Knowing the drive wasn't too terribly long today, we let ourselves sleep in a bit, still recovering from our busy month. Still managed to get out by 10:00 or so, for an uneventful drive to the Olympic National Forest, with one stop to dump at a rest area on I-5. Had no trouble finding where the horse camp was, and most of the road was tarmac except for a short section of gravel, until we crossed the second bridge where it not only went to gravel, it became a serious, winding grade, so much so I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to make it up. I let Hubby go up first to confirm that, indeed, that was where the horse camp was, and to find the best spot for us, while I waited down below for his report. Meanwhile, four horse rigs came down the road, and one woman stopped and chatted with me, warning me about closed trails and how to get around them. Eventually, Hubby called the all clear and I headed up, though unfortunately, another rig came down at the same time, and the road was narrow enough where I felt compelled to slow down a bit, and then I really was afraid I was going to get in trouble, so I kept going. The other rig stopped for me, thank goodness, and I managed to spin my way up the hill to the top. I turned in where Hubby told me, and wound my way through some pretty narrow twists until I came to the site he had picked, which was probably the biggest one, but still quite small and narrow for a rig our size. We were barely able to get both vehicles in the pull-through site, and only by pushing ourselves into bushes that made getting around and between the vehicles almost impossible. Nevertheless, we managed to get set up, and get the horses out on a cable highline that was already in place. While it made it easier for us, it's not really the way we like to tie them, as they can't run back and forth up their line on their pulleys, the way we do. In any event, they were very quiet all evening, and apparently quite happy, at least, once I got them some water. Water became the challenge. We didn't find any water at the campground (despite a couple of websites telling me it was there), but I had been told by the office that they had water in the Brown campground back down the hill. So I got out the water barrels, and on a hunch, the sump pump, and drove the horse trailer down to the campground looking for water. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered the only water was a hand pump!! Yuck! There was no way I was going to pump 100+ gallons of water with a hand pump, so instead, I found a campsite near the river I could get into, though it was a bit steep, but it got me close enough to be able to put the sump pump in the creek and run power from the generator for an hour, filling the two barrels about half way full, as well as two big buckets and the tank in the horse trailer, before I finally made my way back to camp. Hubby, meanwhile, figuring out that I had run into some challenges, did most of the setup on his own, so by the time I got back there wasn't much else to do, thank goodness. After finally watering the horses, we settled down for the evening, which was wonderfully quiet. Of course, we are in deep woods, so no chance for a satellite dish, so we started watching a bunch of programs that we recorded while we were in Alaska. Started to wind down from all the activity!

Since we didn't have an early flight (or anything early, for that matter), we slept as late as breakfast times would allow, then did our final packing and headed out to hang out by the pool, truly the only day of the cruise where the temps allowed it (though we had seen a few diehard adults in the hot tub and a few kids in the pool occasionally)! We enjoyed the sunshine until it was time to disembark. We claimed out luggage and caught a cab to the Amtrak station, where we learned that yes, they did have a luggage service, but it would be $6 per bag to store for a few hours! We didn't really want to do that, but we couldn't very well carry them around with us all day, and we did want to see a few sites in Vancouver. Finally we checked the bags, then after some struggles, managed to get an all day pass for their Sky train, and rode around on that all day, stopping once in an ethnic oriental area for a decent lunch, but where it was obvious the locals resented us being there. The waitress fairly threw the food on the table, and the only time she was remotely cordial was when she said "good-bye." Not a very pleasant experience, I'm afraid. We rode the Sky train around the entire city and through downtown, before finally heading back to the Amtrak station. The line for the southbound train had already formed, and though we were an hour early, we were way back in the line. Fortunately, someone came by after a while and asked if anyone was in business class, and since we were, we were taken to a much shorter line, thank goodness. We still had to stand a long time, but we finally made it onto the train. Hubby bought a couple of drinks, and we relaxed on the way home. The trip wasn't what I though it would be, it was pretty much along the coast and through towns, with no real views or anything. When we arrived, it was beginning to rain, and our town car was waiting for us. Wasn't sure he would be, but he was, and we had a pleasant trip back to the barn, arriving just as dusk was slipping away. Were I to do it again, I would have found a different way home than the train, only because it was a long wait for a short trip, and our day in Vancouver wasn't very inspiring. We were so exhausted by this point, we barely had the energy to put our bags in the van before greeting the dogs, who, of course, were beside themselves with excitement to see us (once they woke up and realized it), especially Billy, who was yelping and wriggling himself inside out! It was too dark to go check on the horses, so we dragged ourselves into the RV. We immediately noticed one of the paddle fan blades sitting by the door, and discovered it had been broken at the bracket, rather than the wooden blade (which I myself had broken more than once when I pulled in the slides with less care than needed), and that another blade was also missing from the fan. I finally found it behind Hubby's recliner, also broken at the bracket, at a loss to explain it other than someone tried to pull in the slide room while the fan was still running (which it was when we arrived). Nonetheless, we were happy to be home, happy to inhale the thick dog smell that pervaded the place, happy to watch our own TV, happy to be going to bed in our own bed tonight. But what a trip! Lived up to all our expectations and then some! Worth every penny! Check off State #50 for us, and #49 for horseback riding! Yahooooo!

