Alaska – Summer 2015

Alaska Trip Blog – Summer 2015

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Flint to Seward (Monday, June 29)

We left the Hampton Inn at 4:10 AM to catch our flight from Flint at 5:40 AM.  It took about eleven hours; eight in the air and a three-hour layover in Chicago.

At 1 PM (5PM EST) we arrived in Anchorage, then picked up our luggage and rental car, and headed south to Seward.  Renting a car was expensive $638 for twelve days, and we worked hard to get it that low.  It was over $900 on most sites.

We depended on the Milepost, a travel guide that logs the Alaska Highway system with everything from scenic outlooks to road difficulties.  Barb did all driving while I kept busy checking out which scenic places to stop.   We were a bit anxious due to many signs that said “Ending Avalanche Zone,” but never a sign warning one was beginning.

It’s less than a three-hour drive, but we stopped many times along the way to check out the scenery so it took us longer.  The weather was overcast and a bit drizzly at times , but varied enough that we could see the tops of the mountains.   Alaska looks like we imagined it would look.

We arrived at Sourdough Sunrise B&B at about 6 PM.  A sign at the entrance welcomed us.  There are three rooms.  It is nice; it has a “lodge” look but all the modern amenities.  Oh, wait, NO Wi-Fi!

After checking out the town, we ate dinner at the Seward Brewery.  It was only 8:30 PM when we arrived back at our B&B, but we went to bed early in order acclimate ourselves to Alaska time.

Seward (Tuesday, June 30)

Breakfast was great!  Sourdough pancakes, strawberries, COFFEE!

It was overcast and drizzly so we decided on indoor activities.  Our first stop was the Alaska Sea life Center, an aquarium and marine life rescue center on the shores of Resurrection Bay.  The displays are both indoors and out, and many are interactive.

We especially liked watching the puffin.

This was our first introduction to the devastation caused by the 9.2 earthquake in 1964, which proved to be a theme repeated throughout the Kenai Peninsula.

Then on to the Seward Museum and Library, which houses the highlights of Seward’s history, presented in photographs, artifacts and documents from the first Native inhabitants to the 1964 earthquake and tsunami, up to modern times.

We spent a couple of hours looking through the shops and eating ice cream (of course), then went to the Kenai Fjord’s Tour Center to get the details on the following day’s excursion in the Kenai Fjords.

Next we drove eight miles to the entrance to the Exit Glacier.  It is so-named because it’s the last Glacier before exiting the Kenai National Park.  It was about a mile walk back to the glacier… rocky.  Was it ever eye-opening!  Markers showed where the glacier was in 1917, 1926, 1951, and 1998.  Since 1917, it’s receded about a mile… sure supported our belief that there is global warming.

Our last stop was The Salmon Bake Restaurant which was only a half mile from our B&B.  We didn’t walk… not because it’s dark…it doesn’t get dark… but because of bears.  What fun!  It prides itself for serving “cheap beer and lousy food.”  Both are false; the beer is NOT cheap, and the food is delicious.

Many young people from the 48 contiguous states work in Seward in the summer.  They say it’s a great place to work, and we can believe it!

Kenai Fjords (Wednesday, July 1)

Amazing day!  We took the 9 hour Kenai Fjord tour up to Northwestern Fjord.  Our boat held about 140 passengers and had two decks.  We sat on the upper deck across from two sisters (Doris and Dorothy) who were originally from Juneau and are very well-travelled.  We are meeting them for dinner on Saturday in Homer.

Our day was wonderful. We saw and heard tidewater glaciers calving.

These glaciers terminate abruptly at the ocean interface, with large pieces of the glacier fracturing and separating, or calving from the ice front as icebergs.

We also saw orca and humpback whales, Dall sheep, porpoises, sea otters, puffins, and had the best captain ever.  Captain Mark Linstrom was a great narrator and stopped often.

Orca and humpback whales played together right near our boat.  They tell us that this is unusual…we stayed there an hour.  Perfect!

We had dinner at Ray’s Waterfront Restaurant, which overlooks the bay.  We had window seats, good food… a great ending to our day!

