2025 Oceania Alaska Cruise

Day 1: Vancouver, British Columbia
29 May (Thursday)
Embark: 1:00PM Depart: 6:00PM
Dinner: Red Ginger 7:30PM (Private Table)

Day 2: Cruising the Inside Passage
30 May (Friday)
(All Day)
Dinner: Polo Grill 6:30PM (Sharing Table)

Day 3: Klawock, Alaska
31 May (Saturday)
Arrive: 8:00AM Depart: 5:00PM

Day 4: Ketchikan, Alaska
1 June (Sunday)
Arrive: 7:00AM Depart: 5:00PM
Shore Excursion: OS Alaska Fishing And Wilderness Dining (KTN-006) 0730-1230

Day 5: Wrangell, Alaska
2 June (Monday)
Arrive: 7:00AM Depart: 5:00PM
Shore Excursion: Island Heritage Discovery (WRG-004) 1300-1400

Day 6: Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska
3 June (Tuesday)
Arrive: 10:00AM Depart: 10:00PM (revised times)
Shore Excursion: Seafood Feast And Tribal Connections (ISP-030) 1300-1500

Day 7: Haines, Alaska
4 June (Wednesday)
Arrive: 6:00AM Depart: 8:00PM (Departed closer to 9pm)
Shore Excursion: OS Klukwan Native Cultural Experience (HNS-009) 1000-1245

Day 8: Juneau, Alaska
5 June (Thursday)
Arrive: 7:00AM Depart: 4:00PM
Dinner: Toscana 6:30PM (Sharing Table)
Shore Excursion: Whales, Glaciers And Rainforest Trails (JNU-003) 1230-1730

Day 9: Sitka, Alaska
6 June (Friday)
Arrive: 8:00AM Depart: 5:00PM
Shore Excursion: Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest (SIT-004) 1145-1415
Dinner: Jacques 6:30PM (Sharing Table)

Day 10: Cruising Hubbard Glacier
7 June (Saturday)
(All Day)

Day 11: Kodiak, Alaska
8 June (Sunday)
Arrive: 12:00PM Depart: 8:00PM
Shore Excursion: Charter Float Plane - Bear Viewing Tour 1230-1700

Day 12: Homer, Alaska
9 June (Monday)
Arrive: 7:00AM Depart: 3:00PM (Revised Departure Time)

Day 13: Whittier, Alaska
10 June (Tuesday)
Disembark: 8:00AM

Item	Updated
Oceania Riviera Current Location	Now
Oceania Riviera Dinning Facilities	27 May 2025
Photo Album	9 June 2025
Google Map	16 June 2025
Google Earth KMZ File	16 June 2025
Download Files	16 June 2025

Daily Log:

- 28 May (Wednesday): Day 0 - Travel to Vancouver, British Columbia (UTC-7):Our Uber was on time and got us from home to Tucson airport in plenty of time for our flight. The flight to Seattle was uneventful, other than some rough air in places. It was nice to the the Olympics as we flew into Seattle. Renee got some nice photos from the window of the plane of Mount Ranier and others. We had a quick dinner at SEATAC, then boarded another RJ for the 1-hour flight to Vancouver. It was great to see that our bags kept up with us, and pretty easy going through Canadian customs. We caught an Uber to our hotel, the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront, and had our bags brought to our room on the 18th floor. Renee made sure to get a room with a view of the harbor, and it did not disappoint. We dropped our stuff, then headed down and over to the water for a nice walk. It was my first use of our new Insta360 X5 camera, so it was a bit fun trying that out. I even caught a selfie of us taking a selfie (gotta see the photo ;) After a nice walk and some passive weed smoking, we returned to our room and pretty much called it a day. I did do a quick edit of the video and found the studio software very easy and intuitive to use. We hit the sack in anticipation of what was to come. 
- 29 May (Thursday): Day 1 - Vancouver, British Columbia (UTC-7):We were up early and excited to meet with 2022 World Cruise friends Herb Grubel and Helene Bertrand. They had taken the sea bus across the harbor and walked to our hotel to meet for breakfast. After that, we checked out of the hotel and left our bags to pick up later, then walked to the sea bus and headed back across to make our way to their home. It was a nice walk, and a real treat to spend a brief time with Herb and Helene in their home. We then beat feet back across the harbor, back to the hotel, gathered our bags and took a cab to the port. The maze we had to go through to check in for the cruise was excessive. I joked that it was the vetting process for passengers to see if they were up to the trip. We finally made it aboard, found our muster station, and went to the Terrace Cafe while our stateroom was being readied. It was nice sitting outside and relaxing a bit. Even though it was our first time on the Riviera, we've been for 2 cruises on sister ship Marina, so we felt quite at home. After a short stay we headed to room 9037, situated forward and right next to the Concierge Lounge and not far from the laundry room. We enjoyed watching our Vancouver departure topside, passing under the Lions Gate Bridge and toward the Inner Passage. Dinner in Red Ginger was a real treat. Head Chef Mario stopped by our table. He remembered us from our 6.5 month cruise with him on Insignia back in 2022. The Sea Bass was as good as ever.  
- 30 May (Friday): Day 2 - Cruising the Inside Passage (UTC-7 & UTC-8):Quiet sea day morning as we cruise the Inside Passage. Overcast, but still nice to see the islands and remote homes on them. Had a nice breakfast in the Terrace Cafe. Renee had a spa visit this morning. After that she started the art scavanger hunt, looking for various art pieces around the ship. After lunch, we watched an O-Life Lecture by a naturalist on the cruise. She advised on what wildlife we'd expect to see in the various ports of call. They mainly consisted of Brown and Black bears that could eat us, along with sea lions and Bald Eagles. We dined in Polo Grill at a sharing table with two other couples. Don and Stephanie are from Souther California. Don is a semi-retired family doctor and Stephanie is a retired lawyer. Buzz and Susan are from Arkansas. Buzz ran a chain of convenience stores and Susan worked for AT&T. They live on a remote 25 acres of land and love it. After dinner we went to see comedian Corey Rodriguez. He had the whole theater laughing at his material about old folks, Dad wisdom, and his relationship with his girlfriend. All in all, not a bad sea day. 
- 31 May (Saturday): Day 3 - Klawock, Alaska (UTC-8):We did not have a scheduled shore excursion, so we had a casual start to the day with breakfast in Terrace Cafe. We sat next to Mike and Lynn at breakfast. They're from Glenwood Springs, CO. We then layered up and grabbed our stuff to head out on the tender to the shore. Klawock has only been accepting cruise ships since last year, so we were the 10th cruise ship to ever go to this new port. Not much here, but we did take the shuttle around a bit, then hiked to the Klawock Totem Park and back to the shuttle pickup point. We're in the Tongass National Rain Forest, so it was wet and overcast as expected, but still somewhat pleasant. Klawock does have the distinction of starting Alaska's first fish cannery. Also, during the shuttle ride, we passed a lumber yard. Our driver mentioned that it supplies wood to Germany to manufacture Steinway pianos!!! I did some