Alaska

September 2024

Thursday 29 August

Having stayed at the Maidenhead Travelogue on Wednesday night, we had a relaxing start, heading to Heathrow Terminal Two for a ‘Meet and Greet’ parking, checking in and hanging around until our Air Canada flight took off around 2.30pm. the 10 and a half hour flight of meals, drinks and movies was the usual long haul in which we lost 8 hours enroute and a landed at Vanover around 4pm.

I didn’t realise that you had to ‘electronically’ scan your passport and have a photo taken prior to passport control and we had to go back and do it. Canada now has its own ESTA ‘electronic visa’. Gone are the days of just turning up with your UK passport and getting immediate entry. I had been told by Cunard Customer Service that we would be staying at the Fairmont Hotel in the terminal so it was a strange to meet up with the other passengers on the cruise and then get bused to a Holiday Inn Hotel about 20 minutes way. The traffic was thick.

By the time we checked in, it was 8pm (local time) and 4am on our body clocks. It was definitely time for an early night, which is why we awoke at 3.30am and ended up repacking our luggage for the cruise transfer.

Friday 30 August – Vancouver, Canada

At least they threw in a free buffet breakfast in the ‘Fogg and Suds’ restaurant next door. Stuck on a small retail park in the middle of nowhere, there wasn’t much to do except sit around and read. I did discover a drugstore about 10 minutes jog away and plodded there to pick up some coke/soda water for the spirits we had brought in our suitcases.

We were bused downtown around midday, stuck in endless traffic jams and passing non descript tower blocks, finally arriving at the port and disembarking to be ‘processed’ prior to boarding. Our luggage would be delivered to our room. I was surprised how quickly we went through, only then having to go through US immigration which involved having our fingerprints and photo taken. Our US ESTA visas were already electronically attached to our passports.

The Queen Elizabeth was 964.5ft long had 12 levels, 911 crew and could handle 2081 guests. Built in 2010, the Cunard blurb said “Join us on Queen Elizabeth and immerse yourself in her evocative art deco elegance. This stunning Queen exudes style and has an especially refined feel. Prepare yourself for a truly remarkable voyage. Queen Elizabeth invites you to an uncrowded world where spacious decks set the perfect backdrop for you to savour a flawless Cunard experience. Immerse yourself in endless entertainment, luxurious accommodation and an array of dining choices. Her art deco features and gleaming chandeliers blend with contemporary attractions to ensure a remarkable holiday. Enjoy croquet on her Games Deck, stunning entertainment in her Royal Court Theatre or relax in her elegant conservatory”.

We explored the ship which had a wonderful interior, a sort of art deco retro feel with lots of wood, lights and intricate detail. There were the posh dining areas, buffet restaurant, lots of lounges, an English pub, vast library, games room, huge theatre and lots of staircases and alcoves. Up on the top decks were two small swimming pools and And you could do your own laundry for free (not in the swimming pool!). We were very impressed. Our en suite room had plenty of wardrobe space, a TV, fridge and kettle. We had a friendly Indian man (can’t remember his name) who serviced the room, made the bed, refilled supplies etc. A bottle of champagne had been left in the fridge. We turned up at our ‘Muster Station’ at 4pm, where we were supposed to go in an emergency.

Wendy’s luggage arrived soon after we did, but over three hours later mine was still missing. I went to the Pursers’ Office to find out anything. I was told that my luggage had been ‘confiscated’. Eh? I wondered if they didn’t like the two bottles of spirits I had packed in between my clothes. But it turned out, it was the travel iron that Wendy wanted to bring. The room did have an iron. While waiting in line, I got talking to a woman who was also missing her luggage. It turned out that she had an electric blanket packed!

We could have dressed up and eaten at the posh restaurant with set menus and waiter service, but we preferred the ‘buffet’ on level 9 where you could wear a T-shirt and shorts. There was a great range of food and even a ‘design your own pizza’. During the days at sea, we also enjoyed the ‘afternoon tea’ with lots of nice cakes. I must admit by the end of the cruise I was bored with the ‘full English breakfast’. The other passengers seemed to be mostly Americans, Canadians and Chinese who had emigrated to Australia. At least the ones we talked to. As we left Vancouver, endless seaplanes would be taking off, flying past or landing.