Seward to Kenai (Thursday, July 2)

Overcast and drizzly at times.  We drove about 45 minutes to the entrance to the Russian Falls to hopefully see bears catching salmon.  It was a 2.3 mile walk in… easy walk…small hills… and we made noise because we didn’t want to encounter a bear on the way to the falls.  We watched for over 1.5 hours and saw salmon jumping, but no bears.

We met a family that comes every year.  We were on a platform, but they go right down by the river. They always see bear, but they wait all day until they do.

Then we drove on to Soldotna which is only about ten miles from Kenai.  It wasn’t a pretty drive; the terrain had flatted out.  We stopped at the Visitor Center…not much in Soldotna.  Then, on to Kenai– stopped at the Visitor Center…not much in Kenai either, but they suggested the Cook Inlet has a nice beach.  We got all the info we could because we were booked for two nights at the Grouchy Old Woman B&B which was 19 miles north of Kenai.

It was too early for dinner so we grabbed take-out and a bottle of wine at the grocery store to save for the evening.  We drove north of our B&B to the Captain Cook Inlet, but the beach was narrow and rocky.  (Later, we found out that was because the tide was in.)  Then, we checked into our B&B.  The proprietor, Sharon was delightful. She suggested we check out Nikiski beach to watch people fish, which we did.  Oil companies explore and produce crude oil and natural gas there, too.

We spent the evening talking with Sharon and a gentleman who flies small planes and was staying there (sharing the bathroom with us!)  Sharon was a nurse and worked several places in Alaska.  Her B&B is on a lake, and she has wonderful artifacts.  After her husband died 17 years ago, relatives kept coming for long visits so instead she decided to open a B&B.  She knew she was being grouchy so that’s what she named it.  I told her I was surprised how far away it is from everything.  She said she tries to warn people about that when she talks to them.  (Our correspondence had all been by email—no talking.)

Kenai to Homer (Friday, July 3)

Barb and I both goofed.  She picked Kenai and I picked the B&B to stay for two nights.  Kenai is is not very pretty, there isn’t much to do unless you fish or hunt, and the B&B is in the middle of nowhere.  We were determined to make the best of it and do whatever we could find to do.

We drove back to Soldotna and spent an hour at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, which is interactive and very nice.  Next, we drove back to Kenai to visit the Russian Orthodox Church and go on the walking tour.  We had done everything, but walk on the Kenai beach and it wasn’t even noon.

We decided to try to secure lodging in Homer and spend more time there instead… and to pay Sharon for the room.  We called Manfred at Room with a View; our room was available.  Yeah!  When we got back to our B&B we told her that we were sorry, but we had run out things to do.  She laughed and said she understood completely.  We were pleasantly surprised that she only charged us for one night.

The terrain on our drive to Homer continued to be quite flat until we got near Ninilchik, the oldest settlement on the Kenai Peninsula.  We visited the Russian Orthodox Church and cemetery which are up on a steep hill.  The church wasn’t open, but the cemetery was unique with many crosses with wreaths and wildflowers throughout.  Until the road was built ten years ago, people had to walk up there.  Imagine a wedding party or funeral procession traipsing up the hill!

Our next stop was Anchor Point, the farthest western spot on a highway in the US.  After taking Barb’s picture at the sign designating this feat, we watched tractors pull boats and trailers up and down the hill to the water.  Fishing is a huge industry here, and the ground was too soft for pick-ups to get them up and down.  It was fun to watch.

Soon we were seeing beautiful mountains in the distance.  We arrived at Homer at about 4pm and stopped at the Visitor’s Center, and decided to cross the bridge to the Homer Spit.  The spit is a 4.5-mile long piece of land that juts out into Kachemak Bay.  It has the longest road going into the ocean in the entire world.  There large harbor (which serves up to 1500 commercial and pleasure boats at the summer peak) and many shops and restaurants.

We spent some time on the spit, but it was sunny so we went back to the mainland to take pictures of the spit and the mountains from the bluff.  While circling up to the top of the bluff, we noticed the street sign for Rosebud Lane where our B&B was located.  WOW!  We only took a couple more turns to get to the top of the bluff to get a view of the whole area.  Homer is breath-taking.

Then, we checked into our B&B.  It is named well… Room with a View.  The B&B is charming, and the view is priceless.  We took this photo from our room.

