10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL -
9. MAKE SURE YOUR FAMILY KNOWS HOW TO CONTACT YOU. Leave a copy of your itinerary along with contact info for any cruise ships, hotels or homes you will be at.Put your cell phone no. and e-mail address on there also.This came in extremely handy for us on our last trip when we had to be in contact with family because of an emergency.A good travel agent will provide a list for you.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL - No. 8
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL -
8. CONFIRM YOUR TRAVEL TIMES AND CHECK-IN 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR FLIGHTS. Check your travel docs and make sure you have everything you need.Make sure your flights are on time and your connections are too.You can check-in online early and guarantee your seat. Many airlines "overbook".Better to be safe than sorry.
8. CONFIRM YOUR TRAVEL TIMES AND CHECK-IN 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR FLIGHTS. Check your travel docs and make sure you have everything you need.Make sure your flights are on time and your connections are too.You can check-in online early and guarantee your seat. Many airlines "overbook".Better to be safe than sorry.
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL - No. 7
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL -
7. THE DAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE, WATER ALL YOUR HOUSE PLANTS AND FERTILIZE.If you do not have a house sitter, gather your plants and set them in a bath tub or shower.It will be cooler, especially in the summer and it will be like a greenhouse.I also put in a plastic bucket of water and a lamp on a timer.
7. THE DAY BEFORE YOU LEAVE, WATER ALL YOUR HOUSE PLANTS AND FERTILIZE.If you do not have a house sitter, gather your plants and set them in a bath tub or shower.It will be cooler, especially in the summer and it will be like a greenhouse.I also put in a plastic bucket of water and a lamp on a timer.
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL - No. 6
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL -
6. DOUBLE CHECK YOUR RESERVATIONS AND MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO LAST MINUTE TIME CHANGES ON FLIGHTS. Sign up online to receive any changes to your reservation. Alternatively, call your travel agent and ask them to check on everything for you. It's better to be safe than sorry! 15 minut...es can make a huge difference!
6. DOUBLE CHECK YOUR RESERVATIONS AND MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO LAST MINUTE TIME CHANGES ON FLIGHTS. Sign up online to receive any changes to your reservation. Alternatively, call your travel agent and ask them to check on everything for you. It's better to be safe than sorry! 15 minut...es can make a huge difference!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL - No. 5
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL -
5.COUNT YOUR PILLS AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF YOUR MEDICATION TO HAVE YOU WHILE YOU ARE GONE. If not, contact your pharmacist and/or doctor to get a little extra for the vacation. Then, pack your pills in your carry-on and keep them with you in their original bottles. You don't want to take any chances of loosing those!
5.COUNT YOUR PILLS AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF YOUR MEDICATION TO HAVE YOU WHILE YOU ARE GONE. If not, contact your pharmacist and/or doctor to get a little extra for the vacation. Then, pack your pills in your carry-on and keep them with you in their original bottles. You don't want to take any chances of loosing those!
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL - No. 4
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL -
4. TALK TO YOUR CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDER IF YOU ARE GOING OUT OF THE COUNTRY. If you are traveling to Canada or Mexico you can add Nationwide plus Canada or Nationwide plus Mexico to your plan and no roaming charges will apply. The cost is minimal and you'll have access in a fore......ign country!
4. TALK TO YOUR CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDER IF YOU ARE GOING OUT OF THE COUNTRY. If you are traveling to Canada or Mexico you can add Nationwide plus Canada or Nationwide plus Mexico to your plan and no roaming charges will apply. The cost is minimal and you'll have access in a fore......ign country!
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL - No. 3
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL -
3. CALL YOUR BANK AND CREDIT CARD TO LET THEM KNOW YOUR TRAVEL PLANS.
Most banks and credit card companies keep track of spending patterns. They may interpret your out of town or out of country purchases as possible credit fraud and freeze your card. Notifying them ahead of time will save a lot of embarrassment and stress on your part.
3. CALL YOUR BANK AND CREDIT CARD TO LET THEM KNOW YOUR TRAVEL PLANS.
Most banks and credit card companies keep track of spending patterns. They may interpret your out of town or out of country purchases as possible credit fraud and freeze your card. Notifying them ahead of time will save a lot of embarrassment and stress on your part.
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL - No. 2
2. TAKE CARE OF "STOP" ORDERS and ADVANCE PAYMENTS. -
Once your travel is booked, place a "stop" order on any regular deliveries to your house like newspapers and mail. Sometimes this can be done online. This should be done at least 3-4 days before you leave to ensure the message gets to the proper place in time.
Once your travel is booked, place a "stop" order on any regular deliveries to your house like newspapers and mail. Sometimes this can be done online. This should be done at least 3-4 days before you leave to ensure the message gets to the proper place in time.
10 THING TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL - No. 1
10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TRAVEL -
1. CONTACT THE KENNEL AND/OR THE HOUSE SITTER - Once your travel date is confirmed, give a quick phone call and "reserve" your space. People are traveling more, which means pet sitters and kennels are busier!
1. CONTACT THE KENNEL AND/OR THE HOUSE SITTER - Once your travel date is confirmed, give a quick phone call and "reserve" your space. People are traveling more, which means pet sitters and kennels are busier!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Dedication to my Father-in-Law
I dedicate my Travelogues through today to my Father-in-Law, Mel. He was my biggest Travelogue fan and really enjoyed reading about what we did each step along the way of each journey we took. He looked forward to our Travelogues and was always so complimentary when he read them. The last day of his life, he was reading our Travelogues and knew we were going to be in Fairbanks. I know deep in my heart that when he passed on July 10th and we were on the train from Fairbanks to Denali - that was no coincidence. We were where we were meant to be. "Fairbanks" was the code name for the ship that both he and my Jim served on. And, he loved trains. I know he's on a great train ride now - and he's the Conductor!
Melvin James Carpenter
January 16, 1920 to July 10, 2010 - (90 years) A long life well lived
Melvin James Carpenter
January 16, 1920 to July 10, 2010 - (90 years) A long life well lived
DAY TWELVE - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - DENALI TO ANCHORAGE
TRAVELOGUES – DAY TWELVE – JULY 11th – DENALI TO ANCHORAGE
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
We woke early this morning to the pitter patter of water dripping from the roof. It was raining. This was the last day of our trip. After we gathered up everything, Jim and I headed over to the Denali Park Visitors Center to look at the exhibits. I found a nice cozy corner near a massive stone fireplace where I was able to catch up on a couple of my Travelogues and look through some of my pictures. Our group began to gather around 11:30 in the lobby of the Visitors Center, and then we all walked over to the Alaska Railroad Depot where we caught our southbound train at 12:00 noon.
It continued to rain outside, which made going out on the platform behind our rail car to take pictures not a real pleasant experience. As we pulled away from Denali, the car got quiet for awhile as we all realized this was the end of a great adventure with Holland America. By the time we reach Anchorage, we will have traveled over 5,250 miles together through some of the most beautiful and scenic wilderness on earth. We passed Summit Lake at 2,368 feet which is the highest point on the Alaska Railroad. From here, the rivers will flow south towards Anchorage.
The ground up above 2,500 feet is known as Tundra; and below 2,500 ft. it becomes Tiaga (pronounced Tiga). The trees are beginning to get thicker and bushier and the ground cover is also thicker. The railroad parallels the highway with flat marsh lands with countless pools of water dotting the vast landscape.
There is a deep deep gulch that the railroad passes over that is known as Hurricane Gulch because of the hurricane force winds that have been known to pass through there. The trestle bridge is quite impressive as it spans the gulch. From here we traveled south into “bush” country. Those Alaskans who have chosen to live in remote locations in the “bush” only can access it by plane or train. The Alaska Railroad is the only railroad that will actually stop to pick up and drop off passengers along the tracks.
Our ground cover has now changed from the thick brush bushes to Fiddle head ferns that are completely edible and cow parsnip that looks much like Queen Anne’s lace and is very toxic. There are meadows of the ferns and cow parsnip, so thick you cannot see any dirt on the ground. About 3:00 p.m. the rain stopped and the clouds began to break up to give way to the sunshine.
The train moved at a slow pace of about 15-20 mph while passing through certain areas; but most of the time, it moved along at about 30 mph. Several in our group took short cat naps while the rest of us were still constantly looking out the windows of our domed cards not wanting to miss anything.
The reflections of the trees in the mirrored ponds looked like mirrors because they were so calm. As we passed by the Indian River which is crystal clear, we could actually see the red spawning salmon as they swam upstream. The next river we crossed was the Susitna River. “Na” is an Athabascan work meaning running water. Today we actually will cross five rivers: 1) Nenana 2) Chiquitna 3) Chulitna (4) Susitna 5) Talkeetna. The Susitna River is quite wide with many islands in the middle of the running waters. The Susitna River is a glacial fed river and is cloudy and grey from the glacial soot. The river was moving at a good pace. You could see the currents swirling around on the top of the river; but there were no rapids.
The banks of the rivers have rocky shores with numerous very large boulders that have traveled downstream thousands of years ago on icebergs as the glaciers melted. The calm, waters of the ponds dotting the meadows were home to several Trumpeter Swans. They are solid white with dramatic long necks. Their babies are called cygnets.
The “bush” area comes to an end in Talkeetna. We arrived here around 4:45 p.m. Talkeetna has a population of 840 and was the backdrop for the TV show “Northern Exposure”. Our young guide on the train was Jason. He told us the story of the Alaska state flag and its meaning. It was designed by Benny Benson in the 1920’s. The stars are in the shape of the Big Dipper because you can see it so clearly in Alaska. The North Star symbolizes the northern most state of the United States.
Wasilla, the next city on our itinerary, really came to be known as the home of Sarah Palin. South of Wasilla we entered the low lands of the Knik Arm and the Cook Inlet near Anchorage. After eight hours on the Alaska Railroad today, our journey was coming to an end. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska with a population of 275,000 permanent residents. To the west was a large mountain range known as “The Sleeping Lady”. As you look at the mountains, you can see a woman lying on her back with her head facing south and her legs pointing north. To the east is the Chugach Mountain range with its snow capped mountain peaks. Just before we entered into Anchorage we spotted a moose, but it quickly disappeared into the trees before we could get any pictures.
As we pulled into the Anchorage Rail Depot, our tour guide, Gabe stood up and thanked us all for coming along on this cruise tour. Unfortunately, our group dispersed all too fast once they disembarked the train, and Jim and I were not able to tell many of them good bye. We will leave early tomorrow morning before the final group gathering at breakfast with the Alaska Visitors Bureau.
We did enjoy a final get together with new friends Sam and Melinda from Palmdale and Denise and Erik from Texas at The Brewhouse. The Brewhouse is a microbrewery directly across the street from The Westmark Hotel where we stayed our last night. At 9:00 p.m. in a Sunday evening, the wait was 45 minutes! It is a very large restaurant and bar that could easily seat over 200 people. Luckily as we were about to leave and go somewhere else when the hostess told us they had a cancellation and within ten minutes we were seated at a table for six. We enjoyed one last toast to a great adventure and new friends.
And, so it ended – fourteen days – cruising from Vancouver up the Inside Passage to Skagway; traveling into the Yukon Territory and learning about the gold rush and then enjoying the “interior” and Denali. It is truly a “great” land. I think perhaps one of my favorite parts was talking to some of the permanent residents when we visited their cities. The Alaskans love sharing their state. They are proud of its heritage and history. One thing that is obvious to me is how much they enjoy living in the wilderness. They are a very friendly people and willing to help you in any way they can.
Thank you to Holland America, Joanie, Kyle and Gabe for being terrific hosts and guides all along the way. To all those in our group that we weren’t able to say good bye to – it was a pleasure getting to know you. And, thank you Alaska. We enjoyed getting to know you and hearing your stories. We’ll be back!
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
We woke early this morning to the pitter patter of water dripping from the roof. It was raining. This was the last day of our trip. After we gathered up everything, Jim and I headed over to the Denali Park Visitors Center to look at the exhibits. I found a nice cozy corner near a massive stone fireplace where I was able to catch up on a couple of my Travelogues and look through some of my pictures. Our group began to gather around 11:30 in the lobby of the Visitors Center, and then we all walked over to the Alaska Railroad Depot where we caught our southbound train at 12:00 noon.
It continued to rain outside, which made going out on the platform behind our rail car to take pictures not a real pleasant experience. As we pulled away from Denali, the car got quiet for awhile as we all realized this was the end of a great adventure with Holland America. By the time we reach Anchorage, we will have traveled over 5,250 miles together through some of the most beautiful and scenic wilderness on earth. We passed Summit Lake at 2,368 feet which is the highest point on the Alaska Railroad. From here, the rivers will flow south towards Anchorage.
The ground up above 2,500 feet is known as Tundra; and below 2,500 ft. it becomes Tiaga (pronounced Tiga). The trees are beginning to get thicker and bushier and the ground cover is also thicker. The railroad parallels the highway with flat marsh lands with countless pools of water dotting the vast landscape.
There is a deep deep gulch that the railroad passes over that is known as Hurricane Gulch because of the hurricane force winds that have been known to pass through there. The trestle bridge is quite impressive as it spans the gulch. From here we traveled south into “bush” country. Those Alaskans who have chosen to live in remote locations in the “bush” only can access it by plane or train. The Alaska Railroad is the only railroad that will actually stop to pick up and drop off passengers along the tracks.
Our ground cover has now changed from the thick brush bushes to Fiddle head ferns that are completely edible and cow parsnip that looks much like Queen Anne’s lace and is very toxic. There are meadows of the ferns and cow parsnip, so thick you cannot see any dirt on the ground. About 3:00 p.m. the rain stopped and the clouds began to break up to give way to the sunshine.
The train moved at a slow pace of about 15-20 mph while passing through certain areas; but most of the time, it moved along at about 30 mph. Several in our group took short cat naps while the rest of us were still constantly looking out the windows of our domed cards not wanting to miss anything.
The reflections of the trees in the mirrored ponds looked like mirrors because they were so calm. As we passed by the Indian River which is crystal clear, we could actually see the red spawning salmon as they swam upstream. The next river we crossed was the Susitna River. “Na” is an Athabascan work meaning running water. Today we actually will cross five rivers: 1) Nenana 2) Chiquitna 3) Chulitna (4) Susitna 5) Talkeetna. The Susitna River is quite wide with many islands in the middle of the running waters. The Susitna River is a glacial fed river and is cloudy and grey from the glacial soot. The river was moving at a good pace. You could see the currents swirling around on the top of the river; but there were no rapids.
The banks of the rivers have rocky shores with numerous very large boulders that have traveled downstream thousands of years ago on icebergs as the glaciers melted. The calm, waters of the ponds dotting the meadows were home to several Trumpeter Swans. They are solid white with dramatic long necks. Their babies are called cygnets.
The “bush” area comes to an end in Talkeetna. We arrived here around 4:45 p.m. Talkeetna has a population of 840 and was the backdrop for the TV show “Northern Exposure”. Our young guide on the train was Jason. He told us the story of the Alaska state flag and its meaning. It was designed by Benny Benson in the 1920’s. The stars are in the shape of the Big Dipper because you can see it so clearly in Alaska. The North Star symbolizes the northern most state of the United States.
Wasilla, the next city on our itinerary, really came to be known as the home of Sarah Palin. South of Wasilla we entered the low lands of the Knik Arm and the Cook Inlet near Anchorage. After eight hours on the Alaska Railroad today, our journey was coming to an end. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska with a population of 275,000 permanent residents. To the west was a large mountain range known as “The Sleeping Lady”. As you look at the mountains, you can see a woman lying on her back with her head facing south and her legs pointing north. To the east is the Chugach Mountain range with its snow capped mountain peaks. Just before we entered into Anchorage we spotted a moose, but it quickly disappeared into the trees before we could get any pictures.
As we pulled into the Anchorage Rail Depot, our tour guide, Gabe stood up and thanked us all for coming along on this cruise tour. Unfortunately, our group dispersed all too fast once they disembarked the train, and Jim and I were not able to tell many of them good bye. We will leave early tomorrow morning before the final group gathering at breakfast with the Alaska Visitors Bureau.
We did enjoy a final get together with new friends Sam and Melinda from Palmdale and Denise and Erik from Texas at The Brewhouse. The Brewhouse is a microbrewery directly across the street from The Westmark Hotel where we stayed our last night. At 9:00 p.m. in a Sunday evening, the wait was 45 minutes! It is a very large restaurant and bar that could easily seat over 200 people. Luckily as we were about to leave and go somewhere else when the hostess told us they had a cancellation and within ten minutes we were seated at a table for six. We enjoyed one last toast to a great adventure and new friends.
And, so it ended – fourteen days – cruising from Vancouver up the Inside Passage to Skagway; traveling into the Yukon Territory and learning about the gold rush and then enjoying the “interior” and Denali. It is truly a “great” land. I think perhaps one of my favorite parts was talking to some of the permanent residents when we visited their cities. The Alaskans love sharing their state. They are proud of its heritage and history. One thing that is obvious to me is how much they enjoy living in the wilderness. They are a very friendly people and willing to help you in any way they can.
