ALASKA BLOG #2
19 June 2009
Hi Everyone,
Our Alaskan adventure is coming to an end after today’s “at sea” run from Ketchikan to Vancouver, BC. It’s nice the way they planned this trip with a day with nothing much to do and weather that denies even the hardiest any thoughts about sun bathing. At breakfast this morning, all the talk was about spending the day packing in readiness for tomorrow’s debarkation. Considering that packing at the end of a cruise isn’t much more than stuffing dirty stuff back into the luggage you brought, we can’t understand what all the fuss is about.
Doing “back to back” cruises provides a unique opportunity to 1) not get carried away about seeing everything the first time and 2) choose to see what you missed when you return. The first couple of days on the return trip was in glacier country where we found that once you’ve seen a glacier and enjoyed the moment you’ve pretty much done it all. Don’t jump to any conclusions about our not enjoying the second viewing. Glaciers are still one of the fascinating things in God’s creation that will amaze us each time we return. We did learn a little more about the glaciers we saw on our second visit. For instance; the glaciers in College Fjord where named by a group of explorers for their respective alma maters. When they had more glaciers than school names, they used the names of their wives’ schools. You better believe that that thoughtful action was worth its weight in brownie points when they got home.
The weather on our first visit featured sunshine and clear skies while our second time around was cloudy and rainy; more like normal for the area.
Our arrival at Skagway was accompanied by a little rain, a brilliant rainbow in the north and the Norwegian Sun moored close by. We saw it as an omen that the 7th month anniversary of our wedding on board the Norwegian Sun should begin so beautifully.
Our return to Skagway gave us a chance to clean up on the freebies. The local merchants, mostly jewelry stores, offer free incentives to cruise ship passengers to visit their stores. We decided it would be fun to see how many of the free items we could manage. It was a bit of a challenge but we collected every free item that was available. We are now the proud possessors of gold chains galore, choo-choo whistles, silver (?) bracelet charms of all sorts and a variety of gem stone pendants. In the process we also found some things that will become gifts in the future. All of this before we took the White Pass & Yukon Territory train to the top of the pass. The track was built in 1896 to help take would be millionaires to the Yukon gold fields. The train was a great investment for a group of Englishmen who have reaped its benefits over and over again through the years. Today the several trains on the line take thousands of passengers up and back to see where those crazy miners hauled there gear on foot before the advent of the train. Stories abound in Skagway of the Chilcoot Trail and the hardships suffered by the soon to be miners on their way to the gold fields. On foot, the miners climbed the steep pass in weather as cold as 40 degrees below freezing with loads so great that they could do well to stay on the trail two hours a day.
In Juneau we took the tram ride to the top of Mount Roberts which towers over the city. The view from the top gave us a marvelous view of the city and the five cruise ships that were visiting for the day. A great film on the role the Klingot Indians played in early Alaska was available at the summit along with the usual Souvenir store. A family of musician/singers entertained with what we called Blue-Grass music. Whatever its origin, we enjoyed watching and listening. A great attraction at the summit was a caged bald eagle. A ranger type man explained that the eagle had been injured beyond repair so it was allowed to be caged. We didn’t realize how big bald eagles can be until we saw this proud lady on display a few feet away. After our tram ride we made one more visit to the Red Dog Saloon for lunch and atmosphere from another era. The sawdust covered floor and the old time piano player/singer made us want to stay much longer but our boat was scheduled for an early departure.
Our return to Ketchikan was almost the adventure high mark of our cruise except it didn’t happen. Sea plan rides are a popular attraction for passengers from cruise ships and we headed for one of the vendors who could arrange something for us. We didn’t want the two hour extra special trip, that seemed to be the standard for the day, but rather a one hour spin that would allow us to experience taking off and landing on the water. The ever so friendly man we talked to agreed to our wishes but added that he needed to find two more passengers for the flight. We left our cell phone number and spent the next couple of hours exploring downtown Ketchikan. The time allowed us to tour the famous “Dolly House” on Creek Street; one of a row of former brothels. Dolly we learned came by ship from San Francisco in 1915 and immediately bought what became “Dolly House” for six hundred dollars. She managed to pay off her motgage in six months with the business she attracted. Dolly, known as Big Dolly because of her 5’11” 250 pound stature, managed her business until 1952. She lived in the house until 1972 when she moved to a retirement home to live out her years. She died at age 89, a rather wealthy lady for her time.
Several hours after our first contact regarding a plane ride, we were called and told to come immediately because our ride would be leaving momentarily for the “seaport”. We rushed to the ticket office only to be told that the flight we wanted wasn’t available but one that cost $135 more per person was awaiting our arrival. We decided that we didn’t appreciate the “bait and switch” game so we declined. The next time we are able to ride in a float plane we’ll try again.
