Alaska by Land and Sea

Alaska by Land
The end of May, turns out, is a very good time to visit Alaska. It is a little less costly and a lot less crowded. We decided to take a cruisetour with Princess Cruises. This tour package included seven days inland and seven days on the cruise ship. Although I do not usually enjoy tour packages this seemed like a good way to see a great deal in a relatively short time. We had a very long leg cramping flight from New Orleans to Fairbanks. If there is any criticism I can make about this trip it would certainly be the four flight connections that was arranged by Princess to get us to Fairbanks. When I attempted to change this to a reduced number of flight connections I was told they could not do it . The cost to me to make the changes was very expensive and of course if our flight did not make it to Fairbanks on time, Princess would not be responsible for any delays or missed connections with our tour. So we excepted the inevitable and took aspirin, wore support hose, had frequent leg massages and hoped we didn't get blood clots while we sat with numb legs and blurry eyes.
FAIRBANKS
Fairbanks, home to more Moose than people during winter months, was a big disappointment. I am certain Fairbanks is a lovely city. I just did not see it. It is drab, flat land with much of it having permafrost. You can tell the areas of permafrost by the size of the trees. Even 50 year old trees in the permafrost areas don't grow more than 3-4 feet in height.
Riverboat Discovery was our first excursion in Fairbanks. As the sternwheeler Discovery II navigated the narrow muddy Chena River we were surprised by the many riches which we saw. Along the way we were entertained by a pontooned plane that landed in the river just to east side of the boat and then took off, after the bush pilot explained the roll small planes and bush pilots played in the development of the Alaska wilderness and how they are still important today. A small Native American village ( Athabascan) was on the banks of the river and we were introduced to their culture by native Athabascans (www.accessgeneology.com/native/alaska). We departed the riverboat and had a guided tour of the village. This was a very interesting worthwhile part of the trip. Thatch roofed log cabins with animal hides dotted the landscape. One small hut was built on stilts to store food supplies that would be out of reach of most animals.
Further down the river was Susan Butcher's Iditarod sled dog team. From the river's bank a team member explained the process of training the dogs and what the Iditarod dog sled race is all about.
Any tour with the word "GOLD" don't bother. Unless you have kids this tour is not worth the money. At the "gold mine" you are given a demonstration of how to pan for gold. Amazingly the mine owner pulls out gold nuggets the size of my fist ( slight exaggeration). After you pan for gold , you can keep what you find. You are then escorted though the gift shop where you are enticed to enclose your panned gold, which they weight for free, in a see through locket for $49.95. About $2.00 worth of gold, I don't think so. Skip the tour and instead "pan" for loose change in the hotel's lobby sofa.
OFF TO DANALI
Leaving Fairbanks by train is when the real excitement of the trip begins. The train ride from Fairbanks to Denali National Park was approximately five hours. It isn't long after saying good bye to Fairbanks' last moose that the glass doomed train's 360 degree view allows for never ending mountain scenery ( www.greatlandofalaska.com/reference/ranges.html). With great luck we saw moose, caribou,and beaver lodges. The last car of the train is an open flat bed with hand rails . As I ventured onto it, I sensed the Alaskan wilderness with the cold air rushing over me and the sway of the tracks. Taking photos was a challenge. The rugged mountains led way to open meadows of wildflowers and stunted trees growing over permafrost. We made new friends on the train and sampled the food and a few adult beverages. Cooking on a train must be difficult. I have yet to have a decent meal on any train, anywhere in the world. Is it the swaying side to side? The cook can't quite get the ingredients in the pot? Don't know, but I would recommend you sneak on some snacks, skip the meal and drink allot. Finally to the train station at Danali where we are whisked off in the comfort of Princess buses to the very nice accommodations at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. The room is very nice but rather small. Will there try the pizza at the Denali pizza. Not bad and a very cozy atmosphere. The first afternoon I hiked up towards the entrance of Denali National Park. Taking photos along the way. River rafts were being plucked from the very steep overlook to my right as helicopters flew in to their base camp hidden between the mountains.
