Norwegian Sun- Cruise to Alaska

Norwegian Sun- Cruise to Alaska 

Originally, we had planned to spend the summer of 2023 traveling in Alaska for several months. Those plans had to change because our youngest son, Sid, got married in June. We welcomed a new daughter-in -law, Emma, to our family. Mark joked we could watch the wedding via a zoom call, but obviously, that was only a joke. Since we were not able to spend the summer in Alaska as we had planned, we felt the next best thing would be a cruise.  We had a bonus addition to those plans, one of Mark's navy buddies, Pat Chasse and his wife Deb, joined us on the cruise.  We were able to celebrate her birthday and their anniversary with them during the cruise. We took a 10 day cruise to the inland passage of Alaska. The cruise truly increased our desire to drive there and explore the areas more fully.   We are very excited about the opportunity to drive there next summer. We saw a lot on the cruise with several ports of call, but we had limited time to fully experience all of Alaska's beauty and vastness. There is so much to see and do, we will need a few months up there to truly experience Alaska- and that will only put a dent in the possibilities. 

We saw Mt. Rainier above the clouds as we flew into Seattle.

We were blessed with this stunning sunset on our first night of the cruise.  If this is an omen, we are very excited to see all the beauty Alaska has to offer.  We had a balcony room where we could sit and enjoy sunrises and sunsets with some privacy. There is something so calming and relaxing  as we were able to fully submerse ourselves and enjoy the water, sights and nature. We often find some of our greatest joy in the little things we had previously taken for granted.

It was often very hazy during the day, and it did not get dark until about 11pm. Other days, we were blessed with sunshine, clear skies and beautiful views.

This photo reminds me of a Monet painting with his brushstrokes in the clouds.

This beautiful sunrise greeted us the first morning of our cruise. We felt a sense of hope of things promised to come when the day starts off this beautifully. The untouched, raw landscapes where nature, not man, rules and controls things were truly gorgeous beyond mere mortal words. To fully submerse yourself in the sights, words were unnecessary because it was a very personal and private experience. 

Ketchikan

Ketchikan is a city within the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. The town of Ketchikan is a National Historic District.

Incorporated in 1900, Ketchikan is the earliest surviving city in Alaska and is located on Revillagigedo Island, so named in 1793 by Captain George Vancouver.

Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town, and empties into the Tongass Narrows a short distance southeast of its downtown. "Ketchikan" comes from the Tlingit name for the creek, Kitschk-hin, the meaning of which is unclear. It may mean "the river belonging to Kitschk"; other accounts claim it means "Thundering Wings of an Eagle". In modern Tlingit, this name is Kichx̱áan.

Ketchikan Creek served as a summer fish camp for Tlingit natives for an untold number of years before the town was established by Mike Martin in 1885. He was sent to the area by an Oregon canning company to assess prospects. He established the saltery, Clark & Martin, and a general store with Nova Scotia native George Clark, who had previously been foreman at a cannery that burned down.

Ketchikan became known as "Alaska's first city" due to its strategic position at the southern tip of the Inside Passage, connecting the Gulf of Alaska to Puget Sound.

In 1905, a mission house was built, which later became the Yates Memorial Hospital in 1909. In 2020, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the former hospital as one of America's most endangered historic places.

Ketchikan has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles. They were found throughout the city and at four major parks dedicated to preserving the history and beauty of the native artwork.  Most of the totems at Saxman Totem Park and Totem Bight State Park are recarvings of older poles, a practice that began during the Roosevelt Administration through the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Totem Heritage Center displays preserved 19th-century poles rescued from abandoned village sites near Ketchikan. The Chief Kyan pole in Whale Park in the city center is one of the featured background images on most US passports.

We enjoyed a warm, sunny day as we walked around town. The weather was actually very pleasant and mild. It was a great day to spend outside walking along the beach and through town. We realized that dressing in layers was the only feasible plan, so we could add or subtract layers as the temps changed throughout the day.

