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North America » United States » Alaska » Anchorage November 20th 2023

We managed to find a cheap $700 Alaska cruise deal so fit in an extra summer vacation this year. The cruise only went one way so we used Aeroplan points to fly up to Anchorage Alaska. We got there a day early which gave us time to look around town and get a special bus out to Whittier with a bonus stop – the Alaska Wildlife Park. But to back up a bit, we had a short 3 hour flight to Anchorage, Alaska. We stayed at a cheap hotel, Ingra House with creaky beds, a separate washroom and tons of security – oh well. We walked into town down 6th street, past the cemetery, the Sheraton, the museum, the mall and made it to Resolution Park (which was under construction). We followed a trail ... read more
Looking out over Turnagain Arm
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Portage Glacier

North America » United States » Alaska » Sitka October 16th 2023

After sailing out of Vancouver we cruised up the Inside Passage. This is such a delight because it’s in protected waters and there is an abundance of sea life, bird life and beautiful scenery along the way. Happily for us the weather was dry and quite balmy the whole first week of our cruise. In Ketchikan, our first port, we escorted our group on a Distinctive Voyages land tour. We were fortunate with the timing because the salmon were running. We saw thousands and thousands of salmon making their way up rivers and creeks in order to spawn. It was mesmerizing to watch their determination to hop up the swim ladders and over the rocks and rapids to reach their final destination. We visited the Saxman Tlingit Native Village and learned about their history and the ... read more
CRUISING THE LOVELY INSIDE PASSAGE
DOCKSIDE IN KETCHIKAN
KNOW YOUR SALMON

North America » United States » Alaska » Ketchikan October 12th 2023

This summer I spent four month in South East Alaska. While working on a cruise ship I had the chance to explore the beautiful Alaskan coast and even was able to explore a few of the towns we docked at. In my free time I went on quite a few hikes, but also was lucky enough to jump on a few excursions to see some of the beautiful landscape and wildlife that Alaska provides. While I managed to see quite a few whales and eagles, within the time spent up here, I had not been able to spot any bears within the last four month, so I was more than excited when our excursion team offered me to join one of bear viewing tours on the last week of our Alaska season. Of course it is ... read more
Black Bear
Salmon catching

North America » United States » Alaska » Skagway August 18th 2023

The fabled White Pass & Yukon Railway was built from Skagway, Alaska, to Carcross, Yukon Territory, between 1898 and 1900. It was the height of the Yukon Gold Rush. The narrow gauge 3-foot railway has been in operation since then. The railway paid for itself in its first years of operation by taking gold prospectors and their equipment to Lake Bennett in Canada. Later, it was extended to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Today, it relies on sightseers for the bulk of its revenue, and a ride on the WP&Y scenic route is always a favorite excursion for visitors to Skagway. A morning excursion train, booked through Carnival, was our first choice to begin our visit to Skagway. Carnival Spirit docked at Skagway on Friday morning. The White Pass & Yukon excursion train backed right down to the ... read more
AB Mountain
Skagway River
Coast Range

North America » United States » Alaska » Inside Passage August 17th 2023

Thursday morning, we found ourselves in Alaskan waters, navigating Chatham Strait, a part of the Inside Passage. The fog had lifted, and the landscapes of Baranoff Island and Kuiu Island were visible on both sides of the ship. A rainbow even appeared to mark our journey through the Inside Passage! Carnival Pride continued along the Inside Passage, rounding Kuiu Island via Frederick Sound to enter the Stephens Passage. The ship sailed the Stephens Passage, reaching Holkham Bay and the entrance to Tracy Arm fjord at Noon. Louise Riofrio presented another morning lecture, this one on Alaska's Glaciers, Volcanoes, and Wildlife. She discussed the Sawyer Glacier at the end of Tracy Arm, which we would be seeing in the afternoon, and Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau. Her favorite topic was whale watching. She described the migration of the ... read more
Kuiu Island  and the Chatham Strait
Rainbow Over the Chatham Strait
Rainbow Over the Chatham Strait