Saturday 31 August – At Sea

Every night, we would get a Daily Programme to tell us what we were going to see the next day and all the activities we could do on board. The Daily Programme for today said “After letting go her lines yesterday afternoon, Queen Elizabeth set westerly courses to pass through Burrard Islet, a relatively shallow-sided fjord formed during the last Ice Age. Burrard inlet opens west into the Strait of Georgia between Point Atkinson and Point Grey. After passing Burrard Inlet, Queen Elizabeth continued her voyage sailing through the strait of Georgia, and afterwards through Johnstone Strait, an 110 kilometre channel north east of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The strait is between 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) and 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) wide. It is a major navigation channel on the west coast of North America”.

I was up at 5am before sunrise and went for a wander. We must have been sailing close to Vancouver Island but it was invisible behind the thick mist enveloping the ship. It was also very atmospheric with the foghorn blowing. The sunrise never materialised. Philippine workers were cleaning the decks and the swimming pool areas had already been hosed down.

There was lots of ‘entertainment’ and ‘activities’ but little appealed to us. However, we did make an effort today to visit the vast theatre and listen to Caroline Hamilton’s talk on “700 miles to the South Pole” The blurb said “How Caroline brought together 20 so called ‘ordinary’ women to become record breaking polar explorers. She and her team then haul their sledges over 60 days and 700 miles to the South Pole across the coldest, windiest continent on earth. This entertaining talk includes striking images and is a story of the power of people to achieve the impossible.” It was very educational, and I was envious that she had reached the South Pole.

The Rough Guide introduced our destination as “The sheer size of Alaska is hard to grasp. Superimposed onto the Lower 48 states, it would stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific, while its coastline is longer than the rest of the mainland US combined. One glacier is twice the size of Wales. Wildlife may be under threat elsewhere, but here it is abundant.”

On our previous cruise, we had only a window. On this one, we had a balcony which we loved. Today would turn out to be the sunniest and hottest day of the cruise. So we sunbathed, read and kept our eyes on the possibility of a whale appearing.

Sunday 1 September – Ketchikan, Alaska

One of the ‘freebies’ offered was ‘Breakfast in bed’. You could order your meal the night before and state when you wanted it delivered and ‘Hey Presto’. So, we did it this morning just to try it. Just the once, because there was so much choice in the buffet cafeteria, which was brilliant. It was raining when we arrived at Ketchikan at first light, the first of five cruise ships to dock. We were excited to step into Alaska for the first time.

The Daily Programme said that “Nestled among some of Alaska’s most arresting scenery, Ketchikan’s location is one to both admire and leverage. Tiny Ketchikan is just three miles long and three blocks wide, but here you can be sure to find Alaska’s busiest waterfront buzzing with boat planes, fishing boats, pleasure craft and busy fishermen. Once colonised by Tlingit and Haida Tribes, Ketchikan is a thriving fishing town with colourful stilted houses, a rich Alaskan culture and a throng of trawlers hauling in fresh crab and salmon…”

The ‘Rough Guide’ said “Almost 700 miles north of Seattle, Ketchikan is the first port of call for cruise ships. Its historic downtown is wedged between water and forested mountains. Beyond the souvenir shops, it’s delightful, built into steep hills and partly propped on wooden pilings, dotted with boardwalks, wooden staircases and totem poles. By 1886, the town’s numerous canneries made it the ‘salmon capital of the world’ while forests of cedar, hemlock and spruce fed its sawmills”.

As Alaska’s fourth largest city, it is also a strong contender for its wettest. Annual precipitation averages 12 and a half foot. As we walked the short distance from the Queen Elizabeth into town, there was a towering ‘Liquid Sunshine Gauge’ which said that rainfall to date this year had already been over 14ft. and stated that in 1949 it had been ‘busted’ with 16 ft 9 inches. I liked Ketchikan which was relaxed and friendly. There was a bar called ‘Home of the Happy Bears’ whose logo was a male bear mounting a female. On the door was an anchor that said ‘Ahoy Fuckers’.

The cruise ships were all moored side by side almost in the town centre which was predominantly full of jewelley and souvenir shops. There was a stunning totem pole of a diving sea eagle and a lovely metal statue with various life-sized figurines such a gold prospector, a miner and native Indians. A massive sign across the ‘main’ road (with virtually no traffic) welcomed us to Ketchikan as’ Alaska’s 1st City’ and ‘The Salmon Capital of the World’.

