Despite having booked our trip to Canada and Alaska more than 9 months ago, getting organised still came down to the wire! With a 9 pm departure, we had all day to pack before leaving for the airport around 6pm.
Well, our plan to get onto local time didn’t work out so well! We were awake at about 5 am and we concluded that there was no point fighting it so we decided to just get up and get going. We got the airport well before 7 am, despite the fact that our flight was not departing until 10:17 am.
After a very big sleep and a nice breakfast, it was lunchtime before we emerged from the hotel.
We were up pretty early this morning and we headed out for breakfast to a very trendy cafe called Jam.
Today was all about getting on the ship, bound for Alaska. Even though the ship wasn’t going to pull out until 5pm, we decided that we needed to be very organised and get there about 2pm.
We slept pretty well on our first night. We could feel the ship moving when we woke during the night but it was not unpleasant. After getting organised, we headed across the pool deck to the nearest restaurant for breakfast, before going to the gym for a personal training session.
After a good night's sleep we awoke around 8:00 am as the ship arrived in Ketchikan. We enjoyed a nice breakfast as we watched the seaplanes take off and land. After breakfast we headed off the ship to explore Ketchikan.
This morning the ship entered the majestic Rudyerd Bay Passage around 6:30 am, to make our way into Rudyerd Bay proper. Rudyerd Bay is one of the highlights of the highlights of the Alaskan Misty Fjords.
Around 7:00 am this morning we arrived in Wrangell. From its earliest period of occupation, perhaps as far back as 8,000 years ago, people have lived in this area, as evidenced by the numerous petroglyphs found in the local rocks. Wrangell is the only community in Alaska to be governed by four nations and under three flags: Tiingit Nation, Russia, Britain, and the United States.
We arrived in Sitka around 8:00 am this morning. After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, we headed into town to look around. One of the interesting thinks about Sitka is its Russian heritage, which is still evident today.
This morning we arrived at Tracy Arm, but were unable to venture into it due to the fog. So, we just enjoyed a slow breakfast and relaxed on the ship for the morning. By lunchtime the ship had sailed to Endicott Arm, which we were able to enter.
The ship arrived very early this morning into Haines. Haines is about 120km north of Juneau on a wooded peninsula between the Chilkat and Chilkoot Inlets.
After a good night's sleep, we woke up as the ship docked in Juneau. We had a light breakfast before walking into the town to do some exploring. Juneau, along with Honolulu, is one of the only two United States capital cities that has no roads connecting it to the mainland.
The ship arrived very early this morning at the Inian Islands. We enjoyed a nice breakfast before heading out on a Zodiac to explore the area. The Inian Islands area is wilder and rougher than places located on the protected inner waters.
We had a very leisurely start to the day today, with a plan to just relax for the day. Earlier in the journey, we had expressed some interest in seeing the galley and the process of preparing meals on the ship, and we spent some time this afternoon on a tour through the galley with Ross, the Executive Chef.
We arrived at Seward at 7:00 am this morning and, after a quick breakfast, were ready for disembarking. At around 9:00 am, we set off on the 200 km drive in a private van, which we shared with another couple from the cruise. We stopped along the way at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to view some of the local wildlife. We got the sirport around lunchtime, checked in, and relaxed before our 3:45 pm departure on Air Canada to Vancouver.
After a wonderful night's sleep, we headed downstairs to breakfast, where we discussed plans for the day. We started out with a walk around the hotel grounds and spending some time looking at some of the beautiful artwork on display in the hotel. We left the hotel around midday, and walked about 10 minutes to the ski area to catch the gondola and take in the views of the area.
