Ketchikan - Our Final Port

Picture perfect Creek Street

Our last port was Ketchikan, and we had booked a Misty Fjords flightseeing tour with Family Air. We didn’t have to meet with them until 2:30p, so we headed up toward Creek Street for some photo ops.  I liked the stores up there for their uniqueness. We tried Salmonberry jam, Huckleberry jam and Birch caramel, and bought a little of each. We also bought a Totem at Creek Street.  We found the same totems down in town, but most cost a little more. We headed toward the main streets in town and went through several stores. After a while, they all start looking the same.

The city sign is probably a good idea
after all the places we've been to in the
last two weeks!

Misty Ketchikan the morning of our arrival

The SUV from Family Air was right on time, and we headed off to their pier. Another group had just landed and they were thrilled with their trip.  They stopped at a lake and did a little fishing, they were very successful. We had booked the flightseeing with a landing on a lake. If this had been our first port, and our first look at Alaska, we probably would have been more impressed. Our pilot, Dave, was as nice as could be, and very accommodating; he flew by a waterfall he knew I wanted to photograph. When we landed, he showed us a stick that beavers had chewed off, eaten the bark and discarded, which I thought was cool. But the whole trip just could not compare to the summit flight we took over Denali. It’s not something I would really need to do again.

A shot of our ship as we take off

Islands in the sound as we head toward Misty Fjords

The lake in the distance is our landing spot

Our plane was teeny-tiny - 4 1/2 seats

The view as we leave Misty Fjords

More gorgeousness

Are we in Alaska or Norway?

After looking at the photos from our Misty Fjords trip, I can't believe I wrote the above paragraph (most of the writing was done as we went).  I must have been drunk from all the Alaskan beauty.  I mean, hello! It's really gorgeous. I was pretty jaded not to be knocked out by Misty Fjords while we were there. My bad. I guess I'd seen too many incredible mountains, glaciers, forests, lakes, waterfalls, etc., earlier in the trip.

We realized that the entire cabin was
metal, so we used the magnets collected
along the way to fasten our Inside
Passage map to the wall.

Our last cruise day, through the Inside Passage was uneventful.  It was so foggy that we could barely make out any land to port or starboard.  It was okay, since we had to pack up anyway.

That's it for Alaska.  It was incredibly beautiful and I'd go back in a heartbeat. I thought Princess did a fabulous job, on land, by train or by ship.  We had impeccable service, and I won't hesitate to take another cruise with Princess.

Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier with waterfall

June 12, and we woke up in Juneau. We booked the Photography Whale Watch and Mendenhall Glacier tour through the ship, and we met on the dock at 7:35a. We had a group of 11, which is probably as big as the group can get, since the boat is so small. We had an awesome morning! I had never heard of bubble-net feeding, but the whales did it for the first time that season the morning we were there. Our guides said it only happens in Juneau. One whale goes below a school of fish (herring) and starts circling and blowing bubbles, driving the fish into a tighter formation.  He slowly forces them near the surface, and then on a signal all the whales dive toward the center at the same time with their mouths open. They hold the fish in their mouths as they swirl the water out through their baleen. Then they swallow them a couple at a time since they have very narrow throats. From our point of view, it looks like a whale ballet or synchronized swimming, it was amazing. 

Bubble net feeding. The ferry riders had a spectacular view.

After hanging out there for about 30 minutes (federal regulations), we headed out to Skull Island to see some eagles and bowling balls (harbor seals). We saw another couple of whales on the way back to the pier. 

Two curious bowling balls (seals) check us out.

There were dozens of eagles on Skull Island.

Our pretty harbor.

We then headed off to Mendenhall Glacier via a nature trail. They gave us a small snack, which consisted of peanuts, granola bars, fruit leather, a peppermint patty and water. Our guide Kenneth is a graduate of the Brooks Institute, and he had really great photography advice for us. He showed us some of his photos on a monitor on the van; he’s really good. As we walked along the trail, he told us what to look for as far as composition, lighting, contrast, etc. 

Our group hiking near Mendenhall Glacier.

I wasn’t expecting much from Mendenhall after seeing Glacier Bay, but the glacier was incredible.  Since it was overcast, the blues were very intense.  The waterfall to the right is pretty incredible as well.  There are several vantages from which to take photos; we walked down to the beach and took some shots from there. We then climbed up on a small hill to get some shots of the lake with all the icebergs in it. They had us back in town around 1:00p, and they dropped the others off at the ship.

Having a professional photographer as your guide
comes in handy.

Mendenhall close up.

