In May 2008 I took a cruise up along the southwest part of Alaska from Seattle up to Juneau with some good friends of mine. In Juneau I was able to take a helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier and explore a glacier up close. Then we went to Skagway where I took the White Pass Scenic Railway down through the mountains after doing a bit of gold mining. Next stop was to iceberg strewn channels where we sailed for a day. Then we went to Ketchikan where I took a boat to the Misty Fjords. We ended in Victoria, British Columbia for the last evening and explored the coast near the city. The weather turned out to be well above normal for temperatures and quite dry for the majority of the trip. What a wonderful and beautiful trip to a new part of the country for me.