fact checking and found that the Steinway wood "...comes from ancient Sitka spruce trees found in the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Alaska. Steinway carefully selects and sources this high-quality wood to ensure the best sound and construction for their pianos." Only about 800 people live in Klawock, so we doubled the size of the town for the day. The Prince of Wales Island has a total of about 5,000 people. Saw lots of bald eagles and some storks, but did not get good photos of them. Back at the tender port we shopped a bit and picked up a jar of Devil's Club Salve (allegedly great for aches and pains), made here from the root of a toxic native plant. Renee picked up a nice mug of the Inside Passage. Tender back was uneventful, and we grabbed an early bite to eat before heading back to the room. At Waves Grill we bumped into Marina, a restaurant worker from Serbia who we met on our World Cruise in 2022. She recognized us and gave us both big hugs. Said she remembered how nice we were to her. We'll see her again in Toscana when we eat there. We decided to skip dinner and the show tonight and turn in early as we have a 7:15 shore excursion tomorrow in Ketchikan. 
- 1 June (Sunday): Day 4 - Ketchikan, Alaska (UTC-8):Early start today...met at 7:15 on shore in the Ward Cove terminal. Then a shuttle ride into town, and to our outfitters, Baranof Fishing Excursions. We traded our shoes for some nice rubber boots and were given rubber jackets for the boat. Only one other couple on our tour, plus our guide. Eddie and Judy Grim are from Mount Airy, Maryland. Eddie is a machinist, and Judy taught elementary school but now teaches teachers. Our boat captain was Garrett McCleery. Young guy in his twenties who moved to Alaska for the fishing. We hit a number of spots, dropping lines and jigging for rockfish and anything else that would bite. I happened to catch the first fish and later one other, but had to let it go. Eddie was next. He caught a Tiger Rockfish and also had to let it go. The fish took too long recovering though, and 3 bald eagles swooped down multiple times to fight over who would get it. Renee could even feel the wind from their wings they were so close! Renee caught a Yellow Tail Rockfish, but it got away while trying to land it. Judy pulled in a Silvergray Rockfish to pretty much end our catch. We then headed for a fishing camp where staff cleaned and prepared our fish in a tomato-based seafood sauce which was delicious! After making it back to Ketchikan, we walked around a bit with our new friends. Had to revisit historic Creek Street. We also passed the lumberjack show that we had attended 23 years ago when we were here. There were other ships docked in Ketchikan. Among them, to our surprise, was the Carnival Spirit, which is the exact ship that we took 23 years ago! We could even see the aft balcony of the room that we had back then. Browsed the gifts back at Ward Cove prior to reboarding the Riviera, then relaxed a bit before getting ready for dinner. Nothing special...we just went to the buffet in Terrace Cafe. We did see a couple that we ate dinner with the other night and we saw our new fishing buddies there too. We'll be taking in the show. It's a second performance by comedian Correy Rodriguez. No early start tomorrow, so happy for that! 
- 2 June (Monday): Day 5 - Wrangell, Alaska (UTC-8):Relaxed morning, as our tour was not until 12:45am. After breakfast we left the ship and bumped into our new fishing buddies, Judy and Eddie, so we walked around town with them a bit. Wrangell is a small town, so that did not take long, but we walked through the totem pole carving shed, stopped outside of the museum for a bit, and then picked up a couple of things at the town supermarket. Young local girl was selling lemonade and brownies, so (sucker that I am for kids selling stuff), I completed that sale and we moved on. Port security guard, "Rod and Reel", pointed us to a Fresh-caught Halibut taco truck at the end of the pier as the best place for lunch, so we tried it out and it was great! Our tour took us to a tribal ceremonial house where we were told stories by one of the native women elders. For the day, we were of the Eagle clan. From there, on to the museum where we were treated to more history and interesting facts about the town and its people. Our guide, a young Tligit woman, was very knowledgeable and very interested in sharing her heritage with us. Our last stop was the Petroglyphs Historic Beach, where we were shown petroglyphs of unknown origin, dating back about 8,000 years. I made a rubbing of one of the replicas using fern plants as my dye. The tour was definitely well worth the time and money. It really helped us appreciate the cultural history of the town and people. In the evening we had a delightful dinner with Judy and Eddie, along with Judy's brother Mark and sister-in-law Patty, in the Grand Dining Room. Good food and some great conversation.  