Our room, the moose room, was decorated impeccably.  Manfred runs the B&B.  His wife died 1-1/2 years ago.  She decorated it, and he hasn’t changed it… nor should he.  Manfred is German and had a retail business in Oregon before they moved to Homer 16 years ago.  He is a wonderful host, and we love Homer!

Homer (Saturday, July 4)

Independence Day!  Since it never gets dark, we don’t expect to see many fireworks.

It is overcast and rainy so we did laundry at the Washboard.  Quite a set-up!  They even have an espresso bar.

Then, we visited the Pratt Museum.  It isn’t large, but they make great use of space by placing drawers with displays under the display cases.  It is interactive, and we learned much about Alaska.

We also visited the Islands and Oceans Visitor Center.  It was also interactive and they made good use of space there, as well.

We attended Mass at St. John the Baptist.  There was a large window behind the altar so the bay and mountains could be seen.  Afterwards, we met our new friends Doris and Dorothy at Captain Patties for good food and good conversation.  A  nice view once again of the bay and mountains.  Dorothy goes back to Tulsa in a few days, but Doris lives in Juneau so we plan to meet her for lunch in a few days.

Manfred continually commented about how they got no rain.  We were amused; it drizzled most of the time we were there but he didn’t count that as rain!

Homer and Seldovia (Sunday, July 5)

We took a 45 minute ferry ride to Seldovia.  It is expensive $80/roundtrip, but luckily we had a 2 for 1 coupon

We were disappointed.  It is a boardwalk village that was destroyed by the 1964 earthquake that has been rebuilt, but there isn’t much.  First, we checked out the Visitor Center.  This town advertises itself as very friendly, but you couldn’t tell that from the gal who was running it.  She could hardly be bothered by tourists.

We hiked up the Rocky Ridge Trail. The weather was overcast and drizzly; the trail was up and down over ruts and muddy.  Much to our chagrin, rather than circling back to town, we had to walk back the same way we went.

After a well-deserved beer and lunch, we checked out the shops.  They weren’t really shops, rather counters in coffee shops.  We strolled over to the historic part, which isn’t much.  Their sole store was closed so went to the slough and watched people fish.

On a positive note… we sat across from a woman and her 11 year old son on the ferry ride back.  She was raised in Seldovia, but moved to Ninilchik because there are more opportunities for experiences, including sports for her son.  Seldovia has about 9 students per grade level while Ninilchik has 17.  We can’t figure out why people live in Seldovia.  It used to have canneries, but no more.  If you buy something there, it is REALLY expensive:  $13 for a bottle of Suave shampoo.

We got back to Homer at about 5:15 PM.  It was still drizzling so we went back to our B&B.  After about an hour, the drizzling abated and we headed back to the Salty Dawg Saloon on the Spit.  Barb’s friend Pat, who was married in Homer 16 years ago told us NOT to miss the Salty Dawg.  She was right–fun—a good atmosphere.

Most, but not all of today was a wash-out.  We highly recommend Homer — but NOT Seldovia.

Homer to Anchorage (Monday, July 6)

After saying good-bye to Manfred, we set off toward Anchorage, which is about five hours away without stops.  But, our first stop was at the Fred Meyer store in Soldotna because in the summer, it does more business than any other Fred Meyer store in the world.  It is huge.

Then, as we got further along the Sterling Highway, since it was only a couple of miles off the road, we stopped at the Kenai Princess Lodge.  Kathy, Jeff, Gurin, Grace, Sue, and Chuck will be staying there later in the week.  Not only is it lovely, the prices are similar to what they are throughout Alaska.  Some people are on the escorted Princess tour so their meals are included; others are unescorted and must pay.  Since they are out in the middle of nowhere, Princess could easily gouge them with their prices, but they don’t.

Our final stop was at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage where they care for injured animals.  It is a drive-through, stop & look place.  We thought it would be a more natural setting than it was.  Our favorites were the bears and the baby moose.

We arrived at the Walk about Town B&B at about four.  It is rather strange.  Our room was in the basement and musty.  We got settled, then “walked about town.”  It is only 16 blocks from the waterfront, the weather was about 70, but drizzly.  In Anchorage, the only skyscrapers are the mountains.

