Why am I going to Alaska?

Salmon is my least favorite fish.

Also, it is cold and rainy and very far away.

To quote Edmund Hillary, conquerpr of Mt. Everest, "because it's there." So many friends and neighbors have returned with glowing adventure stories of the 49th State.

"O.K. Lorraine, let's give it a try and let's take the grandkids. A family vacation and a bit of togetherness."

We would all meet in Vancouver, Canada and board the cruise ship. Ryndam of the Holland America line. My daughter, Cara, would take Rachel and Eli and fly for 3 hours from San Diego, to meet us. Lorraine and I would fly to Los Angeles in 5 hours on American Airlines, disembark, wait 2-1/2 hours and board an Alaskan Airlines plane for 3 hours to Vancouver.

I decided to spring for First Class. I used all of my and Lorraine's mileage points to go in comfort. Honestly, no lie, it was my first First Class experience.

Only two plush seats across.

Free drinks, with constant refills.

Four glorious meals complete with wine and cheese.

A box that showed a vast array of new movies.

What was I missing my whole life?

The trip was long, so let's make it comfortable.

We met Cara and kids in the Vancouver Hotel. Our rooms were also paid for by Hilton Hotel points. What was I saving all those points for, anyway?

We all boarded the Ryndam at 5 p.m. and it was "anchors away." We had adjoining cabins and the Kids would be real close. A thousand other folks joined us,

We were bound for Juneau, Alaska on the Inside Passage. The boat had all types of fun and games, an indoor pool, 2 hot tubs, trivia, wine tasting, Scrabble tournaments, bingo (Rachel won $116), lecture on Alaska, movie and Broadway-type shows and food around the clock. It was difficult not to be eating or drinking.

Stop number one was Juneau, the state capitol, population 31,000 people (15,000 government workers). In the summer, tourists swell town to one million. It looked like a town from a western movie. You can only reach this capitol city in two ways. By boat and by airplane. It is not reachable by land. All roads end in wilderness 30 miles in every direction. Many jewelry shops and bars dot the streets. I spied "The Red Dog Saloon" on a prominent corner and entered. I ordered an Alaskan Amber Beer. The floor was covered with sawdust. Above the saloon was a Brothel Museum.

The patrons all sported large bushy beards and were well-tattooed.

To be continued! On to Skagway!