- 3 June (Tuesday): Day 6 - Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska (UTC-8):Our experience in Icy Strait Point was a bit mixed. The actual location is beautiful...nestled in the coastal forest. But the port facilities and offerings appear to be like something the cruise industry added, so it had that Disney-like feel to it. There were 3 other ships in port with us, so it was pretty busy. They have a cable car that takes you through the woods to the main area which we took with our tour, but prior to that we walked a nice trail through the woods without becoming bear food. Our tour started with a seafood fest. The venue was pretty rudimentary...just wooden picnic tables under a canopy with a fire pit in the center. The food was excellent...fresh dungeness crab, shrimp, and mussels prepared Cajun style with potatoes, corn on the cob and andouille. The problem was we were severly limited in our time to actually enjoy eating the food! Our guide was more like an escort, with no people skills, herding us from one place to another. We then went to a Tlingit tribal long house for more story telling, dance and song. There is strictly no photography or video taking allowed in these events, so it's hard to convey what we saw and heard. Again...split sentiments here. I loved that there were young people carrying on the traditions, but it was a very poorly executed performance (tossed a clan vest on over whatever street clothes they were wearing and not too mindful of their waiting audience.) After this, we made a quick stop at a very cool, small shack run by Salvation Army called "Lil' Gen's Mini-Doughnuts". All proceeds support the local community, so we indulged in a half-dozen sample. After that we meandered around a bit, walking along the shoreline, then we took the cable car back to the pier and reboarded Riviera. All-in-all, not a place we'd care to visit again and would have been okay if we'd not even stopped here. On the plus side...we did see our first humpback whale of this trip (albeit at a bit of a distance) and a fair closeup of an eagle keeping an eye on the water. 
- 4 June (Wednesday): Day 7 - Haines, Alaska (UTC-8):Haines has a beautiful look from the ship in port. Positioned in the foothills between the snow-covered mountains and the Chilkoot Inlet, the small town has a nice vibe. We had a 12:45 tour, so we explored a bit prior to that, finding a very cool shop called "The Wild Iris". Local artist and shop-owner Fred Shields is a very entertaining guy. He seems to know a bit about everything, and knows how to elicit stories from his visitors. Renee picked up a silver necklace made by Fred's friend Jenny Byrne from Anchorage. Affixed to the silver ring is a eagle of fossil ivory, and a moon over terrain made of mother of pearl, and abalone. Our tour was a bus ride out of town to another Tligit long house and museum where we learned more about tribal customs and daily life, then were treated to more song and story-telling. I felt compelled to privately suggest to one of the members that they reconsider keeping their culture such a guarded secret, as preserving it depends on documenting it. It would seem they'd know this given how much of their history is lost already, but they seem to continue keeping so much of the Tlingit history a secret. We had a small snack of some very good salmon balls before packing it back into the bus for the ride back to town. Haines is known for the huge concentration of bald eagles that are here when the salmon are running. That starts in a couple more weeks, so note to future travelers to visit after mid June. While we did pass a black bear (few saw it) and another who drove around on their own had a moose pop out in front of them, we saw very little wildlife. We stopped at an eagle sanctuary, which had a fairly complete taxidermy display of most of the species of Alaskan wildlife, along with a few live bald eagles that they were nursing back to health. We decided to skip the Haines Hammer Museum, as I forgot to pack that box of nails. We saw photos though, and it's got a lot of hammers! Back on board, Renee continued her hunt for art segments and I wrangled some data. We had dinner up in the Terrace Cafe, and chatted a bit with Eddie, Judy, Mark and Patty before leaving. Small as it was, we enjoyed Haines. 
