LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas

First stop the Clinton Library. I've had this on my list of places to visit since before they broke ground. Just assumed I'd end up in Little Rock one day. And after checking it out, I wouldn't mind hitting it again if in the general vicinity. The Library has a boxy but lofty, in-flight design. I think the intent is freight trainish as it sits right along the old line that stopped at The Choctaw Station (now the Clinton School of Public Service). The views of the river from the building are expansive and sometimes surprising, offering a respite from the cacophony of Bill Clinton surround-sound exhibits and life-size replicas. When I arrived I headed right for the lower level Cafe 42 which serves graceful portions of locally grown vegetables with a soothing view of the Arkansas River. After touring the museum I walked some of the grounds but the more picturesque sections were roped off for an undisclosed reason.

After settling in at the Doubletree Hotel I set out for The Flying Fish on President Clinton Avenue where I indulged in a basket of fried okra. I ate most of them peel-and-eat style while seated across from a table of 25 men, each with a bucket of beer. It was definitely the busiest Monday-night spot in town filled with locals and the few tourists in town.

My evening was spent on a pre-sunset stroll along the lovely six-bridge waterfront, one of which is now a designated pedestrian bridge. The riverfront paths stretch from the Clinton Library at one of end of town to the Doubletree at the other and offer a variety of settings for enjoying the views.

On the way out of town I stopped at the Little Rock Central High School National Monument. School was out so I was able to wander a bit taking photos before cooling off at the visitor center. It is the most magnificent school I've ever seen - majestic and vast and probably the most historically famous H.S. in America. The exhibit depicting the mighty struggle of the Little Rock Nine and all that they represent is poignant and highlights the fight for equality among numerous minorities. My favorite exhibited quote was made in 1879 by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, "The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it." Rock on Chief Joseph! Let's hope your words live on.

KETCHIKAN, Alaska

Last stop on our Alaska itinerary: Ketchikan - self-proclaimed salmon capital of the world. As we rounded Creek Street, the most (and perhaps only) charming street in Ketchikan, three harbor seals poked up their sleek heads as they swam upcreek on the prowl for salmon. Thousands upon thousands of salmon flooding the Ketchikan Creek on their last leg upstream parted as the seals bobbed and weaved in pursuit. Our tourist stops included the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Center and the Totem Heritage Center, both of which are tribally sponsored. The Hatchery uses untreated water from Ketchikan Creek to facilitate greater survival rates for the salmon eggs that are spawned in this creek every year and the Totem center restores and preserves early 19th century totem poles and carvings from Tlingit villages. Our unexpected find was the Cape Fox Lodge, a short funicular ride uphill that is virtually invisible from anywhere in town. Our goal when boarding the funicular was finding a decent place for lunch, our reward was an amazing collection of baskets, carvings and totems that had not been written up in any of the guidebooks we'd glanced through.

Ketchikan is the southernmost town in Alaska and receives the highest level of rainfall. True to form, we were greeted with showers but by lunchtime the sun appeared and we rambled about the rest of the day in dry shoes. The main highlight for the cruise crowd is a trip to Misty Fjords National Monument, a short flight or long ferry ride away. Not wanting to board another vessel we passed this one by only to learn that an hour out foul weather forced the ferry to turn back and we were glad to have avoided the long detour!

As I headed to the dock at the end of the day I realized it was my last moment on Alaskan soil. I lingered awhile and reviewed the awesome sights and sounds of Alaska and vowed to make it back someday.

The next day we cruised south through the Inside Passage and on to Vancouver. The last photo here captures a glimpse of the continuous and seemingly infinite view of rolling evergreen-filled mountains. Reclined on the promenade deck, wrapped in tartan blankets, the passing scenery provided a soothing retreat for pausing to reflect, while pressing forward.

