A while back, I hit a point in my life where I wanted to start taking my family on vacations.  I’d experienced enough success that I wanted to share my good fortune with the people I loved.  As part of that, I started taking each member of my family on a cruise.

Erika napping on the balcony as Alaska passes by

Dad’s chosen destination really surprised me – Alaska.  I’d heard wonderful stories from my friends who took Alaskan cruises, but it never really called to me.  My idea of vacation is being somewhere warm, drinking something cold.  The cruise wasn’t about me, though, so I eagerly booked an Alaskan cruise for me, Erika, Dad, and Caryl (my wonderful stepmom.)  The Alaskan cruising season is fairly short – summers only – but we had to sail in September 2010 due to our schedules.  Being right at the tail end of the season, lots of things could have gone wrong: bad weather, no wildlife, no waterfalls, etc.  As it turned out, we struck gold.

We sailed out of Seattle on a bright but chilly day.  The ship’s crew kept us warm by plying us with boozy hot chocolate, and the next day as we sailed North, they made sure we stayed happy as we watched the scenery unfold.

In Ketchikan we boarded a float plane for an incredible ride over the forests, mountains, and water.  I felt a spiritual connection with an island called New Eddystone Rock – the moment I saw it, I was completely mesmerized, and I’m sure I had something to do with that island in a previous life.  My amateurish photos can’t convey its beauty, sitting alone in the middle of fast-moving water, but in the high-resolution version of this photo you can see seals basking on the shore’s edge.  Amazing.  After we flew back to the ship, my first mission was to hit the web to learn more about that island.  Even just watching grainy videos of the island gives me the willies, and now I’ve got something new for my bucket list: setting foot on that rock.

Tracy Arm Fjord

As the ship sailed on through Tracy Arm Fjord, passengers lined the decks, braving the frigid air to snap photos of glaciers, mountains, icebergs, and each other.  We heard the bangs as the ship nudged icebergs aside, and we oohed and aahed as small icebergs calved.  The ship’s naturalist explained it all over the loudspeakers, aiming our gaze at wildlife far up on the cliffs.

In Juneau, we boarded a whale watching trip with Orca Enterprises, who absolutely positively guarantees every trip will see whales.  No refunds were necessary that day – we watched humpback whales and orcas surface satisfyingly close to the boat.

We continued our wildlife sightseeing on the short bus in Haines to drive up and down the scenic Chilkoot River.  At first, I thought we’d finally gotten shafted by a crappy excursion – there was no way we were going to see bears by simply driving up and down a road next to a river.  I mean, there were humans all over the place – why would a bear just show up out of nowhere?

Then we saw her.

Mama Bear and her cub

All the tourists ran straight for the short bus, but after the shock wore off, we mustered up enough courage to head back out.  For the rest of the long afternoon, we shot picture after picture after picture of bears.  We got within thirty feet, perhaps closer, of animals large enough to upend my Honda Fit.  We paid no mind to the Bear Zone.  By the end of the day, we couldn’t believe our amazing fortune – bears, whales, eagles, we’d seen it all in just a few days.  You can check out the highlights from my Alaska photo album, or watch the 10-minute video reel below.  Click on the HD link on the video for better photos:

We had a wonderful time on our first Alaskan cruise.  To my surprise, Dad (who hates crowds) said he’d even like to do it again, but during a different time of the season so he could see how the wildlife, waterfalls, and scenery were different.  I feel like the luckiest guy in the world because I was able to share that experience with my family, and now, I even get to go again.  In just two weeks, I get to repeat the trip, but this time share the experience with my friends.

SQLCruise Alaska, here I come!