We stopped at a store that sold Russian goods which had a large sign with Sarah Palin pointing and saying, “I can see Russia from here”!

Then, we ate pizza at the Fat Ptarmigan, which is named after Alaska’s state bird.  We walked around Anchorage just a little bit more because the drizzle was growing up to be rain.

Anchorage to Talkeetna (Tuesday, July 7)

Our first stop was the Iditarod Sled Dog Trail Museum in Wasilla.  We watched a movie about caring for the dogs and the Iditarod.  They stressed over, and over, and over that the dogs LIKE to run…they don’t MAKE them run.  They repeated it so many times in so many different ways, they sounded defensive.

Then, we took a ride on the dog sled trail.  One of the guys asked where were from.  I said, “Lexington, Michigan, on Lake Huron, north of Port Huron.”  Turns out he is from Yale and is the nephew of Madeline Parrish, who worked at the ISD, and whose daughter-in-law teaches at Frostick. 

The ride was fun; then we got to meet the puppies. Barb got to hold one.

Between Wasilla to Willow, we encountered six miles of trees on the side of the road that had been burnt by the one or more of the 300 plus fires that have plagued Alaska this summer.  A fire truck and a couple official looking cars were parked on the side of the road while a helicopter circled overhead.  Along the way, we noticed several home-made signs that said, “Thank you, Firefighters.”

We arrived in Talkeetna at about 11:30.  Since the weather was fine, we walked to where three rivers meet.  The currents come in every which way so it looks funny.  Then, we stopped at Twister Creek at the Denali Brewery for Mother Ale and lunch.

After shopping a bit, we figured out that possibly our friends might also be in Talkeetna today.  Barb texted Gurin; they had just arrived by train.  We spent the afternoon with them (Gurin, Grace, Barb, me, and Kathy – Jeff took the photo) shopping and hanging out some more at Twister Creek.

They left; we finished looking around and headed to our B&B – the Talkeetna Chalet.  It’s located four miles from town and has a chalet and two cabins.  The chalet has three floors.  The first floor has three bedrooms and three baths and a common area.  The second floor has a great room, dining room, kitchen, and sun room. The owners live on the third floor.  There is a photograph of Denali in the great room that was taken from the deck.

We settled in, put wine in the freezer to chill it quickly, and went back to town for dinner (ice cream).  We tried the Alaskan fireweed (which is a red flowering weed that grows all over) which was good, but settled on other flavors.  Then, we headed back to our lovely B&B for the wine, view, and ambiance.

Talkeetna to Denali (Wednesday, July 8)

We got up early hoping to glimpse Denali/McKinley.  Not to be… cloud cover.  After a delicious breakfast, we headed in to Talkeetna.  Jean had told us there were many quirky people in Talkeetna.  Since we hadn’t met any, when I went to the Post Office, rather than just shoving my postcard in the box, I went to the counter hoping to meet a quirky Talkeetna person.  Alas, just a regular acting person.

Then, we headed to pick up our River Float Tour.  They made us put on HUGE yellow jackets and pants and black boots over our clothes.  They added life jackets so we looked like sumo wrestlers.

Our raft had a guide, two couples (who were on a Princess tour), Barb, and me. One couple was from New Jersey and the other from Indianapolis.  The woman from Indianapolis told her husband how furious she was with him. He replied that she’s always mad at him.  If he said green, she said aqua. Very negative, but rather entertaining. (Note:  I saw them on the cruise, and she was just fine.)

The ride down the river was scenic, but the only wildlife we saw was an eagle.

We did stop along the bank.  I was glad there was one guy with a guitar, rather than two guys with banjos.

We ate lunch at the Wildflower Care, then headed toward Denali National Park.  The road repair and bad weather increased as we went along.  The weather forecast for our day in Denali was rain and more rain so we tried to remain upbeat.  There were some pretty sights along the way.

As we drove closer to Denali N.P., it started pouring.  Our lodging, the Aspenhaus was in Healy, fourteen miles north of the park.  Due to construction, it was on sand or gravel and took a long time to get there.  Most cars there are filthy; ours fits right in.

We ate dinner at the 49th State Brewery.  It was loud, lively, and the food was good. We were pretty bummed because of the prediction for rain and more rain the next day.  We wanted to see the wild life, beautiful mountains, and Denali which was unlikely in rotten weather. Please Mr. Weatherman, be wrong again!