Lisa became so submersed in collecting rocks, she lost all sense of time. The rock collecting is a new hobby and we have absolutely no idea why she started it out of the blue or why she finds it so relaxing.  She managed to fill up her pockets with almost her body weight in rocks. She ended up having to leave her rocks behind before she was allowed to get through security to board the ship. She had 3-4 rocks deep in her jacket pockets that survived the purge, but the others ended up in a contraband bucket. The Asian family behind us in the security line also had their pockets full of rocks. The husband looked a bit panicked when they told him to empty his pockets and get rid of the rocks. Apparently, his wife was not going to take the news well and he was going to catch heck for losing her rocks. He literally looked ready to cry as he begged them to let him keep the rocks. His wife appears to take her rock collecting pretty seriously.

 We had to take a brief detour to the local hardware store looking for a Dremel tool for her rocks before we returned to the ship. When she saw the inflated price tag, she could not spend that much money to buy one. Thankfully, stone grinding would just  have to wait until after the cruise. 

Ketchikan Sound surrounds the island with clear blue beautiful water and sandy/rocky beaches.

Bears and eagles, both young and old, were supervising the King Salmon Run. We have never seen this many eagles in one location, and we saw both golden and bald eagles. The mama bear averaged catching a salmon in about a minute before she took them to her cubs. The eagles were determined to take advantage of the bear's fishing bounty, but mama bear did not want to share her catch.

This is a Tlingit Indian lodge which would house multiple families.  The hole at the  bottom of the totem pole is the traditional entrance and egress to the lodge.  It was designed for the protection of the lodge members so only one person could enter or exit at a time.  If a warring faction attacked, they could only enter the lodge one at a time, which allowed for an easier defense.

This is some of the native artwork inside the lodge.  As many as 50 families could  live in the lodge at one time.

The gorgeous blue water was memorizing and calming. Some things need to be enjoyed by submersing in it privately- this was one of them. 

Foxglove plants grow wildly around the former site of the community. The foxgloves added beauty, but more importantly, were considered medicinal to the natives. A modern common cardiac drug, Digitalis/Digoxin, is derived from the plant. 

An incline rail is one way to reach the homes at the top of the hill. Fresh king crabs are the pride of the area. Several area restaurants feature king crab as the main or only food offered. Of course we had to sample them while we were here. King crab is pretty pricey, so it was a special treat for us. Many places an order of king crabs had a starting price of about $100 and went up significantly.

There was a frivolous lawsuit to have this cross removed.  Apparently, someone found the cross to be offensive. The lawsuit failed since the cross was erected on private land by the owner. Surprisingly, the land owner did not erect several more crosses on his land as payback for being sued. 

We said goodbye to Ketchikan for now. 

Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait Point is a privately owned tourist destination just outside the small village of Hoonah, Alaska. It is located on Chichagof Island and is named after the nearby Icy Strait. Owned by Huna Totem Corporation, it is the only privately owned cruise destination in Alaska, as most stops are owned by the cities in which they are located. Huna Totem Corporation is owned by approximately 1,350 Alaskan natives with aboriginal ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area. Many of them are of the Tlingit people. People do travel from the mainland to the island to work during peak tourist season, then leave at the end of the season. There is housing available for the incoming workers, but there are very limited resources available to the residents of this remote island. The bulk of their annual income comes from the few months that cruise ships bring tourists to the area.

If you look very closely, you can see the water spout from a whale.  With binoculars, we were better able to see what appeared to be two adults and a calf.

Lisa was a woman on a mission on the pier returning to the Norwegian Sun at the end of our visit to the island. She was walking fast, so I figured she either needed food, the little girl's room, or both. In this case, it was both.

Those are gondolas going to the top of the mountain so the tourists are able to experience the scenic views. Tourism is the main income revenue source for most of the residents on the island.