- 5 June (Thursday): Day 8 - Juneau, Alaska (UTC-8):Good to be back in Juneau, but could not remember much about the layout of the town. We were anchored with four other ships in dock. We tendered ashore and walked around a bit while we waited for our tour. We did see the new location of the Red Dog Saloon, but it was too crowded to visit, so we passed on that. Our tour started with a nice hike through part of the 16.7 million acre Tongass National Forest (largest in the U.S. and a rain forest). Our guide was a young gal from L.A., studying fish and wildlife preservation. She was pretty good with pointing out vegetation and talking about the wildlife (of which we saw little to none) as we walked along. We were treated to Sitka Spruce tips straight from the tree, which are used in a variety of edible things. We did not die, and they tasted a bit bitter and citris-like. Our forrest walk was in an area that was once a mile below a glacier. We made it to the shoreline of Mendenhall Lake, where we could see the Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls across the water from us. We did not take the hike to the falls, which would be a great thing to do sometime, but we had a nice view from where we were. We continued on to a parking lot and reboarded our step van for a drive to our whale watch boat, the "Ranger". We headed out of Statter Harbor into nearby islands in search of humback whales and other creatures. We did see a mother and calf and others, but mostly just a their backs and occasional flukes. We did see a lot of eagles and a sealion that was taunting the sea gulls with a fish that he would thrash around to watch them go wild trying to get to it. Made for some fun and a few photos and videos. I went to Terrace Cafe early to snag a 6-top table for Renee and I and two other couples. Chef Mario prepared a Chef's Market Dinner. The halibut and salmon were purchased that day in Juneau, and there were a variety of other seafood and other dishes to choose from. Conversation was good and we stayed until some left for the 9:15 show. We were pretty tired, so we headed back to our stateroom and hit the sack.  
- 6 June (Friday): Day 9 - Sitka, Alaska (UTC-8):Slow day for us today. We left the ship around 10:00am and caught the shuttle into town. Did not have much time before we had to return for our shore excursion, so we just looked around at the water and distant snow-capped mountains. Sitka has a nice feel to it and has some stunning views, to include a great view of Mt Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano that has shown recent signs of activity. We returned to our meeting place to be advised that the tour would be delayed. We were supposed to board a boat to travel the coastline for an "Otters and Wildlife" excursion. The tour was canceled due to problems with the boat, which was a significant disappointment. I'd been hoping to get some good shots of wildlife, and it was the first sunny day there in 6 weeks. We took the shuttle back to town from the port. Each of the three drivers were lively and had great stories and humor. As it was now noonish, we made our first stop at the Sitka Burger and Crab Shack for lunch (recommended by our driver). I had a lobster and fish sandwich and Renee had a crabcake sandwich, both of which were pretty good. We walked over to the Russian Orthodox Church, stopping at a shop near it where we picked up a small, but nice, piece of scrimshaw art on mammoth tusk. We continued on to the Baranof Castle State Historic Site where the Alaska Purchase was conducted on 18 October 1867. The U.S. bought Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million dollars, which was only 2 cents per acre! There was a great view from this elevated site where one of the first U.S. flags with 49 stars was flown. After this we took a leisurely stroll back to the shuttle, then headed back to the ship where we jumped into bathing suits and headed for the spa deck for some soaking in the hot tub. Since I'm not much of an exhibitionist, I don't like the main pool area hot tubs. The spa deck on these ships is pretty quiet, with typically only a couple other folks there. We then showered up and got semi-dressed up for the Oceania Club cocktail party up in the Horizons Lounge (top deck forward). These events feature key crew member meet and great, plus live music, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The crew thanked club members, announced some numbers about travelers on the ship...20 countries represented, with the top three by head count being the U.S., Canada and England. They also announce how many passengers are present in each level of the club (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Presidential). The couple with the most ship days with Oceania had over 1,500 days. We just turned Platinum, so we're still newbies by that count! After the party we headed to Jacque's for dinner at a shared table. Met Scott and Karen from Philadelphia. Both are retired respiratory therapists. We had a nice meal and plenty of lively conversation about our travels and our families. Judy came over to say 'Hi', as she and Eddie, along with her brother Mark and sister-in-law Patty, were also dining there. We went over to chat with them about their day after finishing our meal. Back to the stateroom for some shut-eye before we hit (figuratively) Hubbard Glacier tomorrow! 
