Well here we are on the last full day of the ship.  Surprisingly we didn’t dock in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada until about 1pm.  This time I was the one feeling “puny” a bit and so after breakfast I just laid in bed.  (Gotta relax a little!) 
 
2:30 pm we walk off the ship and sail through “customs” into Canada to catch the horse drawn carriage.  Yep – we scheduled a little horsie ride around Victoria.  Damn – it’s cold.  AGAIN.  Overcast, pretty breezy and almost a tad bit of rain.  Fortunately, the brilliant carriage driver had blankets in the carriage and it did have a roof for cover. 
 
It was just about an hour and a half ride around downtown. It was pretty amazing checking out all the buildings and homes as well as hearing about the history of Victoria.  The prominent Parliament building looked regal – even on a dreary day.  Plenty of beautiful flowers and lush greenery everywhere. 
 
It was great to see it all but I was glad to get back to the cabin on our ship to warm up.  Now, to pack our suitcases to put out into the hall.  The ship stewards stow all the bags to be delivered off the ship on the final morning.  Make sure you have your overnight stuff and change of clothes for the morning!
 
Our “last supper” was at the Four Seasons again.  The show for the final night was the “Divas” where various gals from the ship bands and cast sang awesome songs.  Or so mom said.  I didn’t make it – still feeling not quite up to par. 
 
Back in Seattle on Wednesday morning, June 21st.  We docked at 6:00 am.  I am feeling good as new after a great night’s sleep.
 
Our last breakfast was wonderful at the buffet.  The hand “washie-washie” folks were in full on happy mode this morning.  I’m wondering if this was the day they finally got a break off the ship for some relaxation of their own.
 
After breakfast we finished gathering up our stuff in the cabin waiting for our turn to disembark.  The view from the balcony of Seattle was ominous with the fog.  But as the day wore on, the fog burned off and it wasn’t bad weather.
 
The adventure of getting from the dock was a blessing.  We had “planned” to take an Uber.  After we collected our luggage, I started a hike down the street to see about finding their designated stopping area.
 
When I returned to Mom, there was an airport van right on the curb.  Mom suggested I see if they’d give us a lift.  Well, isn’t Mom the smartest??  The girl coordinating for the driver asked where our hotel was and said “Sure!”  They’d swing by there after the airport.  Perfect.
 
Of course leaving the ship at 8:30 am and getting to the hotel (Quality Inn Sea-Tac) by 10:00 am or so gave us some quality time in the lobby.  I must say, those girls behind the front desk were super sweet and helpful.  They got us into our room by about 1:00 pm which was a nice surprise!  (no extra charge, either)  They then directed us to The Silver Dollar Casino across the street and up half a block for lunch.
 
If you ever need to spend a night in Seattle, I recommend this hotel as well as the casino for a meal.  The hotel was cheapest I could find near the airport with very good service.  And the food at the casino was great.  Plus there was a 7-11 not ½ a block on the other side of the hotel with wine and beer. 
 
Peaceful afternoon relaxing getting ready to fly away early back to Montrose.  Night – not quite as peaceful.  We discovered the next morning at breakfast there were some convention guests.  Mexican convention guests.  They enjoy their fiestas.  Into the wee hours of the morning…
 
Finally heading back to the airport bright and early.  Good thing we actually were early!  Due to construction, we probably would have had a shorter walk from the hotel.  (yes, eyeroll time)  After finally getting to the gate, we had a successful flight from Seattle to Denver.  Of course Denver didn’t get the wheelchair there for Mom.  We finagled it again and got to the gate.
 
On board the plane to Montrose, the pilot announced that due to some “storms” over the Rockies, we needed to re-route our flight.  My first thought was “And just where are you re-routing us to?  Topeka????”  FYI - The Rockies do run over the entire middle of Colorado.  Nope, just more south than direct across the mountains.  But that means we need more gas.  (Huh - maybe plan for this shit?)  SO we waited for additional fuel and were on our way.
 
I must say, I am glad they re-routed our flight.  It was some of the worst turbulence we have ever had on a plane.  Landed safe and sound to get our luggage and head to Mom’s house. 
 
What a TRIP!  I am SOOOO GRATEFUL we were able to do this for mom’s 75th.  Thanks for joining us on the journey.
 
Stay tuned for future adventures!

Monday, June 19th, was a full day at sea again, cruising back south along the Canadian coastline.  The fog horn began to blow about 3:15am (according to mom) but I didn’t hear it till a couple hours later when I woke up.  I am blessed with a gift of good sleep, thankfully, and thus even a fog horn doesn’t disturb me.  Mom hates my alarm because it is the sound of a warning alarm buzzer like you hear when something is going to self destruct in 10 seconds.  Ah, but I digress.
 
It’s another rock and roll day at sea, so the stairwell banister barf bags are firmly in place throughout the ship.  Mom’s feelin’ it a little bit, so she heads to lie down and rest while I go on the ‘seaweed adventure.’
 