Denali to Talkeetna (Thursday, July 9)

We got up at 5:30 AM in order to catch our 7:15 shuttle in Denali National Park.  We brought our belongings because we weren’t sure whether we’d go back.  We had to return the car to the airport by 1:30 PM the next day or pay for another day (likely at a higher cost).  That meant we would need to leave REALLY early.

Due to the construction, it took 30-40 minutes to drive the 14 miles.  We got to the Wilderness Access Center by 6:30 AM, and turned in our reservation for tickets for the shuttle to Wonder Lake (mile 85) and takes 11 hours and costs $48.25.

Cars are not permitted beyond Mile 15 in order to limit congestion in the park.  There are shuttle buses and National Park Tour buses.  There are pros and cons for each.

Shuttle buses provide flexibility; one comes every 20-30 minutes, and if there’s room, you can hop on.  The shuttle driver stops when he or she sees some wildlife or a passenger points it out.  They may or may not provide some narration, depending on the driver.

The National Park Tour buses each have a certified driver/naturalist who provides narration and helps spot wild life.  The Tundra Wilderness tour lasts 7-8 hours; they go at least as far as Toklat (mile 53), and the cost is $120 (which includes lunch and beverages). The Katishna Experience tour lasts 11-12 hours, goes to the end (mile 92), and costs $165 (which includes lunch, snacks, and beverages).

They are organized about dispatching buses; the areas are clearly marked and the announcements are clear.  Each shuttle bus has 48 seats, but they are not usually full.  Ours had many non-English speaking travelers.  It was overcast, but not raining when we began.  Our driver shared lots of good information was enthusiastic about helping us spot wild life; he stopped when he or anyone else saw something.

We spotted a wolf, Dall sheep, a couple bears and caribou on the way. It was difficult to take photos because many passengers didn’t realize they should lower their windows for photos to be taken.   This may have been a language problem. Finally, we just reached over and put down their windows.  We met a family from Russia who lives in Boston, spoke English, and promised to email us a photo of the bear. I thanked him using the Russian I learned in high school.  (I can say it, but I can’t write it.)  None-the-less, he followed through!

When we got to Eielson (mile 66) at about 11:15, it was even more overcast.  Barb asked our driver about our chances to see Denali and whether we should continue or take a shuttle back.  He said that it was too overcast to see Denali and wild life decreases from Eielson to Wonder Lake.  We complimented him on doing a great job, thanked him, and waited for another shuttle.

The next driver spoke not a word, and neither of us cared for his driving.  The passengers weren’t enthusiastic about spotting wild life.  Most were asleep… probably a reflection of the driver’s lack of enthusiasm.   We got in a conversation with the man in the seat front of us.  He has been to Denali four times, but has never seen the mountain.

Tired of the driver, we got off at Toklat (Mile 53) to wait for another bus.  The next driver was great, but we only saw moose; it began to POUR!

We left the park just after 4 PM, but got caught in a 45 minute traffic jam exiting the park due to construction, so we decided to head south toward Anchorage instead of going back up to Healy.

We called the Talkeetna Chalet; our room was rented so we booked a suite rather than chance a place we had little information about. It took us over 4 hours to get there because the sky was clearing so we kept stopping, hoping to see Denali.  We didn’t see it until we got to the Chalet.  Although it was far away, it is so huge, we could see it clearly.

After taking lots of photos, we drove into Talkeetna for a late dinner at Twister Creek.  When we returned, the sun was setting and our view of Denali was even better and the sun was setting.  Now, we are happy!

Talkeetna to Anchorage (Friday, July 10)

After a delicious breakfast, we headed to Anchorage.  We planned to drop the rental car off at the airport and take the shuttle back to the hotel with our suitcases; however, as we were driving through Anchorage, we realized our hotel was only a couple blocks away.

We checked into our room at the Ramada.  Although it is outdated, the staff was friendly, they provide a shuttle from the airport and to the train, and they have a self-service laundromat.  While Barb took the car back, I did laundry.  Then, we got an ice cream and walked around town a bit and checked out the train station.  Barb got a text that Diana and Joe were on the shuttle so we headed back to the hotel.  Before we got there, we ran into Colleen and Phil.  We said a quick “hello,” then got Diana and Joey settled in their room.

