. September 2013 .
Hello again!
Well, as promised here is the Alaska edition. Lots of pics and a bit of a story as well. We took about 900 photos on this trip. About half are all on Dave's facebook page if you want to check them out - links provided below. We have also provided a few facts and figures about each town as well which you may find interesting.
In the last week of August Michelle, Dave and Jake headed out for Vancouver....via Miami and Dallas. Sam was already in Vancouver after having spent the previous three (+) weeks with her newly adopted Canadian Foster family, the O'Connors.
After a long day traveling we arrived in Vancouver and Russ met us at the airport and took us back to their new abode. Needless to say, we had a couple of beers and a good old natter.
Anchorage
The next day we were headed for Anchorage - this time the four of us. We dragged Sam away from her home away from home and soon found ourselves in Anchorage. We had some spare time so, after checking in to a hotel for the night, we explored the town and checked out a few sights and attractions before finding somewhere for dinner.
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| This a map of the Iditarod sled race which starts in Anchorage & finishes in Nome. It takes about two weeks to complete! |
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| A goose with a moose... |
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| There was a nice sunset in Anchorage |
The All Blacks were playing Australia at about 1am local time, so Michelle and Dave stayed up and watched that in the hotel lobby on one of their computers. One of their security guys (a big Samoan) just happened to keep popping by to make sure that we were safe and OK. Or maybe he was just watching the rugby too.
The next morning Michelle and Dave went for a 30 minute run around town - and yes, it was fairly fresh out!
After that it was another wander about town and then we got picked up by a bus that would take us to Whittier, from where the Cruise would start.
The bus stopped at a few places on the way and also had a running commentary giving us the lowdown on the various spots of interest.
We stopped at on place that had a few animals roaming about, so we got our first look at Moose, Buffalo and Bear, which was pretty cool. Sam was eating a muffin when this Moose decided he'd like to try some. Luckily Sam reacted before the Moose gobbled it up!
Whittier
There is a train/vehicle tunnel which is the only land access to Whittier. The tunnel is only open for 15 minutes each hour. Dave and the kids were bimbling around the animal park when Michelle comes running over telling them to hurry up as the bus was leaving. And it actually was. Mr. Driver man wasn't very happy. Bloody tourists... But we made the tunnel!
During World War II the United States Army constructed a military facility at Whittier, complete with port and railroad terminus near the glacier and named the facility Camp Sullivan. The spur of the Alaska Railroad to Camp Sullivan was completed in 1943 and the port became the entrance for United States soldiers into Alaska. The port remained an active army facility until 1960.
Rainfall 198 inches – 16 feet
Snow 250 inches – 20 feet
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| This would be our home for the next seven days (the large boat at the back). |
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| View of Whittier from Cruise ship |
The City of Whittier was incorporated in 1969. Today, less than 300 people reside in the town supporting the Alaska State Ferry, the Alaska Railroad, freight barge, commercial fishing, the Small Boat Harbor, recreation and tourism with an annual visiting population of over 700,000.
The two huge buildings that dominate Whittier were built after World War II. The Hodge Building (now Begich Towers) was built for housing soldiers and the Buckner Building, completed in 1953, was called the "city under one roof". Both buildings were at one time the largest buildings in Alaska. The Begich Building (see centre of pic above) is now a condominium, and houses nearly all of Whittier's residents.
There is a tunnel that leads from the building to the local school. That is so the kids don't have to venture outside during winter to get to school.
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| Settling in to watch a movie on the big screen - complete with granny blankets. |
We boarded the ship and found our cabin. It was a bit of a shock as there were only beds for two. But upon closer inspection we found two bunk beds that fitted into the ceiling during the day. Clever!
Once unpacked, we went for a wander and found a big screen with a movie about to show. With hot and cold running bar staff and warm granny blankets, we couldn't go wrong!
The next day was all at sea with no visits or stops, apart from some detours down a few channels and fiords where we got really close to a few glaciers (Hubbard Glacier in Yukutat Bay & Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay). The ship got as close as it could and we could hear the glacier cracking and grumbling with the occasional chunk of ice falling into the sea.
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| Whale spotted on the Starboard side! |
There were whales, sea lions, otters and things all along the way. Some could be spotted from the boat if you happened to be looking in the right direction at the time.
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| Another glacier |
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| There were waterfalls everywhere. |
The height of the ship was 16 stories, and we still had to look up at the glaciers.
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| Getting a bit chilly! Not used to that! |
The ship had a decent selection of dining venues. You could do the good old all you can eat 24/7 which was our usual breakfast venue. Then there were four other themed restaurants - The Savoy, Vivaldi, Sante Fe and Pacific Moon. All were just like a restaurant anywhere except all of the food was paid for. We tried all of these and they were all really good. There were also two others where you paid a $20 per head cover charge - Sabatinis (Italian) and Sterling Steakhouse. We did Sabatinis but never made the steakhouse.
Two of the nights on the ship were 'Formal' nights and everyone is expected to dress accordingly.
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| Girls looking lovely! |
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| Jake enjoyed the pool! |
There were shows on most nights as well so we either had an early or a late dinner so we could attend.