Today, I get my second massage at the spa.  I went with the seaweed wrap massage.  Completely new experience for me and I don’t know if I will run right out and get one again…  Definitely not bad but …. kinda weird, I guess.
 
I walked into the massage room and the table was covered with a giant, space age looking, silver cellophane sheet which went all the way to the floor.  OK.  The girl (same one as before) instructed me to strip and put on the “disposable” panties and bra.  (think crepe paper with elastic in the right places-ish)  I lay face down with my hair up and she proceeds to swipe avocado colored green goo allllll over.  Flip – now the front.
 
Sufficiently coated in goo, she begins to wrap me in the silver cellophane prison.  The goo needs some time to suck out all the toxins so she’ll be back in 10 minutes.  Now – as the years have come, so has the teensiest bit of claustrophobia.  With my hands basically “fast” (ie stuck) I started thinking I might just be getting ready to throw and ever-lovin-shit-fit!  “NO NO NO, Tor breathe.  In through the nose, out through the mouth.”  And thank God in heaven, it worked and I did not throw the shit-fit.
 
Time elapsed (I think it took about 100 minutes, not 10) she comes and unwraps my burrito cover and I get to shower off the goo.  Good lord – that stuff was EVERYWHERE and it takes a good bit of effort.  And even after I was out of the shower and drying, I was finding spots I had missed…. (eyeroll)  Now for the massage – lovely again and off I go to the cabin for a real shower.  (I think this gal had figured out I wasn’t going to buy the zillion dollar, life changing products and really didn’t push it this time.)
 
Pretty relaxing day – mom and I went to the presentation with ship’s officers for a Q & A session.  Very interesting.  First they spoke about themselves and where they were each from, experience and how long on this ship.  They then spoke about the future of Norwegian and ships and what they plan to offer. Then a good Q & A from the audience.  Very genuine guys and interesting info.
 
Mom and I got all fancied up for dinner and had our professional photo taken in the atrium on the beautiful staircase.  Dinner at the Four Seasons dining room was yet again – amazing.
 
The show for the evening was very cool.  They did music and dancing from different countries around the world including authentic costumes.  Wow – such a talented cast!!  After that, the cruise staff and officers all came in the theater and we gave them a standing ovation in appreciation.  The staff then lined the exits and applauded us cruisers as we exited.  Shook hands and said thank you.  I must say, all cruise staffers from wait staff to shop attendants to cabin stewards and anyone you talked to that worked on the ship were AWESOME.  Service oriented and happy to help. 
 
Just one day left – tomorrow we go “international.”

If you click the photos, you can see full size and read the caption.

 
Not sure I have mentioned it but my dad always dreamed of going to Alaska someday …  Sadly, for us here on earth, Dad had to go up to heaven to be happy and whole again - almost seven years ago now.  So one of the things we decided when this cruise was booked was that we would bring some of Dad with us (ashes).  So today on Father’s Day we honored him.
 
Dad would absolutely LOVE the buffet with all the amazing options available. (All you can eat certainly helps the cause in Dad’s eyes.)  We tried to do you proud this morning, Dad!
 
Happy and full we head to the shuttle that will whisk us up to Mendenhall Glacier.  It is located just about 10 miles or so from the dock and it is a beautiful ride.  Our shuttle driver was a nice kid (don’t I sound OLD) who had a brother that lives in Ouray.  WOW – here’s that small world thing again. 
 
Along the way, he pointed out several interesting spots and made sure that we saw the bald eagles flying all over the place.  They nest in and around Juneau and southeast Alaska.  Pretty special to see them joining us on Father’s Day for Dad.
 
Mendenhall Glacier is quite majestic.  It is a beautiful spot and the glacier appears to be a frozen ice river flowing into Mendenhall Lake below.  The Mendenhall Valley is gorgeous with green everywhere and pretty flowers dotting the green.  A waterfall, Nugget Falls, can be heard, and seen from the right vantage points.
 
We popped into the visitors center and decided to relax and watch the short video about the ice field and Mendenhall Glacier with some history.  It was pretty amazing.
 
I let mom poke around the gift shop and I took out to find a spot for Dad’s ashes.  This park is very nice with paved trails roaming all around so it is easy walking.  I ventured down toward the lake bank and found just the right place.  After grabbing mom, we went to the spot and she agreed:  lake view, glacier view and the sound of Nugget Falls made for a beautiful, restful spot for some of Dad to remain here.
 
Back on the bus we head into Juneau for the tram.  The Juneau Tram aka Goldbelt Tram aka Mount Roberts Tram took us up to the top of Mount Roberts overlooking Juneau.  A beautiful ride up 1800’ – one of the most vertical trams in the world.
 