Barb, Diana, Joey, and I met at Humpy’s for dinner.  Then, we walked around, shopped a bit, bought muffins for the morning and went back to the hotel.

Anchorage to Whittier (Saturday, July 11)

We caught the shuttle at 8:15 AM to the train station for our 9:45 AM departure.  It is close enough to walk, but it involves lots of steps– not a good idea with suitcases.

Our seats were on the upper deck.  Colleen and Phil sat across from us, and Diana and Joe were across the aisle.  The ride was lovely… and even more fun because the four of them hadn’t seen the huge mountains or glaciers before.

The 1964 earthquake caused land in this area to drop as much as eight feet.  Trees were killed, and then preserved as ocean salt water entered the water table.

We knew that many people in Alaska are pilots because it is difficult to travel to many places.  What we didn’t know is that some of them keep airplanes right in the backyards.  They also share a runway with their neighbors.  This doesn’t happen as often as it used to because of zoning ordinances.  However, this area was grandfathered in.

Upon arriving in Whittier at about 12:15, we boarded the ship, checked in, and got right in our rooms.   Our room is smaller than on Carnival, but we have a balcony.

We had lunch at the buffet, and Kathy and Jeff, Gurin and Grace, Sue H. and Chuck arrived.  They had been in Fairbanks, where there was smoke from the fires, and some had respiratory problems.  Our rooms are close together on the ship.  We spent most of the rest of the day getting used to where things are located on the ship.

By dinner, Mike and Jamie and Sue S. and Ken arrived.  We have two tables of eight at the 5:30 PM seating which works because the second seating isn’t until 7:45 PM, and we will rotate tables.  Food was good.  After dinner, Barb went to the comedy show and I wandered some more.

Cruise to Hubbard Glacier (Sunday, July 12)

After breakfast, Colleen and I went to the naturalist presentation, and then bought the cruise companion book and a map.  My next stop was a lecture on Art History: 400 years of Art.  (Barb would have nothing to do with it!)

After lunch, I went back to the naturalist table to double-check the best times to spot wild life.  Then, I met up with Joe who mentioned that he and Diana had eaten an Irish lunch at the pub, and the bread pudding was good.  So, that’s where I headed, and he was right.

Barb was surprised at my next choice:  origami.  I was successful at two of the four projects presented.  Most people got three; only a few got four.  There were about 50 participants and only one instructor so it was tough.

At about 3:45 we arrived at the Hubbard Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America.  It was overcast and foggy, but clear enough for our ship to get close to it in the Yakutat Bay.  The naturalist’s description was broadcast over the loud speaker and on TV.  It was very cold on deck, but as the ship pivoted, we could see the glacier from our room and balcony.

A bit about glaciers…In the mountains in ice fields that are above 4000 feet, rain falls as snow.  Where the temperatures stay cool enough, the snow persists year after year and glaciers form.

After dinner (formal night), Barb went to the variety show and I went to the casino because it was “no smoking” night.  I won $12.  It was probably less crowded than usual for the reason you could surmise.

Cruise Glacier Bay National Park (Monday, July 13)

This morning as we were entering the Gulf of Alaska, Barb and I went out on Deck 7 to spot wildlife as we went by Cape Spence.  We saw sea otter; whales were there, but we missed them.

However, we were fortunate to meet a lady and her mom who had left Cuba in 1968 for North Carolina.  I asked since the regulations had changed, would they travel back to Cuba.  Their answer was a resounding “No!”  In Cuba, her dad and a group of his so-called friends criticized the communist regime.  One “friend” was a turn-coat and reported the rest.  Her dad was made to cut sugar cane until 1972 when he was able to join them in the United States.  He had been an engineer and her mom an accountant.  Due to their education not being accepted here, the mom worked in a sewing factory and the dad also did some menial labor.  Very enlightening.

Next we went to the National Park ranger presentation, which was good.  Then, we spent the day watching the amazing scenery in Glacier Bay National Park.

Skagway (Tuesday, July 14)

The whole gang (16 of us) woke up early to catch the Chilhoot Tour bus to the White Summit Pass at 7:15 AM.  Barb had gotten us group tickets; not only did it save us each $8; they treated us as a group and picked us up in a small tour bus.

