(Click on the collage to get a close up view of some of the animals whose path we crossed!)Alaska is indescribable...you will just have to go there and see for yourself! The majesty of the mountains and glaciers and wildlife would take a whole book to describe. So we will give you just a hint with our pictures. We had such a great time with my mother! She was always game for any adventure, except for flying over glaciers in a float plane...that's where she drew the line!
The first stop on our cruise was Ketchican. We went to Saxman where they have a large collection of totem poles. Very interesting...
We decided that we should start a family totem pole and let each of our kid's family carve some sort of animal when they come visit. What animal would you carve?
A restored street in Ketchican. In prohibition days, bootleggers would paddle under the establishments, give a secret knock, and trap doors would open to make the exchange.
On a boat tour of the harbor I got my first glimpse of an active bald eagle nest, and zoomed in for this shot with our new camera. Steve had to hold me still since we were in a boat...
The next day our ship docked in Juneau, named after a prospector, Joe Juneau. What a crazy state capital is it that has no roads in or out! You have to come by boat or plane. We learned about history and native peoples at the Alaska State Museum, and then hopped on a float plane to fly over the Juneau Icefield (this is where Mom decided to return to the ship!)I will try to give you a feel for what it is like to fly over glaciers. It was breathtaking! Especially the part where the plane suddenly dropped many feet and it took our breath away! I instinctively grabbed the control yoke in front of me, and then quickly let go. The pilot gave me the evil eye, so I sat on my hands so it wouldn't happen again.
This made me think of all those movies where people fall into deep crevasses...I'm glad we weren't walking on the glacier.
These pools of water on the surface of a glacier were a spectacular blue!
This gives you a view of a glacier terminus.
The next day we docked in Skagway, a town that blossomed during the 1897-98 Gold Rush, lawless and rough, and then almost disappeared. Desperate and struggling men got to Skagway in overloaded boats, then purchased supplies and headed up one of two passes...
A close view of the "Golden Staircase" of the Chilkoot Pass between Alaska and the Yukon on the route to the Klondike. Each stampeder had to carry enough supplies (1,000 lbs) to last one year or they were not allowed across the Canadian border. If a man stepped out of the line to rest, he might have to wait for 15 minutes before another spot opened up in the line. It took load after backbreaking load, caching it at the top and hoping no one would rob them before they got back. Then thousands of men cut down trees to build boats and rafts to travel another 500 miles down the Yukon River to Dawson. But most were disappointed. The best claims were staked before most of the gold seekers arrived.
We took the easy way up White Pass on the train (which of course wasn't there in 1897)
Ah luxury!
to the Alaska/Canadian border
The next two days we spent cruising through Glacier Bay and College Fjord. This is John Hopkins Glacier.
A sightseer floating on an iceberg.
A few more...
And then there's us...
Sorry about the sideways video. We learned not to turn the camera on end when taking video!
This is Marjorie Glacier calving (Glacier Bay).
A close view of the "Golden Staircase" of the Chilkoot Pass between Alaska and the Yukon on the route to the Klondike. Each stampeder had to carry enough supplies (1,000 lbs) to last one year or they were not allowed across the Canadian border. If a man stepped out of the line to rest, he might have to wait for 15 minutes before another spot opened up in the line. It took load after backbreaking load, caching it at the top and hoping no one would rob them before they got back. Then thousands of men cut down trees to build boats and rafts to travel another 500 miles down the Yukon River to Dawson. But most were disappointed. The best claims were staked before most of the gold seekers arrived.
Ah luxury!
to the Alaska/Canadian border
The next two days we spent cruising through Glacier Bay and College Fjord. This is John Hopkins Glacier.
A sightseer floating on an iceberg.
A few more...
And then there's us...Sorry about the sideways video. We learned not to turn the camera on end when taking video!
This is Marjorie Glacier calving (Glacier Bay).
Glaciers in College Fjord
Formal night on the ship
It was also our anniversary.
In Seward our cruise was finished and we rented a car. Visiting the Alaska Sea Life Center, we met Woody, a Stellar Sea Lion
and this handsome Harlequin Duck.
Formal night on the ship
It was also our anniversary.
In Seward our cruise was finished and we rented a car. Visiting the Alaska Sea Life Center, we met Woody, a Stellar Sea Lion
and this handsome Harlequin Duck.
We took a sea taxi from Homer to Little Tutka Bay and went on a half day kayak journey.
This bald eagle was drying his wings.
This otter was chilling out...
In Wasila we visited the Iditarod Trail Race Headquarters and went on a dog sled ride...minus the snow. www.iditarod.com
Every town we visited we looked for a quilt store and then called Sheri from the store. It was our Alaskan quest! Gigi is talking to Sheri outside this very small shop in Talkeetna.
The tour into Denali National Park was beautiful. The park has limited visitor access, to remain an intact subarctic ecosystem. Visitors hadn't seen "the mountain" (Mt. McKinley 20,320 ft.) for 10 days...and you don't know if you will be able to see it until you get deep into the park, and if the clouds clear at the right time.
Well, the time was right!
We saw lots of wildlife. I guess these twin cubs aren't identical!
