On 06/06/2006 we arrived back at Paso Robles RV Ranch in Paso Robles, CA to pack and get ready for the trip to Alaska. On 06/08/2006 we dropped off the motorhome at my brother’s house and started for Vancouver, BC, Canada to catch the ship. We had three nights at motels which were Stockton, CA, Roseburg, OR, and Bellingham, WA. On Sunday 06/11/2006, we arrived in Vancouver, BC, Canada to board the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas and set sail for AK. The picture is of the Ship we sail on which is docked in Vancouver, BC.
On 06/13/2006 at about 3:00 PM, the ship arrived at Hubbard Glacier. Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier on the North American continent. It has been thickening and advancing toward the Gulf of Alaska since it was first mapped by the International Boundary Commission in 1895. The picture is of the Hubbard Glacier.
On 06/14/2006, the ship docked at Skagway, AK. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862. The port of Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships. Skagway is the jumping off point for the Klondike Gold Rush and is part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. The picture is of Skagway from the Overlook.
The ship docked at Juneau, AK on 06/15/2006. While in Juneau, we visited the Capitol. Originally the Capitol was completed in 1931. The building served as the territorial Capitol housing the Legislature, Governor, the post office, Courts, and numerous other federal and territorial agencies. Today our Capitol contains the offices of the State Legislature, Governor, and Lieutenant Governor. The picture is of the South Side of the Capitol.
Juneau was named after gold prospector Joe Juneau, though the place was for a time called Rockwell and then Harrisburg (after Juneau’s co-prospector, Richard Harris). Several books credit the Tlingit Chief Kowee with showing these prospectors where the gold was. The picture is off Juneau from the Capitol looking towards the harbor.
On 06/16/2006, the ship anchored in the Ketchikan, AK port. We left the ship on one of the life boats to go ashore. While on shore we visited the Ketchikan Saxon Native Village. The picture is of one of many totem poles there.