- 7 June (Saturday): Day 10 - Cruising Hubbard Glacier (UTC-8):We woke as Riviera was making her way into Yakutat Bay, approaching Hubbard Glacier. We quickly suited up in cold weather gear and headed to deck 7, as they had opened the forward deck for us to view the glacier. Our first look was disappointing...rainy and foggy...could barely see the glacier. A bit later we did get a much better view and snapped some decent photos. Hubbard Glacier is 76 miles long, 7 miles wide at its terminal face, and 350 feet high at the waterline. It dwarfs other glaciers in Alaska and moves at up to 7 feet in one day. We did not see any calving, but did hear some rumbling. Most of the rest of the day is a sea day as we make our way to Kodiak Island. Had lunch in Terrace Cafe with Mark and Patty. We were invited to play Mexican Train dominoes, and Renee will likely join that activity while I catch up on processing some of the photos and videos we've taken the last few days. I had a second deep tissue massage this evening. First one really helped, so hoping for more of the same results. We had dinner in Toscana at a sharing table with 4 other people. Butch and Cindy are from northern California and are both retired from banking. Pamela is traveling with her son, Jack. They're from Anchorage. Pamela was a prosecuting attorney and Jack just graduated college with a degree in Economics. We had some very nice conversation about travel and family. Seas were rough as we left Yakutat Bay and began crossing the Gulf of Alaska. We were all walking around like drunken sailors. The rocking and jerking around from the waves actually put me to sleep pretty quickly! 
- 8 June (Sunday): Day 11 - Kodiak, Alaska (UTC-8):We had no shore excursion booked from the ship, so we chartered a float plane with one other couple and will be heading out to find Kodiak bears. A bit pricy, but we may never return to Kodiak and I absolutely want to see some of these critters up close. These are said to be the largest bears of all, which surprised me as I thought polar bears were larger. Sea Hawk Air picked us up at the port and drove us over to their seaplane dock and office. Two other couples joined us. The company is run by two wonderful people, Jo and Rolan. They're both pilots and guides, and from word of mouth the best on Kodiak. We donned our waders and trekked down to the plane, a 1953 de Havilland Beaver. These single-engined planes were custom designed for bush pilots after WWII ended, and Rolan advised that you can still get new parts for them! We all crammed in and put headsets on, then Rolan "taxied" away from the dock and quickly took to the sky like it was nothing. Very smooth ride. We passed over our ship, then headed across Kodiak Island for Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park on the penninsula. Turns out the bear on Kodiak Island are only active on Kodiak when the salmon run, so we had to fly out to this other area to see them. The views from the plane were breathtaking. When we got to Hallo Bay, Roland flew along the coast to spot some brown bears. He found a couple near a good landing spot (small stretch of water just off of the shoreline) and put our plane down in a very smooth landing. We hopped out, he tied up the plane to a large log, and we took a short hike around a small hill where we parked. Right there were two large brown bears (though one was blonde). We started out a fair distance away, then gradually walked closer, prompting no more than a few quick glances from them both as they continuously grazed on the grass there. The backdrop was outstanding, with a glacier descending from snow-capped mountains behind the grassy fields that we walked. We spotted some other bears in the distance, so we walked over to them too. One decided to take a walk not 25 feet from us on his way to somewhere for some reason. Having taken our fill of photos, we hiked back to the plane and loaded back up. Rolan passed out box lunches for us...more than we could eat...and smoothly powered us up and off of the water for the return flight. Again, amazing views. Jo was waiting for us when we floated up to the dock, and quickly helped us unload. We were cutting it a bit close, as our last tender back to the ship was scheduled for 7:30, it was approaching 7:00, and we still had to drive to the pier. All went well and we made the tender. Wiped out from the day, we waved off evening service by our stateroom attendants and relaxed before calling it a day. We did catch the moon from our veranda, while still daylight, after 11:00pm local time! 