Thank you to Holland America, Joanie, Kyle and Gabe for being terrific hosts and guides all along the way. To all those in our group that we weren’t able to say good bye to – it was a pleasure getting to know you. And, thank you Alaska. We enjoyed getting to know you and hearing your stories. We’ll be back!
DAY ELEVEN - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - DENALI NATIONAL PARK
TRAVELOGUES – DAY ELEVEN – JULY 10th – DENALI NATIONAL PARK
TUNDRA WILDERNESS TOUR
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Did you know that wildlife seekers are far more certain to see animals than baseball fans are to see home runs? This is true – and our Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park today was actually a grand slam.,
McKinley National Park was established as a game refuge in 1917. In 1980, Congress more than tripled the size of the park and renamed the area Denali National Park and Preserve. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) enlarged the park by an additional four million acres of wilderness frontier.
This expansive area is habitat to caribou, moose and grizzly bears, along with wolves, Dall sheep, Ptarmigan, eagles, ravens and countless other species of animals and birds. There are more than 650 species of flowering plants along with mosses, fungi, algae and lichens that cover the slopes inside the park.
In 1972 the National Park Service started a bus system to protect visitors and reduce threats to the wildlife. The buses used for our Tundra Wilderness Tour look much like old school buses painted a light tan color to blend in with the landscape – but on the inside, the interiors are plush and comfortable like the motor coaches we have been traveling on during this tour.
The alpine tundra covers the ground in Denali and provides a fast food supply for the resident wildlife. Our first wildlife sighting for the day was a caribou feeding on the top of a hill to the right side of our bus. When someone on the bus spots an animal, they are to yell out and give an approximate location based on the face of a clock. So, this first sighting of the caribou, someone yelled out “CARIBOU! 10:00!!” Then, everyone tried to get a place at the window to click off their pictures before the animal moved on or went behind the bushes.
The bus has drop-down video screens that display the real-time video the bus driver is filming of the animal spotting. What we did not know, but were not surprised either, is that the DVD is available to us to purchase once our tour was over. Ours will be mailed within 2-3 weeks.
The road into Denali is not paved, but is compacted bedrock. Though the windows on the bus can be opened when animals are spotted, they are generally closed to minimize the dust coming back into the bus while the bus is traveling.
Our tour today began at the McKinley Chalet where we were picked up and traveled to the park entrance. We passed the Stony Overlook and stopped for a photo opp and continued on our way for 62 miles into the park. The scenery is as dramatic and colorful as the Grand Canyon with every color imaginable in the mountains and valleys. As the clouds moved overhead and cast shadows down below, the colors changed. It was simply breathtaking.
There is a very nice Visitors Center near the entrance along with a great book store offering a wide variety of books on the animals and history of the park.
As we traveled into the park, we passed several mountain peaks – Mt. Margaret at 5,509 ft. – Double Mountain at 5,899 ft. – Igloo Mountain at 4,800 ft. – Sable Mountain at 6,002 feet – Divide Mountain at 5,195 ft. and Polychrome Mountain at 5,790 ft. Polychrome Mountain was by far the most magnificent of them all with its multi-colored rock of Rhyolite and basalt. It is a dramatic pointed mounted with every color of brown and red tones imaginable.
After our first caribou sighting, we saw several herds of Dall sheep high on the rugged cliffs of the mountains, strategically located to protect themselves from their predators, the wolves.
While golden eagles soared above us, black ravens were also spotted along with one bird that actually had some small animal clinched tight in its talons – probably flying back to enjoy it for dinner. Though the wolves remained elusive and out of sight today, I did get a picture of a den on the side of a mountain. There are three packs of wolves that inhabit this portion of the park but dozens more packs throughout the entire 6,000 acres.
The animal that most everyone hopes to see when they enter Denali is the phenomenal Grizzly Bear. Though its fur is actually a light golden color, the grizzly is also known as the brown bear. We had three separate sightings of grizzlies today; but, by far, the one where we spotted two bears as they ate their way down the hill next to our bus was a definite grand slam!
With their fur of light golden brown, these two bears were easily spotted amongst the green grasses and tundra on the hill. They were enjoying several plant roots along their way down. As they got closer and closer to the bus, the more spectacular each picture was. We were told to be quiet as them came closer and closer to the bus so as no5t to frighten them or disturb them. But even though “we” were being quiet as told, our cameras were constantly clicking those shutters in hopes of getting one phenomenal picture. After we drove away and the windows again were closed, everyone sat back down in their seats and had a huge smile on his or her face. It was truly splendiferous!
We had two other grizzly sightings¸ but they were farther off in the distance. Some smaller animals were sighted as well including the pika (a small bunny), squirrels and a beaver; a gyrfalcon was perched on the top of a rock outcropping but was far enough away that our pictures could not pull it in close enough; and many birds.
The breathtaking scenery was everywhere you looked; and we couldn’t take our eyes off of it – even though we could have used a little cat nap as this was a 7 hour tour. We didn’t want to miss a thing – and we didn’t. It was a glorious day. While the skies above us were overcast, it did not hurt our experience in Denali National Park.
After our tour, a group of us headed over to the Alaska Salmon Bake for dinner and put our glasses together with much delight for such a fabulous day.
Tomorrow we will head south on the Alaska Railroad and McKinley Express as we end our tour of this “great land” in Anchorage.
TUNDRA WILDERNESS TOUR
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Did you know that wildlife seekers are far more certain to see animals than baseball fans are to see home runs? This is true – and our Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park today was actually a grand slam.,
McKinley National Park was established as a game refuge in 1917. In 1980, Congress more than tripled the size of the park and renamed the area Denali National Park and Preserve. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) enlarged the park by an additional four million acres of wilderness frontier.
This expansive area is habitat to caribou, moose and grizzly bears, along with wolves, Dall sheep, Ptarmigan, eagles, ravens and countless other species of animals and birds. There are more than 650 species of flowering plants along with mosses, fungi, algae and lichens that cover the slopes inside the park.
In 1972 the National Park Service started a bus system to protect visitors and reduce threats to the wildlife. The buses used for our Tundra Wilderness Tour look much like old school buses painted a light tan color to blend in with the landscape – but on the inside, the interiors are plush and comfortable like the motor coaches we have been traveling on during this tour.
The alpine tundra covers the ground in Denali and provides a fast food supply for the resident wildlife. Our first wildlife sighting for the day was a caribou feeding on the top of a hill to the right side of our bus. When someone on the bus spots an animal, they are to yell out and give an approximate location based on the face of a clock. So, this first sighting of the caribou, someone yelled out “CARIBOU! 10:00!!” Then, everyone tried to get a place at the window to click off their pictures before the animal moved on or went behind the bushes.
The bus has drop-down video screens that display the real-time video the bus driver is filming of the animal spotting. What we did not know, but were not surprised either, is that the DVD is available to us to purchase once our tour was over. Ours will be mailed within 2-3 weeks.
The road into Denali is not paved, but is compacted bedrock. Though the windows on the bus can be opened when animals are spotted, they are generally closed to minimize the dust coming back into the bus while the bus is traveling.
Our tour today began at the McKinley Chalet where we were picked up and traveled to the park entrance. We passed the Stony Overlook and stopped for a photo opp and continued on our way for 62 miles into the park. The scenery is as dramatic and colorful as the Grand Canyon with every color imaginable in the mountains and valleys. As the clouds moved overhead and cast shadows down below, the colors changed. It was simply breathtaking.
There is a very nice Visitors Center near the entrance along with a great book store offering a wide variety of books on the animals and history of the park.
As we traveled into the park, we passed several mountain peaks – Mt. Margaret at 5,509 ft. – Double Mountain at 5,899 ft. – Igloo Mountain at 4,800 ft. – Sable Mountain at 6,002 feet – Divide Mountain at 5,195 ft. and Polychrome Mountain at 5,790 ft. Polychrome Mountain was by far the most magnificent of them all with its multi-colored rock of Rhyolite and basalt. It is a dramatic pointed mounted with every color of brown and red tones imaginable.
After our first caribou sighting, we saw several herds of Dall sheep high on the rugged cliffs of the mountains, strategically located to protect themselves from their predators, the wolves.
While golden eagles soared above us, black ravens were also spotted along with one bird that actually had some small animal clinched tight in its talons – probably flying back to enjoy it for dinner. Though the wolves remained elusive and out of sight today, I did get a picture of a den on the side of a mountain. There are three packs of wolves that inhabit this portion of the park but dozens more packs throughout the entire 6,000 acres.
The animal that most everyone hopes to see when they enter Denali is the phenomenal Grizzly Bear. Though its fur is actually a light golden color, the grizzly is also known as the brown bear. We had three separate sightings of grizzlies today; but, by far, the one where we spotted two bears as they ate their way down the hill next to our bus was a definite grand slam!
With their fur of light golden brown, these two bears were easily spotted amongst the green grasses and tundra on the hill. They were enjoying several plant roots along their way down. As they got closer and closer to the bus, the more spectacular each picture was. We were told to be quiet as them came closer and closer to the bus so as no5t to frighten them or disturb them. But even though “we” were being quiet as told, our cameras were constantly clicking those shutters in hopes of getting one phenomenal picture. After we drove away and the windows again were closed, everyone sat back down in their seats and had a huge smile on his or her face. It was truly splendiferous!
We had two other grizzly sightings¸ but they were farther off in the distance. Some smaller animals were sighted as well including the pika (a small bunny), squirrels and a beaver; a gyrfalcon was perched on the top of a rock outcropping but was far enough away that our pictures could not pull it in close enough; and many birds.
The breathtaking scenery was everywhere you looked; and we couldn’t take our eyes off of it – even though we could have used a little cat nap as this was a 7 hour tour. We didn’t want to miss a thing – and we didn’t. It was a glorious day. While the skies above us were overcast, it did not hurt our experience in Denali National Park.
After our tour, a group of us headed over to the Alaska Salmon Bake for dinner and put our glasses together with much delight for such a fabulous day.
Tomorrow we will head south on the Alaska Railroad and McKinley Express as we end our tour of this “great land” in Anchorage.
DAY TEN - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - FAIRBANKS TO DENALI
TRAVELOGUES – DAY TEN – JULY 9th – FAIRBANKS TO DENALI
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
I start today’s travelogue with a heavy heart. Jim’s Dad has been ill for the past few months, and we got word yesterday that he was not doing well. We tried to get a flight out of Fairbanks before our tour left, but we could not do that; so to ensure we could continue moving south and try to get an earlier flight home, we left early in the morning with our tour group on the train headed for Denali.
When we got into Fairbanks, we were talking about Jim’s Dad, and Jim shared a story with me. Both Jim and his Dad served in the Navy on the USS Edson – but at different times. The code name for the Edson was “Fairbanks”. We think it was ironic that we were in Fairbanks on this particular day. Jim’s Dad also loved trains. We boarded our train in Fairbanks and headed south to Denali. Unfortunately, while we were on the train, we received word that Jim’s Dad has passed away. So, we dedicated our train ride today from Fairbanks to Denali to Jim’s Dad.
Two engines pulled our train of four Holland America domed cars and three from Princess along with several others for the Alaska Railroad. We passed by the University of Alaska as we left town. The University of Alaska is home to a fabulous museum; and if you get the chance, you should go visit that.
We continued south for our five hour ride on the rails through absolutely gorgeous country; and we were all lucky enough to become official members of the “30% Club”. We are among the 30% who actually have seen Mt. McKinley.
It was a gloriously clear day outside with very few clouds in the sky. It was a bit cooler than it was yesterday. Today we hit a high of about 60 degrees. The tour guide on our rail car gave us a few minutes notice that the “Great One” was going to be coming into view. Many of us went downstairs from our domed car seats and stood out on the platform in between the rail cars so we would perfectly clear views of the mountain. And, we were not disappointed in any way, shape or form. Through the low brush alongside the rail tracks appeared this magnificent mountain – snow capped and standing proud all alone off in the distance. What is so fabulous about McKinley is that it is the highest peak on the continent at 20,320 feet. McKinley reigns supreme in the Alaska Mountain range; and because of its height, it creates its own weather.
We continued on our journey passed through the meadows full of Alaska fireweed, lupin, along with many other dainty, low wild flowers that could be spotted all over the ground. We passed by rivers and troughs of glacial waters that were a dramatic contrast to the low brush and evergreens. Along the way, we were lucky to spot a moose off to the left side of the rail cars.
Once we arrived in Denali at the McKinley Chalet Resort, we were given our room keys. Our luggage was brought to us, so we didn’t even have to collect it and get it to our room. We found our room and then took of to explore the area. Because the McKinley Chalet’s are so spread out over several acres, there are shuttles that will pick you up at either the Moose stop, Bear stop, Caribou stop, etc. and transport you up the hill to the main lodge. This was especially nice for us as we were in the furthest room complex from lodge which is along the highway – our room was only about 50 feet from the trail along river below.
We walked across the highway and walked along the wooden plank sidewalks that are home to a plethora of gift shops and restaurants. While we were walking along, we met up with more people from our group and so we all enjoyed a light lunch and just explored the area. The McKinley Chalets are just north of the Denali Park entrance and the Denali Visitors Center. On one side of the highway is a dramatic mountain and as you turn and face the other way, you face a beautiful, vast wilderness of hills and mountains as far as you can see. Several people from our group either took white water rafting trips down the glacial river or did a helicopter flight up to a glacier.
At 5:30 p.m. our group met for a Cabin Nite dinner at the Chalets for a family style dinner and show put on by the waiters and waitresses, bartender, etc. The show was a musical all about the discovery of Denali and one “Fannie Quigley”. There was participation from the guests as well. It was very well done. The piano player was playing music from the early 1900’s and getting everyone to join in for a sing-a-long at one point. Dinner was served family style and included delicious and tender ribs, baked salmon, baked beans, whole kernel corn, homemade biscuits and was absolutely delicious. Dessert was a mixed berry cobbler with whipped topping. Those who enjoyed the dessert all proudly displayed their newly dyed “blue” teeth – thanks to the berries in the cobbler.
After Cabin Nite, several of us enjoyed going up to the Crow’s Nest, where we all went out onto the deck and enjoyed a cocktail and toasted Jim’s Dad and our train ride from Fairbanks to Denali today.
So, though it was a sad day for us, we know that Mel was with us on our train ride in spirit; and we know that we were in the right place because of the coincidences of the day. We cherish our memories and know that every day is so precious. Good night…
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
I start today’s travelogue with a heavy heart. Jim’s Dad has been ill for the past few months, and we got word yesterday that he was not doing well. We tried to get a flight out of Fairbanks before our tour left, but we could not do that; so to ensure we could continue moving south and try to get an earlier flight home, we left early in the morning with our tour group on the train headed for Denali.
When we got into Fairbanks, we were talking about Jim’s Dad, and Jim shared a story with me. Both Jim and his Dad served in the Navy on the USS Edson – but at different times. The code name for the Edson was “Fairbanks”. We think it was ironic that we were in Fairbanks on this particular day. Jim’s Dad also loved trains. We boarded our train in Fairbanks and headed south to Denali. Unfortunately, while we were on the train, we received word that Jim’s Dad has passed away. So, we dedicated our train ride today from Fairbanks to Denali to Jim’s Dad.
Two engines pulled our train of four Holland America domed cars and three from Princess along with several others for the Alaska Railroad. We passed by the University of Alaska as we left town. The University of Alaska is home to a fabulous museum; and if you get the chance, you should go visit that.
We continued south for our five hour ride on the rails through absolutely gorgeous country; and we were all lucky enough to become official members of the “30% Club”. We are among the 30% who actually have seen Mt. McKinley.
It was a gloriously clear day outside with very few clouds in the sky. It was a bit cooler than it was yesterday. Today we hit a high of about 60 degrees. The tour guide on our rail car gave us a few minutes notice that the “Great One” was going to be coming into view. Many of us went downstairs from our domed car seats and stood out on the platform in between the rail cars so we would perfectly clear views of the mountain. And, we were not disappointed in any way, shape or form. Through the low brush alongside the rail tracks appeared this magnificent mountain – snow capped and standing proud all alone off in the distance. What is so fabulous about McKinley is that it is the highest peak on the continent at 20,320 feet. McKinley reigns supreme in the Alaska Mountain range; and because of its height, it creates its own weather.
We continued on our journey passed through the meadows full of Alaska fireweed, lupin, along with many other dainty, low wild flowers that could be spotted all over the ground. We passed by rivers and troughs of glacial waters that were a dramatic contrast to the low brush and evergreens. Along the way, we were lucky to spot a moose off to the left side of the rail cars.
