Alaska, Haines and Whale Watching

Our first port of call was Haines. Some ships go a little further to Skagway, and some stop in Haines. From what I've heard, Skagway is a better port. Haines did not have much to offer. We did not have any excursions scheduled. Our main mission was to get some cold medicine.

From the pier, you can see Fort Seward which was built in 1904 so the Army could impose order on the mob of gold seekers heading to Alaska. Most of the buildings are now privately owned. There are a few signs explaining some of the history, but that's about it.

There was a totem pole building, but no one was around and there was no explanation as to why it was there.

A few blocks further is the small town of Haines. We found the local IGA grocery store and headed to the cold medicine aisle. It was obvious there were many sick people on the ship as the aisle was quite crowded. We were finally able to make our selection and hopefully get some relief.

Haines has a nice marina.

We had a nice view of our ship when we got to the end of the dock.

In Wisconsin we've seen an eagle fly over a few times, but we have never seen an eagle up close in the wild. I had been searching at all of our Alaska stops, and finally saw one in a tree in Haines. Little did I know, that I would be seeing many more!

As at all of our stops, the scenery was again gorgeous, although it was overcast most of the day.

Our second port of call was Juneau. Included in our tour package was a whale watching excursion. Our group boarded two boats and set out on a beautiful, sunny morning to see some whales.  It didn't take long before we had success. All of the whales we saw were humpbacks. On rare occasions, Orcas are seen, but we did not have such luck.

This is the other boat that was with our group. If a whale surfaces within 100 feet of a boat, the captain must turn off the engine and wait for the whale to go back down. We were able to spend several minutes watching this whale at a very close distance. The captain said this was the closest they'd been this season.

As you can see, the scenery was again amazing. On the way back to shore, we went past the Mendenhall Glacier.

It was an incredible day on the water in Juneau. In the next post, I'll tell you about the rest of our day in Juneau.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park

We left Seward on the Holland America Nordham ship at 8 pm Sunday. This was our first time on Holland America, and it was very laid back compared to other cruises we've been on. The ship just pulled out without any fanfare or party. Strange! Monday was an at sea day. It was cool and rainy, so we sat by a large window and watched the scenery.

I got sick on Sunday with a bad sore throat and cold, and Kevin got sick a few days later. The worst part was they had no cold medicine for sale in the shops. Many people were sick. In fact, a few days in they put a letter in everyone's room about the inordinate amount of people with respiratory illness on the ship. I guess all that hand sanitizer didn't help much.

On Tuesday we spent the whole day slowly cruising through Glacier Bay National Park. Park rangers actually came on board for the day. They do what they call a controlled collision where their small boat bumps up along the cruise ship, they throw down a rope ladder, and the rangers climb up. Wow! The rangers gave a talk in the main theater, and also commented throughout the day over the loudspeakers on deck. It was a good idea, but too hard to hear in many of the outside locations. Once again, it was cool and overcast with light rain at times.

The first glacier we saw was John Hopkins Glacier. The actual colors are much more vibrant.

Next up was Lamplugh Glacier.

Only two cruise ships per day are allowed in the bay. We passed this other Holland America ship.

At the end of the bay is Margerie Glacier. This is the big one that you see on travel sites. From what I'd seen on TV, I expected it to be bigger. It was big, as we were on the tenth deck of a ship, but I expected more somehow.

The captain stayed at this glacier for over an hour, doing a complete 360 degree turnaround so everyone could see. There were several times where pieces fell off, called calving, and I heard the rumble from that. Again, it wasn't what I expected based on what I'd seen on TV. It was hard to get any photos, but here is one where the ice just splashed into the water. See the brown splash at the bottom? There was a smaller tour boat closer to the glacier. It gives you a bit more perspective on the size.

Again, the colors were much more vivid in person.

There is another glacier at the end of the bay called Grand Pacific Glacier. It was covered with rocks and debris, so didn't look like much. It goes way back into Canada. Notice the chunks of ice floating in the water. There were pieces of ice like this all throughout the bay.

