In Alaska: August 26 – Sept 8.
It rained heavily every day in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. Seward, Homer, Cooper Landing, and Anchorage had a lighter and warmer rain. Skies were rainy and gray until the September Alaskan Sun filled the day in Anchorage.
It's important to dress warmly in layered clothing. Even if the day is warm, the temperature drops when you approach glaciers and the breeze on a ship can be gale force. I wore a medium weight rain jacket on most days. Cell phone reception was good in and near the cities but there was no signal at sea or in the wilderness.
A good digital camera and a pair of binoculars are vital. I was impressed with a Panasonic Lumix FZ5 with a 12X stabilized Leica Lens with 5 mega pixels that a fellow traveler had. He was able to pick out and enlarge a histogram with an unbelievable clarity. He had only shot the general area and could not see the intended target with his naked eye. He shot the area on the word of someone who merely said they could see an Alaska mountain goat through their binoculars. He said that if it was there, then he got it, which he certainly did. The image appeared as if he was standing just a few feet away.
Vancouver, BC. The flight from Seattle was in a Dash 8 Q-300. It was interesting to see the large prop crank up outside my window shaking the plane and filling it with loud prop noise. Seating is for 56 with crew of 3. Boarded Ryndam MS. Midsize, about 1300 passengers, 300 crew. I wondered why they spelled it Ryndam (Rhine-dam (the dam on the Rhine?)), rather then the Dutch spelling of Rjindam but never found an answer. Holland America passenger ships are named after major dams in The Netherlands and they refer to them as “The Dam Ships.” Their cargo ships are named after dikes (dijk). Are they referred to as “The Dike Ships?”. In any case the Ryndam was elegant with first class food and service. Of the cruise lines I've been on, the dam ships are now my favorite.
Ketchikan. BPOE 1429 (please read note ). Ketchikan is a beautiful small spread out town. We took a nice boat trip to an interesting restored cannery. The scenery was wonderful and there were many eagle sightings. Saxman Village has many totems. Do not miss interpretation of the totems. Totems were likened to news papers. Creek Street boardwalk is interesting and a nice walk, salmon can be seen in the creek.
Juneau. BPOE 420. This is an interesting island town Alaska's Capital city. Boat or plane is the only access. Mendenhall Glacier is near, so are the Gardens. Our 19 year old shuttle driver at the gardens told us that he married his mother. This was somewhat shocking until he explained that every Alaskan can perform one marriage, so his was to marry his mother to her groom. Even though his mother and step-father were honeymooning in Vegas and were thinking of moving there, he said he would never leave Juneau. I can understand the attraction. Red Dog Saloon is a must (try to go at cocktail hour when they have live music).
Skagway. BPOE 431. The White Pass & Yukon Route RR is what Skagway is all about. The route covers an area of straight up and down cliffs. If you are afraid of sheer drops, this is not the trip to take but nevertheless the history of this RR is not to be missed. We took a bus tour into the Yukon, and caught the train back from the Canadian Border. There are plans to continue the passenger rail trip into Carcross. From the RR station in Skagway it is a short walk across the intersection to the Red Onion Saloon for a well deserved drink. The Red Onion is fun with floosies to add historic color.
Seward. BPOE 1773. Disembarked the Holland American Ryndam in Seward (pronounced Sew-ard). The Ryndam was small and we got very close to a number of glaciers. (At one point I thought we were too close for comfort and was glad a big calving did not occur, but I surmised the Captain knew what he was doing, I hoped) In Seward we had hor d’overs and wine at Yoly’s Bistro. They had a trio playing there and I was satisfied to stay for dinner but we wanted to try the popular Rays. Rays was crowded, food was average. I would give Yolys an A+. It is uptown near the Sea Center. Rays would get a C- rating. Seward is the terminus for the Alaska RR to Anchorage and Fairbanks. The RR is State owned and makes a profit.
Soldotna. BPOE 2706. Soldotna is a picturesque and somewhat large town which is growing. We stopped at the Fred Meyers there. You could tell the tourists from the locals by what they were wearing. Locals were in shorts and t-shirts. Tourists wore heavy shirts and/or jackets.
Homer. BPOE 2127. We stayed out on the Spit where the furthermost western highway in the United States came to an end. I signed the Homer Elks Lodge register. A biker there took our picture. He said he bought his Harley in Bellemont, AZ. We ate at the Fat Olive, which was recommended, and found it excellent. We visited a winery which had a great view of a glacier. The gal that was running it was from Goleta, CA and we felt we had a lot in common with her until we found out she never visited a Santa Barbara winery. I could easier accept someone marrying their mother then think of someone running a winery that had lived in one of the most premier wine countries in the world and had not visited a winery there. Not to be missed: Salty Dawg Saloon, which is on the Spit. The bartender said there were35k in one dollar bills plastered on the walls. I wouldn't doubt if it was 3.5k. I wondered who put the first dollar bills up, when, and why.
Cooper Landing. (Kenai BPOE 2425) Stayed at a great lodge there, The Kenai Princess. The surrounding cabins were spacious and well appointed. The lodge used to be open year around (now only 4 months out of the year) but due to the snows few visitors could get in. The ones that did were treated to free standing fireplaces with adequate wood. We were told a bear had just started roaming the property.
Anchorage. The Glacier Brew House was recommended for dining and I can also recommend it. They take reservations and although the outside looked deserted the large indoor dining area was overflowing. We arrived with no reservations and waited it out at the bar. We talked to a father and son fishing team from Iowa. They said they landed 700 fish in a week, mostly salmon. I thought they were set for fish for a while but they said they caught and released all of them. The son said his hand was sore from all the reeling and showed us a few pictures of a bear that was interested in fishing the same stream they were fishing. The father said they had guns but that didn’t make them feel much more secure. Incidentally, Alaskans say there is no shortage of Salmon. If you want to make a fast enemy just tell them that you love farmed salmon.
Home: The flight from Anchorage to Seattle is 3+ hours. Seattle to Phoenix is -3 hours and we had a great view of Lake Tahoe.
Overnighted at the Tempe Sheridan, with transportation to/from airport and long term parking included.
I saw the sun rise over Alaska and set over Arizona.
I am looking forward to seeing more of Alaska.
Note: Bill is a member of BPOE: The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks of the USA. He tells us that "I was surprised to see how many local lodges there were in Alaska, although there was not one in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. I am a currently an officer at the Flagstaff Lodge. After having looked over the website should you think it is something you would be interested in then please contact me at BPOE499@aol.com. Thanks.
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