Bald eagles nest in the top of the trees, typically near coastlines. They typically migrate back to the same nest year after year for decades. Many eagle pairs will often have a second, alternate nest in case one gets destroyed. The eagles add more nesting material each year, therefore increasing the size and weight of the nests. Eagles have the largest nests of all birds. Typically, the nests are the size of a queen bed. The largest recorded eagle nest is 8 feet across, 18 feet high and weighed nearly 2 tons. 

 Icy Point said "until we meet again" to us with this sunset as we pulled away from the port. When Alaska speaks, she speaks loudly- so it is advisable to listen. She has a lot to say and says it well.

While we were in Alaska, the phenomenon of the Northern Lights was occurring.  Typically, they are only visible in the winter. The night when our location was best situated to see the lights, it was a very cloudy night limiting our view. Seeing the Northern Lights is still on our bucket list.

Hubbard Glacier, named after Gardiner Hubbard, is a glacier located in Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve in eastern Alaska and extends to Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon, Canada.

The longest section of Hubbard Glacier extends about 76 miles in length and about 7 miles wide. 

Before it reaches the sea, Hubbard is joined by the Valerie Glacier^]to the west.  Valerie has forward surges of its own ice, which contributes to the advancement of the ice flow. Experts believe it will eventually dam the Russell Fjord from Disenchantment Bay waters.

The Hubbard Glacier ice margin has continued to advance for about a century according to the earliest known written records. In 1986, the Hubbard Glacier surged forward, blocking the outlet of Russell Fjord which created Russell Lake. The newly formed lake continued to fill with runoff.  The vast volume of water caused to dam to fail and the area was again was opened to the sea. This was the largest recorded glacier flood in history. There are two documented times when the glacier dammed the Russell Fjord. The flooding is of special concern for the residents in the area and the sea life which sustains the residents.

It takes about 400 years for ice to traverse the length of the glacier, meaning that the ice at the foot of the glacier is about 400 years old. The glacier routinely calves (breaks off) icebergs the size of a ten-story building. Where the glacier meets the bay, most of the ice is below the waterline, and newly calved icebergs can shoot up quite dramatically, so that ships must keep their distance from the edge of the glacier in Disenchantment Bay.

This sunrise greeted us as we departed from the Norwegian Sun to the tender taking us out to the glacier.

These are two separate views of the same ice that calved (broke away) from Hubbard Glacier.

The Norwegian Sun, seen in the far distance, was only able to come within 9 miles of the glacier. Luckily, our tour boat got within a half mile. The glacier is so huge, it seemed like we were much closer than a half mile. It was a very pricey excursion, but we felt it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Some times even the super thrifty have to ease up and just go for it.

It was pretty chilly. Luckily, we spent most of the excursion inside the heated area of the boat.

Mark did not see her being goofy until he looked at the pictures later.

This was a chunk of ice the crew fished out of the bay for us to use as a prop. You can see some of the floating ice the boat had to navigate though to get closer to the glacier. These floating pieces were chunks that calved off from the glacier and floated throughout the bay. Our guide was thankful the rain held off during our visit, because it is cloudy and rainy the majority of most tours.

On our way back to the Norwegian Sun, we were still in the very icy waters.

Skagway

The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough on the Alaskan Panhandle.

Skagway was an important port during the Klondike Gold Rush. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, part of the area's mining past, is now in operation purely for the tourist trade and runs throughout the summer months. Skagway is also part of the setting for Jack London's book The Call of the Wild, Will Hobbs's book Jason's Gold, and for Joe Haldeman's novel, Guardian. The John Wayne film North to Alaska (1960) was filmed nearby.

The story behind the name is that Sha-ka-ԍéi or Skagway ["Pretty Woman"] was the nickname of Kanagoo, a mythical woman who transformed herself into stone at Skagway Bay and who now causes the strong, channeled winds which blow toward Haines, Alaska. The rough seas caused by these winds are referred to by the use of Kanagoo's nickname, Sha-ka-ԍéi or Skagway.