Once we arrived in Denali at the McKinley Chalet Resort, we were given our room keys. Our luggage was brought to us, so we didn’t even have to collect it and get it to our room. We found our room and then took of to explore the area. Because the McKinley Chalet’s are so spread out over several acres, there are shuttles that will pick you up at either the Moose stop, Bear stop, Caribou stop, etc. and transport you up the hill to the main lodge. This was especially nice for us as we were in the furthest room complex from lodge which is along the highway – our room was only about 50 feet from the trail along river below.
We walked across the highway and walked along the wooden plank sidewalks that are home to a plethora of gift shops and restaurants. While we were walking along, we met up with more people from our group and so we all enjoyed a light lunch and just explored the area. The McKinley Chalets are just north of the Denali Park entrance and the Denali Visitors Center. On one side of the highway is a dramatic mountain and as you turn and face the other way, you face a beautiful, vast wilderness of hills and mountains as far as you can see. Several people from our group either took white water rafting trips down the glacial river or did a helicopter flight up to a glacier.
At 5:30 p.m. our group met for a Cabin Nite dinner at the Chalets for a family style dinner and show put on by the waiters and waitresses, bartender, etc. The show was a musical all about the discovery of Denali and one “Fannie Quigley”. There was participation from the guests as well. It was very well done. The piano player was playing music from the early 1900’s and getting everyone to join in for a sing-a-long at one point. Dinner was served family style and included delicious and tender ribs, baked salmon, baked beans, whole kernel corn, homemade biscuits and was absolutely delicious. Dessert was a mixed berry cobbler with whipped topping. Those who enjoyed the dessert all proudly displayed their newly dyed “blue” teeth – thanks to the berries in the cobbler.
After Cabin Nite, several of us enjoyed going up to the Crow’s Nest, where we all went out onto the deck and enjoyed a cocktail and toasted Jim’s Dad and our train ride from Fairbanks to Denali today.
So, though it was a sad day for us, we know that Mel was with us on our train ride in spirit; and we know that we were in the right place because of the coincidences of the day. We cherish our memories and know that every day is so precious. Good night…
Sunday, July 11, 2010
DAY NINE - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - TOK TO FAIRBANKS
TRAVELOGUES – DAY NINE – JULY 8th – TOK TO FAIRBANKS
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
This was to be another day of motor coach travel for us as we moved more inland from Tok, Alaska to Fairbanks, Alaska along the Alaska Highway. We traveled along the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountain range, the third youngest mountain range in the state. The “younger” mountains have very jagged and dramatic peaks at the top as opposed to older mountain ranges that have been worn down with time and are smoother and more rounded. The second youngest mountain range is the Alaska Range and the first is Denali.
As we were moving along the highway, someone spotted a moose. Moose are in the deer family. They can get up to 1200 pounds. The hair of the moose is actually hollow which gives it a natural built-in heating and cooling system. The antlers of the bull moose fall off every season.
Construction began in 1942 on the Alaska Highway and when finished was 1,500 miles long. Every person who worked on the highway received a Purple Heart and there is a stretch of the highway that is named the Purple Heart Trail after those men. We were shown a documentary about how the Alaska Highway was built and constructed. It was a PBS film that Jim and I have seen before; nonetheless, it was interesting to see that again while we were actually traveling on it.
The landscape and the scenery is as majestic and beautiful as anything I have described to you before. Today the weather was noticeably warmer as we got closer and closer to Fairbanks and the interior of Alaska.
Our first stop for the day was at Ricca’s Roadhouse which was a charming roadside stop with several buildings and a fascinating story of how Ricca was hired by a gentleman to help him at the roadhouse and she would cook for the guests. While the owner would go out trapping or fishing, Ricca would perform repairs around the property and maintain it. At one point the owner left for three years; and by the time he returned, Ricca had
added on several other buildings and greatly improved the property. She had not received her wages the entire three years he was gone and was not real happy when he returned. She wanted compensation for what she had done to maintain his property and keep it running all that time. So, for $10 the man sold it to her and it was hers from then on. It is refurbished now and maintained as a tourist attraction. The main house has been decorated and furnished as it was back during the Gold Rush. There is a blacksmith’s cabin and several other buildings along with a new building that is home to the restaurant and gift shop (there is not one place in Alaska that does not have a gift shop attached to it in some way, shape or form).
After enjoying a warm cup of coffee and walking around the property, we were off again on our coach. With the Alaska Mountain Range to the left and the Tenana River to our right, we were again traveling down the Alaska Highway. There were many troughs as we looked down in the valley and could see the Tenana River. Troughs are just like little fingers running in the river bed. When the waters runs high with the snow melt, there are fewer troughs. The rolling hills climbed up to the majestic, snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance.
What is interesting is that when you look out over this vast land, it appears that there is a blanket of green grass covering the hillsides. In reality, it is a thick brush about 3-4 feet high with taller trees standing out. There are black spruce and white spruce. The black spruce looks like a pipe-cleaners standing tall with a very dark trunk and no limbs to speak of. The white spruce is fuller and more like the trees that I am used to seeing with more branches towards the base of the tree narrowing to one at the top.
We spotted seven moose along the highway today. The driver told us that is one of the highest number of moose sightings in one day that he was aware of. We passed by Birch Lake, a beautiful mountain lake and we traveled through the town of North Pole, Alaska. You all know who lives there!!
When our coach finally arrived in Fairbanks after our five our trek on the highway, we were taken to Gold Dredge No. 8 for lunch. Gold Dredge No. 8 was a working Dredge from 1928 to 1959 when it became too expensive to operate any longer. We were taken inside to a huge dining room with dozens of long tables all set out in family style dining. We enjoyed some hearty beef stew and delicious homemade biscuits along with a blueberry muffin. After lunch we walked over to the gold dredge and had a tour through that then we boarded the coach and were off to the El Dorado Gold Mine up the Elliott Highway about five minutes or so.
The El Dorado Gold Mine is where we all were able to pan for gold. Before we did that, however, we took a train ride through a tunnel where we were shown where the gold was actually found in the “bedrock” under the permafrost; and we saw how they transported the rocks and dirt out in the rail cars. Once we traveled through the tunnel, we saw a miner’s cabin and then watched a demonstration on how they actually panned for gold at this mine using different grates to ultimately sift out the rocks that would allow the gold (which is heavier than rock) to fall below the cracks and catch in a carpet like material.
After the demonstration, we were all taken inside to pan for gold ourselves. We were each given a bag of “pay dirt” and directed to sit along troughs of water where we found our own gold pan and we panned for gold. Whatever we found in the bottom of our pans once we were done with all the swishing and flushing of the rocks and dirt, was gold! We got to put what we had found into small, black plastic containers that we took inside the “gift shop” where it was weighed and we could purchase a locket or earrings where the employees would transfer our own gold into the jewelry. Jim actually found a nugget worth $8 which we put in a small locket by itself; and the rest we put into another locket.
We stopped by the Alaska Pipeline along the side of the road where we could actually get up close to it and touch it and see an example of what the inside is actually like and how it works; and then we finally arrived in Fairbanks at our hotel, the Westmark Fairbanks.
Now, I know this next part is not going to surprise any of you, but Jim and I signed up for the tour going to where else? The North Pole! We could NOT travel all the way here and not visit our favorite guy!! Our coach to The Santa Claus House picked us up and drove us back down the highway from where we had just come about 11 miles to North Pole, Alaska. And, on Santa Claus Lane is The Santa Claus House. It is a year-round Christmas store – complete with reindeer out back and that jolly man with the white beard and the big round belly! Santa sat in a huge chair in the middle of the store where anyone could go have their picture taken with him – free of charge – and the kiddies would receive a big candy cane. Jim and I did have our picture taken; and yes, we had to buy a Santa there! It is being shipped home.
The real highlight of the day was a surprise dinner that we did not know we were getting on the tour. We were taken over to The Pagoda – which is one of the restaurants Guy Fieri from the Food Network visited on his show “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives”. We were given a choice of Mongolian Beef, Sesame Chicken or Shrimp with vegetables. We chose the beef and the chicken and they were both delicious along with our egg drop soup and egg roll and rice.
We did not get back to the hotel until about 10:30 tonight and we were exhausted. But, it was a fun day. Amazingly, the sun was still high in the sky at 10:30 p.m. – so we once again pulled our black out curtains across the windows and fell asleep.
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
This was to be another day of motor coach travel for us as we moved more inland from Tok, Alaska to Fairbanks, Alaska along the Alaska Highway. We traveled along the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountain range, the third youngest mountain range in the state. The “younger” mountains have very jagged and dramatic peaks at the top as opposed to older mountain ranges that have been worn down with time and are smoother and more rounded. The second youngest mountain range is the Alaska Range and the first is Denali.
As we were moving along the highway, someone spotted a moose. Moose are in the deer family. They can get up to 1200 pounds. The hair of the moose is actually hollow which gives it a natural built-in heating and cooling system. The antlers of the bull moose fall off every season.
Construction began in 1942 on the Alaska Highway and when finished was 1,500 miles long. Every person who worked on the highway received a Purple Heart and there is a stretch of the highway that is named the Purple Heart Trail after those men. We were shown a documentary about how the Alaska Highway was built and constructed. It was a PBS film that Jim and I have seen before; nonetheless, it was interesting to see that again while we were actually traveling on it.
The landscape and the scenery is as majestic and beautiful as anything I have described to you before. Today the weather was noticeably warmer as we got closer and closer to Fairbanks and the interior of Alaska.
Our first stop for the day was at Ricca’s Roadhouse which was a charming roadside stop with several buildings and a fascinating story of how Ricca was hired by a gentleman to help him at the roadhouse and she would cook for the guests. While the owner would go out trapping or fishing, Ricca would perform repairs around the property and maintain it. At one point the owner left for three years; and by the time he returned, Ricca had
added on several other buildings and greatly improved the property. She had not received her wages the entire three years he was gone and was not real happy when he returned. She wanted compensation for what she had done to maintain his property and keep it running all that time. So, for $10 the man sold it to her and it was hers from then on. It is refurbished now and maintained as a tourist attraction. The main house has been decorated and furnished as it was back during the Gold Rush. There is a blacksmith’s cabin and several other buildings along with a new building that is home to the restaurant and gift shop (there is not one place in Alaska that does not have a gift shop attached to it in some way, shape or form).
After enjoying a warm cup of coffee and walking around the property, we were off again on our coach. With the Alaska Mountain Range to the left and the Tenana River to our right, we were again traveling down the Alaska Highway. There were many troughs as we looked down in the valley and could see the Tenana River. Troughs are just like little fingers running in the river bed. When the waters runs high with the snow melt, there are fewer troughs. The rolling hills climbed up to the majestic, snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance.
What is interesting is that when you look out over this vast land, it appears that there is a blanket of green grass covering the hillsides. In reality, it is a thick brush about 3-4 feet high with taller trees standing out. There are black spruce and white spruce. The black spruce looks like a pipe-cleaners standing tall with a very dark trunk and no limbs to speak of. The white spruce is fuller and more like the trees that I am used to seeing with more branches towards the base of the tree narrowing to one at the top.
We spotted seven moose along the highway today. The driver told us that is one of the highest number of moose sightings in one day that he was aware of. We passed by Birch Lake, a beautiful mountain lake and we traveled through the town of North Pole, Alaska. You all know who lives there!!
When our coach finally arrived in Fairbanks after our five our trek on the highway, we were taken to Gold Dredge No. 8 for lunch. Gold Dredge No. 8 was a working Dredge from 1928 to 1959 when it became too expensive to operate any longer. We were taken inside to a huge dining room with dozens of long tables all set out in family style dining. We enjoyed some hearty beef stew and delicious homemade biscuits along with a blueberry muffin. After lunch we walked over to the gold dredge and had a tour through that then we boarded the coach and were off to the El Dorado Gold Mine up the Elliott Highway about five minutes or so.
The El Dorado Gold Mine is where we all were able to pan for gold. Before we did that, however, we took a train ride through a tunnel where we were shown where the gold was actually found in the “bedrock” under the permafrost; and we saw how they transported the rocks and dirt out in the rail cars. Once we traveled through the tunnel, we saw a miner’s cabin and then watched a demonstration on how they actually panned for gold at this mine using different grates to ultimately sift out the rocks that would allow the gold (which is heavier than rock) to fall below the cracks and catch in a carpet like material.
After the demonstration, we were all taken inside to pan for gold ourselves. We were each given a bag of “pay dirt” and directed to sit along troughs of water where we found our own gold pan and we panned for gold. Whatever we found in the bottom of our pans once we were done with all the swishing and flushing of the rocks and dirt, was gold! We got to put what we had found into small, black plastic containers that we took inside the “gift shop” where it was weighed and we could purchase a locket or earrings where the employees would transfer our own gold into the jewelry. Jim actually found a nugget worth $8 which we put in a small locket by itself; and the rest we put into another locket.
We stopped by the Alaska Pipeline along the side of the road where we could actually get up close to it and touch it and see an example of what the inside is actually like and how it works; and then we finally arrived in Fairbanks at our hotel, the Westmark Fairbanks.
Now, I know this next part is not going to surprise any of you, but Jim and I signed up for the tour going to where else? The North Pole! We could NOT travel all the way here and not visit our favorite guy!! Our coach to The Santa Claus House picked us up and drove us back down the highway from where we had just come about 11 miles to North Pole, Alaska. And, on Santa Claus Lane is The Santa Claus House. It is a year-round Christmas store – complete with reindeer out back and that jolly man with the white beard and the big round belly! Santa sat in a huge chair in the middle of the store where anyone could go have their picture taken with him – free of charge – and the kiddies would receive a big candy cane. Jim and I did have our picture taken; and yes, we had to buy a Santa there! It is being shipped home.
The real highlight of the day was a surprise dinner that we did not know we were getting on the tour. We were taken over to The Pagoda – which is one of the restaurants Guy Fieri from the Food Network visited on his show “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives”. We were given a choice of Mongolian Beef, Sesame Chicken or Shrimp with vegetables. We chose the beef and the chicken and they were both delicious along with our egg drop soup and egg roll and rice.
We did not get back to the hotel until about 10:30 tonight and we were exhausted. But, it was a fun day. Amazingly, the sun was still high in the sky at 10:30 p.m. – so we once again pulled our black out curtains across the windows and fell asleep.
Friday, July 9, 2010
DAY EIGHT - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - DAWSON CITY TO TOK, ALASKA
TRAVELOGUES – DAY EIGHT – JULY 7th – DAWSON CITY TO TOK
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
The Holland America motor coaches have all been designed to carry only 44 passengers now as opposed to a standard motor coach that carriers 52. This is definitely the difference between flying coach and first class as far as space in your seat and leg room. These coaches have all leather interiors and are extremely comfortable.
This definitely was a nice feature on today’s long ride to the interior of Alaska from Dawson City to Tok. Our day actually started, however, on a catamaran ride on the Yukon Queen II on the Yukon River. We boarded our boat early in the morning before 9:00 a.m. for a three hour ride up the Yukon River. We passed the paddle wheel graveyard where several turn of the century paddle wheel boats were broken up in the swirling currents of the Yukon and went aground; we passed the Athabascan native village of Moose Hide; the mouth of the Forty Mile River; Old Lady Rock and Shipwreck Rock.
As with all of the other scenery we have passed in Alaska so far, this was no less spectacular and majestic than any other. There were small rivers and tributaries around every turn in the river. The banks of the river were dramatic granite cliffs and then meadows of beautiful green. We did see one moose along the river bank near the home of a year round resident on the river; but the noise of the boat engine scared it off and it quickly ran into the woods. Many of us stayed out on the back deck in hopes of catching a glimpse of more wildlife; but that was all we saw.
The crew of the Yukon Queen served us a nice sandwich for lunch along with tea or coffee to drink before we reached our destination on the river of Eagle, Alaska. Eagle is a small town on the river where we were able to get out and walk around for about an hour as our luggage was transferred from the boat to our new motor ¬coach. The Eagle “Mall” was a series of banquet size plastic tables set up under tarps alongside the dirt road; and the local women were selling their jewelry and handmade items to those who wanted something “authentic” Alaskan. In the small white Court House, the school children put on a mock trial; and some of our passengers played roles of the villain and the judge.
We walked down to the Visitors Center and around the town to take it some local flavor and get a feel of what life in Eagle is like. It seems to be a simple life. One elderly resident was sitting on the front porch of his cabin as we were all walking around. We waved to him as we walked by and he waved back while rocking in his chair. He looked much like Santa Claus with a big round belly and a beard of white.
The most intensive driving of our trip started in Eagle as we began an eight hour trek across the Wrangle, St. Elias Mountain Range to Tok, Alaska. We passed mile after mile of burnt forest with breathtaking patches of brilliant magenta fireweed being the first thing to grow back after the devastation. It was a surreal landscape to see. Tree trunks that resembled black pipe cleaners stuck out of the ground every few feet, charred black from the fire. But on the ground was green grass growing and the breathtaking Alaska fireweed. I cannot tell you how many miles of forest we passed that was like this, but it went on for hours.
