North to Alaska [2014 - Day 3]

Thanks for joining us as we look back 3 weeks ago today ... Day 3 of our voyage Seattle to Alaska and return. Today's schedule calls for an arrival in Juneau about noon, so let's start with some pictures of the scenery before reaching port ...

Before Juneau

Dawn, September 8, 2014

Sunrise and the path of gold over
Alaskan waters

Low clouds are expected to burn off as the day progresses.

Lucky to have such good weather.

Cruisers want to see and photograph the whales.
There were lots of whales but most were
staying close to the surface.

Good example of glacial water vs. ocean water color
difference.

Juneau, Alaska

We arrived in Juneau about noon.  We had no plans for any specific tours and just decided to enjoy walking around town.  We do recommend taking the tram up to Mt Roberts, so that is what we did ...

Golden Princess docked in Juneau
September 8, 2014

Just the ticket.

Here comes our gondola.

On the way up.

View of Juneau from Mt. Roberts
Our ship is in lower right corner.

Downtown Juneau
Alaska State Capitol

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

North to Alaska [2014 - Day 2]

Thanks for joining us for a look back 3 weeks ago today ... Day 2 of a voyage Seattle to Alaska and return. The photo above is just before sunrise looking out to the east on starboard side of Golden Princess. The mountains along the coast of British Columbia make a nice backdrop. The GPS tells us we are moving north at about 20 miles per hour. This day is called a "Day at Sea" since there are no port stops. Itinerary and map are below.

We stopped by the Horizon Court (buffet dining area) for a cup of coffee and then went out for a walk to explore the ship.

Too early for a dip in the hot tub?

It's still early so the crowds haven't gathered around the pool on the sky deck. The giant screen is on day and night with movies, sports events, and commentary on what we will see in the port stops ahead.

On Promenade Deck you can walk all the way around the ship. There is a little sign that tells you how many times you need to go around to equal a mile.

If you are wondering, here is how a typical interior hallway looks ...

A popular misconception among those who haven't cruised is that there is nothing to do on a cruise ship on days at sea. The truth is there is actually more to do than you can probably do. There are all sorts of events scheduled throughout the day, movies on TV, a full gym for workouts, trivia contests, seasoned travelers present information about future port stops, shopping in several onboard stores, go for a swim or hot tub, etc. etc. ... AND, always dining!  In the afternoon we walked to the back of the ship for the shots below ...

On Day 3 we will arrive in Juneau about noon time.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

North to Alaska [2014 - Day 1]

Three weeks ago today we boarded the Golden Princess at Seattle's Pier 91 for a journey up to the great state of Alaska. Here are a few shots of the "sailaway" day ... (click on image for larger view)

Looking back on Seattle as we depart Pier 91

Mt Rainier reigning over Puget Sound

Looking south as the ship swings northbound
departing Elliott Bay toward the
Strait of Juan de Fuca and ultimately
the Pacific Ocean

Not a fence ... those are sailboats at the Marina

You know you are lucky with the weather when
you see Mt Baker like this as you depart.
Clear blue skies.

Idyllic setting on Widbey Island.

Typical beach community. Would you like to
live right on the water's edge?

Little GPS device allows me to know photo locations.
In this instance I might like to go back and check out
the beach community in the photo above. They
should have some interesting views.

Evening falls on the sailaway day.

Looking back along the starboard side of the ship.
It's just after dinner and most cruisers have gone
to the nightly entertainment in the theater.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

September Skies

As September rapidly draws to a close we thought we would share a few photos taken this month featuring the sky.

Sunset September 14, 2014
Seen in Seattle via our peek view between
skyscrapers.  Olympic Mountains in
the distance.

Sunrise September 24, 2014
taken in Southwest Montana

Big Sky
The Madison Valley of Montana
September 23, 2014

Stevenson Island
Yellowstone Lake
Yellowstone National Park
September 25, 2014

What you see when you flip around after taking
the Stevenson Island photo.
Lake Hotel
Yellowstone National Park

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.

Linking up today with Skywatch Friday.

This Summer over the New Line - Puget Sound Lines - To the East - 1913

Today, we wanted to share a railroad brochure from the summer of 1913. Although our summer has just ended, we found it interesting to look back to a summer in the glory days of travel were things were not always rush-rush and crowded-crowded.

For those of you who have followed recent posts here you may recognize, in the photographs, some familiar locations and scenes. The lines of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway traversed some of the most scenic parts of the Pacific Northwest along the route from Chicago to Seattle. 

One reason these antique publications fascinate us is the way railroads marketed travel at a time when travel was much more of a "special occasion" than it is today.

Thanks for stopping by John's Island.

Autumn Again

One of a series of postcard images copyrighted by S S Porter in 1906, featuring the change of seasons, seems especially appropriate for today. The Autumn season begins today, September 22nd, at 7:29 PM PDT. We posted this card a few years ago and just can't think of anything better for today. We like the bears and rabbits and the drawing nailed up behind them. The card has writing around the edges but it has faded to the extent that we can't read it. The postmark is also somewhat uncertain, but we believe it was mailed in October, 1908. Someone removed the stamp before we took possession.

There are four of these cards ... one for each season.

We don't know the meaning of St. John under the A U T U M N drawing ...

We especially like the idea of a catered lunch but will leave it up to you to decide what's in the bottle.

Ahhh ... for the days when R. R. #1 got the card delivered ... no zip code needed!

Here at John's Island we have been on break ... sabbatical ... vacation ... leave, or whatever you want to call it ... we just haven't been posting since September 5th.  We have been doing some travelling and will share some photos and commentary in future posts. As for right now, we simply wish you a fine Fall.

If you are inclined to know more about today's autumnal equinox, here is some info from Space.com.

Thank you for stopping by John's Island.