The Kanagoo stone formation is now known as Face Mountain, which is seen from Skagway Bay. The Tlingit name for Face Mountain is Kanagoo Yahaay.

One prominent resident of early Skagway was William "Billy" Moore, a former steamboat captain. As a member of an 1887 boundary survey expedition, he made the first recorded investigation of the pass over the Coast Mountains, which later became known as White Pass. He believed that gold lay in the Klondike because it had been found in similar mountain ranges in South America, Mexico, California, and British Columbia. In 1887, he and his son, J. Bernard "Ben" Moore, claimed a 160-acre homestead at the mouth of the Skagway River. Moore settled in this area because he believed it provided the most direct route to the potential goldfields. They built a log cabin, a sawmill, and a wharf in anticipation of future gold prospectors passing through.

The boundary between Canada and the United States along the Alaskan Panhandle was only vaguely defined then. There were overlapping land claims from the United States' purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867 and British claims along the coast. Canada requested a survey after British Columbia united with it in 1871, but the idea was rejected by the United States as being too costly, given the area's remoteness, sparse settlement, and limited economic or strategic interest.

The gold rush changed everything. In 1896, gold was found in the Klondike region of Canada's Yukon Territory. In 1897, the steamer Queen docked at Moore's wharf with the first boat load of prospectors. Ships continued to bring thousands of hopeful miners into the new town as they prepared for the 500 mile journey to the gold fields in Canada.  Moore was overrun by lot jumping prospectors- his land was stolen from him and sold to others.

 American prospectors composed the majority of the 30,000 that flocked to the area. Some realized how difficult the trek ahead would be en route to the gold fields, and chose to stay behind to supply goods and services to the miners. The population was estimated at 8,000 residents during the spring of 1898- with approximately 1,000 prospective miners passing through town each week.

Due to the sudden influx of visitors to Skagway, some town residents began offering miners transportation services to aid them in their journeys to the Yukon, often at highly inflated rates. A group of miners upset with the treatment, organized a town council to help protect their interests. But as the members of the council moved north to try their own hands at mining, control of the town reverted to the more unscrupulous, most notably Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith.

Between 1897 and 1898, Skagway was a lawless town, described by one member of the North-West Mounted Police as "little better than a hell on earth." Fights, prostitutes and liquor were ever-present on Skagway's streets, and con man "Soapy" Smith, who had risen to considerable power, did little to stop it. Smith was a sophisticated swindler who liked to think of himself as a kind and generous benefactor to the needy. He was gracious to some, giving money to widows and halting lynchings, while simultaneously operating a ring of thieves who swindled prospectors with cards, dice, and shell games. His telegraph office charged five dollars to send a message anywhere in the world. Consequently, unknowing prospectors sent news to their families back home without realizing there was no telegraph service to or from Skagway until 1901. Smith also controlled a comprehensive spy network, a private militia called the Skagway Military Company, the town newspaper, the Deputy U.S. Marshal's office and an array of thieves and con-men who roamed about the town. Smith was shot and killed by Frank Reid and Jesse Murphy in 1898, in the famed Shootout on Juneau Wharf. Smith managed to return fire — some accounts claim the two men fired their weapons simultaneously — and Frank Reid died from his wounds twelve days later. Jesse Murphy is believed by some to be responsible for killing Smith, but the official Coroner's Inquest ruled that it was Reid's bullet that did the fatal work. 

Smith and Reid are now interred at the Klondike Gold Rush Cemetery, also known as "Skagway's Boot Hill."