SKAGWAY, Alaska

Rain in Skagway! Though I had to admit rain was a walk in the park compared to the torturous (and often fatal) snow-trek of the tens of thousands of prospectors that made Skagway the gateway to the Klondike Gold Mines heading out over the White Pass or Chilkoot Pass at the end of the last century. The White Pass and Yukon Railroad, an International and Historic Engineering Landmark, that I took to the summit traverses the tracks constructed in 1901 and is a much cushier way to make the ascent and view the stunning mountains, ravines and waterfalls.

I took the 12:45 round trip - the very last train of the season - which had an unexpected surprise. It is a rite of passage for the new train operators to dive into the glacially formed lake (34-degrees warm) at the summit on their last ride of the year. Watching our initiate dive in, swim a few strokes and then wave before running back to the train made my already frigid feet shiver. For most of the three-hour ride I staked my claim on a small patch of platform outside at the end of our car to take photos and experience the thrill of huge drop-offs. Brrrrr ... when I made it back to the ship all my clothes were hung to dry on the retractable clothes line in our stateroom.

Our morning was spent wandering the boardwalky historic streets of Skagway (in the rain) which maintains two-story wooden clapboard buildings just as they were 100 years ago, though the jewelry and curio shops of today were saloons, gambling houses and brothels during the gold rush days. The National Parks Department maintains several small museums: a saloon, an original house with furnishings and an exhibit featuring the Klondike Goldmines and those that came to seek their fortunes here, which add to the historical vibe of Skagway. Another moment of interest, the U.S. military took over the town after Pearl Harbor to stage the building of the ALCAN Highway.

At 9pm, while peacefully processing photographs in our stateroom, we observed another Skagway tradition. We heard shouts and hollers and assumed it was some kind of scheduled event on board. Then Benedicta peered out our porthole and saw a swarm of young people running along the pier after our ship. Oh no, had a few busloads of stragglers missed the boat? No, these were not castoffs of the Veendam, they were about 200 Skagwayans waving and partying and mooning us as they waved-off the last "out-of-towners" and reclaimed their quiet town for another isolatory winter. Ahh, the perks of being one of the 1200 passengers on the last boat out of town.

SEATTLE, Washington

I lived in Seattle for three months when I was in 5th Grade. I have a
few spotty memories: the eden-like backyard with a stream running
through it; hopscotch on my elementary school playground; standing at
the base of Mt. Ranier; riding on the back of a neighbor's motorcycle;
my attic bedroom. That's about it. So now I've visited as an adult and
when I say, "I lived in Seattle once," to someone I meet from there,
I'll have some reference to the city itself.

We breezed in for 36-hours en route to Vancouver to pick up our last
leg of the Alaska trip - a cruise of the Inside Passage visiting ports
in Southeast Alaska. I've wanted to visit the Experience Music Project
since it opened in 2000, so we decided to drop in while on the West
Coast. Unexpected bonus: Kylee happened to be in town for a wedding!
We met for breakfast in the Capitol Hill section for oatmeal at
Coastal Kitchen. The return downtown proved not so simple as we
followed our nose to the Space Needle but ran into several major
roadways that required rerouting to pedestrian-unfriendly over- and
under-passes.

Finally, the main event: the Experience Music Project - a draw for the
Frank Gehry building and the music - a delightful way to spend an
afternoon. Next, on to Pike's Market where all the tourists hang out.
It's a fun spot - for about 15 minutes if you're not into shopping -
with random views of the seemingly (and unfortunately) inaccessible
waterfront, before an early supper at Steelhead Diner for exquisite
seafood that made our jaunt to the lower-48 well worth the detour.
While in town we caught a Seattle Storm play-off game at the Key Arena
that turned out to be the "most exciting" play-off game in the Storm's
history, with a five-point come-from-behind finish in the last 17
seconds. We then boarded the Seattle monorail for an easy return to
our hotel.

I'm writing this from the Amtrak Cascades train to Vancouver on a
foggy morning on the Washington Coast. North (back) to Alaska!