Juneau, Skagway and the Inner Passage

Juneau, Skagway and the Inner Passage

Days are flying by as they are filled with new and interesting activities. The scenery is drop dead gorgeous and we are learning so much about the hard life of the Gold Rush days.  Tuesday consisted of a visit to the Capital Juneau while taking in the Salmon hatchery, a beautiful mountain garden and a two mile hike to the Mendenhall Glacier.  Back on board ship for a gentle cruise to the gold rush city of Skagway. After a morning walk into the town Julie and I boarded a narrow gauge train for a three hour ride up and down the beautiful mountain pass following the trail of the prospectors heading for the Yukon. We learned how more men came to the Klondike with dreams of riches than ever attained them. Most money was made servicing and scamming the unwitting prospectors. Many pictures to share however so little internet service - so here’s a few:

Our First Alaskan Port of Call - Ketchikan

Monday - July 11,

After setting our clocks back one hour we awoke early to watch the wilderness pass by as we head to our first port in Alaska, Ketchikan.We are traveling the inner passage which even with the threading sky’s is a beautiful emersion into the Alaskan Wilderness.  Ketchikan is the seventh largest city in Alaska with a whopping population of 8,142. The Salmon capital of Alaska, the town takes pride in a salmon packing plant, a fishing culture to support the plant, a park with the largest number of totem poles in Alaska and a true rain forrest environment . It rains in Ketchikan over 300 days per year. The townspeople count the total rain fall in feet, not inches. Julie and I took the rainforest hiking tour which turned out to be a delight. Our darling student guide gave us an interesting tour of the forrest and the local river which was filled with bald eagles awaiting the spawning salmon. Our day in town ended with a return to the ship for a wine tasting party and an early return to the cabin for a welcome sleep. The following is a sampling of todays adventure. 

We begin our Adventure in the North Pacific - Victoria British Columbia - Day 1

Alaska and the Pacific Northwest have long been on Julie's and my bucket-list of destinations. So with our friends Peter and Diana we headed off from Richmond Virginia to Vancouver British Columbia to begin our adventure. First destination the beautiful Victoria Island. A beautiful Ferry ride took us from Vancouver to Victoria. At the Island we were able to tour the world famous Butchart Gardens and the riverfront at Victoria. The weather was threatening all day but we thankfully avoided the rain; a bit reminiscent of our English travels. The following is a selection of pictures of the day. Thanks for joining us.

 

Tour of Green Springs National Historic District

• The Lake Monticello History Club was treated to a wonderful "behind the gates" tour of the historic properties of the Green Springs National Historic District in Louisa County. Lead by our guide Rae Ely we were introduced to the uniqueness of this historic area which has gone unnoticed by most, right in our midst. A delightful day. Here are some snap shots of our day.