After a very long day we finally arrived in Anchorage. Turns out that August is the rainiest month in Alaska. I didn't realize that. It was just the opposite in Vancouver as July and August were the driest months. Regardless, we are here now and the adventure begins.

First quest in our adventure was food and drink. And who would you ask but the bus driver? She recommended the 49th State Brewing Company. Off we went.

They produce some really good beer. Can't vouch for all of them - the list was too long to try. They also served FOOD. I'm shouting that because the serving sizes were befitting of the latest state in the Union.

I love hamburgers but this was the first time I've not finished one. On the menu it said it had smashed potatoes. I figured it was a side dish. Nope, it was a condiment.

There was a huge accident at one of the main intersections. This was the carnage.

Ready to head south. The train station is located at the airport - a brilliant idea when you think about it.

The tide was out when we passed by here. When it comes in, it rises at the rate of 6 inches per minute and travels at 25 mph. That is second only to the Bay of Fundy.

We're here during salmon spawning season or as the locals call it, combat fishing season. You catch the fish and then you fight the grizzlies for it. The loser (guess who that would be) becomes part of the Great Alaskan Foodchain.

The conductor called this The Big Ass Curve. I think she meant The Big Esse Curve … but maybe not. She pointed out a diesel locomotive can pull about twice the load of a stream locomotive resulting in smaller and less frequent Big Ass Curves.

The same waterfall but at one point it branches into five separate streams.

A body of water in Alaska can only be called a lake if a plane can land on it. The area they use to determine that is 24 acres. There are over three million named lakes in Alaska.

The Seward International Airport. Sort of like the Hotel California for large aircraft - you can land but you can never leave.

We were lucky with the weather again today but in an unexpected fashion. One would expect that you would want a sunny day to visit a glacier but just the opposite is true. On a sunny day, the glacier would appear white as all the light is reflected. However, on a cloudy day you are able to see the vibrant blue colour. The blue is a result of only the blue of the light spectrum being able to pass through the ice. This is a result of the very dense nature of the ice in a glacier. It requires 100 feet of snow to make one for of glacier ice.

We had to pass through this ice field to get to the glacier. Ships are only allowed to approach to within one mile of the face of the glacier due to calving. You can also get what is known as torpedoing where a piece of ice will break off from the bottom of the glacier and shoot to the surface. Neither is good for the hull of a ship.

Doesn't look that impressive in a photo but remember, this is from more than a mile away.

I might have missed the orcas, as you'll see later, but I managed to get the glacier calving.

It doesn't look all that impressive but remember, we're a mile away.

One thing photos can't capture is the noise. It is a deep, rumbling roar that just \240reverberates everywhere.

We needed the jackets this day. It was cold and damp.

This is the view we had from the dock. Very impressive when one considers Juneau gets only 40 days of sunshine a year.

Pam trying her hand at Gold panning. She has now discovered gold in Australia, Canada and the USA. At the rate she's finding gold, she only has to find gold in approximately 5,000,000 \240more countries for us to live in the lap of luxury. Chris and Linda (in the background) are also hard at making their fortunes.

This is the original Creek where gold was discovered. People are still panning for and finding it. The property is now owned by the City.

Up close and personal with one of the hills around Juneau. Our guide was from Florida and he is planning to spend his first winter in Juneau. I really have my doubts he'll make it through January.

From the top of Mount Roberts looking toward the ocean.

Downtown Juneau. Our ship is the first to the right.

Looking further up the channel.

At the top of Mount Roberts they have a rescue bald eagle. It's been there nine years. It was brought in after someone shot it.

Narrator: So Miss Eagle, your the symbol of a proud, powerful and progressive nation. How do you feel about how Trump is having things?

Pam's right up there with the Red Tailed Hawk.

This is why you don't want to run into a grizzly \240… other than in a very large truck.

Some of Pam's new friends from the stage show.

Evening in Juneau with some of the other cruise ships.

Back in the day, the streets were gravel and the sidewalks were boardwalks.

On the Whitepass & Yukon train. This waterfall generates electricity for Skagway. It generates so much that the surplus is used by Haines.

