Blogs from Haines, Alaska, United States, North America
July 31st 2011
Sunday, July 31st 8am ferry to Haines. The only other time we travelled with our car in a ferry was in Washington. From Bremmerton to Seattle. So, it was interesting to see cars from different states(US..some as far as Arizona) & other provinces(Ontario was popular, I noticed). It was the first time for S to be on any vessel in ocean waters(though typically, you don't get to the ocean between Skagway-Haines). It was a very short 40 min or so cruise & the ferry had a movie theatre that played some Alaska movie. When I have more time, maybe I should watch it. Mainland Alaska memories seem so long ago. The ferry had a neat dining area that served decent food. We spent most of our ferry time there as S had more space to run/see ... read more
Haines, Alaska, au naturel...
Published: July 9th 2011North America » United States » Alaska » Haines
July 8th 2011
Haines, Alaska, 8 juillet C'est au petit matin et dans un brume épaisse que je traversai hier le fjord depuis Skagway en direction de Haines. Comme le décor de l'Inside Passage, cette voie maritime de plus de 1500 kilomètres reliant la Colombie-Britannique et l'Alaska entre plusieurs milliers d'îles, se faisait discret derrière les rideaux vaporeux, je profitai d'un piano esseulé sur le ferry pour me dégourdir les doigts un brin, au grand plaisir de quelques passagers. Une fois arrivé, une fois la brume dissipée, le charme opéra immédiatement... Quel décor magnifique! Ici, c'est la nature qui domine et la petite bourgade s'y incruste avec modestie. Après une rapide exploration des lieux, après une première trempette dans le Pacifique (pas si froid, mais vive le wet suit!), je préparai déjà ma journée d'aujourd'hui. L'ascensio... read more
July 4th 2011
We decided to “do” the walking tour of Haines Sunday morning, but the wind was howling and it was cold. The buildings weren’t open until afternoon, so back home we went to catch up on blogs and photos. Cooked a nice steak for lunch, added some broccoli and a caprese salad. As we were sitting at the Johnsons for happy hour, out the front window, a gorgeous rainbow appeared. Soon, a couple eagles flew into the picture and we watched them as they scanned the water for food. Later, the cruise ships meandered down the canal towards Juneau. All the while, the clouds and the mountains keep changing patterns; it is mesmerizing as the white clouds sit atop the mountains like puffy mounds of whipped cream, then move on and turn gray and ominous as they ... read more
North to Alaska - we made it!
Published: July 4th 2011North America » United States » Alaska » Haines
July 1st 2011
Twenty days on the road and we made it to Alaska! It was a wonderful feeling to get to the border and be greeted by a US Customs agent and a Welcome to Alaska sign! The brochures and books that said the Haines Highway is by far the most scenic byway in the world were not wrong. Around every turn, a new vista that was more beautiful than the last. As we passed over the summit (only 3500 ft), there was snow at road level. Coming into Haines, we saw a juvenile bald eagle. Had it been November or December, there would have been so many more eagles, probably around 4,000 lining the shores of the Chilkat River, waiting for the salmon. One highlight of Haines is the 48,000-acre Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. As we entered ... read more
July 1st 2011
Most cruise ships dock in Skagway rather than Haines. Both are located near Glacier National Park on the Chilkoot Inlet, off the Lynn Canal. Skagway is known for its shopping and has turned into a tourist town. I can’t tell you what it looks like because we docked at Haines, which is located a little down the fjord from Skagway. There was bus transportation for anyone who just had to shop in Skagway. Cruise ships are welcome in Skagway and the tourist who pour into the shops. The people of Haines are 50/50 in how they feel about cruise ships. One year they allow only a few cruise ships and only one at a time in the port. The next year they complain because they didn’t make any money, so they welcome the cruise ships. Then ... read more
Southeast Alaska, Part 1 (Whittier to Haines) - Ferry Voyage across Prince William Sound, then back on the road
Published: August 4th 2010North America » United States » Alaska » Haines
June 17th 2010
17th to 23rd June, By Darryl: DAY 66: Thursday 17th June 2010 -VALDEZ It was to be our first ferry boat voyage today on the Alaska Marine Highway, so we were up early to make sure we arrived at Whittier in plenty of time. The boys were quite excited about the prospect and amazingly they all lept out of bed without the usual struggle. No more bears were sighted around the cabins this morning, but we were too busy to take much notice. We packed up quickly and passed on breakfast, keen to get to the Whittier Tunnel - and arrived there at 9:20. The one way tunnel works in shifts of 15 minutes alternating between traffic and the trains, each way. It’s a long narrow tunnel, and an impressive feat for construction around WW2 times. ... read more
A Fun Picto-version about SE Alaska
Published: December 1st 2009North America » United States » Alaska » Haines
July 31st 2009
We headed out of Juneau on the slow boat ferry to Haines. Can I just say this was....by far the best 4 hours in Alaska! Party of 5 on the top deck enjoying not only beautiful sunny weather, but warm weather, delicious margaritas and so much seafood...it was friggin' sweet! Haines was totally awesome and I can see why people never leave. It was packed full with writers, painters, sculpters, musicians, I'm sure there are some drifters n droolers and then me. I met this dude who has a cute little co-op gallery in the woods, and he lives across the bay and drives his canoe to work. Before I left for AK, everyone who had been used adjectives like majestic, tranquil, breathtaking, mesmerizing, yada yada. Yes, it was those things only because that's the closest ... read more
Day 16 & 17 (July 13-14, 2008) Beaver Creek, YT to Haines, AK
Published: July 16th 2008North America » United States » Alaska » Haines
July 14th 2008
Day 16-17 (July 13-14, 2008) Beaver Creek, YT to Haines, AK Good morning/afternoon wherever you are.... In this blog I will combine two days of travel…Sunday and Monday. I left Beaver Creek, YT on July 13 bound for Haines, AK. The Beaver Creek campground has this pesky raven that was hawking all evening and then all morning. I don’t know what his problem was but as you know, they are scavengers and gouge on what tourists leave behind. And they are all over Canada and Alaska. Had a good ride back down the Alaska Highway. This particular section from Whitehorse to the Alaska border is probably the worst section of the road with lots of upheavals and gravel patches. If a person takes his time, you can make it through this section without bottoming out your ... read more
July 17th 2007
Tuesday July 17, 2007 It was drizzling this morning, but nothing like the downpour yesterday. We decided to spend another night at this location, it really is pretty and peaceful. We changed sites and moved next to the lake. You can actually see the pink salmon jumping every so often. In the morning, we looked for birds around the campground and river, but didn’t see anything. Took a drive to town. The tide was out and Frank decided to go out on the flats and check out some birds with the spotting scope. Later in the day we discovered the eye lens of the scope had dropped out somewhere. . . By the time we realized it, the tide was up, so I guess it’s swimming with the fishes now. Can’t use the scope without ... read more
