A day at sea, just what the doctor ordered for us weary, jet lagged, already overfed travelers.

I was uncharacteristically up before sunrise and ready to take in what is touted to be one of Alaska’s main attractions, the Inside Passage. So what is it exactly?

The Inside Passage is a system of waterways for ships, boats, canoes, and kayaks that weaves through a labyrinth of fjords, bays, and 1,000 islands. Tourists like us have been cruising the Inside Passage since 1881 when a steamship company began offering monthly sailings aboard two ships. Standard cabin: $30; steerage/economy: $15. During the Klondike Gold Rush the Passage was one of the sea routes from Seattle and California that carried hopeful, prepared, and unprepared prospectors north. Walter told us last night its nickname is the Blue Highway.

Dan jumped out of bed early this morning too and had the buffet all to himself. He brought breakfast back to the room, so he could enjoy the scenery from our balcony. I had a continental breakfast delivered to the room which I enjoyed on the balcony wrapped in a lush bathrobe and slippers. A good start to the day!

Our first/only event of the day was attending a kick ass presentation on whales presented by Celia Garlan. Cleone and Walter attended all of her lectures on their Antarctica cruise and highly recommended we give her a try. They were right, she is fabulous. She covered all things whale and was just as good as W&C practically guaranteed us she would be.

We had a cool, overcast morning that morphed into a sunny, windy afternoon. Presumably because we are at the end of the cruising season, we only saw a couple other ships plus a few small fishing boats. It reminded me of transiting the Panama Canal in that it was serenely quiet. We lucked into seeing quite a few vapor sprays, so we knew whales were near by, but they refused to surface for our amusement.

Dinner tonight was casual chic so we all turned up in our finery. We lucked into the same table as last night, that Dan and Hettie selected, which is perfectly centered on the massive picture window in the dining room. Our leisurely dinner was delicious. We went from the dining room to the entertainment, which was an energetic song and dance review of the 1970s, before getting organized to leave the ship early tomorrow morning.

… Famous People Associated with Alaska ...

Born in Utah, the 90’s singer and songwriter Jewel (Kilcher) grew up in Homer, Alaska.

While stationed up north with the Air Force, Bob Ross was inspired by Alaska’s stunning landscapes and eventually became a well-known artist whose TV show taught millions of Americans how to paint.

Wyatt Earp, legendary gunfighter and deputy marshal of Tombstone, Arizona, moved to
Nome in 1897 during the height of the Gold Rush. 
He opened the Dexter Saloon, Nome’s first two-story wooden building. 

Larry Sanger, raised in Anchorage, co-founded Wikipedia in 2001. 

The Call of The Wild author Jack London moved to Alaska to seek gold.

Douglas Eboch, known for his work on the 2002 comedy “Sweet Home Alabama,”
graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School.

Carl Ben Eielson initially went to Alaska to teach secondary school but made history by flying the first air mail in Alaska in 1924 and after a 1928 flight across the Arctic Ocean he established Alaskan Airways.

Sarah Palen served as the ninth governor of Alaska and was the
2008 Republican vice presidential nominee alongside U.S. Senator John McCain.