Woke up this morning pulling into Ketchikan, headed down to breakfast at the Four Seasons. We were seated for only a couple of minutes when I heard a child screeching, and when I looked for the source, I discovered the same bratty kid with the same selfish father from the train yesterday only two tables away. Not wanting to spend breakfast annoyed, I asked to be moved, and they sat us at another table further away, thank goodness. We had a good breakfast, then headed out for today's excursion, the Misty Fjords Boat Ride. We loaded onto probably the nicest boat we've been on so far, a quite luxurious double decker catamaran, though much prettier than the whale watching one. We headed out for quite a ways, with a few whale and wildlife spottings before entering the actual Misty Fjord, including passing an island (well, more like an outcropping) that in the mist looked for a ship under full sail, but in fact was a favorite picnic spot for the locals. Once we entered the fjord, it was magical! The day was perfect, with just enough sunshine to see everything, and just enough mist to fully get the sensation of being engulfed in a fog. Absolutely beautiful waterfalls, sheer walls of granite and fabulous striations, beautiful! Again, worth every penny, and this time, no annoying children or bad parents around to spoil it. I went up to the upper deck on many occasions to enjoy a close up view of something spectacular, while Hubby remained warm and dry on the inside, drinking the free hot coffee and cocoa and occasional snack. Finally we headed back to port, fully enjoying the trip. Once we got back, we showered and changed into our best dress outfits (you have to do it at least ONCE on a cruise!) headed out to the French restaurant for another fabulous meal, with a stop at the photographer's station to have some shots taken. We immediately got annoyed with the photographer's insistence on clasping my hands in front of me in a perfectly horrid and unnatural position, which I politely but firmly refused to do, so afterward, we weren't holding out much hope the pix would be very good, if that was the level of amateurishness that they projected. Anyway, the meal was fabulous, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. About 30 minutes into it, I whispered to Hubby if he had noticed there was a young child sitting at the table next to us, and he was shocked to learn it. This lovely girl had been so quiet we didn't even notice she was there, a clear demonstration that it's not the children, it's the parent, that make a good child. Before we left, we thanked the father for raising such a good daughter, and he seemed very pleased to be recognized for that feat, but after seeing the difference, we just had say something! Another quick nightcap and off to bed! Another great day in Alaska!

Another day, another port! We arrived in Juneau, which, although it is the capital of Alaska, it is inaccessible by road! Planes and boats are the only way to get there because of the rough, mountainous terrain directly east. Our shore excursion today began with a short walk from the pier to another dock where a row of small seaplanes were waiting for us. With only one seat on each side of the plane, and only four rows, and because of a stubborn man who got on first and insisted he wanted the seat in the middle, Hubby and I weren't able to sit next to each other. I took the front seat and Hubby behind the guy behind me. We took off across the water and headed out for an hour long flight that took us over 5 different glaciers, several islands, and lots of wilderness. It was fascinating to see the different characteristics of each glacier, and that at least one of the glaciers was actually growing, while others were shrinking. Apparently it depends on the source of the glacier, and what the terrain and weather are in those originating areas. Whenever I have asked locals about global warming and melting glaciers, they all seem rather blasé about it, compared to the environmental fanatics we hear in the media. They're attitude seems to be, the glaciers have been melting at varying rates since the last ice age 10,000 years ago, and will continue to melt however they want, no big deal. I have had several conversations with many native and long-lived Alaskans whose attitude seems to be the folks from the lower 48 should leave them alone to decide what Alaska's future should be, but at the same time, because so many residents are now dependent on government contracts, they have to keep their complaints quiet, so as not to lose those jobs. Sounds pretty typical of a welfare state, it seems to me. In any event, it was a fabulous trip, other than the constant chatter of the 10-year son of the selfish guy behind me who was across from me, and the scenery was, once again, outstanding. We made a safe and careful landing, deplaned at the dock, walked the long plank up to the main dock, and took a little walk around town on our way back to the ship, stopping for a beer at the famous Red Dog Saloon, (where there is a framed pistol apparently checked by Wyatt Earp at the Marshall's office, but never claimed because his boat for Nome left before the Marshall's office opened in the morning), as well as lots of other articles from the turn of the 20th century, including the costume worn by the bartender. We walked along the main street past lots of fur and jewelry stores, very upscale for such a small town, catering once again to the tourists. We got back to the ship and settled into our stateroom once again. The ship shortly left port, and headed out toward another glacier at the end of a narrow, gorgeous fjord where the captain carefully weaved his way to the end of the "tunnel" where the glacier lay. Not quite as impressive as Hubbard glacier, it nevertheless was worth the trip. Finally, we headed for another specialty restaurant, followed by a comedy show in the main theatre before having a nightcap and heading back to bed, a full day, with an early morning facing us tomorrow.