At times we paralleled the Tenana River and the American River. The road was rough as it was not paved at all and full of large potholes in many spots. We had to have a pilot truck ahead of us about ¼ mile with a sign on the front telling oncoming motorists that the pilot truck was being followed by two motor coaches. We bounced and were jostled about for about 8 hours.
We did have a couple of stops along our long journey into Alaska. One of the funniest was “Chicken”. Yes, there is a town called “Chicken” in Alaska. It was actually a large gold mining area and the remnants of the old gold dredge are still there on site. Along with the dredge however, we three buildings for tourists – a gift shop, a bar and a bakery. We were told that the chili and the homemade chicken noodle soup were the best – so we opted for a cup of chili before we got back on the road for another three hours. As we left town, the tour guide made sure we all used the restroom facilities – better known in Chicken as the “Chicken Poop”. They have a university here called Kluck U; and their airport is known as the Chicken Strip.
It was a very long day to say the least. The skies were blue with a few spotted clouds and the temperature was beginning to rise the further north we traveled. We eventually found the end of the Taylor Highway and began driving on pavement when we reached the Alkan Highway.
We finally arrived in Tok after 8:00 last night and everyone headed over to the hotel restaurant because we heard they had some delicious Mexican food and margaritas. And after that day of travel, we all really could quench our thirst on a delicious Margarita. After dinner we headed back to our room and organized our luggage a little, took a shower and hit the hay. It had been a long day. And, tomorrow we still have more motor coach travel from Tok to Fairbanks – although it will not be as much! Yeah!
Till then…
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
The Holland America motor coaches have all been designed to carry only 44 passengers now as opposed to a standard motor coach that carriers 52. This is definitely the difference between flying coach and first class as far as space in your seat and leg room. These coaches have all leather interiors and are extremely comfortable.
This definitely was a nice feature on today’s long ride to the interior of Alaska from Dawson City to Tok. Our day actually started, however, on a catamaran ride on the Yukon Queen II on the Yukon River. We boarded our boat early in the morning before 9:00 a.m. for a three hour ride up the Yukon River. We passed the paddle wheel graveyard where several turn of the century paddle wheel boats were broken up in the swirling currents of the Yukon and went aground; we passed the Athabascan native village of Moose Hide; the mouth of the Forty Mile River; Old Lady Rock and Shipwreck Rock.
As with all of the other scenery we have passed in Alaska so far, this was no less spectacular and majestic than any other. There were small rivers and tributaries around every turn in the river. The banks of the river were dramatic granite cliffs and then meadows of beautiful green. We did see one moose along the river bank near the home of a year round resident on the river; but the noise of the boat engine scared it off and it quickly ran into the woods. Many of us stayed out on the back deck in hopes of catching a glimpse of more wildlife; but that was all we saw.
The crew of the Yukon Queen served us a nice sandwich for lunch along with tea or coffee to drink before we reached our destination on the river of Eagle, Alaska. Eagle is a small town on the river where we were able to get out and walk around for about an hour as our luggage was transferred from the boat to our new motor ¬coach. The Eagle “Mall” was a series of banquet size plastic tables set up under tarps alongside the dirt road; and the local women were selling their jewelry and handmade items to those who wanted something “authentic” Alaskan. In the small white Court House, the school children put on a mock trial; and some of our passengers played roles of the villain and the judge.
We walked down to the Visitors Center and around the town to take it some local flavor and get a feel of what life in Eagle is like. It seems to be a simple life. One elderly resident was sitting on the front porch of his cabin as we were all walking around. We waved to him as we walked by and he waved back while rocking in his chair. He looked much like Santa Claus with a big round belly and a beard of white.
The most intensive driving of our trip started in Eagle as we began an eight hour trek across the Wrangle, St. Elias Mountain Range to Tok, Alaska. We passed mile after mile of burnt forest with breathtaking patches of brilliant magenta fireweed being the first thing to grow back after the devastation. It was a surreal landscape to see. Tree trunks that resembled black pipe cleaners stuck out of the ground every few feet, charred black from the fire. But on the ground was green grass growing and the breathtaking Alaska fireweed. I cannot tell you how many miles of forest we passed that was like this, but it went on for hours.
At times we paralleled the Tenana River and the American River. The road was rough as it was not paved at all and full of large potholes in many spots. We had to have a pilot truck ahead of us about ¼ mile with a sign on the front telling oncoming motorists that the pilot truck was being followed by two motor coaches. We bounced and were jostled about for about 8 hours.
We did have a couple of stops along our long journey into Alaska. One of the funniest was “Chicken”. Yes, there is a town called “Chicken” in Alaska. It was actually a large gold mining area and the remnants of the old gold dredge are still there on site. Along with the dredge however, we three buildings for tourists – a gift shop, a bar and a bakery. We were told that the chili and the homemade chicken noodle soup were the best – so we opted for a cup of chili before we got back on the road for another three hours. As we left town, the tour guide made sure we all used the restroom facilities – better known in Chicken as the “Chicken Poop”. They have a university here called Kluck U; and their airport is known as the Chicken Strip.
It was a very long day to say the least. The skies were blue with a few spotted clouds and the temperature was beginning to rise the further north we traveled. We eventually found the end of the Taylor Highway and began driving on pavement when we reached the Alkan Highway.
We finally arrived in Tok after 8:00 last night and everyone headed over to the hotel restaurant because we heard they had some delicious Mexican food and margaritas. And after that day of travel, we all really could quench our thirst on a delicious Margarita. After dinner we headed back to our room and organized our luggage a little, took a shower and hit the hay. It had been a long day. And, tomorrow we still have more motor coach travel from Tok to Fairbanks – although it will not be as much! Yeah!
Till then…
DAY SEVEN - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - DAWSON CITY
TRAVELOGUES – DAY SEVEN – JULY 6TH – DAWSON CITY
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
With unpaved streets and wood sidewalks, Dawson City is definitely going to make you feel like you are back in the Gold Rush in 1898. Many of the original buildings from that time are still standing and part of the Unesco Heritage Site. They each have a green steel plaque on the front telling about the building which makes them easy to identify.
Dawson City “proper” is actually about 12 miles from Bonanza Creek and the original Discovery Claim when George Carmack found gold.
We have had perfect weather except for one downpour here in Dawson City when we arrived here. This morning we enjoyed a leisurely morning and enjoyed being able to sleep in a bit. There was a small coffee pot in our room which was nice and convenient to help start our day.
When we left the hotel, we walked down the dirt road about 5 blocks down to the Klondike Trail along the waters’ edge of the Yukon River and the Klondike River. The two rivers meet here and merge to become the Yukon. The waters of the Yukon are brown and cloudy (almost muddy looking) with glacial silt. The Klondike River is fresh water that started from the top of the Olgilvie Mountain Range. When the two waters meet, there is a definite distinction when looking at the river once it has merged; and it is not until about a half a mile downstream when they waters have finally merged that they actually become one.
Along the river, there is a beautiful wooden sidewalk with wildflowers and the beautiful Alaska fireweed on both side of the sidewalk. Further down the sidewalk and down about six steps made of railroad ties that are grey with weather, we found a bronze memorial statue dedicated to the miners. There were also three huge quartz boulders over three feet in diameter with bronze plaques dedicated to George Dawson, Mr. Olgivie and Mr. McQueston who were the surveyors during the turn of the century.
At 12:30, we met our group of fellow river floaters for our journey down the Klondike River. We put our red safety vests on and then did the “sit and spin” to get into our yellow and grey raft. The Klondike River meanders and winds through pile after pile of “tailings” (huge piles of rocks that have gone through the gold dredge and been sifted from one end and out the other in hopes of finding gold). There are tailing piles for miles and miles and miles. What is interesting is that because this is now a Unesco Heritage Site, no one can touch the tailings to look for more gold, even though they are sure it is there. The gold dredges would throw out anything larger than the size of a quarter – so the chances of some pretty good sized nuggets still being buried in those piles is very good.
There were 9 passengers on our raft and Mike L. as our guide. He was from Quebec and is a hospitality and tourism major. He had a very lean build with light brown hair as long as his neck but covered neatly under his wide brimmed hat. He looked as if he had not shaved for a day or so and had the beginnings of a scruffy beard and mustache. He was a very good looking young man with a beautiful smile. He spoke with a heavy ?French accent.
We slowly floated down river in the Class 1 rapids (not rapids – more like ripples). We were greeted by several young eagles as they stood on the driftwood at the edge of the river and watched us pass. They will be continue to have all brown feathers for four years until they reach maturity and will shed those feathers and they will then graduate proudly with their white heads.
We passed by Bonanza Creek where the gold was discovered some 10 miles up river from where it meets the Klondike.
This float trip took us out to the mouth of the Klondike River where it meets the Yukon. We passed by several old relic gold dredge buckets that were just laying on the shore of the river rusting away. They will stay there as no one can remove them now. We also passed a river house that is owned by a Canadian gentleman who rents it out for the summer. The shack is so small, you cannot imagine anyone living in there for the summer. It appears to only be about 6 ft. by 6 ft. It has a very small deck on the back of it.
The Yukon River completely freezes over in the winter; and the local residents here just drive on it to get from point A to point B in the snowmobiles.
Tonight for dinner we had the best dinner of our trip. We ate at the Drunken Goat. As odd as it sounds, it is a fabulous Greek restaurant on Main Street in Dawson City. We enjoyed dinner with two other couples from the group. We each enjoyed the combination plate that included grilled shrimp, lamb chops, chicken and ribs along with rice pilaf, spanikopita and tatioli (which was a five cheese filo dough pastry), along with pita bread. It was the most delicious dinner we’ve had on the trip so far. It would be hard to beat this. Good food and good company. A fabulous way to end another day of our adventure.
Tomorrow we are off to Tok and further into the interior. Till then…
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
With unpaved streets and wood sidewalks, Dawson City is definitely going to make you feel like you are back in the Gold Rush in 1898. Many of the original buildings from that time are still standing and part of the Unesco Heritage Site. They each have a green steel plaque on the front telling about the building which makes them easy to identify.
Dawson City “proper” is actually about 12 miles from Bonanza Creek and the original Discovery Claim when George Carmack found gold.
We have had perfect weather except for one downpour here in Dawson City when we arrived here. This morning we enjoyed a leisurely morning and enjoyed being able to sleep in a bit. There was a small coffee pot in our room which was nice and convenient to help start our day.
When we left the hotel, we walked down the dirt road about 5 blocks down to the Klondike Trail along the waters’ edge of the Yukon River and the Klondike River. The two rivers meet here and merge to become the Yukon. The waters of the Yukon are brown and cloudy (almost muddy looking) with glacial silt. The Klondike River is fresh water that started from the top of the Olgilvie Mountain Range. When the two waters meet, there is a definite distinction when looking at the river once it has merged; and it is not until about a half a mile downstream when they waters have finally merged that they actually become one.
Along the river, there is a beautiful wooden sidewalk with wildflowers and the beautiful Alaska fireweed on both side of the sidewalk. Further down the sidewalk and down about six steps made of railroad ties that are grey with weather, we found a bronze memorial statue dedicated to the miners. There were also three huge quartz boulders over three feet in diameter with bronze plaques dedicated to George Dawson, Mr. Olgivie and Mr. McQueston who were the surveyors during the turn of the century.
At 12:30, we met our group of fellow river floaters for our journey down the Klondike River. We put our red safety vests on and then did the “sit and spin” to get into our yellow and grey raft. The Klondike River meanders and winds through pile after pile of “tailings” (huge piles of rocks that have gone through the gold dredge and been sifted from one end and out the other in hopes of finding gold). There are tailing piles for miles and miles and miles. What is interesting is that because this is now a Unesco Heritage Site, no one can touch the tailings to look for more gold, even though they are sure it is there. The gold dredges would throw out anything larger than the size of a quarter – so the chances of some pretty good sized nuggets still being buried in those piles is very good.
There were 9 passengers on our raft and Mike L. as our guide. He was from Quebec and is a hospitality and tourism major. He had a very lean build with light brown hair as long as his neck but covered neatly under his wide brimmed hat. He looked as if he had not shaved for a day or so and had the beginnings of a scruffy beard and mustache. He was a very good looking young man with a beautiful smile. He spoke with a heavy ?French accent.
We slowly floated down river in the Class 1 rapids (not rapids – more like ripples). We were greeted by several young eagles as they stood on the driftwood at the edge of the river and watched us pass. They will be continue to have all brown feathers for four years until they reach maturity and will shed those feathers and they will then graduate proudly with their white heads.
We passed by Bonanza Creek where the gold was discovered some 10 miles up river from where it meets the Klondike.
This float trip took us out to the mouth of the Klondike River where it meets the Yukon. We passed by several old relic gold dredge buckets that were just laying on the shore of the river rusting away. They will stay there as no one can remove them now. We also passed a river house that is owned by a Canadian gentleman who rents it out for the summer. The shack is so small, you cannot imagine anyone living in there for the summer. It appears to only be about 6 ft. by 6 ft. It has a very small deck on the back of it.
The Yukon River completely freezes over in the winter; and the local residents here just drive on it to get from point A to point B in the snowmobiles.
Tonight for dinner we had the best dinner of our trip. We ate at the Drunken Goat. As odd as it sounds, it is a fabulous Greek restaurant on Main Street in Dawson City. We enjoyed dinner with two other couples from the group. We each enjoyed the combination plate that included grilled shrimp, lamb chops, chicken and ribs along with rice pilaf, spanikopita and tatioli (which was a five cheese filo dough pastry), along with pita bread. It was the most delicious dinner we’ve had on the trip so far. It would be hard to beat this. Good food and good company. A fabulous way to end another day of our adventure.
Tomorrow we are off to Tok and further into the interior. Till then…
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
DAY SIX - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - HAPPY 4TH OF JULY - WHITE HORSE TO DAWSON CITY
TRAVELOGUES – DAY SIX – JULY 5TH – WHITE HORSE TO DAWSON CITY
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Another early morning for us from White Horse. We had to board our motor coach at 8:00 a.m. so before we did that we walked down two blocks to a Tom Horton’s to grab some breakfast and then went across the street to Starbucks for that first cup of coffee of the day to get us going. White Horse has a population of 23,000 people and is the capital of the Yukon Territory. White Horse was a big port in “the day”.
When gold was discovered in Dawson City by George Carmack news quickly flew about Gold! Gold! Gold! And the rush was on.
We departed from the hotel on the plush motor coach furnished by Holland America and passed the large white paddle wheeler, The Klondike. This was one of the only ways to get from Skagway to Whitehorse back in the Gold Rush Days. The Klondike was built in 1898 and is now a museum. We traveled along the Alaska Highway for about 20 miles to the intersection of the Klondike Highway. The Yukon River is 2,200 miles long and flows south to north and empties into the Bering Sea. The Raven is the territorial bird of the Yukon. In White Horse, they experience 6-7 hours of daylight in the winter months and 21 hours of daylight on the longest day of the year, June 21st.
Skagway was the gateway to the Klondike. The trek from Skagway began with your first destination of Whitehorse and then ultimately to Dawson City. By the time the prospectors and hopeful gold miners finally had traveled all of the trails, they would have traveled over 600 miles in all.
100,000 came through Skagway – men and women alike. Their either climbed up the Chilkoot Trail or the White Pass Trail. They say that no matter which one you decided to take, you always wished you had taken the other trail. The “Chilkoot” means the “meanest trail”. Schools do not have snow days but they have “bear” days. When the grizzlies decide to come visit, the parents keep the kids home.
We crossed the Tahini River which was very reminiscent of driving through the mountains in northern California with a two lane road with gravel and dirt shoulders and about 209 feet off the road begins the forest. We learned that when there happens to be a forest fire up here, they let it burn They do not fight it unless it is threatening homes.
This has been the first time that we have seen the famous Alaska fireweed. It is about two feet tall with delicate magenta colored flowers at the top. It is fully edible and the first flower to grow back after a fire. Then the birch, aspen and cottonwoods return and then the pine trees.
We stopped at the Braeburn Lodge for the largest cinnamon rolls made in the Yukon Territory. These humongous rolls are at least 2-3” tall and are at least 8 or more inches in diameter. The Braeburn Lodge is a small log cabin wit a large front deck with hanging baskets full of purple and pink petunias and small pansies.
Animals that you will find in the Yukon include elk, moose, raven, black bear and grizzly bears. Polar Bears are only about 100 miles north of Dawson City and are the most violent.
Holland America is not letting us go hungry by any means. We have a stop every two hours. Today’s lunch stop was at Carmacks – another small village along the highway We had lunch at the Hotel Carmacks – a rich tomato base, turkey vegetable rice soup with our choice of sandwich. I opted for the veggie wrap which was in a green tortilla with only lettuce and cucumber inside – not the best choice taste wise. I would have enjoyed a salad more.