The prospectors' journey began for many when they climbed the mountains over the White Pass above Skagway and onward across the Canadian–US border to Bennett Lake, or one of its neighboring lakes, where they built barges and floated down the Yukon River to the gold fields around Dawson City. Others disembarked at nearby Dyea, northwest of Skagway, and crossed northward on the Chilkoot Pass, an existing Tlingit trade route, to reach the lakes. The Dyea route fell out of favor when larger ships began to arrive, as its harbor was too shallow for them except at high tide. Officials in Canada began requiring that each prospector entering Canada on the north side of the White Pass bring with him one ton of supplies, to ensure that he did not starve during the winter. This placed a large burden on the prospectors and the pack animals climbing the steep pass.

In 1898, a 14-mile, steam-operated aerial tramway was constructed up the Skagway side of the White Pass, easing the burden of those prospectors who could afford the fee to use it. The Chilkoot Trail tramways also began to operate in the Chilkoot Pass above Dyea. In 1896, before the Klondike gold rush had begun, a group of investors saw an opportunity for a railroad over that route. It was not until May 1898 that the White Pass and Yukon Route began laying narrow gauge railroad tracks in Skagway. The railroad depot was constructed between September and December 1898. This destroyed the viability of Dyea, as Skagway had both the deep-water port and the railroad.

By 1899, the stream of gold-seekers had diminished and Skagway's economy began to collapse. By 1900, when the railroad was completed, the gold rush was nearly over. In 1900, Skagway was incorporated as the first city in the Alaska Territory. Much of the history of Skagway was saved by early residents such as Martin Itjen, who ran a tour bus around the historical town. He was responsible for saving and maintaining the gold- rush cemetery from complete loss. He purchased Soapy Smith's saloon (Jeff Smith's Parlor) from going the way of the wrecking ball, and placed many early artifacts of the city's early history inside and opened Skagway's first museum. 

The port of Skagway comes to life during tourist season as the ships bring thousands to sample a bit of the Inside Passage.

The entire town of Skagway is a National Historical Park which commemorates the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890's.

The quaint streets of Skagway come to life during tourist season but are relatively empty in the off season.

Ammolite is an opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of North America. It is made of the fossilized shells of ammonites, which in turn are composed primarily of aragonite, the same mineral contained in nacre, with a microstructure inherited from the shell. It is one of few biogenic gemstones; others include amber and pearl. In 1981, ammolite was given official gemstone status by the World Jewelry Confederation (CIBJO), the same year commercial mining of ammolite began. It was designated the official gemstone of the City of Lethbridge, Alberta in 2007. 

We manage to find interesting objects and learn little snippets of trivia wherever we go. And yes,

we were intrigued by the Ammolite and purchased a set for Lisa. We maybe purchased a few sets of jewelry while in town, but we don't have to discuss how much we spent in Skagway. 

Lisa asked for a to go cup for her diet coke at the brewery where we ate lunch, but she was told they don't have any. So she decided her cup was a to go cup and carried it with her as we walked through town.

A few of the working girls were trying to get attention at the Bordello and drum up some business.  Actually, they were trying to draw interest to their theater show.

Each prospector was required to carry everything on the list before being allowed into Canadian territory. This complicated travel, but it helped ensure they did not starve over the winter.

This sign describes an example of what life is like in Alaska.

A quote attributed to Groucho Marx was posted in the local bookstore.

The city of Juneau is the capital city of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a consolidated city-borough and the second-largest city in the United States by area. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of what was then the District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900. The municipality unified in 1970, when the city of Juneau merged with the city of Douglas and the surrounding Greater Juneau Borough to form the current municipality, which is larger by area than both Rhode Island and Delaware.

Downtown Juneau is nestled at the base of Mount Juneau and across the channel from Douglas Island.

The city is named after a gold prospector from Quebec, Joe Juneau, though the place was once called Rockwell and then Harrisburg (after Juneau's co-prospector, Richard Harris).