On the way through the town and up to the Fraser raiload depot in British Columbia, our driver/guide told us about the gold rush and the building of the railroad.  It took about an hour to get up the mountain to catch the train with several scenic stops along the way.

Since we were travelling into Canada, we brought our passports. It was much easier for us than for the gold prospectors who wanted to settle there. They were required to bring 2000 pounds of supplies.  There was no railroad; they used dogs, horses, etc. to help transport their load over the 3500 ft. pass.

There were at least 15 cars on the train, but we had our own, and the narrator was in our car.  It was incredible as the train made its way back to Skagway.

Some of the sights along the way included Pitchfork Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, William Moore Bridge, Tormented Valley and Dead Horse gulch.

People split up when we got back.  Several of us went to the Skagway Brewery, shopped, then checked out the Red Onion Saloon (lots of atmosphere).  Previously, it was a bordello, and the waitresses dressed like it still was.

That evening, we enjoyed the Piano Bar– first good one we’ve had on any cruise.

Sick call:  Jamie

Juneau (Wednesday, July 15)

Whale Watching Day!  A van picked up ten of us at 7:30 AM for an excursion Kathy arranged with Harv and Marv.  The only ones on our boat were the captain, a tour guide, and us.   It was drizzling when we left, but just overcast for most of the trip.

We spotted a couple of whales in the distance, but the Captain said he heard there was a group of them nearby.  Was he right!  We came upon about seven humpback whales that were misting.

Rather than teeth, Humpback whales have large baleen plates (fingernail like material that frays out into fine hairs on the ends). They ingest large volumes of water that passes through the baleen plates and strains its food from the water. Their tongues are about the size of a Volkswagen, but the back of their throats are only the size of a grapefruit so they can’t eat large fish.  Instead they eat a mere 1-1/2 tons of krill (shrimp like crustaceans) and small fish a day.

They are acrobatic and display breaching and other surface activities.

Humpback whales are identified by the patterns on their tail.  Some are entirely white, some are entirely black, and scars, cuts, and scrapes make patterns.

Southeast Alaska Humpback whales feed in Alaska during the summer, then swim 3000 miles to Hawaii for the winter.  Nice choice for a winter vacation, but they don’t eat in Hawaii.  They wait until they come back to Alaska.

After we got out of that area, a young whale decided to play right in front of our boat.  It was incredible!

The shuttle then took us to the Mendenhall Glacier which is about 13.6 miles long and is located about 12 miles from downtown Juneau.

The lovely Nugget Falls are in the same area.

When we got back to Juneau, we met Doris for lunch.  She chose a cafe in an old hotel, rather than one in the tourist area, then took us to see a Russian Orthodox Church and to some nice stores.  On the way back to the ship, Barb and I stopped at the Red Dog Saloon and listened to a song.

We needed to be back on the ship by 3:30.  We started back at 2:30, however, we made a couple wrong turns.  There were five ships in port, including 3 from Princess.  We didn’t realize ours was parked a mile out of town.  There was a shuttle, but we just missed it and were afraid we’d be late so we walked/ran as fast as we could.  Barb got there first and told them her older sister was on her way.  I arrived at 3:27, and three tour buses arrived right after.  Both of us were exhausted.

This was another formal night.  There was no smoking in the casino, and the show was the British Invasion.  Good evening for entertainment.

Sick call:  Jamie and Diana

Ketchikan (Thursday, July 16)

We docked at 9:30. Ketchican is charming; houses go up into the mountain, and it is colorful.

Seaplane Day!  Barb, Diana, Joey, and I caught the shuttle to the Taquan Air seaplane outside the Visitor Center at 10:30.

There were six passengers on the plane, and we each had a window.  I was in the back.  We rode for 75 minutes, and it was so much fun!  We went in and out of fjords and even landed in one. Notice the plane’s wing in the photo. Barb and Joey got out on the floats. Another great idea from Jean!

We ate lunch back on the ship. Many passengers are ill so the cruise staff is serving all food at the buffet.  Rumor: Norovirus

Next, we headed out to Creek Street, which was full of brothels in the 1920’s.