We shopped as we walked back to the ship, a lot of the stores had the same stuff we’d seen in Skagway. The same jewelry stores we see in the Caribbean. I still managed to spend way too much. The setting for Juneau is spectacular, it’s right against the mountains, and is in an avalanche zone. It was so beautiful as we sailed away.

Juneau is gorgeous!

The view from our balcony. That
little red dot is the tram.

Some of you have asked about our cabin on the
bump out.  This picture kind of shows how unobstructed
the view is looking forward.  There's nothing in the way!

Tomorrow - Ketchikan!

Carcross - Your Reputation Exceeds You

Carcross, from the bridge as you enter the town.

June 11, 2011 - Day 3 of our cruise found us in Skagway. We rented a car from the Avis office there and drove the Yukon Highway to Carcross and Emerald Lake.  Due to the length of this post, I gave the Yukon Highway and Skagway their own post.  Carcross gets this one solo.

Carcross is under construction.  That building is the brand
new Visitor's Center.  Nice people, and really nice restrooms.

We came to Carcross, which is a very tiny town. The Visitor’s Center is brand new, in fact, it appears that the entire town is getting a paving face lift. They had poured the curbing, but the paving wasn’t in yet.  It should look very nice in a few weeks. We checked out the General Store which is jam-packed with souvenirs, etc. They also sell ice cream, fudge, popcorn and muffins. 

Downtown Carcross

Near the General Store is Eddy’s Checkpoint, which sells hamburgers and hotdogs.  It’s no larger than a tool shed, and the grill is out back. We were getting hungry, but decided to wait until we got to Caribou Crossing which has a bakery and restaurant.  We arrived there a few minutes later to find a complete tourist trap.  They have a wildlife zoo of sorts, but if we wanted to see that we could have stayed home and gone to the zoo there. There was nothing special in the gift store. The bakery sold packaged sandwiches or soup. We got out of there as quickly as we could, thinking we would try the restaurant at the Spirit Lake Wilderness Resort another couple of miles down the road.  We pulled up and walked in.  The restaurant was filled with tables, but not a single soul was there.  We thought we’d wandered into the Canadian version of The Shining. It was almost creepy.  A man came in and just dashed by us without saying a word.  We were almost to the door, ready to leave, when a woman suddenly appeared. I asked her if this was a restaurant and she replied, “yes.” Hmmm…very helpful. I asked if she had a menu and she replied that she had some sandwiches, soup and pie left over.  We looked at each other and decided that Eddy’s Checkpoint was looking pretty good right about now.  We politely declined and got the heck out of Dodge.

Emerald Lake is unexpectedly small.

We went on to Emerald Lake, took some photos and headed back toward Carcross.  We stopped in the world’s smallest desert and took some more shots, then drove back into Carcross.  Eddy's Checkpoint was sounding better and better.

The Carcross Desert.  I almost got run over by a
dune buggy.  Don't laugh, it's true.

We ordered our meal (hamburger - $6.50, hot dog - $4.50, we opted not to get fries which would have cost us $3.50), and ate it in our car since it was a little windy and chilly on the picnic table he had out front. After that we did a little shopping in the General Store and walked across the street to the train depot.  Nice restrooms in both the visitor’s center and the train depot.

The famous Eddy's Checkpoint.  The best (only) place for
burgers in town.

I’m so glad we rented a car rather than going with a large group; we could stop wherever we wanted and stay as long as we wanted. When we first arrived in Carcross there were maybe 6 tourists in town. When we came back the second time, four huge buses had pulled up with approximately 40 tourists in each.  All 160 people were trying to fit in the General Store and the Train Depot gift shop; not exactly our scene.
Carcross provided the most laughs of our entire trip.  Sometimes we wondered if we were on Candid Camera. This is a town that tries really hard.
Up next - Juneau!

Yukon Highway & Skagway

The Island Princess is to the right. It took about 10 minutes
to walk from the ship to the end of the pier.  It's a decent
hike.  If you have mobility issues, they have golf carts.

June 11, 2011 - Day 3 of our cruise found us in Skagway. We rented a car from the Avis office there and drove the Yukon Highway to Carcross and Emerald Lake.  We had Murray’s Guide which we’d downloaded and stopped several times along the way to take photos.  We saw the WP&YR railroad across the canyon several times until we went through the Canadian border checkpoint in Fraser.  At that point, the train turns around and takes the passengers that took the motorcoach up back down on the train.  Those that rode the train up, take the motorcoach back. We continued on to Carcross which is quite a ways further. At one point we saw some bears at the side of the road munching away on dandelions.  We pulled over and filmed them for quite a while. They looked to be two grizzly cubs of maybe a year or two. They would check out each car that drove up, determine that it wasn’t a threat, and then go back to eating.  At one point, two motorcyclists drove up, and the bears were fascinated by them.  They probably were wondering if it was meals on wheels. Terrell was thrilled to see his bears only 20 feet away.