We made for the Southeast Alaska Discovery centre where three large totems welcomed us and a school of silver salmon was suspended from the ceiling. We watched a movie that gave us an introduction to the Tongass National Forest which surrounds the town and is part of the largest National Forest in the USA covering 68.000 square kilometres and we’d sail virtually the length of it.

The bulk of Ketchikan’s historic buildings lie on Creek Street, which had a picturesque boardwalk along Ketchikan Creek. The colourful wooden buildings were propped up by stilts in the creek. Beneath the water, we could see salmon and three sealions would come to the surface before disappearing again. In a tall tree, we spotted our first sea eagle. It looked magnificent.

Creek Street was the ‘red light’ district until 1954. Dolly’s House painted in a light lime colour was once the home and workplace of Dolly Arthur, the town’s most famous madam. On the side of the building, there was a sign that said “Dolly’s House – where both men and salmon came upstream to spawn’. At the end of Creek Street was a series of rapids (’Salmon Ladder’) where the salmon leapt but it was the end of the ‘salmon jumping’ season and we didn’t see any launch themselves. Creek Street was a magnet for the cruise passengers. I noticed that cannabis could be sold legally in Ketchikan. One shop had two signs pointing in opposite directions. One said ‘Souvenirs’ and the other ‘Cannabis’. We stopped in at a bar to try the cold Alaskan beer. On the wall was a sign promoting shots called ‘Alaskan Duck Farts’.

The ‘Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show’ was a relatively new attraction right by the cruise ships. These hour long spectacles were a enjoyable series of activities with two pairs of lumberjacks competing against other with an MC offering a commentary and encouraging half the crowd to back the ‘Americans’ and the other half, ‘Canada’. The events ranged from chopping small logs or sawing logs as quickly as possible, standing on a narrow plank that had been inserted into a big tree, to balance and then wield an axe without falling off, throwing small axes at a straw dartboard from 30 feet away. There was also clambering up a tall tree trunk with crampons to the top and back down as fast as possible and log rolling. The final event saw one from each team balancing on the same log and ‘rolling it’ in a bid to topple one of them off. This looked very skilful. I’d have liked to have an axe as sharp as the ones I saw here. We enjoyed the events and banter. Good family entertainment. We even had our photo taken with the ‘cast’.

Our only problem with Ketchikan was that we only had around six hours there so we couldn’t do the out-of-town stuff. So, we enjoyed the attractions in the centre and made our way back to the cruise ship for a late lunch as it pulled away, followed by a session in the hot tub (despite the drizzle) which was 37’c, afternoon tea and a nap, still seemingly suffering from jet lag. The seas were millpond calm.

Monday 2 September – Endicott Arm

Today, we were headed for Endicott Arm, essentially a day at sea but in a fjord. The Daily Programme said “This pristine fjord is located in Alaska’s south-eastern strip, a region sometimes referred to as The Panhandle and certainly known for its photogenic landscape. Sparkling still waters, majestic mountains, soaring eagles. All these and more are sights that await at Endicott Arm. Enjoy scenes of extraordinary natural beauty as Queen Elizabeth sails along this 30 mile stretch of glasslike water, at the end of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness. During this part of your voyage, every view has to be seen to be believed. As you make your way down the fjord, you will soon be face to face with sheer granite cliffs, picturesque waterfalls and impressive icebergs. At the end of the waterway, you will reach Dawes Glacier….”

That pretty much summed it up. The scenery was spectacular. Towering granite cliffs on either side were covered in forests and wispy clouds passing over. The sea was tranquil. It felt like we were gliding over a polished surface. Gradually chunks of ice appeared with larger ‘ice bergs’ floating past. Some had the colour of aqua blue from the light reflecting off them. Did you know when a glacier expels enormous chunks of ice into the water it is called ‘calving’?

From our balcony, I used our binoculars to (unsuccessfully) spot mountain goats, eagles and bears. There were long waterfalls tumbling down the cliffs into the fjord. At the end of the fjord, we saw the Dawes Glacier which filled the valley and stretched back for the remaining 20% of the valley after the water finished. Somewhere, we passed a small charter boat which allowed the passengers to get closer to the glacier. I cockily yelled out from the balcony on our massive cruise ship ‘You’re going to need a bigger boat’ (Reference from ‘Jaws’ movie). We spent four enjoyable hours in the Fjord and it felt like we were seeing some of Alaska’s scenic wonders.

