CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 4 - SKAGWAY

CRUISE WEST TRAVELOGUE NO. 4

SPIRIT OF YORKTOWN

GOLD RUSH INSIDE PASSAGE – JUNEAU TO SEATTLE

August 15, 2010 to August 25, 2010


SKAGWAY – JEWELL GARDENS AND GLASS BLOWING

Skagway is a small town at the very end of the Lynn Canal and is well-known for being the jumping off point for the Gold Rush of 1898. The thousands of hopeful prospectors came to Skagway and then found themselves having to hike the treacherous Chilkoot Trail up the mountains to the Yukon Territory and Dawson City where gold was found by Mr. George Carmack. Back in the late 1800’s, thousands upon thousands of people converged on this small town increasing its’ population almost overnight from a mere 500 natives to a city where 1,000 people were passing through it every week for several years. The population grew to almost 20,000 during the Gold Rush. There is a lot of memorabilia around Skagway from that period in tine. There are many pictures of the unbroken chain of people hiking four miles of the steep trail and climbing the last 1,500 steps that were carved out in ice because of the weather conditions then. It is hard to imagine what they endured in hopes of striking it rich.

Today, the year-round population is only about 300 people and increases to about 800 during the summer. When the mega cruise ships come in to port, the town has an influx of almost 2,000 people or more instantly.

We cruised down the Lynn Canal early in the morning and arrived in Skagway about 7:00 a.m. It was clear but windy outside. We disembarked the ship around mid-morning to go explore the shops on our own then returned to the ship for lunch.

Skagway is known as “The Garden City of Alaska” where the long days of summer considerably increase the growing of the flowers and vegetables. It is a city where giant cabbages and tomatoes grow seemingly overnight because of the continuous sunlight during the summer. On this visit to Skagway¸ we thought we should explore this phenomenon a little more and chose to go visit The Jewell Gardens. Our group gathered at the end of the pier, and we were taken by shuttle buses to the gardens. As we drove into the parking lot, we saw a small building not more than 75 feet wide with a window on either side of the door with a painted wooden sign “Jewell Gardens” above it indicating we had arrived at our destination. Off to one side there was a gazebo where we were instructed to gather and begin our tour. There were a few flowers out front in planters or pots but once the gate was opened and we walked inside, it was like walking into a floral fairy land. The flowers were every color of the rainbow and with the lush evergreen bushes and trees as a backdrop, the dimensions of the landscaping became apparent. At one point as we were walking along the path, I looked across the small acre of land focusing on the beautiful colors and as I brought my head up the majestic, snow-capped mountains were off in the distance against a sky of blue. I just had to stop and take in all the beauty at that moment.

The begonias were stunning. These flowers do not grow well in Southern-California where we live. The flowers at home are only about 1 inch in diameter. The flowers we saw before us were magnificent and almost 4 inches in diameter. The colors were beautiful; and I wanted to just stand there and admire them because I had never seen a begonia like that. We continued on along the path where the gardens were meticulously manicured and landscaped. Then, when we reached the middle of the area, we realized there was a miniature train running through the area. The train set was also landscaped, complete with snow capped mountains and the main street of Skagway. As we stood there, a train whistle blew and here came The White Pass and Yukon Railway train right through the city. It was adorable and quite authentic after being scaled down as much as it was.
From here we ventured on into the vegetable garden where we found plush growth with cabbage heads twice the size of any I’ve ever seen in a grocery store before. The zucchini and yellow squash were double size as well. And, the artichokes were larger than the giant artichokes I purchase from Monterey, CA area, still standing tall on their stems. It became immediately apparent that the myth of Alaska growing larger vegetables because it is “The Land of the Midnight Sun” is very true indeed. These vegetables that we saw were proof positive.

After we finished our tour of the gardens, we were directed into a barn where we sat on long wooden benches and treated to a demonstration of glass blowing. The final product was a stunning red, white and blue decorative glass bowl. As we left, the bowl was placed into an oven where it would cure for 24 hours and then be available for purchase. Yes, our next stop was the gift shop where incredible pieces of blown glass from vases and bowls to wine glasses and miniature Christmas ornaments were available for you to purchase. Each of us in the group chose something special and carried it gently and carefully out of the building.

To our surprise, our afternoon was not over yet. We were taken into a lovely garden tea room with picture windows on one side of the room overlooking the Jewell Gardens. The room had a tall ceiling with white fans gently turning to keep the air moving. There were square tables for four set up with white linen table cloths and pastel pink floral napkins placed inside adorable silver tea pot napkin rings on each table along with white china and tea cups. At the end of the room on a table were beautiful old-fashioned ladies hats complete with feathers, lace and ribbons; and we were told to pick one out and wear it for our “tea party”. The hat I chose was a small black calico print with black ribbons and tulle netting with a wide brim and soft, puffy top. It was gorgeous; and I wish I could have purchased it. We enjoyed our tea (many of us were warm and chose iced tea) along with our tray of traditional tea edible delights like cucumber sandwiches, a slice of carrot cake, scones and English shortbread cookies.

