Molly Goes North: Part 7 (Juneau)

(Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6)

Friday, August 25

The ship docked in Juneau around 6:45am that morning, and Heather was out of the room by 7 to meet her excursion, a Whale Watching tour through Harv & Marv's. 

Whale watching wasn't particularly high on my Alaska wish list. I preferred to do something involving glaciers or bears. In the end, glaciers won. DCL's photos of the Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure sold me. (There was a similar excursion via kayak, but I thought it would be best to have some support paddlers on my team, as I hadn't paddled anything in years.)

I woke up around 8 and had breakfast in the room. I had a few "leftover" snacks and desserts I'd gleaned from Cabana's the previous day and kept in the room fridge.

My excursion met at Azure at 8:45. I got there a few minutes early, but a CM there told me I needed picture I.D. This is standard practice, but I'd totally forgotten it, so I had to run back to the room (on the other end of the ship) and then back. I'd gotten a "Donald" sticker, and as soon as I got back with my I.D. they were calling the Donalds. They led us off the ship and onto a blue bus.

Molly Goes North: Part 6 (Skagway)

(Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5)

Thursday, August 24

Today the ship would be docking in Skagway, Alaska. Months before the cruise, Heather and I had settled on an excursion that would allow us to see Skagway and the surrounding area in an interesting way. More on that in a bit.

We woke up about 9:15 and the ship had already docked. We had breakfast at Cabanas. Our excursion didn't meet until noon, but we headed out about 10:45 to take a walk around the town.

Molly Goes North: Part 5 (Endicott Arm)

(Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

Wednesday, August 23

Today was "Tracy Arm Day," according to the daily Navigator. However, only a handful of cruises in the past two years have actually been able to go down Tracy Arm, due to ice and whatnot. Most cruise ships now tour nearby Endicott Arm instead. From what I've read, because of changing conditions, Endicott is actually more scenic than Tracy at the moment. So I was happy when, on Wednesday morning, the captain announced we'd be sailing down Endicott Arm that afternoon. (Actually, we missed the announcement and had to ask a random passenger for the info., but still.)

So Endicott Arm later. But first? Disney Trivia!!

Molly Goes North: Part 4 (First Sea Day)

(Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

Tuesday, August 22

It was our first morning on board, and our first full day at sea. Before the cruise, I'd signed us up to attend the Character Breakfast this morning. This event is only offered a few times on these cruises. On this sailing, you could do it day 2, 3, or 6. Day 6 was already full, day 3 we'd be doing Palo brunch, and so... day 2 for the win!

Molly Goes North: Part 3 (Embarkment!)

(Previously: Part 1, Part 2)

Monday, August 21 (continued)

Finally, it was the moment I'd been looking forward to for months! Any minute now, I would be stepping aboard the Disney Wonder!

Molly Goes North: Part 2 (Day 3 & Day 4 - Morning)

(Previously: Part 1)

Sunday, August 20

Today was the day my friend Heather would be joining me in Vancouver! She flew in and took public transportation to the hotel's neighborhood, and I met her at the bus stop.

Heather wanted to do something semi-relaxing and low-key that afternoon, so it was decided we'd take a walk. And since Stanley Park is right there...

We started walking toward Beaver Lake. (See this map if you want to get oriented with the layout of the park. I had been given a paper map by the folks at the bicycle shop the day before). We had only been walking about 10-15 minutes when we came across...

Molly Goes North: Part 1 (Days 1 & 2)

I recently returned from a 10-night trip to Vancouver, B.C. and SE Alaska. While I had been to British Columbia a few times, I'd never been to Alaska. I'm happy to report that the trip met and/or exceeded all my expectations! Everything was gorgeous, I had a great time, and now I must blog.

In preparation for the trip, I read many trip reports about cruises to Alaska. I decided the thing I wanted to see most on my trip was glaciers. And maybe bears. But mostly glaciers, since we can't see those here in Oregon. My friend Heather, who had agreed to go on the cruise with me, was looking forward to seeing whales and other sea creatures.

I wanted to spend a few days in Vancouver before the cruise, so I decided to take Amtrak (train/bus) up on August 18th. Heather opted to fly in on the 20th. 

So for the first few days in Vancouver, it was just me....

A Second Victorian Child's Scrapbook

A few weeks ago I posted photos from a Victorian-era scrapbook that once belonged to my great-grandfather, put together when he was 10 or 11. We found it while cleaning out my grandma's basement.

Today I have the second of the scrapbooks we found. It looks like it's from around the same time. This one is deteriorating a bit, which is why it's lying on a garbage sack in most of the pictures below. Don't worry, though, it's not going into the trash. Never! It's pure vintage goodness, and I hope you enjoy looking at these pages as much as I have.