[...] a non-learning vacation requires relaxing on a lounge chair near a pool or ocean, with a good book and a margarita. More than a century before, hordes of prospectors arrived in this tiny port town and its neighbor, Dyea, after the Seattle Intelligencer newspaper ran the headline GOLD! More than 30,000 people, including women and children, flocked to Dyea to climb the 1,500-step "Golden Staircase" that was cut into an icy foothill. Some pioneers made multiple trips in order to muster the 2,000 pounds (907 kilos) of supplies that Canadian officials required to enter the country. Thousands of pack animals died on the path; just look for the spot on the map marked "Dead Horse Gulch." Today, that same White Pass & Yukon Route railway offers cruise ship passengers an informative and scenic ride through beautiful but unforgiving mountainous terrain. Float planes were a common sight during our cruise, and you can book sightseeing flights in many places. Hordes of salmon fighting the currents in Ketchikan Creek to return to their spawning grounds.