The Last Frontier (Part 2)

Just what you've been waiting for: the cruise ship saga continues.

Sunday was our first at-sea day, so we went to the gym in the morning, explored the ship, then putzed around for most of the day.  {Have you ever tried to run on a treadmill that happens to be on-board a moving cruise ship? Super, super fun. Especially when you have almost no experience being on a treadmill. Or a cruise ship, for that matter.} 

After running, exploring, and putzing, we got gussied up and headed out to the fancy restaurant for dinner, then to a comedy show. This was a) the only night we dressed up and b) the only picture we took all day. 

On Monday morning, we woke up to a cold and gray morning in Ketchikan, Alaska, whose claim to fame, besides being the "Salmon Capital of the World," is their average annual rainfall is 154.6 inches. {The average in Phoenix is 8.04 inches, just FYI.) It was coldish, but not freezing, and it was, miraculously, not raining. We spent some time exploring and buying souvenirs for my lovies before we headed over to our Crab Fishing experience, which was as cool as it sounds

View from the top. (Of the ship, that is.)

A jacket in September. That's what I'm talking about.

This was my view while I talked to Craig and Spencer after not having

 a cell signal for two days. Hearing their voices was like candy to my ears.

I probably would've talked longer if I had realized that I wasn't

 going to get a decent signal in any of the other ports we stopped in.

Come on, Alaska, get with the program.

So pretty to look at. Thank goodness you can't smell it from here.

It was kind of funny to see the giant cruise ship in the same harbor as these tiny boats.

Then again, maybe it's not so big. I mean, I can fit it between my fingers.

The only disappointment of the morning was that the local Salvation Army
thrift store didn't open in time for us to peruse before our awesome tour.
Sigh. I bet there were some treasures in that place.

I think this is what a "sunny" day in Ketchikan looks like.

The best part of the day was our Crab Fisherman tour. Some crab boat owner had the genius idea of turning a commercial crab-fishing boat into a tourist experience, which means he gets lots of revenue without having to put anyone's life at risk. Pretty smart, eh? So, in our stadium seats, under overhead heating lamps, whilst sipping hot chocolate, we got a "real" crab fishing experience.

This boat was actually on Season 2 of "Deadliest Catch," you know. 

And since I have now been on said boat, that means I'm practically famous.

The captain stopped at a few places so the crew could pull out different
kinds of ocean life for us to look at or touch, including a squishy octopus that
squirted ink as soon as it was dropped into the tank. I declined holding
one of these creepy looking prawn guys, but Linda was feeling adventurous.

I mean, seriously. The view was like looking at a postcard.

Octopus, crab, and Discovery Channel celebrities, oh my!

And guess what? I even got to {pretend} throw the hook.

After the tour we headed back to the cruise ship parking lot, climbed aboard the lovely Norwegian Jewel, and got into our jammies for the rest of the day. {Cuz that's what you do on a party ship when you have a cold and don't drink alcohol.}

Hold your breath...Juneau what's next?