Mama Grizzly and her cub have a dandelion brunch.

This little guy chattered away as I snapped his photo.

Bove Island, near Carcross

Due to its length, I'm giving Carcross its own post. Here continues our drive back to Skagway: 
On our way back to Skagway we saw a black bear, so we pulled over to watch him for a bit.  The bears are perfectly fine with cars stopping, but the minute a tour bus pulls up, they are out there. 

Dandelions must be the preferred bear
snack.  This black bear munched away,
completely unconcerned at the cars stopping.

I’m so glad we rented a car rather than going with a large group; we could stop wherever we wanted and stay as long as we wanted. When we first arrived in Carcross there were maybe 6 tourists in town. When we came back the second time, four huge buses had pulled up with approximately 40 tourists in each.  All 160 people were trying to fit in the General Store and the Train Depot gift shop; not exactly our scene.

The same two grizzlies were still in the meadow eating dandelions, so we pulled over again to watch them for a while. Once the tour buses arrived and the bears ran off, we got back on the road. 

I don't know why, but I found
the difference between the
British Columbia sign and
the Yukon sign kind of humorous.

We arrived back in Skagway around 3-4:00 and returned the car.  We then wandered up and down Broadway, checking out the shops. We spent quite a while in one shop learning about ulus, and why there was such a difference in pricing.  We selected one that had a caribou antler handle and a high quality blade, since we plan to use it.  The really pretty ones with carved handles are more for display. We also bought a chopping bowl.  They shipped all of it back to our house for us. I found a really cool quilt shop with gorgeous quilts on display.  I don’t quilt, but my mom does, so I could appreciate all the beautiful patterns they had. I even bought a half yard of sled dog patterned batik fabric; who knows, maybe someday I’ll make a table runner or something.

Street scene in Skagway

The WP&YR literally runs through town.

Typical street in Skagway

While the ship didn’t leave port until 8:00, we were pretty tired so we headed back to the ship for dinner. We ran into some people we’d met earlier in the tour and walked back down the pier with them after taking the shuttle from town.  It’s quite a walk into town, it easily took us at least 20 minutes to get from the ship to the Avis office. The shuttle costs $2 each way, or $5 for a day pass. It still takes about 5-10 minutes to get from the shuttle stop to the ship, which in our case was as far away as you could get.

So...would I drive the Yukon Highway again?  No.  I was so looking forward to this drive, everyone spoke of how beautiful it was.  Several mentioned that they take this drive every time they're in port. It just wasn't that amazing for me.  Maybe it's because we spent summers up at our cabin in Lake Tahoe, and I've been all through the Sierra Nevadas.  Maybe it's because we literally live in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, we have Lone Peak right in our backyard.  I've lived in the Santa Cruz mountains with the coastal Redwoods. The summit was interesting, with its stunted pines and exposed granite surfaces.  I just don't need to see it again.  Next time, maybe the WP&YR for a shorter trip...

Glacier Bay

Johns Hopkins Inlet
If you click on the photo, you'll be able to see the
Johns Hopkins Glacier a little better.  It looks like it's
marching down to the bay.

The next day in Glacier Bay was absolutely spectacular.  The sun came out and the glaciers were amazing.  We saw Margerie, Great Pacific, Lamplugh and Johns Hopkins Glaciers.  We even saw some calving on Marjorie. The captains turned the boat completely around a couple of times in front of Marjorie so all cabins were able to have a good look. We spent so much time at Margerie, that we went down to the dining room for a sit down lunch.  The server said he's been working in Alaska for 25 years, and this was the best day he'd ever seen.

Margerie Glacier to the left, and the Grand Pacific
Glacier is that wide dirt pile to the right. Margerie is an
advancing glacier and the Grand Pacific is receding  It
once covered all of Glacier Bay.

The view from the Dining Room.
The color is a little off due
to the windows.

There was a ranger on board for several hours. We turned our TV to the public address system and listened on our balcony.

The ranger pointed out wildlife, such as this
trio of seals.

The Lamplugh Glacier is at the head of the Johns Hopkins
Inlet. You pass it on your way to Johns Hopkins
Glacier.

Close up of Lamplugh.  Each glacier has its own personality.

The Johns Hopkins Glacier has a lot of seals birthing and nursing babies, so ships don't go in too close to it. Johns Hopkins was probably the coolest looking glacier, as it seems to be marching right down to the water's edge. Glacier Bay was absolutely breath-taking.  We loved having a balcony to enjoy it the entire day.