Travel into Danali is not very glamorous. Old school buses are the only means you are allowed to venture into the National Park. Fortunately the weather was mild since there is no AC/ or heat. Caribou dotted the landscape. Not in the large numbers I was expecting but it is still always exciting to see wildlife in their natural habitat. There were occasional Grouse and Dall Sheep. This side of the National Park is very rugged terrain and you can certainly appreciate how tough the first inhabitants of this area must have been. As we were standing at the end of the gravel road a native Athabaskan described life here for his ancestors. The clouds broke free of the mountain and Danali stood out as a white tower above the Alaskan Mountain Range. We felt so fortunate to see this since only a small number of visitors ever witness such clear days.
Talkeetna and McKinley Wilderness Lodge.
Back on the train. Don't forget you snacks because this is another 5 hour train ride. Once again you are mesmerized by the continued beauty of mountains with rugged peaks, mixed with snow capped peaks and then a line of coal ore pops from the side of a hill. We were still able to pick out Danali mountain. An amazing sight. I could not stop taking photos. It is a good thing it was a digital camera or the cost of film developing would have been more than the the cost of travel. Be certain to bring an extra memory card for the camera. Most people took 500-1000 photos during the trip. I also took along my lap top so I could down load photos and video each night. Then I deleted the redundant and or just down right bad photos. By the end of this train ride we were all getting a little tired of rail travel. Talkeetna is a small town that is the jump off point for those brave enough to climb Mount McKinley. Next was a quick 1 1/2 hour bus ride to the Mt. McKinley Wilderness Lodge. I slept the whole way so I can tell you much. But before we started on our way a group of train mates flagged down a bus that was going to the Glacier Landing Tour. Although this is a very expensive one hour flight everyone involved said it was the most exciting thing they had ever done. A small plane lands on top of the glacier at Mt. McKinley. You are able to get out of the plane, walk on the Glacier and even drink the melting ice if you dare. An unscheduled stop at the base camp for the climbers supplies made this particular flight even more exciting.
Mt. McKinley Wilderness Lodge gets 4 stars from me. The rooms have great decor and there were great views from most rooms. With a little rubbernecking we could see the major peaks of the Alaskan Range. Mt. McKinley was a bit mysterious the first night. Twenty-four hours a day the front desk will give you a call when McKinley peaks from behind the clouds. Sign up for this service. Only 10% of visitors ever see Mt McKinley without cloud cover. Getting up at 2:00 AM is worth it. With crud in my eyes and my shirt on backwards I took my trusted Z790 Kodak camera with 12x zoom, stepped out of the side door of the hotel and was jolted to full consciousness as the peak of McKinley was breaking through the clouds. I rushed to the wooden observation deck at the rear of the hotel. About 100 photos later I was back in my bed. Little did I no that as the sun came up later that morning that the skies would clear even more. When we awoke there was not a cloud in the sky. The views that entire next day were unbelievable. Even the workers at the hotel were surprised. Some days are just blessed. Mt.McKinley, pure white ,towers well above the rest of the Alaskan Range peaks. I was able to get some very exceptional close up photos which really showed the ruggedness of these mountains. Sorry Rockies, sorry Alps you are no longer the best that I have seen.

