Hubbard Glacier, Day 7 Of Our Alaskan Cruise

Is the Hubbard Glacier a part of your Alaskan cruise itinerary? Learn more about it here before you go.

And read this post - 10 Father's Day Gift Ideas For The Traveling Dad - if you are taking this cruise with your dad and want to surprise him with a gift.

Hubbard Glacier is an enormous glacier and was part of our Alaskan cruise itinerary on our first cruise and also on the 7 day cruise we took to get back to Vancouver.

The ship passed slowly by the glacier, then turned around and gave the other side of the ship an equally good view of the 75 mile long, 6 mile wide massive block of ice. Unlike, Mendenhall Glacier that has been retreating for the past 300-400 years, Hubbard Glacier has been advancing for the past 100 years.

I loved watching these ice flows float by us. I had never seen one until our trip to Alaska and I didn't know they were called ice flows. One of the best things about travel is that you usually learn new things and see things you've never seen before.

On the first cruise, we went out on one of the decks and watched the glacier go by with Sandie and JT and it was cold.

On our back to back cruise, me and Soko followed our fellow cruisers as they walked to the observation deck. I don't know whether it was just colder this day or if it was because we were on the observation deck, but it was so cold that we could only stay out for a few minutes.

The hot chocolate was not hot enough to keep us even a tiny bit warm on the deck.

  

After watching the Hubbard Glacier go by, on our first cruise, it was time to get ready for the Egg Drop competition.  The first thing we had to do was pick up the float from our room and bring it down to the Centrum on the 4th floor. 

This is where we picked up our egg.

 

And then we were told to go up 5 floors where other contestants were waiting for the competition to start.

Me and Susan took the elevator up 5 floors with our creation and watched as one by one the floats were dropped to the Centrum by their creators. 

Most of them made it to the blue plastic floor covering. Some of them landed on the bar. Some got stuck on something along the way. Ours was the only one that sailed from side to side across the Centrum a couple of times before it landed exactly where it was supposed to, on the blue cover. 

It was hilarious! The crowd loved it and me and Susan got lots of high fives from our fellow competitors. Unfortunately, our egg broke but the cruise director told the audience that he liked the origami birds we hung on our float and then tossed it on top of the other losers lol! 

Read about our day in Skagway aboard the White Pass Railroad.

Skagway, Alaska

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The Cottage Market

Did you pass by the Hubbard Glacier on your Alaskan cruise? Were you impressed? Tell us what you thought.

 

Skagway, Alaska All Aboard The White Pass Railroad

Taking a ride on the White Pass Railroad is a great way to learn about the Klondike Gold Rush and enjoy amazing views of Skagway, Alaska at the same time.

Come aboard and take a ride with us but read this post - Keeping Your Home Safe When You Are Away - before you leave the house.

As we browsed through the list of excursions for each stop of our Alaskan cruise, the White Pass Scenic Railway excursion caught the eye of all three of us girls, me, Sandie and Susan so without hesitation, we booked it. The guys, as usual, were just happy to let us do all the planning. 

Our ship was docking from 7:00 to 3:00 this day. We had a couple of hours, before our train ride, to run into the town of Skagway, which is within walking distance from the cruise port. This was our last stop in Alaska and Sandie still needed to buy a few souvenirs. So we made a plan to meet for breakfast early so that we had a couple of hours to shop before our train ride.

Approximately 20 buildings in downtown Skagway have been preserved or restored giving the National Historic District an 1890's atmosphere. The yellow building behind us is one of those buildings. It was, at one time, the railroad administration building. It houses the main museum now and a really nice gift shop. 

We walked the entire few blocks of this very small town, did some shopping and then it was time to board the train.

Once we were all comfortably seated and the train was on the move, a tour guide began narrating the story of the Klondike Gold Rush that started in August 1896 when Skookum Jim and his family discovered gold here. We enjoyed the stories as well as the view.

There were many stories about the hazardous and harrowing experiences of the gold seekers as they made their way to the Klondike. People started thinking of a better way to travel and that's how the story of the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad began. 

