Alaska cruise 5 - Saddle and Paddle

Monday, July 13

Today is Mom and Dad's 25th anniversary and I hate that I'm not around to celebrate. I hope they got my card. They'll also be seeing an announcement in the local paper this Sunday, so I hope they like it. (Thanks, Andy!)

Otherwise, today has been amazing. My first stop was the Scagway port at 8 a.m. where I met 9 others to take a bus to the Yukon, then canoeing on Spirit Lake. The ride up took an hour and a half, but the scenery was incredible. Crystal clear water and sunshine everywhere. Everyone keeps telling us how lucky we are to have such great weather.

I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures of Spirit Lake before, but actually being there was amazing. I paddled with a lady named Phyllis. The water was only 4 to 5 feet deep where we went and we saw moose tracks all over the bottom of the lake. (It was named Spirit Lake because when the wind blows through, it makes a whistling noise and the natives thought they could communicate with their ancestors' spirits.)

Once out of the lake, we had lunch at a little restaurant. I had a salmon salad sandwich, soup sort of like minestrone and apple pie -- all made by the lady who runs it. Then it was off to the barn where we grabbed helmets for horseback riding. I got a horse named Spirit. Emily loves horses, especially the movie "Spirit," so I got her a red horseshoe with the horse's name on it as a souvenir.

The ride was fantastic. Last time I went riding was with Pete in New Zealand where it hailed on us and my saddle came loose. But this was a very easy ride through a wooded area, by a river, then back up the mountain. There are moose, bears and elk in the area during other parts of the year apparently. I think the guide said they've moved up the mountain by now.

On the way back to Scagway, we passed Bove Island and listened to our guide tell stories about the Gold Rush in Alaska and Canada. I don't think I would've liked to be one of the scavengers.

Then several years ago, he said, one guy cleared some trees along the Alaska Highway to make room for a home. Authorities told him he couldn't cut them down and to put them back, so he placed them in the ground upside down. I was on the wrong side of the bus to get a picture of that one.

I was exhausted by the time I got back, but headed out once again after I got clean. Mamaw was on her second excursion. I bought Dad's souvenir and two photo scrapbooks. I'm giving one to Mamaw tomorrow for her birthday. I also got pictures of where Sarah Palin grew up and a guy's backyard where he's created a lawn mower cemetery for locals' old mowers.

Once Mamaw got back, we swapped stories. She didn't like the second trip as much because the bus driver backed up when she was trying to put her things overhead and she fell in the aisle. She was fine, but the driver made her fill out papers about the incident for liability. Everyone asked if she was OK and one lady kept offering her Excedrin. She doesn't like to cause a fuss, but I feel bad that I wasn't there. She did befriend one elderly lady from Decatur, Ga., and her two daughters.

Our Bible study was really good tonight, too. Jerry Vines spoke about doing things for God's glory, not men, and storing up heavenly treasures instead of earthly ones. Then we watched more comedy by Geraldine and Ricky.

At 11 p.m., we went out on deck and it was beautiful. Still light enough to see things, although my camera didn't want a photo of the lighthouses to save its life. Tomorrow's passage is supposed to be even prettier.