The scenery all day in Glacier Bay was again breathtaking. We saw several waterfalls.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Mount Rainier National Park

Yesterday we drove about 100 miles to Mount Rainier National Park. It was a beautiful, clear day when we started out from Seattle at 9 am. As we got south of Seattle, we began to see views of the mountain. I had heard on the news that Mount Rainier can be seen from Seattle on clear days. It was an amazing site!!

In April of 2010, we had flown to Seattle for a family vacation. We drove to Mount Rainier that week, but didn't realize it was still winter in the park. We only got about ten miles into the park to The National Park Inn. The road beyond was closed due to a tree coming down in the snow. In fact, the power went out while we were there.

Here is the view of the mountain we had on that trip. We really didn't see it due to the clouds and fog.

Here is the same location yesterday. Quite a difference. The mountain was actually in the clouds quite a bit yesterday as well. It is 14,410 feet tall, the tallest volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range, the most glaciated peak in the continental US, and creates its own weather. Luckily, the clouds broke up a few times to get a decent view.

We were able to drive up to the Paradise Visitor Center. It's about a 45 minute drive from the park entrance to get there. We watched the informative movie, and then took a hike up to Myrtle Falls behind the center.

At that point, the mountain was mostly in the clouds, but we were able to see some of it and some of the glaciers.

The waterfall was beautiful.

Here's a view from the trail in the opposite direction of Mount Rainier. There are several mountains on that side of the park that are also part of the Cascade Range. Beauty everywhere we looked.

What an amazing location for a visitor center.

The Avalanche Lilies were blooming all over the meadows. Other wildflowers bloom somewhat later in the summer. The lilies are the first to pop out through the snow.

Here's a picture from inside the visitor center of what it looks like when the flowers are in full bloom, and the mountain is completely visible.

On the drive back down, we stopped at Narada Falls. There is a trail that goes down about 400 feet to an overlook. Well worth the climb to see this. Notice the rainbow at the bottom. Beautiful!!!

We stopped at the Longmire Museum next to The National Park Inn. This area was developed in the early 1900s for visitors to come and enjoy the hot springs and to soak in the sulfur pools. Mount Rainier National Park was the fifth National Park developed in 1899. Roads were established in 1907, and this early gas station was built. The pumps are original.

I'm glad we took the time for a return visit to this amazing National park. While we were at Denali in Alaska, we purchased the National Park Senior Pass for $80. The price went up from $10 last year, just a few months before Kevin was eligible. Still a good deal, though as the entry yesterday for the day would have been $30 without the pass.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Alaska, Anchorage and Seward

We left Denali to travel to Anchorage via a domed rail car on the Alaska Railroad. It was an eight hour trip with a bartender and dining car to make it a very comfortable way to travel and admire the scenery.

All the way the scenery was amazing. There were eleven moose sightings as well as trumpeter swans and eagles. It was hard to get pictures, but I did manage to get this moose.

Here is some of the scenery along the way, mountains, rivers, lakes and beauty everywhere we looked.

We arrived at our very nice hotel in Anchorage late in the afternoon. Since it is light out so long, we were able to book a trolley tour at 7 pm. It was a nice overview of the city. After the tour, we wandered around the downtown area for a bit, and had dinner at a local microbrewery.

Flowers grow in amazing abundance all over Alaska. With the long days of sunshine, the flowers go crazy.

The next morning we boarded a coach bus for the scenic trip to Seward. The Seward Highway is one of the most scenic drives in the state. Unfortunately, it rained all the way, so it wasn't as scenic as hoped for.

That evening the rain stopped for a bit, and we were able to go on our scheduled dog sledding tour without getting too wet. The Seavey family has been raising sled dogs for four generations. The dad Mitch has won three Iditarod races, and his son Dallas has won four. They have about 200 dogs of which 14 will become race dogs. It is quite an operation with lots of hard work required.

In the summer, the dogs train by pulling tourists on wagons. As soon as the trainers began preparing the dogs for the ride, pandemonium broke out. The dogs were SOOO excited to run. They are Alaskan Huskies bred for this purpose, and they love it.

Once we returned, the dogs were ready for a rest. We were able to pet them.

We also had the opportunity to hold some puppies. So cute!! We enjoyed the tour, and learned a great deal about this sport. It sure takes a tremendous amount of dedication to participate.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!