The Pine Bluffs Recreation Department sponsored an Alaskan Community Cruise that set sail out of Seattle, Wash. this past September. The seven-day Alaska Explorer Cruise aboard the Amsterdam, an Holland America Cruise Line ship, traveled along the Pacific Seaboard to Alaska with stops that included Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, B.C., Canada. The Pine Bluffs Recreation Department assisted in all plans and arrangements that were necessary for the cruise including ground and air transportation. Cruisers were from the tri-state area. From here in Pine Bluffs recreation director Sonja Fornstrom and her husband, Jeff; Melvin and Lois Fornstrom; Dale and Ann Lansden; Bonnie Paniqgua; from Bushnell/Kimball, Neb. was Beulah Klinginsmith, Elizabeth Shandera, Grace Walker; from Cheyenne was Donna Woitaszewski, Dennis Weskamp and from the Eaton, Colo. area was Chuck and Charlotte Carlson, Patty Kyle, Marjorie Ledall, Gene and Jan Smallwood.

The Saturday morning began early in Pine Bluffs leaving for DIA at 4:30 a.m. After arriving safely in Denver then touching down in Seattle, the group traveled by taxi and bus to Pier 91 to begin the boarding process onto the Amsterdam. By 1:30 pm Wyoming time most were safely aboard the ship just in time for lunch. The ship pulled away from the dock Saturday afternoon around 4 p.m. and headed out to sea. Saturday night and Sunday, the first day of the cruise was spent at sea on-board the beautiful Amsterdam. The day at sea gave everyone the opportunity to unpack, relax and get to know the ship and where all the amenities were located. Evening meals were spent together as a group in the main dining room. The food was wonderful; many of us had the opportunity to try food prepared like we had only heard about from fresh salmon and shell fish dishes to lamb chops and prime rib and everything in-between, it was a plethora of surf and turf! Oh, and the desserts, wow!

The first stop on the cruise was Juneau, Alaska located at the foot of grand mountain peaks on the Gastineau Channel. The town of Juneau has the massive Mendenhall Glacier and the lush Tongass National Forest, and of course is the capitol of Alaska. Banners at the capitol building announced Alaska’s 50 year celebration of statehood. Juneau is also home to the Mount Roberts Tramway.

The view from the top of the tramway on Mount Roberts was spectacular and so was the weather, the sun was out and we were told by locals that it was a "chamber of commerce" type of day. The next day we came face to face with a gigantic wall of ice that extended for miles in either direction. The Hubbard Glacier is a titan on the move, advancing faster than almost any other glacier on the continent. When this sparkling blue marvel reaches the saltwater at Disenchantment Bay, it is five miles in width and 40 stories in height, dwarfing even the largest ships. On deck while viewing the glacier we listened for loud, deep rumbles and waited for the mighty crack and thunderous crash and watched as chunks of ice fell into the sea. Again we were blessed with beautiful sunshine and calm waters, so much so that we were told by the ships crew that we were able to sit within a half a mile of the glacier and that is virtually unheard of. The second city we visited was Sitka, once a Russian settlement and the colonial headquarters of Count Baranof. Sitka was also where the United States took possession of Alaska in 1867 for $7.2 million, less than two cents per acre. Our ship sat in the bay and we rode the tender to land. The town was beautiful with its onion domes of St. Michael’s Cathedral and every shop in the downtown district had the Russian nesting dolls for sale along with other arts, crafts and Russian relics. Even though the day was overcast and we walked through bouts of rain, the temperature was pleasant and as long as you had either a hat or an umbrella it was very much enjoyable. Our second to the last stop aboard the Amsterdam on this once of a lifetime cruise was Ketchikan. Rivers and streams running through Ketchikan pouring into the ocean were packed with thousands upon thousands of Salmon swimming upstream returning to their place of birth. The weather was similar to that of Sitka with short showers that moved in and out of the area forcing you to put up and take down your umbrella but the scenery was absolutely beautiful, however, I won’t comment on the aroma at times due to all the fish that didn’t make it. Victoria, British Colombia, Canada was our last stop on the cruise. Victoria boasts a unique touch of England with afternoon tea and double-decker buses. Because of rough seas our arrival to Victoria was delayed and our visit was blanketed by the night sky. Just a short bus ride from the ship dock was the downtown Inner Harbour area which included beautifully lit historic legislative buildings and the beautiful Fairmont Empress Hotel. Although the stay was short it was a great opportunity to visit our neighbors to the north, pick up a few souvenirs and drink a "Canada Dry". Early Saturday morning we docked back in Seattle at Pier 91. We each enjoyed a wonderful breakfast aboard the Amsterdam, said our goodbyes to the wait staff who had become our friends then we disembarked the ship. We boarded a bus back to Sea-Tac for the plane ride back to DIA and then home to Pine Bluffs just in time for an early supper and a welcome rest in a familiar bed.

The Pine Bluffs Recreation Department would like to sponsor another trip in the distant future possibly by rail this time. If you have any suggestions, please contact recreation director Sonja Fornstrom.