Juneau is unique among the 49 U.S. capitals on mainland North America in that there are no roads connecting the city to the rest of the state or North America. Honolulu, Hawaii, is the only other state capital not connected by road to the rest of North America. The absence of a road network is due to the extremely rugged terrain surrounding the city. This in turn makes Juneau a de facto island city in terms of transportation, since all goods coming in and out must go by plane or boat, in spite of the city's location on the Alaskan mainland. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet, below steep mountains about 3,500 to 4,000 feet high. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow; two of these, the Mendenhall Glacier and the Lemon Creek Glacier, are visible from the local road system. The Mendenhall glacier has been gradually retreating, therefore, its front face is declining in width and height.

The Eldred Rock Light is a historic octagonal lighthouse adjacent to Lynn Canal. It is the last of the ten lighthouses constructed in Alaska between 1902 and 1906. It was also the last of 12 manned lighthouses in Alaska.

That is Pat and Deb (navy buddies) in the seat behind us.  We really enjoyed sharing this visit to Alaska with friends.

We went to a mushers camp (summer location where whole dog sled teams are sent for training and conditioning. The dogs are trained daily all summer by seasoned mushers). We were surprised that many of the mushers were women. One of the mushers in the camp had been leading a race team for over 40 years. Her experiences and wins were impressive. The dogs were nothing like we expected, nor do they use any registered dogs.  They are a mixed breed that has been bred specifically for mushing.  They are interesting animals who love to run.  Since there was no snow, they took us out on a 4 tired wheel "sled".  We did a 2 mile run with a stop at approximately 1 mile.  When we returned to the camp, the dogs just laid down as if they knew it was a rest break. What we found most interesting was when the next tour group came in on the buses, the dogs got overly excited and were ready to run again. When they are waiting and wanting to run, they go bonkers. The whole team is barking like crazy and they are jumping around. They live to run. Running is life for them. The desire and urge to run is so obvious. We learned about the different positions the dogs are assigned to as their designated spot. Each dog is different and each position requires different temperaments, size and level of experience.  The lead dog must demonstrate strong leadership skills and is usually the most experienced dog. Each dog has a job to do and they know what is expected of them. The dogs continue to go hard and help their team, even when they are injured. They truly work together as a team. If the US women's soccer team was as driven as these dogs, they would be unbeatable (The World Cup is starting soon). 

These were newborn sled dog puppies born from a litter belonging to one of the local mushers. The owner was one of the trainers. She was fairly young, owned two race teams and was building up her race experience. We were impressed.  They want as many people as possible to handle the puppies-especially working with their feet.  The dogs feet must be closely watched and treated promptly for any issues.

Rock fish were being unloaded from a fishing boat and being prepared for shipment at a fish house.

The pier in Juneau is a major hub of activity in the area.

Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The city of Victoria is the 7th most densely populated city in Canada.

Victoria is the southernmost major city in Western Canada and is about 62 mi southwest from British Columbia's largest city of Vancouver on the mainland. The city is about 62 mi from Seattle by airplane, seaplane, ferry, or the Victoria Clipper passenger-only ferry, and 25 mi from Port Angeles, Washington, by ferry Coho across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Named for Queen Victoria, the city is one of the oldest in the Pacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. The city has retained a large number of its historic buildings, in particular its two most famous landmarks, the Parliament Buildings (finished in 1897 and home of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia) and the Empress hotel (opened in 1908). The city's Chinatown is the second oldest in North America, after San Francisco's. The region's Coast Salish First Nations peoples established communities in the area long before European settlement, which had large populations at the time of European exploration.

Known as "the Garden City", Victoria is an attractive city and a popular tourism destination with a regional technology sector that has risen to be its largest revenue-generating private industry. Victoria is in the top twenty of world cities for quality-of-life. Life here is very expensive and the weather is unusually mild year-round.

This lady has decorated her yard with quirky painted rocks. Our rickshaw tour guide brought us here as part of our tour while we were en route to the more typical tourist attractions. We had not planned an excursion for Victoria until we met the rickshaw drivers. We were able to see and learn so much more since we had such knowledgeable guides. We have discovered it is often much cheaper to book tours with the locals directly, rather than through the ship.