Our guide pointed out Black Cross Rock and told us the story of how two men died during the construction of the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. After a blast, a huge rock slid down and buried the two men. It was decided that it would be too dangerous and costly to blow up the rock to recover the bodies. A small cross with the names of the men was put on the rock instead.

Our guide also pointed  out other sights as we passed by them including the 3,000 foot Bridal Veil Falls.

And this inukshuk, a stone landmark used by the Inuit people.

It was a relaxing, informative and fun ride that got us back with just enough time to board the ship before it left. But since we booked this excursion with Royal Caribbean, we knew they wouldn't leave us.

Good To Know: Booking an excursion with your cruise line takes away the stress of not making it back to the ship on time. The ship will not leave you if your excursion is delayed coming back. If you book on your own and you are late you will be left behind. 

Back on the ship, after eating a delicious dinner at Cascades, the main dining room, it was time to get back to work on our Egg Drop creation.

We signed up for the challenge on our first sea day and had been discussing, all week, how we could get an egg to drop to the ground from 5 stories up without it breaking on landing. Tonight was the night to put our plan into action as the competition was happening the next day.

Stay tuned!

Read about our stop in Sitka here.

Sitka, Alaska Port 3 Of Our Alaskan Cruise

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Photo & Story Treasures

Have you been on the White Pass Railroad tour in Skagway? What did you think of it? We would love to know!

10 Father's Day Gift Ideas For The Traveling Dad

Do you know a dad who does a lot of traveling? Check out this post for 10 great gift ideas for the traveling dad in your life.

If your dad travels in his RV, this post, 10 Items You Should Have On Your RV Camping List, will give you a few more ideas.

We have been doing a lot of traveling since we retired and noticed that we need things we never needed before like a number of portable items. Also, we added an RV as one our traveling modes a couple of years ago and then needed even more things like comfortable camping chairs. We can thank our son and daughter-in-law for that gift.

Our kids always keep in mind that they have a traveling dad now when they are considering gifts to buy Soko for Father's Day. So for the benefit of my kids, and all kids and families with a traveling dad, this helpful list gives you 10 great gift ideas!

1. Atomi 150W Car Power Inverter

This power strip has 2 AC 110V Outlets, 2 USB-C Ports and 2 Smart Charge USB Ports so that Dad can power up all his devices as he drives to his destination. This will especially come in handy when Dad is taking the whole family with him to that destination.

2. Reversible Belt

Dad will not have to pack both his black belt and his tan belt. With this belt, dad will only have to remember to pack one belt and be ready to match any outfit no matter what color he is wearing.

3. Personalized Toiletry Bag

If you dad travels a lot, he might be needing a new toiletry bag. What makes this one special is that it can be personalized. Something that can be personalized always makes a great gift!

4. Muggo 2.0

This self-heating, temperature control coffee travel mug comes with a leak-proof top and 3 hour battery life. Great for all those dads who enjoy having coffee when they are on the road. Even greater is that they can enjoy their coffee hot until the last drop.

5. Coffee Gift Cards

A gift card to Dad's favorite coffee shop comes in handy for the dad who is traveling on the road or the dad who is at the airport waiting to board a plane and needs a little pick-me-up.

6. Portable WaterPik

This convenient waterpik is small enough to fit in dad's toiletry bag and is perfect for the dad who likes to use one every day. We keep one in our RV and really like how portable it is and how easy it is to use.

7. Power Bank for IPhone

A power bank is a great gift for the dad who is on an outdoor adventure and not able to get to a phone charger for hours at a time. This one is fantastic for the ability to attach it right to your phone. It also comes in a 2 pack so that dad can always have a freshly charged power bank to use.

8. Hammer + Axe Insulated Slim Beverage Suitcase

Beach vacationing dads will love carrying his beverages in this light-weight cooler. No more lugging his heavy one as he trudges through the sand. An added bonus is that the case also has cup holders when dad needs to put his drink down and would rather not put it in the sand.

