British Columbia to Mexico

During the second and third week of my cruise, some of the ports of call repeated themselves, so I decided to post the last two weeks in one message. The rainy weather in Alaska followed us until we got to California. The first picture was taken from the highest point in Victoria.

I toured the Dunsmuir Castle in Victoria. The history of the castle was fascinating.

The Big Wheel, Seattle's new ferris wheel is visible on the waterfront along with some nice boats. You can also see the roof of both the Mariners and the Seahawks stadiums. I rode the wheel earlier this year and was impressed by how high you get and the view from the top.

Our ship docked at Pier 91 along with the Holland America ship that followed us around Alaska. There was a Celebrity ship docked at the cruise ship terminal at Pier 66. I am looking back at our ship (in the foreground) on my walk downtown.

I took this picture as the Sapphire Princess sailed out of Seattle.

Little cars you can rent in San Francisco.

In Chinatown. I wish I could remember how many people live in a 30 block area in Chinatown, but the number was staggering. San Francisco has the largest Chinatown outside China.

This grassy area, called Crissy Park is a venue for artist to display sculptures, but it was originally a naval airstrip.

Everyone in my immediate family are hotdog fans and we use to have a business just like this in Yakima, but it closed two years ago.

Walking around Pier 39 in San Francisco. This place was incredible and popular.

Just of few of the many sea lions that call the harbor home in San Francisco.

The Walt Disney Family Museum was very interesting. I love the seven drawfs!

San Diego has a very strict building design code - even Starbucks looks like everything else. You think it would be boring, but it actually looks nice.

A picture of the ship's tenders taking passengers ashore in Santa Barbara.

The San Diego airport is right downtown and just across from the cruise ship terminal.

One of the buildings in Seaport Village, San Diego.

A very cute little hat shop in Seaport Village.

These last three pictures were taken in Ensenada, Mexico; two by the natural geyser and one in town.

Alaska

During my recent visit to Alaska I took way too many pictures - something I always do.  Since I can't show them all here, I decided to select a few of my favorites from each of the three weeks I was gone. My favorite of almost all my photos was this bald eagle in Juneau.  I could not believe how close I was when I spotted the eagle.  If you click on the image for a larger view, you can actually see the individual feathers on his head and back. 

I really liked the tram ride up the mountain in Juneau. Our tour group went on a short nature hike once we reached the summit. We saw several bald eagles on the mountain.

Even though I have seen the glaciers before, this was my first visit to Glacier Bay. I am always surprised at the tremendous noise the glacier makes when part of the ice breaks free and falls into the bay.

This is a picture of Creek Street in Ketchikan, the original 'Red Light District'. The salmon run was incredible even though I was there during low tide.

I finally rode the White Pass railroad out of Skagway. This was an incredible trip and well narrated by our guide.