We’ve enjoyed traveling with our good friends Paul and Marty Zarcone. Paul and Bill had fun playing bridge together several times and all but one night we enjoyed having dinner together. Good friends add richness to life and we have had our lives enriched by our two week cruise together.
Now, on to the challenge of getting everything we brought along back in the bags………….and oh yes, the other stuff we had to collect along the way.
Love, hugs and kisses to all
Dottie and Bill, Mom and Dad, Gram and Grandpa Bill
Friday, June 19, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
ALASKA JUNE 2009
ALASKA BLOG #1
12 June 2009
College Fjord, Alaska.
Hello to all from on board the Diamond Princess sailing the Gulf of Alaska,
Thanks to an early delivery by Andrea and Dorri, we arrived at the San Francisco Airport bright and early with plenty of time for a bite of breakfast before our 7:30 am flight to Vancouver and our embarkation on the Diamond Princess. We arrived earlier than the ship had announced we could go aboard but luckily they took us aboard. We decided later that we were probably in the first dozen passengers to board. Considering that there are more than three thousand passengers on this tour, we felt very lucky.
Our early arrival allowed us plenty of time for naps, to recover from our 3:00 am wake-up call, and unpacking before the planned activities of the afternoon and evening began. The Zarcone’s arrived shortly after we did and we enjoyed dinner the first evening with them.
Our second day on board was “at sea” as we traveled the passage between Vancouver Island and British Columbia on our way to our first stop on Monday at Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketchikan likes to call its self “Alaska’s First City” because it is the first port where ships can stop when they enter Alaska from the south. Ketchikan is located on an island and began as an Indian fishing camp. In the early 1900’s, when gold was Alaska’s claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan and have developed with the state. The growth of these industries have helped this Inside Passage town become Alaska’s fourth largest city.
We opted for a local bus tour that took us around parts of the island in a twenty passenger bus driven by a 31 year resident lady who began by offering her two teen age kids for sale. Her introduction to Ketchikan informed us that those who love mold and moss growing on everything they own ought to consider moving to Ketchikan. She was quick to note that the local paper’s listing of rentals currently included a two bedroom house without running water, inside toilet or electricity for $1700 a month. Her humor and knowledge of everything Ketchikan made our two and half hour tour go by very quickly. Our tour took us, over a couple of miles of dirt rode, to a little waterfall that led to the Tlingit Indian name for the island, which translates as “eagle with spread-out wings”. The little waterfall would be called a “riffle” in Yosemite but since it was the only one of its kind on the island every tour bus stopped to see it. We stopped at a little inlet where dozens of bald eagles were seen fishing a stream that carried little salmon from a nearby hatchery to the sea. It seemed to us that someone ought to be scaring the eagles away to allow more of the little salmon to reach salt water but our guide told us that the “ecosystem” demands we feed the eagles so there you are.
Our next stop took us to the famous display of totem poles booked as the world’s largest display of totems. We dutifully took pictures of the totems as were told the story of some of the more prominent poles. Since Abraham Lincoln was President when Alaska was purchased from the Russians, a pole depicted Lincoln on top of a pole that had a shield and American flag at the bottom. Lincoln looked like Lincoln except that his legs were those of a man four feet tall. We were told that the carver only had a picture of a bust of Lincoln so that was the way he was carved except that the carver knew he must have legs and added some. Another pole depicted Seward, the author of the “folly” that told the story of his having received gifts from three local tribes without returning the courtesy. Seward will forever sit atop his totem pole with red ears depicting a stingy person.
Our trip through downtown Ketchikan took us by “Dolly’s House” which heads a procession of restored houses on Creek Street, the former red light district of town. Dolly’s House was open for “viewing” but not for business. We decided against a visit because of the block long line of cruise passengers from Kansas waiting to see what sinning is all about.
Our next stop at Juneau gave us an opportunity to do a walking tour of town that took us to the top of a hill where a Russian Orthodox Church was erected in 1894. The church was built in Russia and shipped to the new Russian settlement by a czar who wanted to be sure that his subjects in the new world would behave. Our trip up the mountain was made possible by the fortification provided by the “Red Dog Saloon” in downtown where sawdust on the floor, a ricky-tick piano and walls covered with artifacts of the past made the crowd feel as though they were experiencing the real Alaska. We sampled the local Alaskan beer and left believing we now knew what Juneau must have been like a century ago.
We chuckled on our walking tour as we were passed by a garbage truck with its company motto displayed in large print; “Your satisfaction absolutely guaranteed or double your garbage back”.
