Day 2 First Formal Night

This was our entire group at the first formal night. We had lots of fun dressing up fancy. This was also our first night eating in the dining room. We had a great view right out the back of the boat.

I had to get the baked Alaska of course! Below is our towel creation Sting Ray.

Day 3 Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay was so beautiful. It was our warmest day in Alaska. Probably around 80 degrees. We just hung out on the back deck for a few hours and took it all in.

We saw the Margerie Glacier and the Johns Hopkins Glacier. Below is our whole group with the Glacier behind us.

Day 4 Juneau

We were finally able to get off of the ship after three long days at sea. Juneau was a fun little town. One of Chris' coworkers had been there a few weeks before and planned a fun "amazing race " for the kids. Chris was a team captain who guided them but wasn't allowed to help with the answers. I was at one of the check points. They had to give me the correct answers and I gave them their next clue. It was fun for the kids to run around Juneau and learn about the state capital of Alaska.

They are reading clues and trying to figure out the answers at different places.

Above is the governer's mansion that Sarah Palin lived in for a while. Then when we finished the race and had a lunch break. (We couldn't miss any meals of course.) Then most of our group hiked Mt. Roberts. It took us a couple of hours and we went from sea level to about 2,000 feet. It was so beautiful and green.

Above are some fresh bear tracks. Some locals told us on our way up that there had been a bear sighting that morning. Yay! Not! Below is a view from the top. It was a strenuous hike for me at least. But it was fun to say I did it! We then rode the tram back down and had fun walking around Juneau.

Day 5 Sitka

I think the kids' favorite part of Sitka was riding the little tender boat from the ship into port. We first visited the Hill where many different bldgs had been over hundreds of years. It was a good look out spot for soldiers. There was a marker there remembering the date of when Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. in 1867.

This anchor was found in 1950 by Standard Oil company and are believed to have been lost there in the 1800's by British Expeditions. They originated in England.

Behind the huge totem pole was the original home of the pioneers in 1934. Below is statue of "The Prospector" On it it said that it wasn't the gold he wanted but to be in the great forest where it is full of beauty and peace.

We walked up to Swan Lake that was named after the Russian ballet. It was very serene and peaceful there.

Day 6 Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan was a cute little town. This part was built right around the river. There were thousands of salmon swimming upstream. It was fun to watch them swim up the rapids, rocks and salmon ladder.

I know it's not spelled right but close enough. We went to the Totem pole museum. Below is a canoe that was carved out of one tree.

This was a head dress they used to wear in ceremonies. We just walked around the town all day. It was so pretty and the perfect weather. We had fun just taking it all in! Everything was so green and beautiful.