North To Alaska

We say goodbye to Seattle and stunning Mt. Rainier.

August 5, 2013

As we left Elliott Bay, Mt. Rainier, capped in glistening white powder sparkled in the sun. The Seattle skyline was decked out in all its splendor. It was a blue-sky afternoon filled with panoramic views of the snow-capped Cascade and Olympic Mountains.

My husband Rodge and I were not on two wheels but on a Holland America cruise ship. I am deviating from my normal cycling stories to write about our first northern exposure along Alaska’s Inside Passage. It was an amazing way to celebrate our 60th birthdays.

On July 13, 2013, our cruise left Seattle at 4 p.m. (PST). To get to our first and northern most port Juneau, we had to steam 1,000 miles north along the coast of Canada and the Inside Passage of Alaska. The top speed of the ship was 20 knots (or 23 mph) so it would take us over a day and a half to arrive there.

While the Captain navigated us through Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, we became familiar with our massive floating hotel. We were ready to be pampered! That night we acclimated to cruise life by eating our way through the Lido buffet, rocked to the onboard entertainment and ended up donning our complimentary terry robes.

At 5:20 a.m. the next morning, I awoke to a gorgeous sunrise over Vancouver Island. I sat out on our veranda and soaked up the magnificent view as we glided through calm waters. By noon, the ship had cleared the Island and was entering Queen Charlotte Sound. The wide-open waters of the sound could be somewhat dicey especially in the winter months. As we traversed the sound that July afternoon, we were greeted by a light chop.

Our route took us along the western shores of Queen Charlotte Islands (now called Haida Gwaii), which consists of over 150 Islands that stretch over 186 miles long. The rugged mountainous coast with its steep rocky sides was dotted with Sitka spruce, hemlock and cedar forests. It looked like a remote and uninhabited land.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, we continued to steam along Haida Gwaii. In the early hours of the morning (July 15), we cleared the island and crossed over into Alaskan waters. When we awoke that morning, we were in the Alaska Time Zone and had to set our clocks back one hour. We had all morning to sail through Frederick Sound and up Stevens Passage until we arrived in our first port of call, Juneau.

Fair winds,

Kathy

The Seattle Skyline.

Sunrise over Vancouver Island.

Wake art in water colors.

We cruise along the western shore of Haida Gwaii.

An early morning cruise ship sighting on the way to Juneau.