Today we landed at Icy Strait Point, a small town that was formerly a fishing processing town, with an old factory turned into a museum and a lot of quaint shops where the local aboriginal population sold their wares, both tourist-y and authentic. Lots of furs, as this had been a fur trading town as well. Here we joined a shore excursion (well, not exactly a shore excursion, rather another boat ride) on a large double-decker catamaran to go out whale watching. Having never been, we were very excited at the prospect. The seas were (thankfully) calm and almost without ripples, though the boat was designed for maximum smoothness anyway. It wasn't long before we saw wildlife, including a bunch of sea lions crowded on a buoy. Not much further ahead, the boat settled down in a promising area, and we soon saw the telltale signs of whale blow and dorsal fins, and eventually huge tails as they made their big dives. We soon learned the pattern, blow, blow, blow, tail, blow, blow, blow, tail. Once we saw that tail, that would be it for another five to ten minutes before they came up again. In the deeper parts, they can be down as long as 30 or more minutes, but in the shallows of the bay, it wasn't necessary. We saw what seemed like dozens of whale signs, and we very happy about the outcome of the trip. We certainly felt like we had made up a lot for missing the Kenai Fjords tour that was canceled, and we got to see whales! We stopped in a few more places to observe more wildlife and more whales before finally heading back to Icy Strait. Since we still had some time before we were due back on the ship, we took a wander around town, going through the museum, taking some pix with the big wooden bear and generally seeing what was there. Eventually Hubby had enough walking, so he parked himself on a bench while I decided to go on a nature trail I had noticed earlier. More like a dirt sidewalk than a trail, but what can one expect from a town that caters to tourists? It was an old growth forest with some big trees and lots of moss, reminding us again that we were in a temperate rain forest. The trail looped around to the beach where I could see our ship anchored just off shore, as well as to a boardwalk that passed several small private houses that had great waterfront views. Eventually I got back to the dock, met up with Hubby, and jumped the next tender back to the ship, where we enjoyed a nice meal at one of the specialty restaurants and a quiet evening resting in our stateroom.

After a very good night sleep on the most comfortable bed we've enjoyed in quite some time, we headed down to the Garden Cafe for breakfast, and it was a madhouse! We decided in future we would go to whichever one of the main restaurants was open to avoid the crush. We had a very nice leisurely day at sea, then headed up a channel toward the Hubbard glacier. While we had seen many glaciers since coming to Alaska, most were ones in mountains that melted into a small stream or river as they had done for millenia, and while beautiful, didn't really capture the imagination the way this one did. This one ended right at the ocean's edge, was extremely high and deep, and was constantly calving as we watched in amazement. I was SO glad I had chosen a room that looked out toward the bow, as it afforded us an unbelievable opportunity to really watch the entire approach to this magnificent attraction. The captain nosed in for awhile, getting quite close, so close we could hear the groaning of the ice as it shifted and calved, then he slowly turned the ship to the side so all could get a good look. The observation deck directly above us was packed, but it was quite cold outside, so we were happy we could jump inside the patio door to the warmth of our room on occasion. It was beautiful, so impressive! A fabulous, relaxing day, just what we needed after all our running around the past few months!