North America » United States » Alaska » Juneau » Tracy Arm August 17th 2023

Carnival Pride sailed up Stephens Passage and reached Holkham Bay, the entrance to Tracy Arm, fjord at noon. The ship continued up the fjord until Sawyer Island, where the fjord divides into North and South fjords. Susan and I had booked a small boat tour that took us up Tracy Arm, providing us with an up-close view of the fjord and its natural features. Then, it continued right up to the face of Sawyer Glacier, where the ship could not navigate. On board, naturalist Mariann described the geology and natural features of the fjord and Sawyer Glacier as we made our way along the waterway. Tracy Arm Fjord is similar to the fjords of Norway or Iceland, except for the complete absence of pine forests in Iceland. During the tour, we saw numerous waterfalls, some small ... read more
Holkham Bay
Iceberg
Tracy, Arm Fjord

North America » United States » Alaska » Inside Passage August 16th 2023

Wednesday was a “Fun Day at Sea.“ It was foggy or overcast the entire day as we sailed up the coast of British Columbia and then entered Alaskan waters late in the evening. The ship’s foghorn sounded, and there was little to be seen off to starboard. Given that this was a sea day, there were many activities to attend on board. A Port Shopping presentation and a Skagway port presentation were given by the shopping host. But, most interesting was the “North to Alaska” presentation given by resident naturalist Louise Riofrio. She discussed what we would see in terms of whales, fjords, and glaciers. She also discussed the Alaska indigenous peoples. New theories about their origin hold that they did not come by a land bridge from Siberia but arrived from Asia by watercraft. Further, ... read more
Towel Animal
Shopping Expert
80s Pop to the Max

North America » United States » Alaska August 2nd 2023

The RV park we stayed at was actually west of Glennallen. The road to and through Glennallen was pretty rough with all the frost heaves. It was like riding a kiddie roller coaster. It wasn't until well after Glennallen that the highway evened out enough to cruise along at 45 or 50 mph. Sadly, the thrill of the speed was short-lived and we were back to the lumpy, bumpy, pitted surface we'd grown accustomed to these past three weeks. There was even a short stretch of road construction we had to follow a pilot truck through as it wove its way between and around the big machinery. There wasn't much to look at until we were more than two hours into our drive. A few peaks of the Alaska Range then the range itself came into ... read more
Lynx - Look at Those Massive Paws!
Summer is Coming to a Close

North America » United States » Alaska August 1st 2023

Today was a rest and recover day before we pack up and head to Tok tomorrow. No plan meant I could be lazy and stay in bed until Mike became annoying with his pestering for me to get up. Later in the morning we went grocery shopping. We were out of ice cream and that just couldn't be allowed to happen. Oh, and we needed some other things like bread and bananas. We made our way up and down the aisles gathering the items on our list: bread, bananas, granola, yogurt and ice cream. We pulled up to the ice cream cooler to make our selection and my eyes bulged and my jaw dropped when I saw the price for a half gallon carton. Tillamook and Dryers were both $12.39. For a half gallon! Holy cow!! ... read more
Fisherman Mike
Hail Bigger Than Tree Pieces
Hail Pinging Everywhere

North America » United States » Alaska July 31st 2023

Up at 5:30 so we could leave by 6:15. We have to meet our shuttle at 7:00 at the Visitor Center in town. Even Charlie thought it was too early. I finished getting everything together and ready then made some oatmeal for breakfast. I shouldn't have tried to do that at that time of the morning. I ran out of milk the other day (should have listened to Mike the last time we were at a grocery store) so I couldn't make my overnight oats. I looked at the container for directions and saw a microwave option. I put the water, oats and a pinch of salt in a microwave safe bowl, put a big cover over it so if I made a mess it wouldn't be all over the inside of the microwave. The directions ... read more
Where Did the Kid Go?
Kuskulana Bridge
A Long Way Down




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