We went to one show title "The Piano Man" which featured a lot of Billy Joel songs. We also saw a tribute to Elton John and another show called "Road Trip." All were very good and well attended.
Another night there was a New Year party. We couldn't NOT go, although it wasn't a huge affair, it was a bit of fun, especially when they released the balloons!
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| A very nice 'soft' crab appetiser |
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| "Road Trip" |
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| Another nice dinner |
There was also the Pizza place and the Burger place if you wanted that. But given that you could get some really nice 'proper' food just around the corner 24/7 we didn't really see the point, or feel the urge for that matter.
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| Guess what! |
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| Here's the star of the whole cruise. Sanjay the Barman from our favourite bar. We decided that if anyone got lost, they should head to Sanjay's bar and wait. Dave had to rescue Jake from there so many times... |
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| Lost again.... |
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| Sanjay also made pretty impressive choconana smoothies for the kids. No other bar made them like Sanjay! |
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| You know you want to! |
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| I think this was the Savoy - when Michelle ordered a Strongbow, she got a pint! Classy! |
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| When asked for desert we said we'd have one each - they brought one each of every desert on the menu! |
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| The room attendant made cool little animals out of the towels. |
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| This would be the Promenade Deck on level 7. |
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| Watching a movie outside on the big screen, it some pretty cool weather. The spa pool was nice and warm though! |
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| Even Michelle had to go and find herself a couple of times. |
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| Ping pong! |
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| Our hallway... |
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| Ice sculpture |
Skagway
Skagway was our first port
A year-round port, Skagway is one of two gateway cities to the Alaska Highway in Southeast Alaska because the Klondike Highway connects Skagway with the Alaska Highway. The tourist industry is flourishing in Skagway as a port of call for cruise ships and a transfer site for interior bus tours. In 1976, the Klondike Gold Rush Historical Park prompted a restoration of downtown buildings which contributed much to the present historical ambiance of Skagway.
Within Skagway's downtown historical district, false-fronted buildings and boardwalks dating from gold rush times line the streets.
The Klondike Highway and Alaska Highway provide a connection through British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, Canada, to the lower 48 states or north to Alaska's Interior. Skagway can be accessed by air, road, water, and rail services. Today Skagway has modern schools, churches, a clinic, a bank and a post office, and the city maintains a four-person police force to ensure 24 hour service to residents and visitors alike. 26 Inches of rain and 50 inches of snow fall in a year.
We went for a bit of wander around town as our Dog Sled tour wasn't until after lunch. We checked out some of the tourist shops and small displays and attractions around town.
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| The frontage is made of driftwood. |
We happened upon a a small musical show just down an alleyway off the main street. 'The Days of'98.' It was based on 'Soapy Smith' a bit of a character from days gone by. It was a good little show with singing, dancing girls and humour, as well as a little crowd participation. The kids thought it was pretty funny.
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| Trouble looms... |
We also found the local supermarket and stocked up on a couple of items. on the way out we saw a notice board. On it was a wedding invite "To everybody". And they meant everybody, as just under the invite was a notice from the supermarket management advising that the supermarket would be closed from Saturday afternoon as they were all going to the wedding. With a population of about 800 I'm sure it would have been a decent gathering. Shame we weren't around on Saturday night, we might've gone along.
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| Almost time for take off! |
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| Trendily dressed for the glaciers and the snow. |
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| Great views up here! |
We climbed into our helicopter and headed for the hills. We saw great views of glaciers and waterfalls and things on the way up. We were heading to a 'Sled Dog Summer Camp'. This is where sled dog owners send their dogs for the summer. They get to live in the snow and do a bit of sledding to keep them in shape for the winter race season. We saw the wooden boxes that the dogs lived in and thought they would freeze. But this time of year is actually hot for them (even in the snow). Most of them were malting/shedding fur as well!
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| The dog camp |
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| And we're off! Jake's driving! |
We got taken for a ride on the dog sleds. They attached an extra sled on the back so we could experience what it was like 'Mushing' without having to worry about heading off over a crevasse or something.
After the sledding there was time to play with the puppies - they were between 6 weeks and 3 months old and were soooo cute! They loved Jake's dangling bits of his hat!
Next Stop - Juneau
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| The Red Dog Saloon - Wyatt Earp's ole stompin ground. |
Juneau is named after gold prospector Joe Juneau, though the place was for a time called Rockwell and then Harrisburg (after Juneau's co-prospector, Richard Harris). Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet (5 m)
Rain – a mere 62 inches per year (5 feet)
Snow – 86 inches (7 feet.)
In Juneau we visited a glacier and went on a whale watching trip. That's the glacier in the background.
The waterfall shown below is right next to the Glacier. It was about a two mile walk.
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| Aforementioned Waterfall. |
There was also a creek running through the park, with salmon coming up to spawn. There were also bears there that knew this, so were just waiting for lunch to arrive. We timed it just right to this one checking out the menu.
When he'd had enough he went for a wander. We were heading back to the bus stop when he popped up right beside us and headed off down one of the tourist trails.