Leaving Glacier Bay.

Tomorrow - Skagway!

Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay

This was as close as we'd get to the glacier -
there was ice debris everywhere

June 9, 2011 - Our first day of the cruise brought us to Hubbard Glacier in the afternoon.  We were very disappointed to find that the weather would prevent us from getting closer than 8 miles from the glacier.  Due to the rain it was very actively calving, and Yakutat Bay was littered with little icebergs.

One of the not so little icebergs

Hoping the fog might lift, we head toward the glacier

Despite our disappointment at
missing the glacier, there was no
denying how beautiful the bay was.

Next up - an absolutely spectacular day in Glacier Bay. 

Day 6 - Train to Whittier and Embarkation

On the train to Anchorage and Whittier

June 8 , 2011

Up way too early the next morning, but at least the clouds were starting to lift over Denali. Our luggage had to be out by 6:00a, which meant we had to be showered and dressed by that time.  Our luggage wasn't even picked up until 8:00a!  Aaaargh! I could have used an extra two hours of sleep.

We went to the lodge for some hot chocolate and pastries and watched Denali make her entrance. We then caught the shuttle early into town. Most everyone else leaves around 11:45 and goes straight to the train depot, but you have the option of going into town earlier and catching a shuttle from town over to the depot. We walked down Main Street to the end where it meets the river and took some shots of Denali in the morning light with the three rivers (Chulitna, Susitna and Talkeetna) meeting in the foreground. We then headed over to the Roadhouse for an early lunch of Cornish pasties.  They were good, but not as good as breakfast. The place was packed, and the seating is family style. On this occasion we sat at a table with several couples and found out that they were three sisters and their husbands from Canada RVing around the country. They were just finishing so their places were taken by a father and son from Kentucky, who happened to be on the same tour we were.

Around noon we met the shuttle by Mahay’s to be transferred over to the train depot. It was a different depot than the one we came into, and we were lucky to find a log to sit on while we waited. No cushy shelters with benches like in Denali. After a while, the other shuttles from the lodge showed up and things got pretty busy and crowded.  The train finally came in, and there were no Princess or Holland America cars; just the Alaska railroad cars.  While they had the observation cars with the glass overhead, they were not as nice as the Princess car.  The seats were assigned, not just the tables as it had been coming from Denali. The lavatories were not nearly as nice either. 

Wetlands near Anchorage.

The scenery got exciting once we were past Anchorage, there were some incredible hanging glaciers in Turnagain Arm. I wish I had taken some photos, but we were too busy talking to our tablemates - they were great. After a long tunnel through the mountain at the end of the Arm, we came out the other side to find ourselves in Whittier.  It’s the strangest town I’ve ever seen; all the residents live in one building!

We had completed all our boarding documents and received our Seapass on the train, so we figured it would take no time at all to board the ship.  Wrong! It took forever for all the train passengers to go through security.  After about 45 minutes we finally stepped on board the Island Princess.  We had splurged on a mini-suite, cabin B416, which is mid-ship, port side, with a balcony on the corner so we had an unobstructed view forward.  It is a great cabin.  I think the bathroom was a little larger than a regular balcony, and we had a larger living area, which was nice.  The sofa could have easily accommodated 4 people, and there was a chair as well.  We had two TVs, one facing the bed and one facing the sofa.

Our cabin from the entryway

Our cabin from the balcony (I'm one of those crazy people
that takes a lot of photos of our cabin, in case anyone
else has booked a similar cabin).

We splurged on a mini-suite for the corner balcony,
but we loved the extra space.

While I’m thinking about it…amenities.  In the lodges, we had soap, shampoo and conditioner, that was it. There were hair dryers in the rooms.  On the ship we had soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion.  They did not supply cotton balls, swabs, etc. There is a hair dryer attached to the wall of the cabin.

The bathroom sink and vanity

The shower/tub combo, it was tiny
and the curtain was always blowing
in. I prefer the circular sliding doors.

Food – we had dinner in the Horizon Court the first night and were not impressed.  We found meals in the dining room to be far superior. We had breakfast in the Bordeaux dining room one morning and it was fine. We had lunch in the Bordeaux on Glacier Bay day, and it was very good. We had anytime seating in the Bordeaux and really liked it.  On most evenings we spent so much time talking with our tablemates that we missed the entertainment.  We determined to see a show on our next to last night and were underwhelmed with the comedian, Scott Wyler.

All in all, we were really pleased and surprised with Princess.  Their service was really good, and the food, other than the Horizon Court, was comparable to Celebrity or Holland America.  I would be happy to take another Princess cruise.

Up next - Hubbard Glacier