

Brown bear eating grass.

Boat plane? 

Nice to get out and stretch our legs.

Enjoying the nature.

Our plank to get in/out of the plane.

Nice being out here.

Back in the plane ready to head on back.

Bye fjord!

Our crew.

Climbing out of the Fjord.

Small rock island in the middle of the fjord.

Got high enough to see snow in the middle of summer.

Multilayered waterfall coming down the mountainside. Beautiful.

You may or may not believe me but those are goats on top of the mountain.

Glad our pilot knows what all these things do cause I am not quite sure.

On the way back from the front.

We found our town. Kinda cool to see the city built into the elevation along the coast.

Our boat from above.

Coming in for the landing. 

Found some jellyfish under a restaurant on the water.

On the walk back found this small tunnel with houses on top.

Rain meter in the central area.

This statue paid homage to the types of people that built the city if I remember right.

As we are not too far from town and we have some time, we walk back along the coast from the headquarters. Get back to the boat and have a few drinks before going to have dinner in the dining room (goat cheese souffle, trout salad, gnocchi, scallops, finished it all off with dessert trio that was small but delicious). Go to happy hour and grab some drinks while watching the show going on before going to see the comedy show put on by Scott Wyler; a comedian that specialized in cruise ship humor, which was fun to watch. After this, we head to the casino on board to play black jack as Amy has never played. We get some chips and there is this older gentleman on the edge helping her play as I am not that good. Case in point, I was out in 30-40 mins while Amy was still going strong. Eventually as is the case with gambling, the tides turn on Amy so we head to bed.

Found our cruise ship buddy yet again.

We are creating some space. Probably for the better.

I would say this is too many clouds for a sunset but it still looks nice.

Another day another sunset.