Tuesday 3 September - Skagway

We pulled into Skagway at first light, along with another four cruise ships. The Daily Programme said “The gold rush coastal town of Skagway was previously a lawless Wild West outpost. Skagway is Alaska’s gateway to the Klondike where in the late 1890s more than 100,000 prospectors arrived in search of gold. Even today, frontier-style saloon-style buildings still line the town’s streets, an enduring reminder of this key period in Alaska’s gold rush history. While feeling as though you have somehow fallen through time and into the Wild West is undoubtedly part of Skagway’s appeal, there is so much more to admire, discover and experience.”

The Rough Guide concurred that it “sprang up overnight in 1897 as a trading post serving Klondike Gold Rush pioneers setting off on the 500 mile ordeal. Having grown from one cabin to a town of 20,000 in three months, Skagway, rife with disease and desperado violence was reported to be run by criminals. By 1899, the Gold Rush was over but completion in 1900 of the White Pass and Yukon Route railway from Skagway to Whitehorse, the Yukon capital, ensured Skagway’s survival. Today, the town’s 1000 residents have gone to great lengths to maintain (or re create) the original appearance of their home, much of which lies in the Klondike Gold Rush Historic Park.”

At least it was not raining. Skagway is one of Alaska’s drier places getting only 26 inches of rain annually. The (free) Skaguay Alaskan newspaper had ‘Nuggets of information’ such as the town has 1240 residents although numbers fluctuate from 800 in January to 2500 in July. 7% of the residents are Hispanic/Latino. Median household income (2020 census) was nearly $72,000 but 3.8% live in poverty. Houses were listing over $500,000.

We had booked to do the White Pass and Yukon railway and had to be on board by 8.15am. This narrow-gauge line had been constructed between 1898 and 1900 even though the gold rush was nearly over. It was designated as an International Historic Engineering Landmark in 1994, an honour shared with such things as the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty.

The traditional old vintage wooden carriages had platforms at the front/back where you could stand to admire the scenery and feel the wind in your face. Chris, one of the conductors would pass through with snippets of information and what to look for next out of the windows. The railway followed the gushing Skagway River past waterfalls and ice packed gorges and over a 1000ft high bridge. Some of the things we passed were the ‘Goldrush cemetery’ on the outskirts of town, Bridal Veil Falls and Glacier Gorge with its tall wooden bridge taking us into the only tunnel on the route, Tunnel Mountain.

From ‘Inspiration Point’ we could look back down at Skagway and see our cruise ship. A steel bridge was constructed in 1901, which at the time was the tallest steel cantilever in the world. It was now a ruin silhouetted against the swirling mist. Dead Horse Gulch was where many of the dead horses ended up, exhausted by bringing supplies up the pass. At Mile 20, we reached White Horse Summit which was 2865 ft above sea level. The boundary between the USA and Canada was marked here by their two national flags. The railroad continued 90 miles to Whitehorse in the Yukon, but we turned around at the summit and came back down to Skagway. It had been a lovely excursion of almost three hours.

The train dropped us right by the start of the main street, where we explored the compact town with its ‘old style’ western frontages and wooden boardwalks. Many were jewellery and souvenir shops but there were quite a few original buildings. We started at the Klondike Historical Park Museum housed in the impressive 1900 Railroad Building which had a lot of information about the Klondike Gold Rush and a horse skull. 3000 horses apparently perished being used to carry supplies up through the pass (before the railroad). There was also a memorial to the horses near the ‘Welcome to Skagway’ sign.Nearby was an impressive old train engine with a massive black and bright red metal attachment on the front of it that originally spun around to clear the snow off the railroad tracks.

The 1899 Arctic Brotherhood Hall had an eye-catching façade with almost 9000 pieces of driftwood used to decorate it. It was a defunct fraternal hall that was a club for prospectors. It now housed the Visitor’s Centre. Opposite the impressive Golden North Hotel with it’s gold dome was the red painted ‘The Mascot’ which had been built in 1898 and was one of Skagway’s 80 saloons in it’s heyday as ‘the roughest place in the world’. It had been restored to look like a cleaned up version and pub museum. We called in on a saloon bar that did sell booze and tried the ‘Klondike Ale’. In such as small place, there was only one hardware store that seemed to sell everything. One shop had a sign in the window that said ‘Husband Chair inside’.