The Hotel is a wooden structure painted in a light blue base with white trim. There was actually a little mini-mart near the front where they had a good supply of goods offered for the travelers that stop by.
After our tummies were all full, we headed out again down the highway and across a new steel bridge over the Yukon River.
We had a picture stop at Five Finger Rapids about half an hour after lunch. Originally there were four islands in this very narrow channel which made navigating through the rapids quite a challenge in the old paddle wheel boats and other boats the prospectors had built for the journey. Now, there are only two islands and three fingers of the river – but it is still a dangerous area to pass through and quite a challenge in any boat.
Looking across the valley out the window of our motor coach I saw a beautiful forest that appeared to look much like a gorgeous green patchwork quilt of every color of green against the rolling hills. The groves of birch trees or cedar trees stood out against the darker pines and so thick that it looked smooth as if sewn together like a quilt.
The Yukon River meandered through the low meadows. As we continued on, every once in a while we would see more evidence of forest fires. Though there was much evidence of mew growth on the forest floor, the evidence of the fires was obvious with the dark, burned barren tree trunks standing tall but with no branches – just like sticks stuck in the ground. There were also many areas where the trees had fallen and the trunks were laying on the floor of the forest next to each other, grey from the weather.
All along the highway there are signs for campgrounds for those being adventurous and driving through this magnificent area. There are small road stops with a one-pump gas station if you are in need of gasoline. Gasoline is quite expensive here at about $1.18 per liter which computes into about $5.00 per gallon in the US. Ouch!
The closer we got to Dawson City, I noticed yet another change in the landscape. The thick forest changed to groves of birch and cedar trees with their branches gently moving in the wind. Their white trunks are straight and tall and they have an umbrella of leaves on their top branches of a light grayish green color.
Dawson City was where the original gold was found that started the stampede to the Yukon in 1898. George Carmack staked his claim on August 16, 1898 at “Discovery Claim” in the Klondike River Valley. As soon as news spread about the gold discovery, Dawson City saw an influx of thousands. The Gold Rush lasted only a couple of years, but the legend will live forever. It is said that there is still a lot of gold in them thar’ hills. Of the 100,000 who trekked over the mountains, only about 30,000 actually made it to Dawson City.
Our afternoon stop about 2:30 was at Moose Creek Lodge – just a little roadside log cabin painted red. Their claim to fame is their homemade tarts. We tasted a raspberry one – and they ARE very tart.
Tintina Trench was our final picture stop of the day. It is a fault line in a glorious valley of spectacular panoramic views of the majestic mountains and valleys of the Yukon Territory. It is 45 miles from here to Dawson City.
The forest has now changed once again to pines that are only one straight truck up standing tall with no branches. The highway is lined with patches of bright pink wild sweet peas that grow to about 6 inches tall and are not edible. The landscape seems to change at almost every turn, and it is more beautiful than the last one. The sky is so blue it is incredible. The skies have cleared with only a few puffy white clouds dotting it making it look even much deeper blue.
One of the other things that we have been able to experience first-hand on this trip is the infamous Alaska mosquito. They are about ½ inch long and unfortunately several have decided my forehead is a nice place to have a little snack. They are pesky little creatures.
We enjoyed dinner last night a Sourdough Joe’s for fish and chips. I had grilled salmon and Jim had the cod. We ate with two other couples from our group and enjoyed getting to know everyone a little more.
After that, Jim decided to partake in the infamous “Sour Toe” drink at the Gold Rush Hotel. Honestly, I thought it was gross and disgusting – but there were actually seven people from our group that got in on the festivities. They have this big ceremony and if you put this frost bitten toe in your shot of Yukon Jack you have to drink it and the toe has to touch your lips. Jim has his certificate along with the others.
Once that was over, we walked outside and the sun was shining high in the sky, not a cloud in the sky and it was 10:30 p.m.!! Such is the land of the midnight sun! Tomorrow we actually get to sleep in and we will enjoy that! We have a small coffee pot in our room – which we will also enjoy while we are getting ready. There are “black out” curtains on our windows, so when we shut them, literally no light comes through and it is easy to get to sleep.
Talk to you tomorrow!
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Another early morning for us from White Horse. We had to board our motor coach at 8:00 a.m. so before we did that we walked down two blocks to a Tom Horton’s to grab some breakfast and then went across the street to Starbucks for that first cup of coffee of the day to get us going. White Horse has a population of 23,000 people and is the capital of the Yukon Territory. White Horse was a big port in “the day”.
When gold was discovered in Dawson City by George Carmack news quickly flew about Gold! Gold! Gold! And the rush was on.
We departed from the hotel on the plush motor coach furnished by Holland America and passed the large white paddle wheeler, The Klondike. This was one of the only ways to get from Skagway to Whitehorse back in the Gold Rush Days. The Klondike was built in 1898 and is now a museum. We traveled along the Alaska Highway for about 20 miles to the intersection of the Klondike Highway. The Yukon River is 2,200 miles long and flows south to north and empties into the Bering Sea. The Raven is the territorial bird of the Yukon. In White Horse, they experience 6-7 hours of daylight in the winter months and 21 hours of daylight on the longest day of the year, June 21st.
Skagway was the gateway to the Klondike. The trek from Skagway began with your first destination of Whitehorse and then ultimately to Dawson City. By the time the prospectors and hopeful gold miners finally had traveled all of the trails, they would have traveled over 600 miles in all.
100,000 came through Skagway – men and women alike. Their either climbed up the Chilkoot Trail or the White Pass Trail. They say that no matter which one you decided to take, you always wished you had taken the other trail. The “Chilkoot” means the “meanest trail”. Schools do not have snow days but they have “bear” days. When the grizzlies decide to come visit, the parents keep the kids home.
We crossed the Tahini River which was very reminiscent of driving through the mountains in northern California with a two lane road with gravel and dirt shoulders and about 209 feet off the road begins the forest. We learned that when there happens to be a forest fire up here, they let it burn They do not fight it unless it is threatening homes.
This has been the first time that we have seen the famous Alaska fireweed. It is about two feet tall with delicate magenta colored flowers at the top. It is fully edible and the first flower to grow back after a fire. Then the birch, aspen and cottonwoods return and then the pine trees.
We stopped at the Braeburn Lodge for the largest cinnamon rolls made in the Yukon Territory. These humongous rolls are at least 2-3” tall and are at least 8 or more inches in diameter. The Braeburn Lodge is a small log cabin wit a large front deck with hanging baskets full of purple and pink petunias and small pansies.
Animals that you will find in the Yukon include elk, moose, raven, black bear and grizzly bears. Polar Bears are only about 100 miles north of Dawson City and are the most violent.
Holland America is not letting us go hungry by any means. We have a stop every two hours. Today’s lunch stop was at Carmacks – another small village along the highway We had lunch at the Hotel Carmacks – a rich tomato base, turkey vegetable rice soup with our choice of sandwich. I opted for the veggie wrap which was in a green tortilla with only lettuce and cucumber inside – not the best choice taste wise. I would have enjoyed a salad more.
The Hotel is a wooden structure painted in a light blue base with white trim. There was actually a little mini-mart near the front where they had a good supply of goods offered for the travelers that stop by.
After our tummies were all full, we headed out again down the highway and across a new steel bridge over the Yukon River.
We had a picture stop at Five Finger Rapids about half an hour after lunch. Originally there were four islands in this very narrow channel which made navigating through the rapids quite a challenge in the old paddle wheel boats and other boats the prospectors had built for the journey. Now, there are only two islands and three fingers of the river – but it is still a dangerous area to pass through and quite a challenge in any boat.
Looking across the valley out the window of our motor coach I saw a beautiful forest that appeared to look much like a gorgeous green patchwork quilt of every color of green against the rolling hills. The groves of birch trees or cedar trees stood out against the darker pines and so thick that it looked smooth as if sewn together like a quilt.
The Yukon River meandered through the low meadows. As we continued on, every once in a while we would see more evidence of forest fires. Though there was much evidence of mew growth on the forest floor, the evidence of the fires was obvious with the dark, burned barren tree trunks standing tall but with no branches – just like sticks stuck in the ground. There were also many areas where the trees had fallen and the trunks were laying on the floor of the forest next to each other, grey from the weather.
All along the highway there are signs for campgrounds for those being adventurous and driving through this magnificent area. There are small road stops with a one-pump gas station if you are in need of gasoline. Gasoline is quite expensive here at about $1.18 per liter which computes into about $5.00 per gallon in the US. Ouch!
The closer we got to Dawson City, I noticed yet another change in the landscape. The thick forest changed to groves of birch and cedar trees with their branches gently moving in the wind. Their white trunks are straight and tall and they have an umbrella of leaves on their top branches of a light grayish green color.
Dawson City was where the original gold was found that started the stampede to the Yukon in 1898. George Carmack staked his claim on August 16, 1898 at “Discovery Claim” in the Klondike River Valley. As soon as news spread about the gold discovery, Dawson City saw an influx of thousands. The Gold Rush lasted only a couple of years, but the legend will live forever. It is said that there is still a lot of gold in them thar’ hills. Of the 100,000 who trekked over the mountains, only about 30,000 actually made it to Dawson City.
Our afternoon stop about 2:30 was at Moose Creek Lodge – just a little roadside log cabin painted red. Their claim to fame is their homemade tarts. We tasted a raspberry one – and they ARE very tart.
Tintina Trench was our final picture stop of the day. It is a fault line in a glorious valley of spectacular panoramic views of the majestic mountains and valleys of the Yukon Territory. It is 45 miles from here to Dawson City.
The forest has now changed once again to pines that are only one straight truck up standing tall with no branches. The highway is lined with patches of bright pink wild sweet peas that grow to about 6 inches tall and are not edible. The landscape seems to change at almost every turn, and it is more beautiful than the last one. The sky is so blue it is incredible. The skies have cleared with only a few puffy white clouds dotting it making it look even much deeper blue.
One of the other things that we have been able to experience first-hand on this trip is the infamous Alaska mosquito. They are about ½ inch long and unfortunately several have decided my forehead is a nice place to have a little snack. They are pesky little creatures.
We enjoyed dinner last night a Sourdough Joe’s for fish and chips. I had grilled salmon and Jim had the cod. We ate with two other couples from our group and enjoyed getting to know everyone a little more.
After that, Jim decided to partake in the infamous “Sour Toe” drink at the Gold Rush Hotel. Honestly, I thought it was gross and disgusting – but there were actually seven people from our group that got in on the festivities. They have this big ceremony and if you put this frost bitten toe in your shot of Yukon Jack you have to drink it and the toe has to touch your lips. Jim has his certificate along with the others.
Once that was over, we walked outside and the sun was shining high in the sky, not a cloud in the sky and it was 10:30 p.m.!! Such is the land of the midnight sun! Tomorrow we actually get to sleep in and we will enjoy that! We have a small coffee pot in our room – which we will also enjoy while we are getting ready. There are “black out” curtains on our windows, so when we shut them, literally no light comes through and it is easy to get to sleep.
Talk to you tomorrow!
DAY FIVE - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - HAPPY 4TH OF JULY - SKAGWAY TO WHITEHORSE
TRAVELOGUES – DAY FIVE – HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Happy 4th of July from Skagway, Alaska! As with all the rest of our days, we were up early again and headed to Starbucks for a quick cup of coffee before we were off for the day. Today we will venture from Skagway up the White Pass on the White Pass & Yukon Railway ultimately arriving in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
We boarded the “passenger” train – which is an entirely different train than the “shore excursion” train that is offered through the cruise ships as a shore excursion while you are in Skagway. This is an actual working train that transports passengers up the mountain for a purpose as opposed to the shore excursion train that just takes you up the mountain and back down again.
As the train slowly climbed from sea level departing from downtown Skagway at 8:00 a.m., we traveled along the Skagway River as it tumbled over the rocks and down through the glacial valley. The valley above Skagway is full of mountains full of smooth granite boulders wet with the runoff from the snow capped mountains above. In between the granite boulders are crevasses filled with brush and trees. We climbed higher and higher across a tall trussle that at first glance appeared to be hanging on the side of the mountain. It was amazing as we traveled along and eventually rode over it and through two mountain tunnels.
The White Pass 7 Yukon Railroad is a narrow gauge railroad. Construction began on it in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. There are 110 miles of track between Skagway and Whitehorse. The track rises to 3,000 feet at the summit in just 20 miles.
The higher we traveled the thicker the clouds were; and our visibility was completely lost towards the top of the mountain. However, all of a sudden, through the fog and dense clouds magically appeared an old wooden trussle that was shrouded in the fog. It is no longer a functional track, but is quite impressive to see.
Even though the Conductor said we were traveling parallel to the Trail of 1898 where the prospectors climbed up the mountain shoulder to shoulder carrying then heavy supplies, it was difficult to see it through the clouds. The prospectors were required to bring in one years’ worth of supplies in order to enter the Yukon Territory. In order to accomplish that feat, the prospectors had to make several trips up and down the mountain.
As we crossed the summit from the US into Canada, we arrived at Summit Lake. This lake is the head waters of the Yukon River. It is 2,200 miles long and ends in the Bering Sea.
As the top when we crested the White Pass, the landscape changed dramatically. Rocks that appeared to be volcanic were everywhere. It almost looked like something out of a movie set from Star Trek. The rocks and boulders were square with jagged edges. This is where we saw our first tundra which is a thick spongy ground cover that is growing among the rocks and in the flats. Scrub pines grow here. They only have a root system of a couple of inches because of the permafrost beneath; and they only grow a few feet tall.
The Yukon River cascades through the jagged rocks and forms calm pools of water in the flatter areas. There was no wind today, but it was quite cool at about 40 degrees.
At Fraser, British Columbia, the Canadian customs agent boarded the train to check our passports. We literally had to hold our passport up next to our face as he came through. A Canadian tour guide was also boarded here. .
After we received clearance from Canadian Customs, we continued on traveling down the mountain following the Yukon River as it flowed from the summit.
At 10:30 a.m. we arrived at Lake Bennett, B.C. which was our lunch stop. It occurred to me now that the Canadians eat their meals “early”. Inside of the red and white Yukon dining room, long banquet tables set up with blue cast iron kettles full of homemade beef stew. It was hot with big chunks of tender beef in thick, dark gravy and filled full with corn, carrots and potatoes. Everything was homemade including two kinds of bread sliced thick for dipping up the stew. We also had some delicious coleslaw. There was hot coffee and hot tea to drink and homemade, deep-dish apple pie full of cinnamon and nutmeg which made it especially tasty.
After lunch we ventured off with a group to hike around the area in hopes of spotting some wildlife. That didn’t happen, but the views of the First Presbyterian Church just off the Chilkoot Trail were absolutely spectacular. This area is so majestic and dramatic and spectacular no matter which way you turn. One way you are overlooking a gorgeous mountain lake, another way you are gazing at the mountains. The mountains rise up progressing above the very obvious tree line and then continuing up to dramatic granite cliffs where there is no vegetation. Some of the granite even gave the appearance of being gigantic fish scales with curved ridges. These sections appeared to be separated by areas that had obviously avalanched. All of a sudden, the sun burst out from behind the clouds and the lake began to turn hues of green and blue and deepened as the sky got brighter.
We walked around the lake over to the Chilkoot Trail where we hiked along the rivers’ edge. There were several places were old rusted antique relics were just scattered on the ground. There were many old rusted cans, but also an old wash tub, a show next to what appeared to be an old rusted eating bowl of some sort and several other interesting items. They are all protected as this area is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
At the top of the north end of the lake is the First Presbyterian Church. It was built after the gold rush in 1899 by railroad workers out of tree limb and trunks. The logs on the bottom were horizontal, the next layer was angled and the next level was vertical. When I got to the top of the hill behind the church, I was greeted with a picture postcard of the church and the glacial valley and lake below. It was nothing short of inspiring and left me in awe of the magnificent beauty. I’m struggling to find the right adjectives to be able to describe everything to you. I hope when you finally see the pictures that you’ll recognize things from the descriptions in m Travelogues.
At 3:00 p.m. we arrived in the small town of Carcross, B.C. We took our belongings off the train and boarded Holland America motor coach 888 with Clarissa at the wheel. She is living in Washington D.C. and just here for the summer working as a motor coach driver and will return to D.C. once the summer season has ended. Carcross has a population of about 3,000 permanent residents. They only have school for grades 1 through 6. After that, the teenagers mist be transported to Whitehorse and boarded during the school week. As we left Carcross in our motor coach, we passed the Sahara of the Yukon Territory at the Carcross Desert. It is about one square mile right in the middle of the Yukon Territory that is rolling hills of white sand just like we have in southern California. We also had a photo stop at Emerald Lake – known as the Jewel of the Yukon. The deep emerald green and blue waters are caused by glacial silt and something called marl.
