Home from Alaska

We just got home this morning from our 7-day Alaska cruise on Princess, my last hurrah with my recent employer. It was really fun to see "the season" in action from the passenger's viewpoint and not be responsible for anything...I used to work in HR.

Our itinerary highlights:

• We visited Ketchikan, where we kayaked around the Tatoosh Islands, and enjoyed a stroll around town, especially the infamous Creek Street. Try the chowder at Annabelle's.
• We then sailed through Tracy Arm and saw icebergs and chunks of ice floating in the water and that amazing blue reflected in the glacier itself.
• That same day we docked in Juneau for the afternoon and did a wonderful tour called Glacier Bike and Brew where we biked through the Univ. of SE Alaska campus, near Mendenhall Glacier, finishing with some tasty brews at the Alaskan Brewery.
• Our last Alaska port of call was Skagway, a town of about 800 people, where we got up early and had breakfast at the Sweet Tooth Cafe and then hiked to Sturgill's Landing. No visit to Skagway is complete without a drink at the Red Onion Saloon so we took care of that.
• Last night we stopped in Victoria, BC for the evening and had a lovely Indian meal at SpiceJammer. We stopped in Roger's Chocolates, the Empress Hotel and marveled at the beauty of the lit up Parliament Building.

What's ironic to me about this trip is that I always thought that I would take this cruise when I was 60+ doing it towards the end of my active travel days, but I found that I'm so glad I did it now. It was a beautiful journey surrounded by mountains, water, wildlife (whales, eagles, ravens, mink, etc.) and the weather could not have been better for early May.

Wondering where to visit or work next in the world? I've got a suggestion: ALASKA. You won't regret it.