Moore’s Cabin was down a side street. This was the oldest building in town built by Captain William Moore in 1887 when he had arrived in the area while surveying and claimed 160 acres. He was 65 years old when he arrived. He had followed gold rushes all his life and settled here to pursue one more chance at fortune. When the big rush came to the Yukon, his land was overrun by a flood of gold seekers but he prospered because by then he owned a dock, a warehouse and a sawmill. Next to the cabin was a small wooden ‘brothel’ called the ‘Brass Pic’ (est 1898) and a sign saying ‘House of Negotiable Affection’. We also popped into the 1916 Wells Fargo Bank to see the original brass teller windows and old banking artifacts.

The few streets in the grid formation had been full of cruise passengers and it seemed very crowded. But once they had returned to their ships, Skagway seemed almost deserted and was much nicer to explore as if you were the only visitor.

Wednesday 4 September – Juneau

We pulled into Juneau, the small capital of Alaska with no road access. The Lonely Person’s Guide said “Juneau is a capital of contrasts and conflicts. It borders a waterway that never freezes but lies beneath an ice field that never melts. It’s the state capital but since the 1980s Alaskans have been trying to move it. It doesn’t have any roads that go anyway, but half its residents and mayor opposed a plan to build one that would. Welcome to America’s strangest state capital.” The Daily Programme had added “Juneau’s urban area spans just 14 square miles but its appeal far exceeds its city limits. Frequently cited as Alaska’s most scenic city.” In 1880, Joe Juneau made Alaska’s first gold strike here and until the last mine closed in 1944, this was the world’s largest producer of low grade ore. All the flat land in Juneau is waste rock from the mines.

We were looking forward to seeing the Mendenhall Glacier. Our bus was driven the 13 miles by Mason who cracked jokes and told stories about the town and pointed out things including sea eagles perched on street lights. The Lonely Person’s guide called it ‘Alaska’s famous drive in glacier’. The glacier flows 13 miles from its source, the Juneau Ice Field and is half a mile at its face. It ended at Mendenhall Lake which had only been created in the 1930s. Up until then, you could walk up to its edge. It is predicted to have retreated out of view within the next 25 years. On this cloudy and drizzly day, the ice had turned into shades of deep blue. Despite the drizzle, we did the half mile trail to the impressive cascade called ‘Nugget Falls’ and then another short trail that facilitated beautiful shots of the glacier and lake. I thought that we would get closer to the glacier but was pleased to have done what we could. We spotted another sea eagle in a tree, but despite the warning signs, no black bears.

The city centre which is wedged between the Gastineau Channel and the rain forested hills of Mt Juneau and Mt Roberts, is a maze of narrow streets running past various of new structures, old storefronts and slanted houses linked by staircases.

We climbed a steep street to visit the State Capitol Building which the Lonely Person’s Guide described, cruelly I thought ‘like an overgrown high school’. Built from 1929 to 1931 as the territorial Federal Building, it has been restored to its former glory with lampshades and furniture from the early 1930s. We were allowed to explore the building on our own. We had got chatting to Michael the security guard and he came and found us and let us onto the floor of the two (empty) legislative chambers which you could normally only see from the visitor gallery. He also gave us large patches representing the police in Juneau. Which was nice. We were not allowed into the Governor’s office. Outside, was a gallery of all the previous Governors and I laughed when I saw Sarah Palin’s photo. I had forgotten she was once in charge here. Michael said she had tried to get the capital moved because she hated having to fly to Juneau. The building seemed virtually empty. This was probably because the hundreds of staff come to Juneau for the winter legislation session. Juneau with around 33,000 citizens had a different feel to both Ketchikan and Skagway but was equally enjoyable. I would have liked to explore it further.

We hadn’t been to see any evening entertainment in the theatre but tonight there was a stand up comedian from New York called Tony Daro. He was excellent.

Thursday 5 September – At Sea

Today was the biggest disappointment of the trip. We had deliberately booked this cruise because it was the only one that would pass by the Hubbard Glacier ‘up close’. The Daily Programme crowed “Witness the grace and brilliance of glacial formations and towering icebergs in action as you sail by a highlight of Alaska’s many coastal wonders. The Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidal glacier in North America”.