9. Anti-theft Back Pack

This is a great gift for the sight-seeing dad who finds himself in a big crowd and doesn't want to worry about being pick-pocketed while he is enjoying the sights. Soko likes his Travelon bag a lot. It is slash proof and he feels secure knowing there are clasps on the ends of each zipper that makes it very hard, if not impossible, for a thief to get into his bag. 

10. My Property ID Registry security system.

This kit contains everything your dad needs to keep his valuables safe while he's traveling with them.  We especially like having the warning sign on our RV to deter potential thieves from breaking in when we are out sightseeing. You can read more about this great product here.

Read this post for gift ideas for your traveling mom!

Perfect Gifts For The Traveling Mom

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Ridge Haven Homestead

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My Wee Abode

Crazy Little Lovebirds

For The Love To

Katherines Corner

Hope you found your dad's gift in our list of 10 Father's Day gift ideas for your traveling dad! Wishing all dads a Happy Father's Day and safe travels!

Sitka, Alaska Port 3 Of Our Alaskan Cruise

Is Sitka on your Alaskan cruise itinerary? Lucky you! You might want to read this post before you go.

Read this post Cruising: A Budget Friendly Vacation if you are still on the fence about going on a cruise.

We didn't need to book an excursion in Sitka as we could easily get to Sitka National Historical Park on our own. All we had to do was find the free shuttle at the cruise port that would take us to downtown Sitka and then it would be a short walk to the park from Harrigan Centennial Hall where the shuttle would drop us off. The walk through this small town was definitely a highlight of our time in Sitka.

We passed this cute house and then looked again and realized it was a high school. It was the tiniest school any of us had ever seen.

Frank looks like the talented trainers we see at SeaWorld who ride on top of the whales. It definitely is safer to do this on a cement one.

We passed this playground along the way. It was so different from the playgrounds we are used to and all of us wished we had our grandkids with us so they could enjoy it. We also loved the Alaskan art and, even though we were not sure why this fish and sign were here, we liked this too! (It might be an advertisement for a restaurant? I'm still not sure lol!) 

Part of our walk to Sitka National Historical Park was near the Sitka Sound and we definitely enjoyed the views.

It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we were in no hurry so we just took our time and took it all in.

Before we knew it we were at Sitka National Historical Park.

We went into the Visitors Center to get all the information we needed to explore the park and headed in to find the Beach View Trail.

We saw a number of totem poles, all carved by Alaska Native carvers.

This one was called Yaadaas Crest. It was one of the more colorful works of art here.

The trail took us, for a stretch, along the Indian River. The views were gorgeous!

We sat a couple of times and relaxed and enjoyed the peacefulness of the area.

We headed back into town after our walk. We passed by St. Peter's by the Sea Episcopal Church on our way to the park.

We stopped in on the way back.

We passed the Russian Bishop's House, a National Historic Landmark, but we didn't stop in. We were starting to run out of time. Too much relaxing in the park.

Downtown Sitka seemed to be the place you performed whether you are a solo performer or sing with a band.

These performers were sitting in the back of St. Michael Archangel Orthodox Cathedral, another National Historic Landmark.

We didn't realize that visiting hours for the church was only from 12-2 so it was closed for the day. We were so disappointed that we decided to go shopping instead of touring the church first.

We did find lots of things to buy though and the guys found a husband bench so they were happy.

                                  

Then we really started to run out of time, the ship was leaving at 4:00, and we still had to ride the shuttle back. Luckily when we got to the shuttle stop people were just starting to board one and we jumped on line behind them. 

Back on the ship, we took one last look at Sitka before we sailed away.

                                       

We all really enjoyed our day in Sitka. It would have been nice if Sitka was on mine and Soko's back-to-back Alaskan cruise itinerary. We definitely would have made sure we got to see St. Michael Archangel Orthodox Cathedral. Maybe we will just have to plan a third Alaskan cruise!

Read about Port 1 of our Alaskan Cruise.

Juneau, Alaska

And Port 2.

Hoonah, Alaska

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The Cottage Market

A Pinch Of Joy

Have you been to Sitka? Did you get a chance to tour St. Michael Archangel Orthodox Cathedral? Please let us know in comments!