- 9 June (Monday): Day 12 - Homer, Alaska (UTC-8):What can we say about Homer Alaska? Not too much here. Our ship docked on a large spit. There were seagulls everywhere, perhaps because of all of the fishing ships also there. We exited the ship and boarded a shuttle to town. It dropped us off at the town museum, and from there we hoofed it to the main drag of town. Stopped at a nice art shop and gallery where multiple local artists sell their work. We found a few small things to buy there, then moved on down the road for more views of Homer. Turns out they have many hair salons and barber shops, all in the same area. Hair must grow quickly here. Having seen what little there was to see, we headed back to the shuttle and back to the dock. We did double back, just a bit, when we exited the shuttle, as we'd heard that one of the ships from the TV show "Deadliest Catch" called Homer home. It was the "Time Bandit". We found it right away and walked down to where it was docked for a closer view and photos. Then back to the ship, where Renee started packing as we would disembark early tomorrow in Whittier. We took a break around 1:00pm to eat lunch with Judy & Eddie and Patty & Mark up in Terrace Grill. First we made a stop at Waves Grill to say goodbye to Marina. She loved seeing us again and gave us big hugs as we posed for a selfie. On to our table where we had fun conversation and made promises to visit each other in the future, more hugs, then back to the room for more packing. 
- 10 June (Tuesday): Day 13 - Whittier, Alaska (UTC-8):Early start to the day. Had a quick breakfast, then cleared our stateroom and waited in the Deck 5 lobby. Did not take long to exit, though we had to haul all 6 pieces of luggage along the dock, up a long ramp, and into the cruise terminal. Lots of buses for everyone leaving, but ours was not with the cruise line, so had to wait a bit. The ride to Anchorage was very scenic, and our driver went the extra mile to share a lot of historical and local info with us. Shortly after departing the terminal, we went "through Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel—the longest (2.5 miles) highway tunnel in North America, and the first designed for -40 Fahrenheit temperatures and 150 mph winds! The one-lane tunnel must be shared by cars and trains traveling in both directions, and it usually needs to be aired out in between trips (with jet turbine ventilation, another first!). This unique design that enables a single lane of traffic to travel directly over the railroad track saved tens of millions of dollars over the cost of constructing a new tunnel." (source: https://www.whittieralaska.gov/community-resources/page/anton-anderson-memorial-tunnel) We remembered some of the scenery, as we traveled part of the same route (albeit in opposite direction) that we took from Anchorage to Seward 23 years prior. No problems at the airport. We quickly checked a couple of bags, then had lunch at the Norton Sound Seafood House. The salmon chowder and halibut fish tacos I had were great. Renee loved her salmon salad as well. We stopped to take a selfie with a large moose, but failed to take a photo of the odd sign pointing the direction to "Adult Changing [and] Pet Relief" location. The flight to Seattle was fine, and it was great to see our daughter, Infinity, waiting for us at baggage claim. We made a quick escape from the airport and headed East on I-90 to her home in Preston. It was great to spend time with everyone there, gathered for Gavin's high school graduation.  
- 10-17 June: Preston WA and Seattle area (UTC--8):Gavin's graduation was at the baseball stadium, T-Mobile Park, on Thursday, 12 June. Great to see him graduate...proud of that young man! After pushing our way through the exiting crowd after the ceremony, we all headed to Ray's Boathouse on the Ballard Shores for some great seafood and gorgeous views of Puget Sound. Our visit was filled with great discussion, catching up with son-in-law Rick's parents and brother, as well as Gavin's girlfriend and Nevaeh's boyfriend. Finny and Rick threw a grad party at the house on Friday, and we got to meet more friends who stopped in to visit. Saturday we all headed out to a small street fair in North Bend. It was a beautiful day and fun to just walk around. Rick's parents and brother headed back to Colorado Springs later that day. Sunday was Father's Day, so Finny, Rick, Gavin, Renee and I went to the Japanese Gardens for a stroll around, then took a hike along the Arboretum Trail to Arboretum Waterfront Trail Memory Point overlooking Union Bay. It was another sunny day. We then returned home and had a pizza dinner. Rick had to get his head back into work at T-Mobile after being off for a week or so, and Gavin had some guitar rehearsal to do for his upcoming performance in Milwaukee. Granddaughter Nevaeh, poor thing, had some long days at work, arranging weddings and other events at the golf resort where she works. She did still find time to spend with us, which we loved. All-in-all, a wonderful visit. Finny worked hard to make sure every day went well, and she succeeded spectacularly. Very grateful to be able to spend time here!