But the sea mist had descended and nothing was visible. Not that this was the issue. There was a storm registering 8 on the Beaufort Scale (12 is a hurricane). 8 is a ‘Gale’ with winds of 39-46 miles an hour. The sea was very choppy. The Captain came over the Tannoy and apologised. The seas were too rough and it would be too dangerous to get near the glacier so he was heading for Sitka. Since we were supposed to have four hours at the glacier, I wondered why he was so keen to get out of there. He could have hung around for a couple of hours to see if the weather improved. But I suppose he had to worry about 3000 people on board. So we sailed on with nothing visible outside and entertained ourselves with movies on the TV, reading and eating. The whole day was a bit non-descript.

Friday 6 September – Sitka

It was raining when we arrived in Sitka. The cruise ship harbour was a few miles from the town although they laid on buses to ferry passengers into town. So far, we hadn’t seen any whales or bears. Just outside the ship, tour companies advertised their fares. We signed up with ‘Bumble Tours’ (motto ‘I’m not lost, just exploring’) for a wildlife boat trip followed by Fortress of the bears. Our friendly ‘guide’ Brett drove us into town to the local harbour where Cole the captain welcomed us aboard his small boat. The other two passengers were a Canadian couple Vanessa and Cody from eastern Ontario.

The Daily Programme had said that “Sitka is a hidden beauty on the east coast of Baranof Island in southeast Alaska. Snow crusted mountains, densely forested wilderness and intensely sapphire waters.” As we sped away on powerful engines, this description was equalled by what we saw. Despite the overcast weather and clouds, it was a beautiful area. We passed a couple of sea lions sleeping on a large buoy and then made for an inlet around thirty minutes from Sitka. The boat stopped and then we all started looking for hump backed whales.

We spotted a spray of water and then our first whale appeared and disappeared almost immediately. Then it was a case of trying to anticipate when and where they would reappear. Cole said that they could stay underwater for up to 20 minutes but we didn’t have long to wait for another whale to appear, just long enough to snap photos with a zoom lens since we were quite a distance away. For the next hour or so, we slowly motored around the forested inlet and caught sight of the two whales numerous times. It was wonderful to finally see some whales in Alaska.

As we came close to land, Cole pointed out a brown bear swimming by the bank. It was hunting salmon. We saw it catch and eat a large salmon, before coming out of the sea onto the bank with its dripping fur. It walked towards the trees and had a magnificent bowel movement what can only be described a vast yellowy/green evacuation. It is true, we laughed “bears do indeed shit in the woods”. It was an amazing sight to see a bear in the wild and probably the highlight of our trip.

Back on land, Brett drove us to the Fortress of the Bear. Located five miles from town, it is a non-profit sanctuary, dedicated to rescuing Alaska’s orphaned brown and black bear cubs. We saw three brown bears. Toby and Lucky had lost their mother who had died ingesting plastic bags in a rubbish bin. Chaik was a larger brown bear. There were also two black bears Bandit and Smokey. From the walkways overlooking the large enclosures with large logs and lakes of water, we could watch the bears eat, swim, play with each other and generally amble around. It was a great place to visit, and we didn’t want to leave.

Yet again, as with Ketchikan, we only had about six hours at Sitka and having opted to do those two activities we had to sacrifice an exploration of the actual town. The Rough Guide said “Shielded by islands from the Pacific Ocean, Sitka is one of Alaska’s prettiest and most historic towns. The Russians established a fort here in 1799 and Sitka subsequently became the capital of Russian America, witnessing transfer of ownership to the USA in 1867. Sitka today earns it’s keep mostly from fishing and tourism.” Consequently, we only saw St Michael’s Orthodox Cathedral from a distance. This, as the town’s most famous building is a typical Russian church completed in 1848 and rebuilt after a fire in 1966. I suppose I have seen enough Russian Orthodox churches in Russia itself. Aside from that, it had been a brilliant day.

Saturday 7 September – At Sea

Our Daily Programme said “After letting go her lines yesterday afternoon and disembarking the pilot. Queen Elizabeth exited from the Sitka Sound proceeding out into the Pacific Ocean and followed south easterly courses. Today, we will be passing Haida Gwaii during the day. As night falls, we will trace the western coastline of Alaska and Canada, transversing the vast expanse with awe-inspiring views. This evening on the port side, we will be treated to the sight of Vancouver Island, proudly standing as the eleventh largest island in Canada. In the early hours of tomorrow morning, we will venture into the renowned Juan de Fuca Strait. This legendary waterway serves as a boundary, separating the Canadian province of British Columbia from the state of Washington in the United States.”

