Alaskan Impressions

We are spending our last day in Alaska and are heading off to the Native Alaskan Center with a light rain falling. This has been a wonderful trip, recommended for everyone's "Bucket List".  The beauty of this vast land is a unique national treasure with many contrasts: Pristine beauty, vast scenery, natural resources, harsh climate and a hard life that the locals seem to embrace. The following are some favorite images before we  head home.

Denali Wilderness & Wildlife Tour

Up at 5AM, board the bus and off on the Denali 90 mile road into the park. Denali is an immense National Park with spruce forrest, glacial rivers and plains filled with berry bushes to delight the Grizzlies. We were able to see Caribou (Reindeer to our Scandinavian friends), several Grizzlies, (though off in the distance) and a cute clutch of Ptarmigans, Alaska's state bird.  We were able to see a rare site of a Grizzly mom with three cubs. Usually mom only produces two. The trip made for a long day with beautiful vistas and the anticipation of seeing wildlife around the next bend. Our guide did not disappoint however we are happy to be back in our rooms, resting before the dinner theatre tonight. We had an overcast day which is common for this time of year. Our guide informed us we were lucky to see Mt Denali yesterday as it appears through the clouds only about 20% of the time.

Into the Wilderness on the Alaskan Denali Railroad

Today we disembarked our ship and headed to the rail portion of our trip. We boarded the luxury accommodations of the Alaskan railroad and experienced first class treatment as we spent the next 9 hours heading into the wilderness. The pristine scenery unfolded as we crossed glacial rivers, and through birch and black spruce forests. As we approached Denali National park and  the newly renamed Denali mountain, we were treated to spectacular views before the clouds engulfed the mountain. Our guide told us this was a special day as the weather was perfect for viewing. Julie enjoyed the comforts of our coach while I retreated throughout the day to the open section of the car for lots of photos.  

An awe inspiring day in Glacier Bay Alaska

“Awesome” has become an overused adjective for many things which are not. Today we spent the entire day cruising the Glacier Bay National Park. The sights and sounds were truly Awesome and Awe inspiring. We were treated to mountain vistas, ancient glaciers, iceberg fields, calving ice slides, humpback whale, seals and even little sea otters. We feel truly blessed to have experienced this day. I regret that slow satellite internet service does not allow me to share more pictures. 

Juneau, Skagway and the Inner Passage

Juneau, Skagway and the Inner Passage

Days are flying by as they are filled with new and interesting activities. The scenery is drop dead gorgeous and we are learning so much about the hard life of the Gold Rush days.  Tuesday consisted of a visit to the Capital Juneau while taking in the Salmon hatchery, a beautiful mountain garden and a two mile hike to the Mendenhall Glacier.  Back on board ship for a gentle cruise to the gold rush city of Skagway. After a morning walk into the town Julie and I boarded a narrow gauge train for a three hour ride up and down the beautiful mountain pass following the trail of the prospectors heading for the Yukon. We learned how more men came to the Klondike with dreams of riches than ever attained them. Most money was made servicing and scamming the unwitting prospectors. Many pictures to share however so little internet service - so here’s a few:

Our First Alaskan Port of Call - Ketchikan

Monday - July 11,

After setting our clocks back one hour we awoke early to watch the wilderness pass by as we head to our first port in Alaska, Ketchikan.We are traveling the inner passage which even with the threading sky’s is a beautiful emersion into the Alaskan Wilderness.  Ketchikan is the seventh largest city in Alaska with a whopping population of 8,142. The Salmon capital of Alaska, the town takes pride in a salmon packing plant, a fishing culture to support the plant, a park with the largest number of totem poles in Alaska and a true rain forrest environment . It rains in Ketchikan over 300 days per year. The townspeople count the total rain fall in feet, not inches. Julie and I took the rainforest hiking tour which turned out to be a delight. Our darling student guide gave us an interesting tour of the forrest and the local river which was filled with bald eagles awaiting the spawning salmon. Our day in town ended with a return to the ship for a wine tasting party and an early return to the cabin for a welcome sleep. The following is a sampling of todays adventure. 

We begin our Adventure in the North Pacific - Victoria British Columbia - Day 1

Alaska and the Pacific Northwest have long been on Julie's and my bucket-list of destinations. So with our friends Peter and Diana we headed off from Richmond Virginia to Vancouver British Columbia to begin our adventure. First destination the beautiful Victoria Island. A beautiful Ferry ride took us from Vancouver to Victoria. At the Island we were able to tour the world famous Butchart Gardens and the riverfront at Victoria. The weather was threatening all day but we thankfully avoided the rain; a bit reminiscent of our English travels. The following is a selection of pictures of the day. Thanks for joining us.