We arrived in Whitehorse around 5:00p.m. and enjoyed dinner with another couple in our group. I had a chicken quesadilla and Jim enjoyed a prime rib wrap. After dinner the whole group enjoyed the Frantic Follies which was like a good old vaudeville show complete with girls dancing the can-can, banjo players, opera singers and the like. It was fun, but we were tired and after that, we went back to our room and crashed. Tomorrow is going to be another early morning….
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Happy 4th of July from Skagway, Alaska! As with all the rest of our days, we were up early again and headed to Starbucks for a quick cup of coffee before we were off for the day. Today we will venture from Skagway up the White Pass on the White Pass & Yukon Railway ultimately arriving in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
We boarded the “passenger” train – which is an entirely different train than the “shore excursion” train that is offered through the cruise ships as a shore excursion while you are in Skagway. This is an actual working train that transports passengers up the mountain for a purpose as opposed to the shore excursion train that just takes you up the mountain and back down again.
As the train slowly climbed from sea level departing from downtown Skagway at 8:00 a.m., we traveled along the Skagway River as it tumbled over the rocks and down through the glacial valley. The valley above Skagway is full of mountains full of smooth granite boulders wet with the runoff from the snow capped mountains above. In between the granite boulders are crevasses filled with brush and trees. We climbed higher and higher across a tall trussle that at first glance appeared to be hanging on the side of the mountain. It was amazing as we traveled along and eventually rode over it and through two mountain tunnels.
The White Pass 7 Yukon Railroad is a narrow gauge railroad. Construction began on it in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. There are 110 miles of track between Skagway and Whitehorse. The track rises to 3,000 feet at the summit in just 20 miles.
The higher we traveled the thicker the clouds were; and our visibility was completely lost towards the top of the mountain. However, all of a sudden, through the fog and dense clouds magically appeared an old wooden trussle that was shrouded in the fog. It is no longer a functional track, but is quite impressive to see.
Even though the Conductor said we were traveling parallel to the Trail of 1898 where the prospectors climbed up the mountain shoulder to shoulder carrying then heavy supplies, it was difficult to see it through the clouds. The prospectors were required to bring in one years’ worth of supplies in order to enter the Yukon Territory. In order to accomplish that feat, the prospectors had to make several trips up and down the mountain.
As we crossed the summit from the US into Canada, we arrived at Summit Lake. This lake is the head waters of the Yukon River. It is 2,200 miles long and ends in the Bering Sea.
As the top when we crested the White Pass, the landscape changed dramatically. Rocks that appeared to be volcanic were everywhere. It almost looked like something out of a movie set from Star Trek. The rocks and boulders were square with jagged edges. This is where we saw our first tundra which is a thick spongy ground cover that is growing among the rocks and in the flats. Scrub pines grow here. They only have a root system of a couple of inches because of the permafrost beneath; and they only grow a few feet tall.
The Yukon River cascades through the jagged rocks and forms calm pools of water in the flatter areas. There was no wind today, but it was quite cool at about 40 degrees.
At Fraser, British Columbia, the Canadian customs agent boarded the train to check our passports. We literally had to hold our passport up next to our face as he came through. A Canadian tour guide was also boarded here. .
After we received clearance from Canadian Customs, we continued on traveling down the mountain following the Yukon River as it flowed from the summit.
At 10:30 a.m. we arrived at Lake Bennett, B.C. which was our lunch stop. It occurred to me now that the Canadians eat their meals “early”. Inside of the red and white Yukon dining room, long banquet tables set up with blue cast iron kettles full of homemade beef stew. It was hot with big chunks of tender beef in thick, dark gravy and filled full with corn, carrots and potatoes. Everything was homemade including two kinds of bread sliced thick for dipping up the stew. We also had some delicious coleslaw. There was hot coffee and hot tea to drink and homemade, deep-dish apple pie full of cinnamon and nutmeg which made it especially tasty.
After lunch we ventured off with a group to hike around the area in hopes of spotting some wildlife. That didn’t happen, but the views of the First Presbyterian Church just off the Chilkoot Trail were absolutely spectacular. This area is so majestic and dramatic and spectacular no matter which way you turn. One way you are overlooking a gorgeous mountain lake, another way you are gazing at the mountains. The mountains rise up progressing above the very obvious tree line and then continuing up to dramatic granite cliffs where there is no vegetation. Some of the granite even gave the appearance of being gigantic fish scales with curved ridges. These sections appeared to be separated by areas that had obviously avalanched. All of a sudden, the sun burst out from behind the clouds and the lake began to turn hues of green and blue and deepened as the sky got brighter.
We walked around the lake over to the Chilkoot Trail where we hiked along the rivers’ edge. There were several places were old rusted antique relics were just scattered on the ground. There were many old rusted cans, but also an old wash tub, a show next to what appeared to be an old rusted eating bowl of some sort and several other interesting items. They are all protected as this area is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
At the top of the north end of the lake is the First Presbyterian Church. It was built after the gold rush in 1899 by railroad workers out of tree limb and trunks. The logs on the bottom were horizontal, the next layer was angled and the next level was vertical. When I got to the top of the hill behind the church, I was greeted with a picture postcard of the church and the glacial valley and lake below. It was nothing short of inspiring and left me in awe of the magnificent beauty. I’m struggling to find the right adjectives to be able to describe everything to you. I hope when you finally see the pictures that you’ll recognize things from the descriptions in m Travelogues.
At 3:00 p.m. we arrived in the small town of Carcross, B.C. We took our belongings off the train and boarded Holland America motor coach 888 with Clarissa at the wheel. She is living in Washington D.C. and just here for the summer working as a motor coach driver and will return to D.C. once the summer season has ended. Carcross has a population of about 3,000 permanent residents. They only have school for grades 1 through 6. After that, the teenagers mist be transported to Whitehorse and boarded during the school week. As we left Carcross in our motor coach, we passed the Sahara of the Yukon Territory at the Carcross Desert. It is about one square mile right in the middle of the Yukon Territory that is rolling hills of white sand just like we have in southern California. We also had a photo stop at Emerald Lake – known as the Jewel of the Yukon. The deep emerald green and blue waters are caused by glacial silt and something called marl.
We arrived in Whitehorse around 5:00p.m. and enjoyed dinner with another couple in our group. I had a chicken quesadilla and Jim enjoyed a prime rib wrap. After dinner the whole group enjoyed the Frantic Follies which was like a good old vaudeville show complete with girls dancing the can-can, banjo players, opera singers and the like. It was fun, but we were tired and after that, we went back to our room and crashed. Tomorrow is going to be another early morning….
Sunday, July 4, 2010
DAY FOUR - TRAVELOGUES NORTH TO ALASKA - SKAGWAY
TRAVELOGUES – DAY FOUR - SKAGWAY
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Our day began early again with our breakfast being delivered to our cabin at 6:30 a.m. because we had to be in the Frans HAL lounge (showroom) no later than 7:45 a.m. to disembark the Volendam in Skagway. This was the end of our cruise. We enjoyed our time on the ship, but were anxious to start the land portion of our tour. All of the cruise/tour groups gathered together to start their land tours this morning. Once we were directed off the ship, we boarded our motor coach and met our tour director, Gabriel. He is a young man in his 30’s, I would guess. He has a fair skin complexion which compliments his short red hair and neatly trimmed and groomed red beard. He is very pleasant and seems to genuinely enjoy his job.
Our coach left the dock and traveled through the small town of Skagway for a short tour out to the Gold Rush Cemetery where we saw the grave stones of several of the infamous gold rush characters from the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. The cemetery is small and nestled back on the side of a hill facing the Skagway River about half a mile out of town. After that, we continued on across the Skagway River to a viewpoint where we had a gorgeous view of the city of Skagway and the Lyn Canal. The Lyn Canal ends in Skagway – so there is only one way in and one way out.
After our short tour of the city, we were dropped off at our hotel, the Westmark of Skagway; and we took off to explore downtown and enjoy lunch in the Red Onion Saloon where one of the “ladies” from the upstairs brothel served us. The ladies will also give you a guided tour of the infamous brothel for a small fee – but we did not opt for that.
The weather outside was quite brisk and a fine, misty rain began to fall. Our only regret was that we left our umbrella in the main suitcase that was sent directly to the hotel and we did not have access to. But, we were fine. After lunch, we ventured over to Starbucks – yes, they even have a Starbucks in Skagway, Alaska! And then we walked back towards the cruise dock where we met the group for our Haines Eagle Preserve float ride.
Once everyone was checked-in and accounted for, we boarded our catamaran, the Fairweather Express with Captain Molly at the helm. Molly appeared to be in her late 60’s with a round face full of wrinkles that gave her the appearance that each wrinkle could tell a fabulous story. Her eyes sparkled and you could see her smile as she steered the catamaran away from the dock and headed down the Lyn Canal to Haines. She maneuvered the catamaran so smoothly that you could barely feel any motion.
Haines is a small town 14 nautical miles from Skagway. It has a population of about 2500. As soon as Molly pulled into the dock, we were escorted off the boat to meet our tour guide, Tom Lang. Tom was quite a character. He had a vibrant personality and in addition to being a tour guide on the river in Haines, during the winter months he travels to Bali and writes books and gives talks and lectures on communication.
We were driven through the small town of Haines up to a flat area in the Tsirku River where there was a large opening and flat area to “put in” on the river. Our rafts were there along with the other tour guides. There were three rafts for the 23 of us. Jim and I were with Dan in the last raft or “safety” raft. Our raft was the one that had the communication to base camp and some first aid supplies that the other rafts did not carry. We were asked to exchange our shoes for tall rubber boots, a green rubber rain poncho and our life jackets. Once everyone was snug in their new found fashions, we each sat on the edge of our respective rafts and swiveled into the raft where we took our places. Jim and I were in the front of our raft.
The Haines Eagle Preserve encompasses several miles along the Tsirku and Chilkat Rivers. This is where the bald eagles come in the winter to mate and to feed on the salmon left over from the salmon run of the late summer. All in all we counted 43 bald eagles on our trip. Some were soaring above us with their 7 foot wing spans and gliding effortlessly through the air. Others were sitting on branches in trees along the river watching with their eagle eyes for the perfect fish to dive down on and have for their next meal. And others were perched majestically on pieces of driftwood as we floated by. I think they were all laughing at us when our rafts became stuck on the glacial silt and we had to get out of the raft and walk through the water a bit until deeper water could be found.
From the Tsirku River, we traveled to the Chilkat River - both glacial rivers that were that indescribably grayish aquamarine color that is so spectacular. The rapids we floated through were no more than a Class I and very mild. There was never any white water at all. As we came to the intersection of the two rivers, we saw a small Tlinket Indian Village called Kwaklu (?). Their homes were log cabins along the river and their smoke houses were right on the rivers’ edge and appeared to look more like dilapidated and abandoned shacks than anything with a real purpose like smoking fish.
All along the rivers’ edge you could see the accumulation of large amounts of driftwood that was twisted and knurly. Several of the ladies picked up small pieces and are taking it back home for souvenirs.
The misty rain continued for most of our trip down the river, but was never heavy enough to be a problem. Captain Dan skillfully paddled our raft down river and eventually pulled us out in a small opening 7 miles from where we began our day. We were greeted by the pick-up team for the rafts who had brought us sandwiches, Sun chips, fresh fruit and homemade chocolate chip cookies along with hot chocolate to drink. We took off our gear and put back on our regular shoes and made our way back to the transport bus where we were driven back down the mountain and through the small town of Haines.
Captain Molly was happily greeting everyone as they re-boarded the Fairweather Express and off we went to return back to Skagway through the Lyn Canal. The mist had stopped by now, and it was nice to go out onto the back deck of the catamaran and take a few more pictures of this glorious country.
Once we returned back to Skagway, we finally checked into our hotel and changed into some dryer clothes and took off to find a little dinner. We found the Bonanza Bar & Grill right around the corner from the hotel and one of the only places open at that time of night and so we ducked in there and enjoyed a cup of seafood chowder and a burger. It was about 8:00 p.m. and the Volendam had departed for Glacier Bay with a new group of passengers who had just finished their land tour. The street was deserted with only a few people out enjoying the evening. The campgrounds here in Skagway appeared to be full of campers who had driven in and were staying for the 4th of July.
Skagway celebrates the 4th of July at 11:00 p.m. on the 3rd of July by having a fireworks show over the harbor. We were so tired from all of the day’s events, that we decided to just go relax back at the hotel and try to get a little shut eye as our day tomorrow will begin by everyone meeting in the lobby of our hotel at 7:45 a.m. We need to find coffee before we leave on the train tomorrow – and Starbucks had a sign on its’ door that it would be closed on 4th of July – so we need to find a local alternative. Tomorrow will be another early morning for us. We are off on the White Pass & Yukon Railway tomorrow headed for Whitehorse. Till next time...
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Our day began early again with our breakfast being delivered to our cabin at 6:30 a.m. because we had to be in the Frans HAL lounge (showroom) no later than 7:45 a.m. to disembark the Volendam in Skagway. This was the end of our cruise. We enjoyed our time on the ship, but were anxious to start the land portion of our tour. All of the cruise/tour groups gathered together to start their land tours this morning. Once we were directed off the ship, we boarded our motor coach and met our tour director, Gabriel. He is a young man in his 30’s, I would guess. He has a fair skin complexion which compliments his short red hair and neatly trimmed and groomed red beard. He is very pleasant and seems to genuinely enjoy his job.
Our coach left the dock and traveled through the small town of Skagway for a short tour out to the Gold Rush Cemetery where we saw the grave stones of several of the infamous gold rush characters from the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. The cemetery is small and nestled back on the side of a hill facing the Skagway River about half a mile out of town. After that, we continued on across the Skagway River to a viewpoint where we had a gorgeous view of the city of Skagway and the Lyn Canal. The Lyn Canal ends in Skagway – so there is only one way in and one way out.
After our short tour of the city, we were dropped off at our hotel, the Westmark of Skagway; and we took off to explore downtown and enjoy lunch in the Red Onion Saloon where one of the “ladies” from the upstairs brothel served us. The ladies will also give you a guided tour of the infamous brothel for a small fee – but we did not opt for that.
The weather outside was quite brisk and a fine, misty rain began to fall. Our only regret was that we left our umbrella in the main suitcase that was sent directly to the hotel and we did not have access to. But, we were fine. After lunch, we ventured over to Starbucks – yes, they even have a Starbucks in Skagway, Alaska! And then we walked back towards the cruise dock where we met the group for our Haines Eagle Preserve float ride.
Once everyone was checked-in and accounted for, we boarded our catamaran, the Fairweather Express with Captain Molly at the helm. Molly appeared to be in her late 60’s with a round face full of wrinkles that gave her the appearance that each wrinkle could tell a fabulous story. Her eyes sparkled and you could see her smile as she steered the catamaran away from the dock and headed down the Lyn Canal to Haines. She maneuvered the catamaran so smoothly that you could barely feel any motion.
Haines is a small town 14 nautical miles from Skagway. It has a population of about 2500. As soon as Molly pulled into the dock, we were escorted off the boat to meet our tour guide, Tom Lang. Tom was quite a character. He had a vibrant personality and in addition to being a tour guide on the river in Haines, during the winter months he travels to Bali and writes books and gives talks and lectures on communication.
We were driven through the small town of Haines up to a flat area in the Tsirku River where there was a large opening and flat area to “put in” on the river. Our rafts were there along with the other tour guides. There were three rafts for the 23 of us. Jim and I were with Dan in the last raft or “safety” raft. Our raft was the one that had the communication to base camp and some first aid supplies that the other rafts did not carry. We were asked to exchange our shoes for tall rubber boots, a green rubber rain poncho and our life jackets. Once everyone was snug in their new found fashions, we each sat on the edge of our respective rafts and swiveled into the raft where we took our places. Jim and I were in the front of our raft.
The Haines Eagle Preserve encompasses several miles along the Tsirku and Chilkat Rivers. This is where the bald eagles come in the winter to mate and to feed on the salmon left over from the salmon run of the late summer. All in all we counted 43 bald eagles on our trip. Some were soaring above us with their 7 foot wing spans and gliding effortlessly through the air. Others were sitting on branches in trees along the river watching with their eagle eyes for the perfect fish to dive down on and have for their next meal. And others were perched majestically on pieces of driftwood as we floated by. I think they were all laughing at us when our rafts became stuck on the glacial silt and we had to get out of the raft and walk through the water a bit until deeper water could be found.
From the Tsirku River, we traveled to the Chilkat River - both glacial rivers that were that indescribably grayish aquamarine color that is so spectacular. The rapids we floated through were no more than a Class I and very mild. There was never any white water at all. As we came to the intersection of the two rivers, we saw a small Tlinket Indian Village called Kwaklu (?). Their homes were log cabins along the river and their smoke houses were right on the rivers’ edge and appeared to look more like dilapidated and abandoned shacks than anything with a real purpose like smoking fish.
