Annual Pig Roast

Last night we went to this annual family party which was really fun. The big hit was the bouncy castle, supposed to be for the kids but some moms joined in. All the pot luck food was wonderful, to go with the pig and later the camp fire was on for warmth and smores. This gang is really an extended family and it is fabulous to see all the kids interacting and taking care of each other. What a great time.

Off to Gibsons

Ron and I had coffee at Horseshoe Bay before I headed off to see Hana's Dance Recital.
It was really cool. She has a great teacher and all the routines and kids were great and looked like they were having the most fun. One father closes his Barber Shop for the day and is the official parking attendant win his tutu which cracks up the younger kids. Hana was in a HipHop number which was cool. There were 2 older girls who did a mirror image dance and they were really good.

Busy with Friends

We had a very nice visit with Joy and Roman Monday. He is finally on the road to good health after a 5 bypass open heart surgery. He's 20 lbs thinner and although they're both worn out, they look great now they're finally getting a good night's sleep again.
We've been busy with medical appointments and having fun with friends. Friday is always Pool at the Elks, Sat. we played Mexican Train with neighbours and Sunday we had dinner at Agnes and Hans which was delicious and fun.

Welcome back to the Pacific Northwest

We had a good day at sea yesterday with people hot tubbing and lunch on deck. It was fun watching the coast as we cruised down.
We arrived in Seattle and looked out to fog nearly down to the water and drizzling rain. Here's our rainy decks. Certainly felt right at home. We appreciated our cruise weather so much - we really lucked in. We had a nice orderly disembarkation and caught the shuttle to Canada. Our driver had a great sense of humor and we stopped for a break and coffee at a rest stop with this magnificent old tree stump. When we got to the Border, our bus was 6th in line but the Border Inspector came out to us checked passports, took our declaration and said, 'Have a nice day'. Simple. I certainly recommend that for going through the Border.

Prince Rupert

As we arrived at our last port, a fellow was out in his little boat by the new container port. He raised the Canadian flag and played Oh Canada on a trumpet. The whole ship cheered. People went off to Bear tours, kayaking, everything your could think of. Rupert developed as the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad and has many old buildings forming the historic downtown core. The home of First Nations People for over 10,000 years, it is now culturally diverse with a rich history of railroad construction, fishing, logging and shipping. There is an eagle sitting on the railing above the kayakers in Cow Bay, named for the first dairy herd who had to swim ashore before the first dock was built, way back when.

More Skagway

We really enjoyed our train trip and our narrator was a native born and raised Skagway girl who will continue her education in Texas this fall to become a Doctor. There is No Doctor, nurse or midwife in town so she said - don't get sick. Another saying, considering the ratio of men to women is 5-1, is 'your odds of catching a man are pretty good, but the goods are odd'. I went walking around the town and passed the Eagles Hall where they have the Days of '98 Show, Gold Rush Entertainment that has been running for 82 years. The influence of early Russian settlers is apparent with local archtecture and trading beads in the museum. I went into the Red Onion Saloon. This local restaurant used to be a bordello but now offers a skit and has bedpans lining the wall. They have the AB Hall for the Alaska Brotherhood which was started back in the gold rush days for those who settled in the town.

Skagway

As we came up the Lynn Canal to Skagway, the landscape has changed here - the mountains seem even higher, the vistas starker and glaciers hanging down the mountains. We left the ship and boarded the White Pass and Yukon Railroad right on the dock. We sat in Parlour cars with a potbellied stove for warmth as we started off on the Scenic Railway of the World. We climbed 3000 ft. in 20 miles over the White Pass through 3.9% grades, cliff hanging turns, wooden trestles, steel bridge/trestles and 2 tunnels coated in ice. It is truly a breathtaking panorama of moutains, glaciers, deep gorges like Deadhorse Gulch, waterfalls and historic sites of the Klondike Gold Rush up the Chilkoot Trail. Remember that was in 1898, before this rail-line. At the Summit, we entered B.C. and saw the NWMP (Northwest Mounted Police) early headquarters, the size of your bathroom. They were the ones that demanded that prospecters bring a years supply of goods to survive. That would mean carrying 2000 lbs up to the Summit, then down the other side to get to the gold fields. This uniquie trip is on a narrow gauge rail, the only way they could fit the terrain, which is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
At times the track was squished between rock and the snow drifts were 8' tall. The track is kept clear with a unique rotary snowblower mounted to the front of the engine. We had blowing snow up on top which was fun but cold on the platform for taking pictures. This was an inspiring trip.