The above photo was taken of a totem pole in a garden area called "Whale Park" in Ketchikan.

"It's not like Alaska isn't wilderness - it mostly is. But most Alaskans don't live in the wild. They live on the edge of the wild in towns with schools and cable TV and stores and dentists and roller rinks sometimes. It's just like anyplace else, only with mountains and moose."

~ Tom Bodett

I did love the "representatives" Holland America had waiting for us as we left the ship in the ports:

 During my seven day cruise from Vancouver to Alaska and back, we stopped at three ports.  The first one was in Juneau where I took a helicopter to the Mendenhall glacier  where I went dogsledding.  Here is a post I wrote about this fantastic and fun experience here: 

Dog Sledding in June on the Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska

Although this excursion did not last a long time I found it tiring so didn't get to see much of the town of Juneau.  I did take some photos from the upper deck of the cruise ship. 

Our second stop was in Skagway.  The tour I had scheduled that day was to visit some gardens.  That sure was canceled due to a lack of people signing up.  This turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me.  I had gotten a piece of ice in my eye while dogsledding and wasn't quite a bit of pain so I did not get off the ship in Skagway.  I thought Skagway looked very similar to Juneau.  I didn't feel well enough to get off the ship which was disappointing, but I was able to get a few photos from the upper deck of the ship.  

I sat here on the ship for a while just relaxing.  Ms Zaandam is a recently renovated and pretty ship:

When we got to Ketchikan, two days later, I felt fine to get off the ship and explore the town which I thought was very pretty.  It reminded me a lot of Park City Utah as did Juneau and Skagway.  I'm going to be very honest about my thoughts of the seven-day cruise that I went on which may be very different then the ones other people have chosen.  I would like to explore Alaska and or northern Canada sometime in the future, but in a very different way.  I felt the parts of Alaska I saw were very commercialized.  It's not a bad place to visit and I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it or have a good time, but in the future I want to visit places that are more off the beaten path such as Greenland.  I love Park City, Utah and I feel that city is more authentic than the ports we visited in Alaska which, to me, are basically just built up or man made for the cruise ship's passengers to enjoy.  That's just my two cents and based on nothing more than my own thoughts. I've never said that I'm not opinionated, but advice from Michelle is always free :)!

Here are some photos of Ketchikan which was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit that day.

They even have trolleys like Park City:

Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.   I hope you all have a wonderful week.   Take care everyone.

~Michelle   

"To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world."

~John Muir

(OK we all know Alaska is a state not a country, but it may have been when this quote was written)

Visiting the Tracy Arm Passage was definitely one of the highlights of my cruise to Alaska. Tracy Arm is a Fjord located only about 45 miles from Juneau.  Our ship was only there for about six hours, but it was incredibly beautiful.  There was a chance that we might not be able to get into this area because ice chunks are often blocking the entrance for the ship to get in.  It was pretty cold in this area compared to some of the ports we stopped at so I was very grateful for the server passing out pea soup to those who wanted it on deck.  On this day I saw more people out on deck looking at the beautiful scenery and taking photos than any other on this seven day cruise.  One thing I would definitely recommend to people who like to visit this type of environment is not to visit Antarctica first like I did.  Antarctica was probably one of  my favorite trips so far and Alaska, at least this particular cruise that I chose, just did not compare. The fact is you're just not going that far north on some of these cruises, so you're not going to see some of the scenery such as this Antarctica scene:   Back to Tracy Arm Fjord in Alaska!

Lot's of people out on the deck despite it being fairly cold:
  Server passing out yummy pea soup!

If you are lucky, you might see bears, deer, wolves, seals, and even mountain goats.  Perhaps I wasn't vigilant enough or just not lucky, but I don't remember even seeing a bird of any sort.

 Yes, this ice chunk was really this blue!

  I will leave you with a photo of me trying to stay warm and wearing sunglasses becaause I got a chunk of snow in my eye while dog sledding :(

  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.  Take care my friends!

~ Michelle

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.” ~ Jeff Valdez

 I decided I wanted to go on a helicopter ride and see the beautiful Mendenhall Glacier while in Alaska. I also wanted to go dog sledding although this kind of goes against my belief that animals should not be used as entertainment for humans.  I did, however, want to meet the dogs and see what their lives were like.  It turns out I had a wonderful time and the dogs seemed very happy.  They were so friendly they almost reminded me of how my cats are so cuddly.   They  loved attention from people and the man in charge of the pack talked about them like they were his children.  We were taken on a scenic and FUN dogsled ride.  I asked a question regarding what happens to them when they are no longer able to pull a sled. The guide said they went to a home in Wyoming. which is the same place they go when the season finishes in September.  Each day while in Wyoming, they go on a 15 mile run every morning and night.  These dogs definitely get their exercise and we all know the dogs love to go for walks and runs!

The helicopter ride was absolutely amazing I wish my photos reflected how beautiful the scenery was but it is difficult to take photos from a helicopter especially from the front seats I learned while in Hawaii is sitting in the back is a better place to take pictures.  It's okay because the experience is enough photos are a big plus but the experience in itself was so worth it!

I do believe that the Iditarod  should be stopped.  Unfortunately some dogs die!  Here are some articles written by people who witnessed this race or horrific tragedy. 

http://helpsleddogs.org/the-harsh-reality/articles-and-interviews-about-the-iditarod/

I'm glad that I went on this shore excursion.   I don't think I would do it again although the dogs seem very happy and healthy.  I just can't avoid my thoughts that animals are not to be used for human entertainment.   Overall I was glad to see how happy the dogs seem.  It made me sad to think about our dog who was adopted as a stray around five years old he had been abandoned and abused we found him running around in traffic.   He has separation anxiety disorder because of everything he went through as a young dog.  He's 14 now, but his life was pretty tough in the beginning.  These dogs were definitely leading a charmed life compared to our Shadow.

 Thelma and I:

 Thelma and Louise:

Play time :)

They truly did love attention and being touched!

4 day old puppies with their mother:Our helicopter:

Aerial view of the Mendenhall Glacier from the helicopter:


Where the crew sleep:

I thought they were beautiful and I am definitely more of a cat person!

Dog Camp:

I will leave you with a photo taken of our "team".  I was obviously having a blast!

What are your thoughts on whether or not dog sledding and or the Iditarod humane and or ethical?

Thanks so much for visiting.  I'll be posting more about my cruise to Alaska once I recover from jetlag - again.  Take care my friends

~ Michelle