And so it ends.

Amazingly, we have made it to Alaska. In just a little over a year, we managed to visit each of our country’s amazing 50 states. Equally amazing, Bill and I managed to remain married and the kids didn’t run away (despite their threats).

It’s been quite a journey, but Alaska definitely ranks as one of the major highlights. Of course, the fact that we are onboard an incredibly decadent cruise ship doesn’t hurt. It’s almost as if we have two adventures: checking out the sights of Alaska and checking out the sights of the cruise ship.

This was our first cruise and it was quite an adventure. We decided to splurge on a cruise because: 1. we’re exhausted and don’t want to drive or make hotel reservations. 2. Alaska is really big and requires lots of driving and hotel reservations. 3. we’re exhausted and don’t want to drive or make hotel reservations. Ok, we also wanted to visit Glacier Bay, which is only accessible via watercraft, so…(I’m trying to rationalize and justify both the huge amount of money we spent and the questionable environmental effects of cruise ships).

So, back to Alaska. After writing about 49 states, many of which have remarkably scenic features, it’s hard for me to find new adjectives to describe the grandeur of Alaska. The openness and endless mountains are incredible — especially considering that we saw only a tiny fraction of the entire state. I’m reminded once again of some of our country’s BIG things — the great lakes, grand canyon, New York City. The size and scope of Alaska is nearly incomprehensible. I find it even a little scary to look out at the vast wilderness. Makes me feel very, very small.

We docked in Juneau and visited a salmon hatchery before heading on to Portage Glacier.

Here’s a salmon jumping up the ladder!

Portage Glacier under a cloudy sky — the clouds make the ice appear blue.

This bit of ice looked like a gecko.

Touching a glacier!

Ok, so this wasn’t a real bear. But hidden behind the bushes WAS a real bear, fishing for salmon not far from the visitor’s center. We kept our distance.

We also wandered the streets of Juneau and passed the state capitol — NOT a domed building!

The next stop was in Skagway, where we boarded a train for a trip on the White Pass and Yukon railway. Breathtaking scenery.

The train climbed up beyond the tree line, then the engineers moved the engine and began slowly back down the mountain.

The train paralleled the ridiculously narrow, steep, harrowing trail that countless gold miners had followed years earlier on their quests to strike it rich.

The undisputed highlight of the trip was our visit to Glacier Bay. Until this day, the weather had been cool, cloudy and rainy. Luckily for us, the clouds disappeared as we pulled into the bay and though it was very cold, the views were worth a million bucks. Not quite what we paid for the cruise, but close. Glacier Bay is a national park, and three park rangers boarded our ship to offer an educational narration as we cruised through the bay. I enjoyed the interesting talk; the kids thought it was way too educational (in other words, boring). I tried to watch the rangers climb up a rope ladder to come on board our ship, but it was too difficult to see. Kind of like a paper airplane pulling up to a 747.

The views of all the glaciers were so amazing, both of the kids actually got out of bed before noon to check them out.

The water was dotted with mini-icebergs.

Leaving Glacier Bay, we spotted several whales. If you look hard (like we did) you’ll see one spouting, one breeching, and three watching the sights.

Our final stop in Alaska was at Ketchikan, a picturesque fishing village that hosts a lumberjack show for visiting tourists. I’m thinking the kids should get summer jobs as lumberjacks.

We wandered through town, admired the many fisherman, and learned about totem poles at the Totem Heritage Center.

We did make one more stop — at Victoria, British Columbia. It was a quick stop, so we didn’t have time to see very much, and besides, last time I checked, Canada was not part of the United States.

* * * * *

Now, about the cruise ship. I mistakingly thought that we’d have plenty of time to lounge around and relax and enjoy the scenery. Wrong. There were so many activities scheduled it made my head spin! With a full fitness facility, we could work out or join a class (my favorite was line dancing). We could gamble at the casino (remember Las Vegas and Atlantic City? Not a big draw for us). We could shop at the many different stores on-board. We could watch movies or live entertainment. We could swim or play ping-pong. And most appealing of all, we could eat ourselves into a coma. Deeeelicious food in great abundance and available 24 hours a day. Hello 10 new pounds of fat.

I’d show you more photos of the ship, but how’s this for weird: just as we left Ketchikan, as I was snapping the last photos of our last state, my camera died. I guess it was just heartbroken as we faced the finale of our grand adventure.

50. Alaska
Glacier Bay