After that we were shuttled back into Skagway where we opted to stay in town for a little longer to wander through some of the quaint shops before we walked back to our ship. On our walk back our path took us along a street where pyracantha trees were growing along the sidewalk. Their red berries were bunched together; and it looked almost as if it was a tree already decorated for Christmas. We also passed an old wooden skiff alongside one of the buildings near the dock that had been filled with dirt and transformed into a gorgeous planter of bright purple lobelia and white alyssum. The flowers were so thick and plush that they were flowing over the edge of the old wooden boat; and it was gorgeous just sitting there on the ground.

That night after dinner, Exploration Leader Dave talked about the three different species of bear in Alaska – Polar, Brown/Grizzly and Black bear.

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….

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...

12 days and counting!

In just twelve short days we will be on the road again! We will be flying from San Diego to Vancouver, British Columbia and boarding the beautiful Holland America Volendam for a 13 day adventure on water and land.

As a travel agent and an Alaska Destination Specialist, this is a trip that we have been looking forward to because it will take us to places we have only dreamed about visiting.

We will start our adventure in Vancouver - the home of the Winter Olympics in 2010. As we sail out of Vancouver in the late afternoon, we will pass Stanley Park (one of our favorite places to visit in Vancouver) and our voyage will begin North to Alaska.

We will enter the Strait of Georgia and travel along Vancouver Island which is the home of a resident pod of orca whales known as "J" pod. Granny and Ruffles are the two oldest members of this pod. Granny is the matriarch and thought to be almost 90years old! Along with her son, Ruffles, they lead the pod through the waters in and around Vancouver Island. There are over 40 members of this pod. We hope to get a glimpse of them gliding graciously through the waters as we pass by!

From Vancouver we will continue on up the Inside Passage past Wrangell and Petersberg to Tracy Arm Fjord which is off of Stepens Passage across from Admiralty Island. We will visit the North and the South Sawyer Glaciers (Twin Sawyer Glaciers) and then spend an afternoon in Juneau, the capital of Alaska.

From Juneau, we will continue up Stephens Passage to Lyn Canal where we will cruise to Skagway. We will disembark the ship in Skagway and will spend the night there. That afternoon, Jim and I are scheduled to take a float plane ride!

The next morning we will board the White Pass and Yukon Railroad traveling along the same route that the gold miners hiked one after the other in 1898 hoping to strike it rich in the gold fields in the Yukon. We'll visit Lake Bennet and eventually arrive in Whitehorse, where we will spend the night and enjoy the Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue.

From Whitehorse, we will board a motor coach to Dawson City and stay overnight in the Klondike National Historic Site. We will then visit Dawson City or Tombstone Park and learn more about the Gold Rush and visit the gold fields and explore where a full range of wildlife roams free.

On Day 8 we will cruise the Yukon River on the MV Yukon Queen II catamaran and hear tales of river pilors, mail carriers, prospectors and Mounties as we travel to the small Alaskan town of Eagle.

A motor coach will take us up the Alaska Range and along the TransAlaska Pipeline to Fairbanks on Day 9 where we will visit Gold Dredge No, 8 and actually give a good try at panning for gold ourselves.

On Day 10 we will board the McKinley Explorer (Alaska Railroad), and travel along the scenic byway as we travel through the heart of Alaska to Denali National Park where we will stay for two nights. Not only do we hope to get to see Mt. McKinley, we have high hopes of seeing a lot of wildlife on our Tundra Wilderness Tour. We could see Caribou,moose, grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, bald eagles and
much more.

From Denali on Day 12, we will again board the McKinley Explorer and travel the rail down to Anchorage. In Anchorage, we have plans to meet up with my dear pen pal Pattie and enjoy some time catching up with her. Our last day will find us on a 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier that will take us into the Prince William Sound to visit 26 "named" glaciers including those in College Fjord. We will see all types of glaciers including Alpine (hanging), Piedmont and Tidewater glaciers( glaciers traveling down valleys towards the ocean). Getting up close to these towering masses of ice, we will be able to "hear" them move while they groan and crack as they move ever so slowly to the icy glacial waters below. There will be many "bergie bits" (small chunks of ice floating in the water) and the glaciers will be brilliant colors of blue and turquoise.

And, as with all vacations our time will end sooner than we want and we will find ourselves on our way home. We hope you'll join us on June 30th as we take to the skies to Vancouver and set sail on the first day of our journey. I'll be posting blogs all along the way, so you can come along if you want!

Now - I've got to start packing!