After dinner, several of us gathered to listen to music in the piano bar while looking out  the window because it was so pretty leaving the area

Sick call:  Jamie, Mike, Diana, Sue Sexton

Cruise back (Friday, July 17)

It was very pretty sailing.

The weather was so nice we put on our swimsuits and watched as we went by the Pine Island Lighthouse which marks the southern part of the Queen Island Sound.

Most everyone met for Happy Hour, but I stayed on the balcony watching the scenery by Robson Bight.  After dinner, I continued to watch as we went through the Seymour Narrows, which is the narrowest point on the inside passage.

Sick call: Joe

Vancouver Overview (Saturday, July 19)

It was absolutely beautiful coming into port in Vancouver.

This is when we came into Canada Place.

We did self-carry off the ship in Vancouver so by 11 AM we arrived at the Comfort Inn Downtown where Gurin, Grace, Barb and I stayed.

Barb went with her former roommate, Steve (who flew in from LAX) to catch up with the others.  Barb, Kathy, Sue Hornung, Steve (Los Angeles), and Cheryl (Kamloops, British Columbia) roomed together Barb’s senior year of college.

Gurin, Grace and I walked around a bit, and then took a Hop On-Hop Off Trolley for an orientation tour of Vancouver.  We hopped off on Granville Island, shopped at several cute stores, and then ate a sandwich while watching a street musician.  After checking out the market place, eating gelato, and shopping a bit more, we drank a beer before hopping back on the trolley.

Barb’s college roommates met the rest of us for dinner at Steamworks Brew Pub in the Gastown District.

Vancouver is vibrant and pretty, but there are cigarette butts and trash, as well as homeless people in many areas.

Sick Call:  Mike

Vancouver – Stanley Park (Sunday, July 20)

Many of our group flew back to Michigan this morning.  Barb went to church at the cathedral, but I wasn’t feeling great so I slept in.  After breakfast at Starbucks, we walked down by Canada Place and along the water before stopping at the Westin to watch the action on the waterway and drink a Bloody Mary.

We continued along the shore to Stanley Park where we spent the day.  It is a great park – water is practically always visible.

Three times, we ran into Gurin and Grace who were riding bikes.  The totem pole display was especially interesting.  We saw some in Alaska, but hadn’t toured the Totem Pole Park in Ketchikan so we were happy to spend time reading about and looking at them in Stanley Park.

We had eaten an ice cream sandwich and were sitting on a bench checking texts when Barb noticed people taking our picture.  Then, she realized they weren’t interested in us, they were focused on the raccoon that was digging the garbage in the trash bin right next to her.  She jumped up like a shot and joined them in taking photos.

The four of us met Cheryl, Joe, Jamie, and Mike at the Cactus Club Café by the convention center for dinner.

We walked over 13 miles that day!

Vancouver (Monday, July 20)

After breakfast, Cheryl met Barb and me at our hotel and we walked to catch the water taxi. We stayed on it for a half hour to tour the area, then got off at Granville Island where we spent several hours shopping and eating lunch before heading over to English Bay.

That was quite interesting.  There are palm trees which they cover in the winter to keep them from dying.   Due to the ocean, Vancouver doesn’t get real cold, but is too cold for palm trees.  Cheryl said they’d had quite a problem with pirates at one time.

I like this:  All Vancouver parks and beaches are non-smoking.

We got back to our hotel at about 4:15, got cleaned up, and walked with Gurin and Grace the Gastown District to meet Cheryl at the Spaghetti Factory for dinner.  I was pleased that we were seated in a small room that led out to the dining patio on the street.  There were lovely Tiffany lamps, and the food was good.

We walked around the Gastown district a while before returning to our hotel.

We walked over 11 miles.

Vancouver – Michigan (Tuesday, July 21)

In the morning, we took a taxi to the airport.  They recommend allowing 45 minutes to get there, but it only took twenty.  We whisked through baggage and customs, so we had a couple hours before take-off, plenty of time for a Bloody Mary and lunch.

After a two hour layover in Chicago, we flew to Lansing, picked up our rental SUV at about 11:30 PM, and Gurin dropped Barb and me off at the hotel to pick up my car, and we drove to Lapeer.

An excellent trip!!!Alaska is HUGE!