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Alaska Cruise 2017
We left Vancouver on Saturday morning, Sept. 2 for a 7-day cruise of the Alaskan Inside Passage. Our itinerary on the Holland America cruise ship Nieuw Amsterdam took us north through the Inner Passage of British Columbia to Juneau, Alaska, then north to Skagway, south to Glacier Bay and Ketchikan, returning to Vancouver on Saturday, Sept. 9. The Air Canada flight left Vancouver at 8 pm and after retrieving our car at the Park, Shuttle, Fly lot at 3405 Harbor Drive, we were back home at midnight.
Day 1 - September 2 - Vancouver, B. C.
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Flying over Mt. St. Helens on Air Canada from San Diego to Vancouver
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Waiting with 2200 other passengers checking into the Nieuw Amsterdam at Vancouver
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Ship sailing from the Vancouver passenger terminal
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Leaving Vancouver
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Carol toasts "Bon Voyage!"
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Sunset Sept. 2 entering the Inside Passage
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Day 2 - September 3 - Cruising the Inside Passage
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Inside Passage
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Inside Passage
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Inside Passage
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Crow's Nest in the Observation deck.
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Observation deck.
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A different towel sculpture each night.
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Day 3 - September 4 - Juneau
It was a cloudy day with some light rain when arriving at Juneau. We decided to take the half-day Grand Tour of Juneau that included a bus ride to the Macauley Salmon Hatchery, Glacier Gardens and the Mendenhall Glacier Park.
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Salmon Hatchery
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Salmon Hatchery
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Salmon Hatchery
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Salmon Hatchery
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Salmon Hatchery
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Salmon Hatchery
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Glacier Gardens
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Glacier Gardens
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Glacier Gardens
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Mendenhall Glacier
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Mendenhall Glacier
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Mendenhall Glacier
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Mendenhall Glacier
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Mendenhall Glacier
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Waterfall next to Mendenhall Glacier
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Day 4 - September 5 - Skagway
It was a sunny day with a few clouds when we arrived at Skagway at 7 am. We walked around town in the morning, then took the White Pass Summit railroad tour in the afternoon.
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Cruise ship at end of Skagway's main street.
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Dance Hall girls from the "Days of '98" show in the windows of Eagle Hall.
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Arctic Brotherhood Hall with front wall of driftwood.
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White Pass & Yukon railroad, "Gateway to the Yukon"
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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White Pass & Yukon railroad
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Original miners' trail before railroad built.
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Canada border at White Pass Summit.
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White Pass Summit.
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Rotary snow plow.
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Pullen Creek.
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Salmon in Pullen Creek.
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Pullen Creek
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Skagway Centennial Statue dedicated 1997.
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Skagway sunset.
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Day 5 - September 6 - Glacier Bay
It was a cold and cloudy day when we sailed south from Skagway around Gustavus and entered Glacier Bay. We passed several glaciers in the morning before halting for an hour at the Margerie Glacier that was active and calving.
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Glacier Bay
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Glacier Bay
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Glacier Bay
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Glacier Bay
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Marble Mountain
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Glacier Bay
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Glacier Bay
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Reid Glacier
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Brady Icefield
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Glacier Bay
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Johns Hopkins Glacier
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Margerie Glacier
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It's a tradition on Holland America to serve Dutch Pea Soup on deck while in Glacier Bay.
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Margerie Glacier
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Margerie Glacier
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Day 6 - September 7 - Ketchikan
It was a sunny day with some clouds when we sailed through the Inside Passage from Glacier Bay to Ketchikan. In the morning we walked around town and visited Creek Street and the Tongass Museum. In the afternoon we took the Ketchikan Cultural Discovery tour that included a bus ride around town, stopping at the Totem Heritage Center and Potlatch Park.
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Ketchikan
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Ketchikan
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Ketchikan
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Ketchikan
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Ketchikan
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Ketchikan
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Ketchikan
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Who would have thought you'd find a store called Chula's Place in Alaska. Carol wondered if it might be owned by transplanted Chula Vistans, but it turned out that the store was just named for the owner's dog, called Chula because she was a pretty girl.
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Creek Street.
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Creek Street.
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Creek Street.
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Ketchikan Creek.
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Tongass Historical Museum.
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Tongass Historical Museum.
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Tongass Historical Museum.
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Totem Heritage Center.
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Totem Heritage Center.
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Totem Heritage Center.
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Totem Heritage Center.
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Totem Heritage Center.
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Totem Heritage Center.
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Chief Johnson Totem Pole.
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Totem Heritage Center.
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Totem Heritage Center.
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Potlatch Park.
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Tlingit Village in Potlatch Park.
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Tlingit Village in Potlatch Park.
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Tlingit Village in Potlatch Park.
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Tlingit Village in Potlatch Park.
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Totem carving in Potlatch Park.
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Potlatch Park.
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Leaving Ketchikan harbor.
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Ketchikan sunset.
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Day 7 - September 8 - Day at Sea
It was a sunny day with some clouds when we sailed from Ketchikan through the Inside Passage south toward Vancouver.
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Inside Passage sunrise.
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Tongass National Forest is the largest in the United States.
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Inside Passage
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Inside Passage
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These are just a few of the Pacific white-sided dolphins that were swimming outside our balcony on our last day at sea. There were literally dozens of them frolicking in the ship's wake.
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Inside Passage
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Inside Passage
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Inside Passage
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Inside Passage
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Day 8 - September 9 - Vancouver
It was a cloudy day with showers when we arrived at 7 am in Vancouver. We took a tour of the city on the Hop On Hop Off tour bus, then took the subway to the Vancouver airport for our 8 pm flight home.
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Vancouver
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Vancouver
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Vancouver's steam clock.
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Vancouver SkyTrain to YVR airport
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Vancouver airport.
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Totems in Chester Johnson Park at Vancouver airport.
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