We were up very early this morning to meet a local guide in hotel lobby at 6:00 am. The plan for the morning was to visit the forest area around the Whistler Olympic Park, in the Callaghan Valley. We didn't see any bears, but we did enjoy a beautiful morning just soaking up the beautiful scenery. After our early morning excursion, we haed worked up quite an appetite so, upon returning to the hotel, we enjoyed a lovely late-morning breakfast. We then spent a few hours just walking around and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Late in the afternoon, we packed up and checked out of the hotel, to drive back to Vancouver. After checking in to The Wedgewood Hotel, we went for a walk to get some dinner. We had a nice dinner in a local restaurant before heading back to the hotel for the evening. Tomorrow morning we'll be boarding the Rocky Mountaineer for a two-day train trip through the Canadian Rockies.
After a good night's sleep, we enjoyed lovely breakfast before checking out of the hotel and heading to the train station to board the Rocky Mountaineer for a two-day journey to Lake Louise through the beautiful Canadian landscape. We had a lovely, relaxing day on the train.
After a good night's sleep, we were up pretty early to get back on the train. Shortly after departure, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the dining car, and then we settled in for the second day of the journey. After a wonderful day of travelling through the most incredible scenery, we arrived late in the day in Lake Louise. We picked up our hire car and then headed to the Post Hotel, which will be our base for the next five days as we explore the surrounding area.
We had a slow start to the day today, with a sleep-in and then a very relaxed breakfast. We decided that our first destination of the day should be the area's namesake, Lake Louise, a drive of about ten minutes from our hotel. After a hort walk around the beautiful lake, we came across trail, and we decided to head up the trail to see where it led. Our first stop on the trail was the incredibly beautiful Mirror Lake. From Mirror Lake, we continued the climb up the trail until we reached the Lake Agnes Tea House. After a hike af about 3.5 km, we were certainly ready to stop for a rest and refreshments. The Lake Agnes Tea House was built in 1901 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a refuge for hikers. It started serving tea in 1905 and has been called the oldest teahouse in Canada. After a wonderful afternoon tea of scones and freshly-brewed tea, we headed out along the trail to get a view of Lake Louise. As we descended the trail, the weather turned and, ill-prepared as we were, we ended up getting pretty wet.
We were up pretty early thins morning. We enjoyed a beautiful breakfast in the hotel before getting into the car for the 45-minute drive to Banff. After walking around Banff for a while, we boarded the gondola on Sulphur Mountain, to take in the views of the area from the summit. We ended our day in Banff with a very pleasant walk along the Bow River, where we spotted quite a bit of wildlife. After driving back to the hotel in Lake Louise, we had dinner, and headed back to our room to relax for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow, we're driving up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper.
We were up and organised nice and early this morning to enjoy a relaxed breakfast in the hotel before setting off for Jasper. We left the hotel around 9:30 am and headed for our first stop, Peyto Lake, about half an hour up the Icefields Parkway.
After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we set off in the car for Moraine Lake, a drive of only about 20 minutes south. Moraine Lake is a stunning turquoise lake, cradled by the Valley of the Ten Peaks.
Today is our last day in Lake Louise. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before dropping off the hire car and going for one last walk around the area. Late morning we caught a bus up the Trans-Canada Highway to Calgary Airport, a trip of about two hours. We checked in for our mid-afternoon flight to Los Angeles and spent some time in the lounge before boarding for the three-and-a-half hour flight to Los Angeles. The flight was very pleasant, and we arrived on-time into Los Angeles around 6:00 pm.
After a food night's sleep and a quick breakfast, we jumped in the car for the down to Carlson to the Porsche Experience Centre.
Today we had a very relaxed time, getting up a little later than usual, and then heading out to do a bit of shopping. Late in the day we felt a bit hungry so, even though we knew we'd be having a big dinner, we stopped at In'N'Out Burger for a fabulous burger and fries.
After a wonderful trip, it's now time to head home to Melbourne. We whiled away the day today doing nothing in particular, before heading to the airport to catch our flight home. The flight was very pleasant, and we managed to get quite a few hours of sleep before landing in Melbourne. There was a little confusion when we exited immigration, as we tried to locate our driver to take us home.