I chose the short flight which took off and flew over the Port of Seattle and around the Space Needle and back to the airport at the museum. It was perfect. Air speed was a whopping 75 mph. Since the wind was 15 mph, that meant we were traveling at a ground speed of 60 mph heading into the wind, and 90 mph flying with the wind. 

About the Plane
This plane is a WACO UPF-7 built by the Weaver Aircraft Company in September, 1942, just three months before I was born. The WACO F-Series was designed as a pilot trainer and production began in 1930. The UPF-7 was the final version and was built from 1937 through 1942. To my knowledge, it is the last production biplane.

It was used in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, a program that started in 1939 to build a backlog of pilots in case of war. Interestingly, the Army Air Corps did not like the UPF-7 and returned 11 of the first 14 delivered. They never ordered more, but the plane continued as a civilian trainer throughout the war.

I don't care if the Army Air Corps didn't like it. I'm battle-ready. Curse you, Red Baron!

The Mendenhall Glacier is a huge 12 by 2 mile wide chunk of ice. The thickness of the ice ranges from 400 to 800 feet. The glacier was absolutely fascinating. I can't say I ever really understood glaciers and their enormity until I saw this. 

The glacier is a part of an incredibly large ice field that contains multiple glaciers. The glaciers tend to form along the edge of the ice field and they flow, acting as a drainage system for the ice field. Glaciers have cycles, growing and receding over time, and the Mendenhall Glacier has receded 2-1/2 miles since the mid-1700s. The recession has created a beautiful glacial lake.

Glaciers appear to be a combination of blue and dirty gray, and there is lots of both in Mendenhall. The blue color results from the dense ice of the glacier which absorbs all the colors of the spectrum except blue - so blue is what we see! Look at the beautiful blue color in the iceberg in the photo below. This berg calved from the Mendenhall Glacier and was one of many floating in the glacial lake. As a glacier flows it grinds up the rock beneath it into a fine powder. As a result glacial rivers and lakes tend to look almost milky. A glacial lake will eventually become clear as this silt will fall to the bottom in the still water.

I would love to show you some fantastic, dramatic pictures of whales breeching on the sunlit sea. But, alas, reality reared its ugly head. My afternoon whale tour was cancelled and I was moved to the evening tour. That would have been fine except that by evening it was a cold, gray, wet, rainy day. So all of my photos are like that hot best seller of last year - 50 shades of gray. And guess what? By the time you take a picture of a whale breeching, most of the whale is back under water. So here are some very gray, very uninteresting whale photos that do little more than prove I saw whales.

Beginning in 1897, Skagway was one of the two starting places (the other being nearby Dyea, now a ghost town) for the gold-rush stampeders who headed up the Chilkoot Trail to the Yukon. At the peak of the Gold Rush in 1898 Skagway had a population of nearly 10,000. Two years later the town was down to about 3,100. Today, there are about 400 permanent residents.

Now Skagway is a totally different kind of boom town. Every tourist season the town doubles in size with seasonal workers. Cruise ships come in every day, and sometimes there will be as many as 8,000 visitors to this little town, all of them visiting Skagway gift shops.

I don't know what these folks do during the winter, but during the summer months they work in the government museums or they have gift shops. As a matter of fact, all of the main street seems to be nothing but a string of gift shops. Shops where you can find Alaskan musk ox wool ($95 an ounce) and buttons made from moose antlers (2 for $14). Enjoy our town, and please exit through the gift shop.

The Gold Rush stampeders had an almost unbelievable task. They had to move close to a ton of supplies up over a very steep mountain pass. The amount of gear and supplies was ordered by the Canadian Mounties (don't forget the gold was in the Yukon, not Alaska) who wanted to make sure that people would have enough provisions to survive.

Steps were cut in the ice of the Chilkoot Pass, and the stampeders would trek up carrying anywhere from 50 to 75 pounds at a time. Once at the top they would stow their load and slide back down the pass on the blade of their shovel! It typically took 25 to 35 trips to get their entire kit to the top. 

This picture was taken at one of the the National Park museum displays. It shows all the stuff a prospector had to take with him in his quest for gold. 

Imagine pulling all of that on a sled through rough trails of snow and then carrying it bit-by-bit up the steps of the Chilkoot Pass! You really had to want that gold.

Going to Alaska and knowing we were going to be in Gold Rush territory, caused both Linda and me to reread the James Michener book, Alaska. Michener was a great researcher and his novels were very accurate and always included a number real people. The size of a Michener book can scare you, but they are incredibly readable. After reading Alaska I think it is time for me to revisit some other Michener books. Try one yourself.

White Pass & Yukon Railway

While in Skagway we went for a really neat scenic ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route, a narrow-gauge railway built during the Gold Rush. It was built in an unbelievable 26 months. They told us the project cost $10 million and used 450 tons of explosives. It was known as  “the railway built of gold,” and essentially it eliminated the dreadful trek up the Chilkoot Trail and Pass. The only real problem was that the rush was about over when it was finished. Still it was the primary route to reach the Yukon and stayed in business until the 1980's. The WP&YR doesn't connect to any other railroad; it depended solely on the port at Skagway for goods and passengers.
 