All along the rivers’ edge you could see the accumulation of large amounts of driftwood that was twisted and knurly. Several of the ladies picked up small pieces and are taking it back home for souvenirs.
The misty rain continued for most of our trip down the river, but was never heavy enough to be a problem. Captain Dan skillfully paddled our raft down river and eventually pulled us out in a small opening 7 miles from where we began our day. We were greeted by the pick-up team for the rafts who had brought us sandwiches, Sun chips, fresh fruit and homemade chocolate chip cookies along with hot chocolate to drink. We took off our gear and put back on our regular shoes and made our way back to the transport bus where we were driven back down the mountain and through the small town of Haines.
Captain Molly was happily greeting everyone as they re-boarded the Fairweather Express and off we went to return back to Skagway through the Lyn Canal. The mist had stopped by now, and it was nice to go out onto the back deck of the catamaran and take a few more pictures of this glorious country.
Once we returned back to Skagway, we finally checked into our hotel and changed into some dryer clothes and took off to find a little dinner. We found the Bonanza Bar & Grill right around the corner from the hotel and one of the only places open at that time of night and so we ducked in there and enjoyed a cup of seafood chowder and a burger. It was about 8:00 p.m. and the Volendam had departed for Glacier Bay with a new group of passengers who had just finished their land tour. The street was deserted with only a few people out enjoying the evening. The campgrounds here in Skagway appeared to be full of campers who had driven in and were staying for the 4th of July.
Skagway celebrates the 4th of July at 11:00 p.m. on the 3rd of July by having a fireworks show over the harbor. We were so tired from all of the day’s events, that we decided to just go relax back at the hotel and try to get a little shut eye as our day tomorrow will begin by everyone meeting in the lobby of our hotel at 7:45 a.m. We need to find coffee before we leave on the train tomorrow – and Starbucks had a sign on its’ door that it would be closed on 4th of July – so we need to find a local alternative. Tomorrow will be another early morning for us. We are off on the White Pass & Yukon Railway tomorrow headed for Whitehorse. Till next time...
Day Three - Cruising Inside Passage and Juneau
TRAVELOGUES – DAY THREE CRUISING THE INSIDE PASSAGE & JUNEAU
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Every time we visit Alaska and sail the Inside Passage, I am always in awe of the serenity and beauty of it all. Gliding through the narrow channels of the Clarence Strait is always beautiful. The clouds above us had thickened overnight so we awoke to very overcast skies. Amazingly though, the clouds gave a blue/green hue to the icy waters we sailed through seemed more colorful than if the skies above were clear.
With countless small islands on either side of us, we sailed along with barely a ripple on the waters of the Inside Passage. Because the area in southeast Alaska is technically a rain forest, the islands and mountains surrounding us were thick with dense forests. The moss laden trees could be seen everywhere. The inlets and waterways that we passed were so calm, they appeared glass like; and the reflection of the surrounding mountains could be seen so clearly in the water that it was like a mirror.
What made the morning spectacular was all of the whale activity in the area. We were greeted by orcas and humpbacks for several hours. Someone (not us) even saw a black bear on Admiralty Island – which has the largest population of black bears in Alaska – more bears than permanent residents actually. The whales traveled together in groups of two or three. We saw whales spouting off in the distance and coming pretty close to the ship (within 50 yards or so). I got pictures of a humpback rising up above the water and slapping its fin. And, I have some fabulous pictures of a humpback’s tale that was spotted with white barnacles.
We were told early on that we would not be able to visit Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers because of the tidal range along Vancouver Island. This was a huge disappointment, as we both had really looked forward to seeing this area that we had never visited before. The ship did offer a shore excursion if you wanted to pay an additional $199 per person; but we opted out of that. As the Volendam approached the entrance to Holkham Bay and the Tracy Arm around 10:00 a.m., the Captain stopped the ship to allow the excursion boat to come alongside and let the passengers board who did decided to take the tour. When the Volendam pulled into Holkham Bay, many of us noticed a huge hanging glacier on the left bank of the entrance. I do not know the name of the glacier, but it was spectacular. The colors of turquoise were quite noticeable. The turquoise color is the result of the density of the glacial ice. The darker the colors of blue and turquoise means the more dense the glacier is.
Once the small excursion boat had pulled away from the side of the Volendam, she again was slowly underway towards Juneau. By now we were cruising along the Glass Peninsula of Admiralty Island and along Stephan’s Passage heading north. After a couple of hours, we arrived in Juneau at around 1:00 p.m.
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and is only accessible by air or by water. There are no roads leading in or out of Juneau that would connect it to the Alaska Highway because of the Juneau ice fields. Juneau is located in the Gastineau Channel of the Inside Passage. A century ago, two miners beached their canoes along the Gastineau Channel at the mouth of Gold Creek – the stream that now courses through the center of town. Prospectors Dick Harris and Joe Juneau found themselves a place in history – and founded a city. The mountains that surround Juneau were rich in gold ore and thus Juneau found its’ place among history and the gold rush.
The Gastineau Channel dead ends at Juneau; and so when the cruise ships leave to head north, they must re-trace their path around Douglas Island going south and then turn northwest at Bishop Point. When the Captain docked the Volendam, he pulled her right downtown along the pier directly across from the Red Dog Saloon. We have never docked so close to the center of town before – usually we are about half a mile south along another dock. But, as luck would have it, the Volendam was the only cruise ship in Juneau! Great for us - because the crowds were insignificant. After having lunch on the ship, we decided to venture out and wander a bit through some of the shops along the dock area and down the main street before we had to go back to the pier to join the group for our float plane excursion over the Juneau Ice Fields.
Wings Over Juneau was our tour guide. At 4:00 p.m. we boarded our turbo prop Otter airplane and before we knew it, we were up in the air. There were 9 of us on the plane; and each of us had a window seat. There were headphones for us to wear and listen to a pre-recorded program for the duration of our tour. It was still overcast above us; but the clouds were high enough that it did not deter our pilot from continuing. We flew south out of Juneau to the Taku Inlet and then headed east towards the massive Juneau Ice Fields. Below us were the calm, tranquil waters of Taku Inlet. It’s difficult for me to describe the colors to you; but I’ll try. The waters are cloudy, not clear; but are the more gorgeous colors of light aquamarine with a grey hue. The color is incredible and every time I see it, I am in awe of the beauty.
Much of the area below appeared to be exposed mud flats from low tides – which the pilot confirmed. The mountains were covered with a thick, dense forest of trees and bushes. The “tree line” was very obvious and noticeable with the pine tree forest coming up the mountain to a very distinctive point and then abruptly ending and nothing but thick brush above that.
As we flew further back into the Inlet, we began to see the enormous glacial rivers of the Juneau Ice Field. We flew over Lemon Glacier and Taku Glacier. Looking out my window as I looked down upon this river of ice, I could see the deep crevasses and cracks in the glacier. The crevasses were the deepest blue surrounded by skyscraper high frozen ice that went on for miles and miles and miles – back farther than we could see from the plane. The river of ice flowed towards the Inlet and ended in the waters below. Along the face of the glaciers, you could see where the ice had broken off or calved and the small icebergs or “bergie bits” were floating all around in the bay.
Our flight was over too soon from our perspective. We would have loved to have had more time in the air – but that wasn’t part of the program – and all too soon we found ourselves gliding onto the water and gently landing back in the harbor at Juneau. It was a fabulous flight and we highly recommend it to everyone.
Because the clouds had lifted and the weather seemed to be getting a little more pleasant, we decided to take the tram up to Mt. Roberts. The gondola raised us about 1,800 feet up the mountain to a platform where we exited and followed the path to the nature center and the gift shop/restaurant area. Unfortunately, once you leave the platform, you lose the entire view of the Gastineau Channel. It was very disappointing as that was the entire purpose of our going up there. We walked around a little and then decided to head back down the mountain. It wasn’t until we got back out to the platform to wait for the gondola that we realized you had to be out there to get any pictures. We rode back down the mountain with another couple who complained about the same thing.
After that adventure, it was time for dinner. We found this tiny Crab Shack directly across from the Volendam where we enjoyed a crab roll with cole slaw and some delicious crab chowder that tasted so good and warm after our day full of adventure in Juneau.
The Volendam set sail for Skagway after 10:00 p.m. It was still twilight outside as we pulled away from the dock. The cruise portion of our trip is almost over. We will arrive in Skagway tomorrow and will disembark the ship there and begin our land tour. Until next time…
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Every time we visit Alaska and sail the Inside Passage, I am always in awe of the serenity and beauty of it all. Gliding through the narrow channels of the Clarence Strait is always beautiful. The clouds above us had thickened overnight so we awoke to very overcast skies. Amazingly though, the clouds gave a blue/green hue to the icy waters we sailed through seemed more colorful than if the skies above were clear.
With countless small islands on either side of us, we sailed along with barely a ripple on the waters of the Inside Passage. Because the area in southeast Alaska is technically a rain forest, the islands and mountains surrounding us were thick with dense forests. The moss laden trees could be seen everywhere. The inlets and waterways that we passed were so calm, they appeared glass like; and the reflection of the surrounding mountains could be seen so clearly in the water that it was like a mirror.
What made the morning spectacular was all of the whale activity in the area. We were greeted by orcas and humpbacks for several hours. Someone (not us) even saw a black bear on Admiralty Island – which has the largest population of black bears in Alaska – more bears than permanent residents actually. The whales traveled together in groups of two or three. We saw whales spouting off in the distance and coming pretty close to the ship (within 50 yards or so). I got pictures of a humpback rising up above the water and slapping its fin. And, I have some fabulous pictures of a humpback’s tale that was spotted with white barnacles.
We were told early on that we would not be able to visit Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers because of the tidal range along Vancouver Island. This was a huge disappointment, as we both had really looked forward to seeing this area that we had never visited before. The ship did offer a shore excursion if you wanted to pay an additional $199 per person; but we opted out of that. As the Volendam approached the entrance to Holkham Bay and the Tracy Arm around 10:00 a.m., the Captain stopped the ship to allow the excursion boat to come alongside and let the passengers board who did decided to take the tour. When the Volendam pulled into Holkham Bay, many of us noticed a huge hanging glacier on the left bank of the entrance. I do not know the name of the glacier, but it was spectacular. The colors of turquoise were quite noticeable. The turquoise color is the result of the density of the glacial ice. The darker the colors of blue and turquoise means the more dense the glacier is.
Once the small excursion boat had pulled away from the side of the Volendam, she again was slowly underway towards Juneau. By now we were cruising along the Glass Peninsula of Admiralty Island and along Stephan’s Passage heading north. After a couple of hours, we arrived in Juneau at around 1:00 p.m.
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and is only accessible by air or by water. There are no roads leading in or out of Juneau that would connect it to the Alaska Highway because of the Juneau ice fields. Juneau is located in the Gastineau Channel of the Inside Passage. A century ago, two miners beached their canoes along the Gastineau Channel at the mouth of Gold Creek – the stream that now courses through the center of town. Prospectors Dick Harris and Joe Juneau found themselves a place in history – and founded a city. The mountains that surround Juneau were rich in gold ore and thus Juneau found its’ place among history and the gold rush.
The Gastineau Channel dead ends at Juneau; and so when the cruise ships leave to head north, they must re-trace their path around Douglas Island going south and then turn northwest at Bishop Point. When the Captain docked the Volendam, he pulled her right downtown along the pier directly across from the Red Dog Saloon. We have never docked so close to the center of town before – usually we are about half a mile south along another dock. But, as luck would have it, the Volendam was the only cruise ship in Juneau! Great for us - because the crowds were insignificant. After having lunch on the ship, we decided to venture out and wander a bit through some of the shops along the dock area and down the main street before we had to go back to the pier to join the group for our float plane excursion over the Juneau Ice Fields.
Wings Over Juneau was our tour guide. At 4:00 p.m. we boarded our turbo prop Otter airplane and before we knew it, we were up in the air. There were 9 of us on the plane; and each of us had a window seat. There were headphones for us to wear and listen to a pre-recorded program for the duration of our tour. It was still overcast above us; but the clouds were high enough that it did not deter our pilot from continuing. We flew south out of Juneau to the Taku Inlet and then headed east towards the massive Juneau Ice Fields. Below us were the calm, tranquil waters of Taku Inlet. It’s difficult for me to describe the colors to you; but I’ll try. The waters are cloudy, not clear; but are the more gorgeous colors of light aquamarine with a grey hue. The color is incredible and every time I see it, I am in awe of the beauty.
Much of the area below appeared to be exposed mud flats from low tides – which the pilot confirmed. The mountains were covered with a thick, dense forest of trees and bushes. The “tree line” was very obvious and noticeable with the pine tree forest coming up the mountain to a very distinctive point and then abruptly ending and nothing but thick brush above that.
As we flew further back into the Inlet, we began to see the enormous glacial rivers of the Juneau Ice Field. We flew over Lemon Glacier and Taku Glacier. Looking out my window as I looked down upon this river of ice, I could see the deep crevasses and cracks in the glacier. The crevasses were the deepest blue surrounded by skyscraper high frozen ice that went on for miles and miles and miles – back farther than we could see from the plane. The river of ice flowed towards the Inlet and ended in the waters below. Along the face of the glaciers, you could see where the ice had broken off or calved and the small icebergs or “bergie bits” were floating all around in the bay.
Our flight was over too soon from our perspective. We would have loved to have had more time in the air – but that wasn’t part of the program – and all too soon we found ourselves gliding onto the water and gently landing back in the harbor at Juneau. It was a fabulous flight and we highly recommend it to everyone.
Because the clouds had lifted and the weather seemed to be getting a little more pleasant, we decided to take the tram up to Mt. Roberts. The gondola raised us about 1,800 feet up the mountain to a platform where we exited and followed the path to the nature center and the gift shop/restaurant area. Unfortunately, once you leave the platform, you lose the entire view of the Gastineau Channel. It was very disappointing as that was the entire purpose of our going up there. We walked around a little and then decided to head back down the mountain. It wasn’t until we got back out to the platform to wait for the gondola that we realized you had to be out there to get any pictures. We rode back down the mountain with another couple who complained about the same thing.
After that adventure, it was time for dinner. We found this tiny Crab Shack directly across from the Volendam where we enjoyed a crab roll with cole slaw and some delicious crab chowder that tasted so good and warm after our day full of adventure in Juneau.
The Volendam set sail for Skagway after 10:00 p.m. It was still twilight outside as we pulled away from the dock. The cruise portion of our trip is almost over. We will arrive in Skagway tomorrow and will disembark the ship there and begin our land tour. Until next time…
Day Two - Cruising North to Alaska
TRAVELOGUES – DAY TWO CRUISING
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Even though you would think that because we are “on vacation” we would have slept in and taken advantage of one of our days at sea, that was not the case. Nor was it the case for many of the passengers on board the Volendam as we all seemed to appear up in the Lido for breakfast around 7:00 a.m. I don’t know about the reasons why any of them were out and about so early, but for us, we didn’t want to miss a chance to see anything – whatever it was.
We spent most of the daily sailing up the east side of Vancouver Island and out into the Pacific Ocean and Queen Charlotte Sound. Sailing along with barely a ripple on the water was incredible. The waters were not still like a mirror, but they were close. Up above us was brilliant blue sky with what I think was every type of cloud formation there is. Whether it was stratus, cumulous or whatever – it seemed to be there. Some of the clouds appeared as if to have been painted in the sky with a swooping brush stroke and then curled at the end. Others appeared to be more thunder type clouds (those were over the mountains) and yet others appeared to be cotton balls that had fallen out of a bag and were sprinkling the skies. It was a glorious day and actually quite pleasant outside – about 65 degrees or maybe more.
Our “official” day began with a get-together with the group of travel agents we are with. We were both amazed that there were agents from as far away as Malasia and Italy. Unless everyone was not there for that meeting, it will be a rather small group of only about 35 people. After the meeting, we were told to go enjoy ourselves and explore the ship. That was the only official gathering we will have on board the ship until we disembark in Skagway where our “tour director” will meet us and escort us on the rest of our trip.
During the day we enjoyed a wide variety of activities from two cooking demonstrations in the Culinary Arts Center on how to cook a fresh salmon in a white wine marinade and another recipe for crab cakes (yes, I have the recipe). We joined in on a couple of games of trivia – but most of the time we were up in the Crow’s Nest the furthest point forward and the highest where there is a great room with comfy chairs all around huge floor to ceiling picture windows. This is where we could sit and visit with other passengers and watch the world go by.
Off to our West is the Cascade Mountains which stretch from Canada all the way down to Northern California. The lower, front range had no snow capped peaks; but the range directly behind it was covered thick with snow. The jagged peaks of the Cascades up here and have no trees because of the cold weather conditions in the winter. They are stunning to see and very different to the rolling hills we have in California.
Eventually, much later in the day, we maneuvered in closer to land and begin our journey through the Inside Passage where we will also be tomorrow.