Skagway’s history is the Alaska we all knew from our childhood studies. Today’s Skagway has less than a thousand inhabitants that live off the sales to tens of thousands of cruise passengers that stop by during the summer months. In its hey day, Skagway was home to more than twenty thousand who supplied the needs of the thousands of gold rushers that used Skagway as a jumping off point to the gold fields of the Yukon and Klondike. Today the streets offer boardwalk sidewalks and dozens of stores to buy diamonds and such that cruise passengers must like to buy in large quantities. We were amused at the number of shops that proudly announced to US cruise passengers that there would be “no duty” on jewelry purchased. We supposed that most folks aren’t really aware that Alaska is a part of the United States. Our walking tour notes included a call at a grocery store to buy some nibbles to quiet the growls inbetween meals. After asking directions from locals, we found the town’s one super market on a side street a couple of blocks away from the tourist traffic. We found our peanuts and such and prices that seemed to be about double Pleasanton prices for food. We came away thinking that Skagway would be a money making spot for a Grocery Outlet franchise.
Skagway presented dozens of opportunities to buy all kinds of clothing with Alaska boldly displayed, marvelous hats that let the world know where you have traveled, shot glasses and such for collectors and a local curiosity called a “bird fart” that seemed to sell like hotcakes. Upon returning to the ship, we found that many of our fellow passengers felt the stop in Skagway was a huge success because they were now the owner of a contraption known as a “bird fart”. The idea was more than a little offensive to us but now we know we must look into possible ownership on our return next week.
The next two days were glacier days. We spent the best part of Thursday in Glacier Bay following a serpentine of cruise ships that crawled along at reduced speed as we enjoyed the beauty of God’s unusual creations. Three rangers from the Glacier Bay National Park accompanied us and provided a running commentary all day about the sights we were enjoying. John Muir made his first trip through the bay in the late 1790’s and wrote about the marvels of the glaciers. Others followed to measure, study and name each of the ice flows. Some of the glaciers we were told are more than twenty miles and have their beginnings on the slopes of mountain peaks as high as 15,000 feet.
Friday was spent touring College Fjord where the glaciers seemed a little bit less spectacular but none the less beautiful in their icy way. Each of the glaciers in the fjord carried the names of eastern colleges. Yale, Harvard, and a series of formerly women only schools were represented. We didn’t hear an explanation for the naming of glaciers after girls’ schools but maybe the reference was made because girls who attend schools without boys are known to be cool, or cold, or whatever.
We haven’t found the time or the inclination to don our swim wear and sun ourselves by the pool to date. We’ve noted with a giggle that the usual pool side booths that typically offer beach towels to sun bathers are in the business of passing out brightly colored plaid wool blankets to deck chair enthusiasts. On the other hand, we’ve had some sunshine on most days which in itself is a rarity to be cherished in this part of the world.
We love you all.
Dottie and Bill, Gram and Grampa Bill, Mom and Dad
12 June 2009
College Fjord, Alaska.
Hello to all from on board the Diamond Princess sailing the Gulf of Alaska,
Thanks to an early delivery by Andrea and Dorri, we arrived at the San Francisco Airport bright and early with plenty of time for a bite of breakfast before our 7:30 am flight to Vancouver and our embarkation on the Diamond Princess. We arrived earlier than the ship had announced we could go aboard but luckily they took us aboard. We decided later that we were probably in the first dozen passengers to board. Considering that there are more than three thousand passengers on this tour, we felt very lucky.
Our early arrival allowed us plenty of time for naps, to recover from our 3:00 am wake-up call, and unpacking before the planned activities of the afternoon and evening began. The Zarcone’s arrived shortly after we did and we enjoyed dinner the first evening with them.
Our second day on board was “at sea” as we traveled the passage between Vancouver Island and British Columbia on our way to our first stop on Monday at Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketchikan likes to call its self “Alaska’s First City” because it is the first port where ships can stop when they enter Alaska from the south. Ketchikan is located on an island and began as an Indian fishing camp. In the early 1900’s, when gold was Alaska’s claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan and have developed with the state. The growth of these industries have helped this Inside Passage town become Alaska’s fourth largest city.
We opted for a local bus tour that took us around parts of the island in a twenty passenger bus driven by a 31 year resident lady who began by offering her two teen age kids for sale. Her introduction to Ketchikan informed us that those who love mold and moss growing on everything they own ought to consider moving to Ketchikan. She was quick to note that the local paper’s listing of rentals currently included a two bedroom house without running water, inside toilet or electricity for $1700 a month. Her humor and knowledge of everything Ketchikan made our two and half hour tour go by very quickly. Our tour took us, over a couple of miles of dirt rode, to a little waterfall that led to the Tlingit Indian name for the island, which translates as “eagle with spread-out wings”. The little waterfall would be called a “riffle” in Yosemite but since it was the only one of its kind on the island every tour bus stopped to see it. We stopped at a little inlet where dozens of bald eagles were seen fishing a stream that carried little salmon from a nearby hatchery to the sea. It seemed to us that someone ought to be scaring the eagles away to allow more of the little salmon to reach salt water but our guide told us that the “ecosystem” demands we feed the eagles so there you are.