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| Sam always wanted to be in a picture with a bear's bum. |
The Whale watching was a very cool trip. We got picked up in a bus driven by a combination of Jack Black and Peter Jackson. He entertained us on the trip out to the boat and had most people laughing all of the way.
We boarded the boat, which was a small (ish) one - maybe 20 passengers? We were soon heading out through the channel to the place where the Humpback whales where last sighted. On the way we saw some Porpoises but they weren't up for playing much.
The boat slowed and we went out on deck to take up our viewing spots. We soon heard and then saw the spouts as the whales came up. There were a couple of little ones that came up more often, but the adults were coming up in about 5 - 10 minute intervals.
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| This is actually two whales, not one really flexible one. |
A pretty awesome time was had with the whales, but you are restricted on the amount of time you can stay there so you don't become too much of a nuisance to the whales.
These Bald Eagles were just hanging out near the dock. They often wait for the fishing boats and come in and feed off the carcasses that end up in the sea.
Ketchikan
Ketchikan KETCH-ih-kan) is the southeasternmost city in Alaska. With a population of 8,050 within the city limits, it is the fifth-most populous city in the state.
Ketchikan's economy is based upon tourism and fishing, and the city is known as the "Salmon Capital of the World." For most of the latter half of the 20th century, a large portion of Ketchikan's economy and life centered around the Ketchikan Pulp Company pulp mill in nearby Ward Cove. The mill closed in 1997 in the wake of the passage of the Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1990, which reduced timber harvest targets on the Tongass National Forest.Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town.
Rainfall. 154 inches (12 feet).
We arrived in Ketchikan on one of their rare sunny days. Apparently it rains about 277 days a year.
Our first stop was the Lumberjack show. You can't go to this part of the world and not do one of those!
These guys put on a pretty good show with two teams of two competing with each other.
I'm not sure that old Sonny Bolstead would have had much trouble cleaning these guys up, but the show itself was well worth it.
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| Lots of eagles around these parts. |
We had been told to wander up the local river to check out the Salmon and the hatchery (the latter of which unfortunately had closed down!).
They had obviously come a fair distance before arriving in Ketchikan as there were plenty of them floating tummy up at the mouth of the river. Although after a small walk along the pathway beside the river, we found out why.
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| Only the strong ones make it up here! |
But as you can see from the picture below, there are still massive amounts of Salmon that make it up here to the spawning area.
After that we had nothing else to do. Shopping wasn't going to feature on the agenda, so we thought we'd go and find some lunch and then check out what else was going on. We passed a little tourist agent on the way and found out about the Crab Boat tour. It sounded pretty interesting. Trouble was, it was leaving in five minutes! So Michelle and Jake raced off to find some quick snacks that would become our lunch while Dave and Sam sorted out the booking.
So, we were soon onboard the Aleution Ballad. This boat featured on the show "Deadliest Catch" when it was struck by a rogue wave. They actually filmed it - check out the clip here:
But in the off season, the boat is converted to a tourist Crab boat where they take you out to some safe waters (nowhere near the Bering Sea) and show you how they catch various types of crabs. They also tell some pretty hair raising stories of their experiences out in rough seas. They are seriously nuts....
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| Some Crab on the hoof! |
We were taken out to a few areas where they had nets down. The hauled them up with the ship's machinery and showed us how it all happens when out during the Crab season.
It was all very interesting and the fact that you could handle most of the catch was fun too.
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| Sea Star - great for the folically challenged. |
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| King Crab |
So that was our last stop. The next day was spent at sea where we went to the gym, sat in the spa pool and watched a movie. Ate lots. Had a few beers (and smoothies!) and generally made the most of our last day.
Vancouver
At 6:15 am we sailed under the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. No we weren't up to see it - unfortunately.
We docked and disembarked and soon we were picked up by one of our favourite Vancouver taxi drivers - Tonya!
It was back to their place to change and round up the crew for a hike up on Mt. Seymour. Nothing like a hike through some bush and up some hills to combat the affects of a week on a cruise ship!
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| Pic got photo-bombed by a bug! |
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| These little critters weren't shy if there was food on offer. |
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| Chillin' on the rock. |
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| Great view |
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| Sam and Skyler livin' on the edge. |
We had lunch up on the rocks at the top which was a great spot with awesome views, especially on a day like this.
After the hike the O'Connors were heading to a concert which sounded pretty cool. Unfortunately our flight times didn't suit so we had to say farewell at that point. It was great to spend some more time with them, and it's always too short!
Michelle and Sam then went shopping while Jake and Dave headed for the nearest bar to wait it out.
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| Notice the table is in the sun, while in the shot below the table is no longer anywhere near the sun. It just shows how long a 'quick shop' can take.... |
Some random shots....
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| Leaving Juneau |
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| Jake, lost again - propping up Sanjay's bar |
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| Our ship from the helicopter at Skagway |
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| Iceberg near Juneau |
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| Above and below - artist's impression of us. |
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| Oooh look! A glacier! |
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| A couple of the local establishments |
So, that was our trip. A pretty good one at that. It was nice to be in a cooler place for a change and having to wear real clothes. The cruise was great, as were the facilities and all that came with it. Highly recommended.
Click the volume # below for more pics from Alaska
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