Our guides were prepared and brought treats for the residential birds in the area. What was funny was the birds knew exactly what we were going to do. They came running for their treats.

That was the rickshaw that took us around town.

These huge, old trees are a favorite of ours. Again, we are learning that the simple things in life bring us joy.

Victoria is such an interesting city and full of beauty. Real estate here and the overall cost of living is outrageous, but it was beautiful. 

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington. It is the northernmost major city in the United States, located about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canadian border. A major gateway for trade with East Asia, the Port of Seattle is the fourth-largest port in North America in terms of container handling as of 2021.

The Seattle area was inhabited by Native Americans for at least 4,000 years before the first permanent European settlers. Arthur A. Denny and his group of travelers, subsequently known as the Denny Party, arrived from Illinois via Portland, Oregon, on the schooner Exact at Alki Point in 1851. The settlement was moved to the eastern shore of Elliott Bay in 1852 and named "Seattle" in honor of Native American Chief Si'ahl of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. Seattle currently has high populations of Native Americans alongside Americans with strong Asian, African, European, and Scandinavian ancestry.

Logging was Seattle's first major industry, but by the late 19th century, the city had become a commercial and shipbuilding center as a gateway to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. Growth after World War II was partially due to the local Boeing company, which established Seattle as a center for aircraft manufacturing. The Seattle area developed into a technology center from the 1980s onwards with companies like Microsoft becoming established in the region. Microsoft founder Bill Gates is a Seattleite by birth. Internet retailer Amazon was founded in Seattle in 1994. The stream of new software, biotechnology, and Internet companies led to an economic revival, which increased the city's population by almost 50,000 between 1990 and 2000.

The culture of Seattle is heavily defined by its significant musical history. Between 1918 and 1951, nearly 24 jazz nightclubs existed along Jackson Street, from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene nurtured the early careers of Ernestine Anderson, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and others. The city is also the origin of rock acts such as Foo Fighters, Heart, and Jimi Hendrix.  

This model of the Space Needle is found inside the Space Needle entrance.

 The Space Needle provided us with 360 degrees of beautiful scenery.

Mount Rainer as seen from the Space Needle despite the foggy conditions 

Mount Rainer is seen over Lisa's right shoulder.

The International Fountain was built on the site of the former Mercer Playground in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. Mercer Playground had stood at that location since the 1910's. During the planning for Century 21 (Seattle World Fair), Mercer Playground was identified as the central site of "The Boulevards of the World", which was to be the centerpiece of the fair. The initial design concept called for a narrow lagoon with gondolas and crossed by a bridge, but a design competition was held for a "light, water and sculpture display" in the summer of 1960. Matsushita and Shimizu submitted the winning design, a fountain designed to reflect "mankind's efforts to explore the farthest reaches of outer space." The 1960 design eschewed sculptural decorations in favor of water jets and the parabolic shapes they produced.

A model of the Space Needle is inside the lobby of the Space Needle. 

A view of the Space Needle as seen from the ground.

Gum Wall

Down an unassuming alleyway in Pike Place Market is a hidden work of art dubbed The Gum Wall.

This unexpected and colorful display is an intriguing representation of Seattle’s unique charm and character.

The Gum Wall started in the 1990s when local patrons and performers at Unexpected Productions stuck their used gum on the wall. Since those days, the wall has grown piece by piece to cover an enormous expanse of brick and continues to expand down Post Alley.

The resulting colors and overall imagery are enough to catch the eye of any passersby. 

This is the main entrance to Chinatown in Seattle.

This is the home of the Seattle Seahawks.

We were able to enjoy the Seattle Skyline before we returned to the  airport. We had 12 hours in town between the time our ship arrived and our flight home's departure. Megan suggested we check out excursions in Seattle to kill some time, and as usual, she had great advice.

After our tour of Seattle, we headed back to the airport so we could return home.