Our next stop took us to the famous display of totem poles booked as the world’s largest display of totems. We dutifully took pictures of the totems as were told the story of some of the more prominent poles. Since Abraham Lincoln was President when Alaska was purchased from the Russians, a pole depicted Lincoln on top of a pole that had a shield and American flag at the bottom. Lincoln looked like Lincoln except that his legs were those of a man four feet tall. We were told that the carver only had a picture of a bust of Lincoln so that was the way he was carved except that the carver knew he must have legs and added some. Another pole depicted Seward, the author of the “folly” that told the story of his having received gifts from three local tribes without returning the courtesy. Seward will forever sit atop his totem pole with red ears depicting a stingy person.
Our trip through downtown Ketchikan took us by “Dolly’s House” which heads a procession of restored houses on Creek Street, the former red light district of town. Dolly’s House was open for “viewing” but not for business. We decided against a visit because of the block long line of cruise passengers from Kansas waiting to see what sinning is all about.
Our next stop at Juneau gave us an opportunity to do a walking tour of town that took us to the top of a hill where a Russian Orthodox Church was erected in 1894. The church was built in Russia and shipped to the new Russian settlement by a czar who wanted to be sure that his subjects in the new world would behave. Our trip up the mountain was made possible by the fortification provided by the “Red Dog Saloon” in downtown where sawdust on the floor, a ricky-tick piano and walls covered with artifacts of the past made the crowd feel as though they were experiencing the real Alaska. We sampled the local Alaskan beer and left believing we now knew what Juneau must have been like a century ago.
We chuckled on our walking tour as we were passed by a garbage truck with its company motto displayed in large print; “Your satisfaction absolutely guaranteed or double your garbage back”.
Skagway’s history is the Alaska we all knew from our childhood studies. Today’s Skagway has less than a thousand inhabitants that live off the sales to tens of thousands of cruise passengers that stop by during the summer months. In its hey day, Skagway was home to more than twenty thousand who supplied the needs of the thousands of gold rushers that used Skagway as a jumping off point to the gold fields of the Yukon and Klondike. Today the streets offer boardwalk sidewalks and dozens of stores to buy diamonds and such that cruise passengers must like to buy in large quantities. We were amused at the number of shops that proudly announced to US cruise passengers that there would be “no duty” on jewelry purchased. We supposed that most folks aren’t really aware that Alaska is a part of the United States. Our walking tour notes included a call at a grocery store to buy some nibbles to quiet the growls inbetween meals. After asking directions from locals, we found the town’s one super market on a side street a couple of blocks away from the tourist traffic. We found our peanuts and such and prices that seemed to be about double Pleasanton prices for food. We came away thinking that Skagway would be a money making spot for a Grocery Outlet franchise.
Skagway presented dozens of opportunities to buy all kinds of clothing with Alaska boldly displayed, marvelous hats that let the world know where you have traveled, shot glasses and such for collectors and a local curiosity called a “bird fart” that seemed to sell like hotcakes. Upon returning to the ship, we found that many of our fellow passengers felt the stop in Skagway was a huge success because they were now the owner of a contraption known as a “bird fart”. The idea was more than a little offensive to us but now we know we must look into possible ownership on our return next week.
The next two days were glacier days. We spent the best part of Thursday in Glacier Bay following a serpentine of cruise ships that crawled along at reduced speed as we enjoyed the beauty of God’s unusual creations. Three rangers from the Glacier Bay National Park accompanied us and provided a running commentary all day about the sights we were enjoying. John Muir made his first trip through the bay in the late 1790’s and wrote about the marvels of the glaciers. Others followed to measure, study and name each of the ice flows. Some of the glaciers we were told are more than twenty miles and have their beginnings on the slopes of mountain peaks as high as 15,000 feet.
Friday was spent touring College Fjord where the glaciers seemed a little bit less spectacular but none the less beautiful in their icy way. Each of the glaciers in the fjord carried the names of eastern colleges. Yale, Harvard, and a series of formerly women only schools were represented. We didn’t hear an explanation for the naming of glaciers after girls’ schools but maybe the reference was made because girls who attend schools without boys are known to be cool, or cold, or whatever.
We haven’t found the time or the inclination to don our swim wear and sun ourselves by the pool to date. We’ve noted with a giggle that the usual pool side booths that typically offer beach towels to sun bathers are in the business of passing out brightly colored plaid wool blankets to deck chair enthusiasts. On the other hand, we’ve had some sunshine on most days which in itself is a rarity to be cherished in this part of the world.
We love you all.
Dottie and Bill, Gram and Grampa Bill, Mom and Dad
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