The railroad is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark because it was such a remarkable engineering feat. Today it is a tourist railroad with fantastic scenery. We took so many photos during this trip that it was difficult to choose a few to include here. All of these photos were taken out the window of a moving train, so they may not be the best, but I hope show the beauty of the area.

A Postscript
While writing this post, I learned that there was a derailment on the railway this past Wednesday, July 23. There were 19 injured, but none seriously which is good because the nearest hospital to Skagwag is Juneau - you know, the city you can't drive to.

After Skagway our ship sailed Glacier Bay and then on across the Gulf of Alaska to Seward. Our next postcard will cover our trip from Seward to Fairbanks. Thanks for visiting.

This postcard is all about our time on board the Statendam. I have to be honest, I was not really looking forward to a week aboard a ship. I just didn't think I would be a cruise person. But hey, I haven't stayed married for 48 years without knowing when to say, "Yes, dear." So cruise we did. And I must say Holland-America changed all my preconceptions. Our time on the Statendam was totally enjoyable.

First of all, the Holland-America Line specializes in smaller ships, and the Statendam is its smallest, with "only" about 1200 passengers on board. The larger HAL ships can carry up to 2,000 passengers, which is still half of what many other cruise ships carry. 

Along with smaller ships, HAL seems to cater to the older folks, rather than families with lots of kids. This is a good thing. While there were some families on board, there were lots of golden oldies, and the ships amenities and activities were geared toward them.. 

What We Didn't Do

We spent a lot of time not doing things on the ship. There were so many choices, that just selecting where not to go took up a lot of time between meals. 

To give you an idea how busy we were, let me tell you just some of the shipboard places we chose not to attend. We did not going swimming, use the hot tub, or visit the spa. We did not go to the piano bar or any of the several cocktail lounges. We also did not go to the casino - who has gambling money after paying for a cruise? Not retired teachers! 

Well if we didn't go to the casino, it's a good bet we also did not stop by the duty-free jewelry and watch store or the diamond shop. And of course, we also did not attend the art auction. I am sure there were several others that we somehow missed (the gourmet cooking classes come to mind), but we were plenty busy.

So what did we do? There were nine decks to explore, and we did manage to get to all but one (just staterooms) of them. In our travels we actually found the bow of the ship (through the glass door and up two flights of steps), but it was too darn cold and wet for us to do the standing-on-the-railing thing that Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet did in Titanic.

Several times we visited the ship's theater, The Showroom at Sea, for presentations, but we never seemed to get to the musical review that was presented nightly. I used the work-out center three times. We visited the library (free), and tried to use the absolutely lousy Internet service (not free). We also ate.

Food, Glorious Food

We really enjoyed our time onboard the ship. The time went by surprisingly fast and just seem to slide easily from one meal to the next. That's not really such a bad thing when you have good food available. 

There are four different restaurants onboard. The photo above is in the Rotterdam Dining Room, the ship's main dining room. No jeans allowed and shirt collars required were always the order of the day in the dining room, except for the two formal nights when coats and ties were required. We managed to eat two lovely dinners and one excellent lunch here. There were also two small, specialty restaurants, neither of which we tried.

The Lido was our restaurant of choice. It was a "come as you are," serve-yourself affair - just perfect for us. The food here was also wonderful with a wide variety of entrees always available. The Lido was on the next to the highest deck, and there were always great views out its windows. And since the walls were almost completely glass, there were plenty of window seats.

It's Hard to Keep Track of Time

One thing it is easy to do onboard ship is lose track of time. It becomes even more confusing as you move further north into the Land of the Midnight Sun. 

Time itself isn't all that important, but knowing what day it is can be. After all, our shore excursions are scheduled for particular days. This problem is compounded by the number of old people (others) and young retirees (Linda and I) who really do not pay much attention to calendars and clocks.

The Statendam crew helps us out by changing the mats in the elevators daily. All you have to do is look down at your feet (old folks tend to do this a lot) when you are going up to breakfast. Voila! You know what day it is. Absolute genius.

Our Stateroom

We were very pleasantly surprised with our room. Since we're used to traveling in the RV (the old one), we were quite prepared for living in small, cramped quarters. But that was not the case. The room was much larger than either of us thought it would be and had great storage for our clothes. 

Linda really enjoyed looking out the window and seeing the seals and sea otters. The window in our room gave her a close-up look as it was nearer to the water than the public decks up above.

Following the Voyage

Linda had a great time following the route we were taking with the GPS that was broadcast on our television. When we're using the Garmin in the car or RV, she rarely agrees with its route. 

True to form, several times she commented, "Hmm. Why is the captain going this way? I thought he would take a different route." Apparently the book she read about a guy who sailed the Inside Passage made her a bit of an expert.