I don’t have much recollection about today. More meals, more staring at the distant land shrouded in mist, more attempts at whale spotting from our balcony. We were happy with our own company. There was a spectacular sunset.

Sunday 8 September – Victoria, Vancouver Island, Canada

We had got a bit of a shock in the evening when our Daily Programme said “Nestled on the southern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia’s capital city Victoria, is an intoxicating blend of historic streets and Victorian architecture…”. It was the time of arrival that was a shock. We assumed it would dock around 7am and I had reserved a rental car for 8.30am to 5pm. We discovered that we wouldn’t be arriving until 1.30pm and leaving at 8pm. I had to call the car rental company and tell them that we would not get to the office until 2pm. They told me they would be closed by 6pm.

Fortunately, one of the cruise ship buses dropped us in town, two blocks from the car rental office and we had the car by 2pm with only four hours to use it. Better late than never. Our top sight to see were the Butchart Gardens. Traffic was heavier than I expected and there were no obvious traffic signs, but I followed my nose and we took the correct turn off.

The celebrated Butchart Gardens, 23km north in Brentwood Bay, were started in 1904 by Jennie Butchart, wife of an owner of a mine and cement factory. Her initial aim was to landscape one of her husband’s limestone quarries. 125 years later, the garden is now an impressive 55 acres that include Rose, Sunken, Japanese, Italian and Mediterranean gardens and numerous decorative cameos and fountains. There are over a million plants now and seven hundred different species. The gardens were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2004 for its one hundredth birthday. My parents had visited it back in the 1990s and felt that it was the best gardens that they had ever seen. We spent over two hours here and were gobsmacked by the volumes of all the flowers which has been planted to contrast the colours. Looking over one of the sunken gardens with an array of trees and colourful flower beds confirmed that we had been right to make this the place to see in Victoria. I must have taken 75 photos of the displays.

Back in town, much of Victoria’s waterfront has an undeniably quaint and English feel and Victoria has more British born residents than anywhere in Canada, The Parliament Buildings are, the Rough Guide said “an imposing Victorian pile in the manner of a large and particularly grand British town hall”. The domed building is framed by the sea and well-kept gardens with a statue of Queen Victoria, a giant sequoia tree and tall totem. It was designed by a 25 year old architect called Francis Rattenbury and completed in 1898. It looked very imposing. Outside, a troop of girls from the Philippines were lining up with colourful flags to have their photos taken to publicise something. Next to the Parliament Building was the ivy cloaked Empress Hotel also designed by Rattenbury.

We also took in some of Beacon Hill Park which is the city’s biggest green space. It had the ‘Mile Zero’ marker of the Trans-Canada highway, a huge watering can and a statue of Terry Fox, the lamented cancer victim who tried to jog across Canada with an artificial leg in 1981 but died en route. We had seen a similar statue in Ottawa.

We had to pack our suitcases in the evening and leave them outside the door by 11pm to be collected. They would be taken aboard for us to pick up. I also had to collect our travel iron from the Pursers Office.

Monday 9 September – Vancouver

A final breakfast and goodbye to our ‘cabin boy’, we lined up to depart the boat in waves according to our suitcase baggage label. This took about half an hour but once ashore, we found our suitcases. We had been told that we would be taken by bus to the Hilton Airport Hotel where we would wait for a few hours before being taken to the airport for our return flight. The trouble was, there were no signs to our buses. I found a porter who took us to the correct one, while other passengers dashed around like headless chickens.

When we finally got to the hotel (passing more traffic jams coming into the city), I had arranged to meet my old school mate Karl who had been living in Vancouver for 18 years and was recently retired. He took us to the ‘Cactus Club’ restaurant for lunch and a catch up. I hadn’t seen him for five years. We will catch up again when we return next year.

That was the trip. A lot of highlights, one disappointment and so-so weather which explains why the cruise prices are lower at this time of year. We had really enjoyed Alaska – it’s scenery, wildlife and friendliness of the locals. It seemed to be populated with people who had come to Alaska from all over the USA and decided to stay. It still had that frontier feel about it and I’d like to go back and explore it further. As said before, our only grumble was that after our Caribbean cruise and the 12 hours ashore for most islands, we found the ashore times far too short on this cruise. There were also too many cruise ships stopping at each port, but I understand that this was the end of the ‘season’ and they were just trying to get in as many as possible before they shut up for the winter.