The Inside Passage is a narrow passageway that the ships can sail through along with a “pilot”. The pilot is a trained navigator for these specific waters, and guides the Captain where to sail the vessel without any difficulties. There are several lighthouses that are dotted along the coast. Most of them appear to have home quarters on the bottom with the tall spire of the lighthouse on top of that. The settings are stunning – some out on the edge of rocky cliffs on the shore with others set back in meadow like areas and the buildings are spread out. Most of the lighthouses now are all electronically regulated and maintained. What I find fascinating are the stories of the real lighthouse keepers – those men and women who literally risked their lives to keep the light burning under the worst of weather conditions. Though most of the lighthouses are in remote locations and not easily accessible to a town, these men and women had their entire families with them and the children were home schooled by their mothers.
The Captain announced today that because of the tides, we will miss going into Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers tomorrow. They are offering an extra shore excursion for those who really wanted to see the glaciers; and so the boat will stop at the mouth of Tracy Arm; and those passengers will transfer to their excursion boat and will meet up with us in Juneau. We did not opt to take that excursion but chose, instead, to remain on board the ship and enjoy sailing the Inside Passage.
Our daylight begins at about 2-2:30 a.m. and it remains light well after 10:30 p.m. This definitely enables us to see much more of the scenery along our route. We have met people from all over the world – Australia, South Africa, Germany, Canada and from all over the U.S.
Tomorrow we will continue through the Inside Passage and into Juneau. Till then…
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Even though you would think that because we are “on vacation” we would have slept in and taken advantage of one of our days at sea, that was not the case. Nor was it the case for many of the passengers on board the Volendam as we all seemed to appear up in the Lido for breakfast around 7:00 a.m. I don’t know about the reasons why any of them were out and about so early, but for us, we didn’t want to miss a chance to see anything – whatever it was.
We spent most of the daily sailing up the east side of Vancouver Island and out into the Pacific Ocean and Queen Charlotte Sound. Sailing along with barely a ripple on the water was incredible. The waters were not still like a mirror, but they were close. Up above us was brilliant blue sky with what I think was every type of cloud formation there is. Whether it was stratus, cumulous or whatever – it seemed to be there. Some of the clouds appeared as if to have been painted in the sky with a swooping brush stroke and then curled at the end. Others appeared to be more thunder type clouds (those were over the mountains) and yet others appeared to be cotton balls that had fallen out of a bag and were sprinkling the skies. It was a glorious day and actually quite pleasant outside – about 65 degrees or maybe more.
Our “official” day began with a get-together with the group of travel agents we are with. We were both amazed that there were agents from as far away as Malasia and Italy. Unless everyone was not there for that meeting, it will be a rather small group of only about 35 people. After the meeting, we were told to go enjoy ourselves and explore the ship. That was the only official gathering we will have on board the ship until we disembark in Skagway where our “tour director” will meet us and escort us on the rest of our trip.
During the day we enjoyed a wide variety of activities from two cooking demonstrations in the Culinary Arts Center on how to cook a fresh salmon in a white wine marinade and another recipe for crab cakes (yes, I have the recipe). We joined in on a couple of games of trivia – but most of the time we were up in the Crow’s Nest the furthest point forward and the highest where there is a great room with comfy chairs all around huge floor to ceiling picture windows. This is where we could sit and visit with other passengers and watch the world go by.
Off to our West is the Cascade Mountains which stretch from Canada all the way down to Northern California. The lower, front range had no snow capped peaks; but the range directly behind it was covered thick with snow. The jagged peaks of the Cascades up here and have no trees because of the cold weather conditions in the winter. They are stunning to see and very different to the rolling hills we have in California.
Eventually, much later in the day, we maneuvered in closer to land and begin our journey through the Inside Passage where we will also be tomorrow.
The Inside Passage is a narrow passageway that the ships can sail through along with a “pilot”. The pilot is a trained navigator for these specific waters, and guides the Captain where to sail the vessel without any difficulties. There are several lighthouses that are dotted along the coast. Most of them appear to have home quarters on the bottom with the tall spire of the lighthouse on top of that. The settings are stunning – some out on the edge of rocky cliffs on the shore with others set back in meadow like areas and the buildings are spread out. Most of the lighthouses now are all electronically regulated and maintained. What I find fascinating are the stories of the real lighthouse keepers – those men and women who literally risked their lives to keep the light burning under the worst of weather conditions. Though most of the lighthouses are in remote locations and not easily accessible to a town, these men and women had their entire families with them and the children were home schooled by their mothers.
The Captain announced today that because of the tides, we will miss going into Tracy Arm Fjord and the Twin Sawyer Glaciers tomorrow. They are offering an extra shore excursion for those who really wanted to see the glaciers; and so the boat will stop at the mouth of Tracy Arm; and those passengers will transfer to their excursion boat and will meet up with us in Juneau. We did not opt to take that excursion but chose, instead, to remain on board the ship and enjoy sailing the Inside Passage.
Our daylight begins at about 2-2:30 a.m. and it remains light well after 10:30 p.m. This definitely enables us to see much more of the scenery along our route. We have met people from all over the world – Australia, South Africa, Germany, Canada and from all over the U.S.
Tomorrow we will continue through the Inside Passage and into Juneau. Till then…
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Day One - North to Alaska on MS Volendam
TRAVELOGUES – DAY ONE
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Just between you and me – 3:30 in the morning is VERY early! But, that is when we had to set our alarm for to be ready for the shuttle to pick us up and whisk us off to the airport in San Diego to begin our cruise tour “North to Alaska”. We couldn’t get coffee soon enough once we got to the airport. But once we did, all was well and we gave a big sigh of relief that we had arrived on time, made it through the security check point and had our Starbucks coffee in hand - all with 30 minutes to spare before boarding our plane at 6:30 a.m.
Our flight was uneventful from San Diego to Portland and again from Portland ultimately to Vancouver. The skies were clear with only a few clouds here and there adding a little color and dimension to the view out my airplane window. From San Diego, we flew directly up the middle of California flying right over Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon and Lake Tahoe. The views were stunning – we could even see Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite. As we continued north, we flew past Mt. Shasta, which was completely covered in snow and definitely stood out in the landscape below. When we arrived in Portland, Mt. Hood could be seen in the distance and when we flew past Seattle, Mt. Rainier greeted us as well.
I never tire of seeing the beautiful landscape below me when I fly up north. The mountain ranges are all dotted with alpine lakes that look like mirrors from my window; and being able to see the islands in the Puget Sound is always a treat. I love seeing the Washington State Ferries on the waters as they are transporting their passengers from here to there and fondly remember when we have been passengers on those ferries and how much fun it is to ride on them.
Once we arrived in Vancouver, we were directed to a motor coach that took us directly to Canada Place¸ the cruise ship terminal in Vancouver. It is about a 45 minute ride. Our check-in for the ship was extremely smooth and I think the easiest of all the cruises we’ve been on.
MS Volendam is a beautiful Holland America ship well-known for its artwork and décor. She carries 1,450 passengers. The Atrium has a beautiful spiral glass staircase with a multi-colored and lighted spire that goes from the bottom of the Atrium on Deck 3 and up to Deck 6. Around the Atrium are several alcoves on the different decks where you can sit in comfy, padded armchairs and watch the world go by through the large picture windows that seem to be everywhere on both sides of the ship on several decks.
After we found our stateroom, a very nice ocean view cabin mid-ship on Deck 1, we took off to explore the ship. The Lido Buffet is on Deck 8 and encompasses both sides of the ship. There are different stations for pastries and breads, salads, Italian, Asian, and main dishes as well as an entire space between the two sides where they have a beautiful offering of desserts.
There is only one main pool with a retractable roof which is the main activity area on the ship; and there is also a small children’s pool at the back of the ship. The library is actually three rooms all open and continuous where they have one wall full of books for you to enjoy, one room where there are jigsaw puzzles set up and then another room with computers and tables for games. Along the huge picture windows are several massage chairs and reclining chairs where we’ve seen several people doing what they love to do on vacation – “nap”.
All of the Holland America ships have now been retrofitted with beautiful, state-of-the-art million dollar culinary centers where they offer cooking classes and demonstrations. This area also serves as a small theater when the culinary department is not having an event.
We listened to a lecture on the first explorers to Alaska in the early afternoon and heard many of the stories that we all learned in history class many years ago. But, even though we had heard the stories long ago, it was nice to get a little refresher as we began our journey up north. The native tribes of the Tlingit and Haida were the very first inhabitants and the trailblazers who introduced us to Alaska some 10,000 years before the first “white” man came here. Vitus Bering was commissioned by Peter the Great of Russian to find out if Siberia was connected to North America back in 1725. Even though he died, his journals and charts were saved, but not published until many years later when one of his fellow shipmates, George Stellar published them. The Bering Sea was named after Vitus Bering. George Stellar was the first naturalist in the area. The Stellar Blue Jay and the Stellar Sea Lion were named after him. After that, there were many more explorers to visit this great land including James Cook, George Vancouver and William Seward. John Muir, the Scottish immigrant who was the crusader for Yosemite National Park, came to Alaska in 1879 and founded the Sierra Club in 1892.
So much for our history lesson today! At 5:00 p.m. on the dot, MS Volendam was underway from Canada Place and quickly began her journey past Stanley Park and under the Lions Gate Bridge out into the calm waters of the Strait of Georgia where we headed north. The ship glided smoothly through the waters that had barely a ripple on them it was so calm. The skies above us seemed to be dotted with cotton balls of clouds against the clear blue skies above. We stayed out on deck for several hours because it was so pleasant and so serene. Inside around the Lido deck pool, the crew began barbequing at 5:00 p.m. and offered the passengers a fabulous array of Alaska salmon, cooked over the smokey coals of the barbeques, along with chicken, ribs, and steak. There were several different salads from mixed green salad to a corn and kidney bean salad to coleslaw. They offered rice pilaf or baked potatoes and baked beans as well. In another corner of the pool area, there were tables set up with white table cloths covered with delectable delights for dessert – among which were small custard fruit tarts, a huge bowl of fresh fruit, a banana cream pie in a Phyllo dough crust and several other things. The table was decorated with carvings made out of white chocolate – one of a bald eagle and one of a prospector.
We ventured up to the “Crow’s Nest” which is a large cocktail lounge/viewing area up on Deck 9 in the very front of the ship that is surrounded by floor to ceiling picture windows, nice comfy chairs and sitting areas where you can watch as the world passes by. I went out on deck several times to take pictures – how odd – and during the time we were in the Crow’s Nest I went out once only to be greeted by a phenomenal view of Mt. Baker as the sun hit its snow white covered peaks giving it a bright pink glow through the hazy foreground. Because it was “behind” the ship, I doubt that many of the passengers even realized that this gorgeous sight was there if they had only gone out onto deck.
It had been a long day for us, and we finally went back to our room about 10:00 last night. It was still twilight outside. But, we were both tired and had no problems falling asleep quickly.
Tomorrow we’ll be sailing through the Inside Passage. I’ll talk to you then!
HOLLAND AMERICA MS VOLENDAM
13 DAY CRUISE/TOUR
“NORTH TO ALASKA”
Just between you and me – 3:30 in the morning is VERY early! But, that is when we had to set our alarm for to be ready for the shuttle to pick us up and whisk us off to the airport in San Diego to begin our cruise tour “North to Alaska”. We couldn’t get coffee soon enough once we got to the airport. But once we did, all was well and we gave a big sigh of relief that we had arrived on time, made it through the security check point and had our Starbucks coffee in hand - all with 30 minutes to spare before boarding our plane at 6:30 a.m.
Our flight was uneventful from San Diego to Portland and again from Portland ultimately to Vancouver. The skies were clear with only a few clouds here and there adding a little color and dimension to the view out my airplane window. From San Diego, we flew directly up the middle of California flying right over Yosemite National Park, Kings Canyon and Lake Tahoe. The views were stunning – we could even see Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite. As we continued north, we flew past Mt. Shasta, which was completely covered in snow and definitely stood out in the landscape below. When we arrived in Portland, Mt. Hood could be seen in the distance and when we flew past Seattle, Mt. Rainier greeted us as well.
I never tire of seeing the beautiful landscape below me when I fly up north. The mountain ranges are all dotted with alpine lakes that look like mirrors from my window; and being able to see the islands in the Puget Sound is always a treat. I love seeing the Washington State Ferries on the waters as they are transporting their passengers from here to there and fondly remember when we have been passengers on those ferries and how much fun it is to ride on them.
Once we arrived in Vancouver, we were directed to a motor coach that took us directly to Canada Place¸ the cruise ship terminal in Vancouver. It is about a 45 minute ride. Our check-in for the ship was extremely smooth and I think the easiest of all the cruises we’ve been on.
MS Volendam is a beautiful Holland America ship well-known for its artwork and décor. She carries 1,450 passengers. The Atrium has a beautiful spiral glass staircase with a multi-colored and lighted spire that goes from the bottom of the Atrium on Deck 3 and up to Deck 6. Around the Atrium are several alcoves on the different decks where you can sit in comfy, padded armchairs and watch the world go by through the large picture windows that seem to be everywhere on both sides of the ship on several decks.
After we found our stateroom, a very nice ocean view cabin mid-ship on Deck 1, we took off to explore the ship. The Lido Buffet is on Deck 8 and encompasses both sides of the ship. There are different stations for pastries and breads, salads, Italian, Asian, and main dishes as well as an entire space between the two sides where they have a beautiful offering of desserts.
There is only one main pool with a retractable roof which is the main activity area on the ship; and there is also a small children’s pool at the back of the ship. The library is actually three rooms all open and continuous where they have one wall full of books for you to enjoy, one room where there are jigsaw puzzles set up and then another room with computers and tables for games. Along the huge picture windows are several massage chairs and reclining chairs where we’ve seen several people doing what they love to do on vacation – “nap”.
All of the Holland America ships have now been retrofitted with beautiful, state-of-the-art million dollar culinary centers where they offer cooking classes and demonstrations. This area also serves as a small theater when the culinary department is not having an event.
We listened to a lecture on the first explorers to Alaska in the early afternoon and heard many of the stories that we all learned in history class many years ago. But, even though we had heard the stories long ago, it was nice to get a little refresher as we began our journey up north. The native tribes of the Tlingit and Haida were the very first inhabitants and the trailblazers who introduced us to Alaska some 10,000 years before the first “white” man came here. Vitus Bering was commissioned by Peter the Great of Russian to find out if Siberia was connected to North America back in 1725. Even though he died, his journals and charts were saved, but not published until many years later when one of his fellow shipmates, George Stellar published them. The Bering Sea was named after Vitus Bering. George Stellar was the first naturalist in the area. The Stellar Blue Jay and the Stellar Sea Lion were named after him. After that, there were many more explorers to visit this great land including James Cook, George Vancouver and William Seward. John Muir, the Scottish immigrant who was the crusader for Yosemite National Park, came to Alaska in 1879 and founded the Sierra Club in 1892.
So much for our history lesson today! At 5:00 p.m. on the dot, MS Volendam was underway from Canada Place and quickly began her journey past Stanley Park and under the Lions Gate Bridge out into the calm waters of the Strait of Georgia where we headed north. The ship glided smoothly through the waters that had barely a ripple on them it was so calm. The skies above us seemed to be dotted with cotton balls of clouds against the clear blue skies above. We stayed out on deck for several hours because it was so pleasant and so serene. Inside around the Lido deck pool, the crew began barbequing at 5:00 p.m. and offered the passengers a fabulous array of Alaska salmon, cooked over the smokey coals of the barbeques, along with chicken, ribs, and steak. There were several different salads from mixed green salad to a corn and kidney bean salad to coleslaw. They offered rice pilaf or baked potatoes and baked beans as well. In another corner of the pool area, there were tables set up with white table cloths covered with delectable delights for dessert – among which were small custard fruit tarts, a huge bowl of fresh fruit, a banana cream pie in a Phyllo dough crust and several other things. The table was decorated with carvings made out of white chocolate – one of a bald eagle and one of a prospector.
We ventured up to the “Crow’s Nest” which is a large cocktail lounge/viewing area up on Deck 9 in the very front of the ship that is surrounded by floor to ceiling picture windows, nice comfy chairs and sitting areas where you can watch as the world passes by. I went out on deck several times to take pictures – how odd – and during the time we were in the Crow’s Nest I went out once only to be greeted by a phenomenal view of Mt. Baker as the sun hit its snow white covered peaks giving it a bright pink glow through the hazy foreground. Because it was “behind” the ship, I doubt that many of the passengers even realized that this gorgeous sight was there if they had only gone out onto deck.
It had been a long day for us, and we finally went back to our room about 10:00 last night. It was still twilight outside. But, we were both tired and had no problems falling asleep quickly.
Tomorrow we’ll be sailing through the Inside Passage. I’ll talk to you then!
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