On Deck

Deck 6 was the walk-around deck with one lap around being a quarter of a mile. And remember, this is considered a "small" ship.

Since temperatures were always in the low to mid-fifties while at sea, it really was not where you wanted to sit out for a nice, long, book reading session.

Another postcard will be coming soon. Thanks for visiting.

Getting There Is Not Half the Fun
Holy Cow! RVs are great, and there is no reason to ever fly. Or I should say there is every reason not to fly. Unfortunately, we did not take the RV, but rather flew to Seattle.

After Wednesday's lovely day of airports and 12-inch wide airplane seats, we finally arrived in Seattle at about 7:30 in the evening - 9:30 Houston time, just 11 hours after leaving home. Then we had the pleasure of waiting around at Hertz while they found a full-size car for us. It was our fault; we only made our reservation a month ago. They were willing to offer us a Mercedes SUV at a mere $18.00 per day more. This was a special deal just for us, or so we were told. We finally made it to our hotel in a Dodge Charger at about 10 o'clock.

We Check Out Boeing
Since Boeing is the largest airplane manufacturer in the world, and since they are headquartered in Seattle, a tour of the plant was definitely in order. 

The plant is mammoth - it covers over 98 acres and is the world's largest building by volume. They assemble the 747, 767, 777, and the new 787 all at this facility. The tour costs some money, as Boeing apparently is not making much margin on their planes. But it is worth it.  

Absolutely no cameras or electronics are allowed on the tour, so the photo below is bogus. Our photo was taken in front of a green-screen, and then we chose the background we wanted. All very cool. However, this photo could have easily been the real deal. This is what we saw.

After an hour-and-a-half the tour completed with those wonderful words, "Please exit through the gift shop." 

Outside the plant it was like a car sales lot, except for airplanes. There were planes lined up one next to another with all sorts of airline names and logos. Each one was in the process of final testing by both Boeing and personnel from the purchasing airline. I took a photo of the line-up, but it really does not do justice to the sight.

I have added this little video as it shows the entire manufacturing process of a Boeing 777 in a mere three minutes. It is a bit different than the one we saw at the Boeing Visitors Center, but every bit as much fun to watch. Enjoy!

Mukilteo
Just minutes from Boeing's giant facility, is the charming town of Mukilteo and the Mukilteo Light on the shores of Puget Sound.  The lighthouse sits beside a ferry which goes across the sound to Whidbey Island. On the other side of the lighthouse is a lovely park which was getting a lot of use when we were there.

A ferry is departs every 15 minutes for Whidbey Island. Each ferry carries in excess of 100 cars along with walk-on commuters. There was a rather nice 35 foot Allegro RV boarding while I was watching. We once took our RV across the Delaware Bay from Cape May, NJ to Lewes DE. It is great fun.

Some Photos of the Mukilteo Waterfront on Puget Sound

OMG - Its a Space Needle!
There are some things that are almost obligatory on any trip. In New York, it is Times Square; in Philadelphia it is Independence Hall; in San Antonio, the Alamo. Well, in Seattle it is the Space Needle, a symbol of times gone by.

The Space Needle was built for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair). At 605 feet, it was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. That title did not last long as a mere three years later the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was completed on the west bank of the Mississippi at a height of 630 feet. Alas time marches on, and today the Space Needle is only the seventh tallest building in Seattle.

But Seattle is very proud of their needle. The price for a senior in the off-peak hours is $18, or one buck for every 20 degrees of the full 360 degree view! But it was fun and the view was great. Here's a small slide show tour of our Space Needle experience. Please exit through the gift shop.

A Short Slideshow of the Space Needle and Seattle Center

Now It Is On To Alaska
Sunday morning we hop on the bus that will take us to Vancouver, BC and our berth on the Statendam. We will be under way to Alaska. 

Another postcard will come soon. Thanks for visiting.

Yep, that' s right. We're on our way to Alaska with a stop in Seattle. We fly to Seattle and visit some family. Then we take a bus to Vancouver, BC to board the Holland-America Line's Statendam for a week-long trip up through the Inside Passage to Anchorage. From there it will be a train ride to Denali National Park and Mt. McKinley, North America's tallest mountain.

Along the way we will stop at some of the tourist ports and do the tourist stuff, we will cruise Glacier Bay, and hopefully see some great wildlife: whales and seals, Dall sheep and mountain goat, moose, maybe even a bear, and a few different birds such as eagles, murres and puffins. 

So this is obviously not just another RV road trip. It requires planes (I vowed I would never fly again), trains, buses, and a boat larger than the one we keep at Lake Conroe. But it will be great fun. We're excited, and I'll do my best to keep you up-to-date as the trip progresses.  So, watch your email for the "postcards".

The song, North to Alaska, was sung by Johnny Horton and was big in 1960. Somehow my strange little mind remembered it, and of course anything can be found on the Internet. So if you want a quick trip back in time to 54 years ago, click on the player below and hear the original version.