The top offers The Mountain House with a restaurant, gift shop and theatre with a Native American gentleman (in his 70s) talking about the history of the area and the Tlingit people.  He was very soft spoken so, hard to hear sometimes but interesting info.  He spoke before they showed the film, “Seeing Daylight.”
 
After the theater, Mom checked out the gift shop offerings and I headed out to search our second spot for Dad.  It was beautiful up there with gorgeous trees and wildflowers again as well as some interesting totem poles and an eagle’s nest.  I found the perfect spot right next to a totem pole overlooking the valley including the town and water.  Amazing view and the totem can watch over Dad’s ashes.
 
Ready to head down the hill, we stood in line for the tram back and got to watch some Indian dancing.  On TV, but still – pretty cool watching the beautiful dress with even the little ones getting into it.
 
Right at the bottom of the tram is Tracy’s King Crab Shack.  “Tracy gave me crabs.”  That’s what the t-shirt says and gosh dang it – it was true.  Well, I got the crab bisque over rice with crab cakes and mom got the crab cakes but it was crab.  And it was delish!  Dad LOVED crab.
 
After a great day honoring Dad on land, we had to wrap it up with dinner on the ship.  We went to our third (and final) “fancy” restaurant – Moderno, the Brazilian steakhouse.  Since my cousin asked, I will clarify, NO, Dad was not part Brazilian.  He LOVED steak!  Actually Dad was a big fan of food in general but he had some favorites.  (Maybe that’s where I get my foodie fanaticism from….?)
 
Moderno is cool!  You get a GIANT salad bar and then they bring around spits of meat and you get “cuts” off as you like.  They had a few different cuts of beef along with lamb, chicken and pork to choose from.
 
We were not terribly hungry to start with and then the salad bar was indulgent and we ate too much of that.  So when the meats started coming, we did our best but, didn’t get too much.  You are given a card (coaster like thing) with a green side and red side.  Green = more, more, more.  If you’re full then red it is. 
 
Of course, Dad LOVED dessert so we just had to…  And tonight was the night I told them to bring Mom’s birthday surprise – a birthday cake.  They sang happy birthday too!  Fortunately they did allow us to box up and bring the birthday cake back to the cabin with us.  We were stuffed!!!
 
So happy heavenly Father’s Day, Dad.  I know you enjoyed your day with us!

If you click on the photos you can see full size and read the captions.

Skagway today!  Bright and early (as is the norm) and great breakfast.  Now, off we go to our excursion and checking out the town.  This stop totally reminded me of Silverton (Colorado). 
 
Our first adventure had us boarding the train with the White Pass Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad.  We are bound all the way to the top of White Pass to see the route that the gold miners took their supplies and made their way to the gold fields of the Yukon.  The train picked us up right at the dock and off we go – through town and starting the ascent up.
 
Since the “Inside Passage” is a rain forest, the flora and fauna are abundant.  The trees and bushes were all green and leafy with wild flowers dotting the landscape throughout.  All along the track were waterfalls and off the side you can see the river as in continues to “shrink” the higher we get. 
 
We got to pass the old wooden bridge and see how they constructed it back in the late 1800’s.  Some of the curves are so tight that you can see the train in front of you from where you’re sitting on it.  Riding all the way into Canada (see the picture with the flags which denote the border crossing) we never stopped so we didn’t have to show the passport.  A loop at the top rerouted us back to town.
 
Back off the mountain, we meandered around a couple of the shops but decided it was time for lunch.  The Red Onion Saloon (aka the local brothel) was calling to us….  It was a fun, old-time-feel spot with some cool memorabilia on the walls.  Of course – not to be missed – the tour with the madam herself.  So here you go boys, just $10 to enter the brothel.  Have fun!
 
Mom and I decided the “personal” pizza would be great for lunch.  She ordered her flavor and I ordered mine.  Oh good LORD.  Apparently “personal” in Alaska is defined as a 12” pizza.  You’ve been warned.  Great pizza and we didn’t leave hungry.
 
Finished up with lunch it was time for a couple more shops and the shuttle back to the ship.  Really nice folks ran the shuttles.  We hopped on the first and driver gal explained we were on the wrong one – but hey, no worries, she took us right where we needed to pick up the right one.  At no charge, might I add, even though a shuttle ride costs $3.00.
 
Back in the warmth of our cabin, time to get ready for the second of our “fancy” dinners.  Tonight:  Teppanyaki.  This is a Japanese style hibachi restaurant.  Dinner and a show!
 
The chefs were, as expected, entertaining as well as great chefs.  Soup, fried rice, vegetable sashimi, chicken and shrimp along with a slice of green tea cake with a ginger ice cream (if I remember correctly) for dessert.  For entertainment, we were serenaded with various hits from the 70’s and 80’s – which most of us were singing along with.  There was even the interactive hit “We Will Rock You” where we all participated.  Fun night full of smiles and laughter.
 
If you click on the photos, you can read the captions.