On Sunday, August 31st, Laura and I flew to Seattle and boarded the Star Princess. We left Seattle on a postcard perfect day and headed north into Alaska's Inside Passage. We spent all day Monday at sea, and then woke early Tuesday to explore our first port-of-call, Ketchikan. Once again we were blessed by the weather Gods. The sun broke through as we were visiting the incredible rain forest. We saw pink salmon, reindeer, a bald eagle, an owl and breathtaking scenery. Afterward we strolled through town and had lunch at the Alaska Fish House. If you're a fan of The Deadliest Catch, you'll be interested to hear we ate crab caught aboard the Time Bandit.

The following morning, the sounds of excited conversation woke us from our sleep about 6am. We looked out the window to find we were inside the Tracy Arm. As this was our first visit to Alaska, I can't begin to describe the excitement we felt seeing icebergs float by. We threw on some clothes and headed to the deck to take in the sights. Sawyer Glacier was absolutely magnificent. That afternoon we docked in Juneau and headed for the famed Mendenhall Glacier.  As impressive as it was, it was heartbreaking to hear it's receding at the rate of hundreds of feet per year. At this rate it won't be long before it's gone completely. From Mendenhall, we visited Glacier Gardens. The site of a previous devastating mudslide has been restored to incredible beauty. The owners took many of the trees that had been uprooted, stuck them in the ground roots up, and turned them into planters. We took a glorified golf cart tour of the grounds and they are magnificent.

In all honesty, the best was yet to come. We arrived in Skagway Friday morning and boarded a bus with Peter Lucchetti. Not only was Pete a wonderful tour guide, he is a talented artist and regaled us with recitals of Robert Service poetry. The weather was uncooperative for our trip to the summit, but the time spent with Pete was a treasure. We had lunch in Skagway's charming downtown and then took off to see a sled dog camp in Dyea. We were warned that the dogs get excited and start barking loudly before they pull you on a wheeled sled and they weren't kidding. Once the dogs begin to move, they're completely silent. After the sled ride, we heard from a musher and then saw the six week old puppies. Just adorable.

We spent Saturday at sea and pulled into Victoria, BC on a sun-drenched afternoon. We headed straight for the magnificent Butchart Gardens. They are indeed a labor of love and a sight to behold. Our cruise came to an all to sudden end Sunday morning. We rented a car and drove to Kirkland, WA to spend the night with my sister and my niece and nephew before heading to the San Juan Islands for two days. This is a trip we won't easily forget.

I put together a slide show. There's a beautiful musical background that somehow didn't get  transferred.

Murrieta Real Estate Expert – Tom Plant, REALTOR® - Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage – Active Rain Ambassador  (951) 907-9701

It would be my honor to show you the incredible Temecula Valley, a place I’m very proud to call home.

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