We're stopping here to pick up some hikers.

A bridge to nowhere. Very spooky with all the fog.

It looks a little better from this angle. When it was first built, it was recognized as an engineering marvel.

This is high alpine tundra. It always seemed to me to be what Middle Earth would look like.

Not a great place to spend your summer vacation. Interesting scenery however.

These trees are shaped by the wind and are probably over 200 years old.

Apparently over 900 feet to the bottom. Maybe it's a good thing it was so foggy.

The dog's telling the miner not to fret as the are only 164 more jewelry shops to visit.

Three intrepid adventurers: George Carmack, Skookum Jim and some hanger-on. All the discovered gold. The first two - gold nuggets; the last one - a gold Visa.

Guess where we are?

Looking across at some of the other ships in port.

Getting ready to get back on the ship. Yes, we have been shopping. Pam got a bone carving and I got a tee shirt … and some beer.

This is the old cannery building that has been converted into - wait for it - gift shops. There was some interesting information on the canning industry but way too much in the way of trinkets. Chris did manage to pick up some good prints, however.

A very pretty spot but I wish want to be here in winter. They have to take the ferry to Juneau if they want to go shopping. It's not a day trip. The ferry comes twice a week - Monday and Wednesday and you have to stay over in Juneau for the return trip.

A lot more sailboats than I would have expected in Alaska in general.

Commercial fishing was very big once upon a time and this dock is a testament to better times.

It is a very isolated but pretty place.

One of the locally carved totems located right beside the workshop.

The carvers hard at work on another one. The smell of the fresh cedar was amazing.

Coming into Ketchikan.

Downtown Ketchikan. I believe there is a bylaw on the books that states no tourist can walk more than 150 feet without encountering a jewelry store or tee shirt shop.

Pam said the quality of the work in the "local" shops ie, not chain-type, was amazing (there were several signs advertising "Caribbean jewelry". Why someone would travel all the way to Alaska to look for Caribbean jewelry is beyond me.) She said the work done by local carvers was incredible and was unique to the area.

A carved woolly mammoth tusk by a local artist. Pam bought a soap stone grizzly carving by the same artist. She actually bought it from his daughter.

It didn't look like a great start to the day but it turned out to be absolutely stunning. The sun was shining and people were walking around in short sleeves.

This is the local tribute to all who contributed to the founding and development of Ketchikan.

For those of you who are fans of the Deadliest Catch, this was docked right before beside us when we arrived. It's a lot smaller in real life than it looks on TV.

The salmon on the right side of the sign shows the rainfall to date. There is a geocache on the back of the sign.

This stream runs through the center of town. The seagulls at the back are partaking in the all-you-can-eat salmon buffet. The stream was full of spawning salmon earlier but when I got there, I saw only one salmon and it was swimming downstream. The gulls are feeding on those that couldn't make it any further.

An amazing sunset to end the last day of an amazing cruise.

This was the view from our seats in the dining room. Not too shabby. The service was great.

Our last dinner on the cruise. Crab cake appetizers, a short rib entree and creme brule for dessert. The food for the whole week was excellent. So much so that Linda complained her skin was getting tight.

Chris introduced me to some good bourbon and, son of a gun, I really liked it. Remember, I'm not taking Jim Beam or Jack Daniels here.

Yup, that's the ocean. Really calm but nothing to see.

OMG, they just ran out of Captain Morgan's. I thought "Drink Canada Dry" was just an advertising slogan. Not kidding here folks. They did run out. Luckily, for humanity's sake, it was just the local bar.

Chris, luckily, knew where "there" was and managed to get a couple of shots as it breached.

I don't ever remember seeing an orca breach and turn on its back but this one did. The bubbles on the right are, what I believe, the results of bubble fishing (I think that's the correct term). What happens is a pod of orcas will form a circle and generate bubbles that act as a coral to keep fish contained. One of the of the pod will then come up through the centre of the circle getting a meal of fresh sashimi.

The Vancouver skyline hasn't changed that much since we lived here.

Pam didn't want to go home and neither did I. Given the usual delays, we didn't get home until 3:00 AM.