Back To Talkeetna
Another bus ride. It went by fast. However, the train we were to board at Talkeetna was late. Already we were not to arrive in Anchorage until 8:15 PM. Now were would have even less time in Anchorage. I was a bit disappointed. Fortunately the long day lite hours make Alaska open for business 24 hours a day this time of year. We arrived around 10:00 PM. Shops and restaurants were still going full throttle. While I held a table in the restaurant Susie finished making a purchase of art in the gallery next door. One painting for us and one for each of our kids. When we got home the kids didn't quite get the art work. But that's O.K. we had fun picking it out.
The next morning, after a quick stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, we were en route to Whittier. It was a misty day, there was still snow and ice on the ground and the small town of Whittier popped out of the mist as the quintessential Alaskan fishing village. White tents were our entrance way to the Sapphire Princess Ship.
SEE PART TWO..." Alaska By Sea"

Alaska by Land and Sea, Part 2

ALASKA BY SEA

Do it , Do it , Do it! Spend the extra money for the balcony cabin. It is the best way to cruise Alaska. It is a bit more expensive for the balcony so start saving your money now. Forget the six packs , skip a meal, sell the stamp collection. Do what it takes to pay the extra for a balcony cabin. Believe me when you are in Glacier Bay you will thank me.
I have to admit I hate standing in lines, so when I we arrived in Whitter (www.bellsalaska.com/alaska.htm) I was not looking forward to the usual slow boarding process of most cruises. To my surprise, I was right. I am not usually. Though they do make a valiant effort it is always too slow of a process for me. After standing in line for an hour we finally are ready to board when two overly chipper photographers want to take our photo. "Here buddy, flash on this!"
The Sapphire Princess is a grand ship. Impressive in all ways. Of course the first test of of cruise line is to test the food. So after checking out our"stateroom" we were off to the meal line. Most of the buffet food was good. There were a large number of Asian travelers and the food selections reflected this. The Sapphire Princess also had several restaurants, but I will talk about them later.
As I stated in part one, Whittier is a very picturesque. As you sail from port you have to think about the few people that stay behind each winter. The dozen or so who do stay behind face months of no sun light, no way in or out of town and extreme winter conditions. Do you think they ever watch the movie " The Shinning"? Even this day in May was cold and rainy. Most of the fishing boats were docked. The sea otters were the only fisherman out that day.
The first two days were scenic cruising. First College Fjord and then Glacier Bay. As we glided through the icy waters of College Fjord a National Parks Ranger echoed over the ships loud speaker system. He described the geographical history that created this unique water system. The sharp rugged mountain peaks stood above moving ice during the Ice Age while the rounded peaks were shaved off by the moving ice 10,000 years ago. It appeared that the bare rocky cliffs and snow packed mountains were within arms reach. When landmarks were described as five miles away it was hard to believe. We passed mountains of mountains and icebergs with harbor seals, sea gulls and eagles hitching rides. Through a narrow pass ( still miles wide) we could see Dall sheep, on the hill sides.
Glacier Bay


Day two. We woke up at 6:00 Am. This is when you appreciate the balcony cabin the most because all you have to do is open the curtains. You don't even have to get out of bed to witness truly one of the worlds greatest treasures, Glacier Bay National Park
(www.adventure-crew.com/parks/glacierbay.asp). Once the teeth were brushed and several layers of cloths were donned we ventured on to the balcony where I took another 300 or so photos. The views from the balcony were so great that we had breakfast and lunch in the room for fear of missing some fantastic sight. No photo or words can truly give honor to the panoramic views we saw that day. The multitude of up close encounters with glaciers was fantastic. Their blue ice, explosive sounds of ice cracking and the calving of ice walls as large sections crashed into the frigged water was surreal. What a whimsical day. As we traveled a Naturalist gave a lecture over the ships loud speakers. She described life growing up in this part of Alaska. Her father was a Bush Pilot. She explained the formation of glaciers and what caused that beautiful blue color. And not long after she described the various wildlife in the area we caught sight of three Grizzly bears just to our right. The three were foraging along an embankment 100 feet off of the waters edge. One was a light cinnamon in color the other two were dark brown. The scenic views continued the entire day.
That evening we had dinner in one of the ships showcase restaurants with new friends from Florida. As I sat in this elegant old world Italian restaurant I was trying to figure out how our meals were already included with the cruise , yet, here we were ready to pay for a meal just to be in a different dinning room. Yes, the food was good and the service was impeccable but so it was in the community dining room. My hat is off to the cruise line. We, and many others, paid double for our meal and didn't even complain. Well I did, but my wife stopped listening after the first five minutes. As for the food on the Sapphire Princess, you will certainly not go without on this cruise. I liked the buffet and the dining room food. After the first night we changed our dining arrangement from the 8:00 PM seating to anytime seating. This is a more relaxed way to have meals rather than having to fit into a pre-determined schedule. It's your vacation, do it the way you want.
Skagway
Day three we awoke to the the sound of train cars next to the dock. The White Pass Scenic Railroad was preparing for the day. Skagway is usually a drier area of Alaska but on this day there was a slight drizzle falling on the frontier-style store fronts. In 1898 there was a gold rush. Many of hardy soles made their way from Skagway to the Klondike. Few made their fortunes but many lost their lives trying.
We took a bus to the Yukon territory of Canada. The day was filled with unexpected sights. Going over the mountains through White pass was an experience all it's own. A forbidding place with the strong winds , snow and little else. As you come to the Canadian side it opens to a wide open tundra. Permafrost has stunted the growth of the vegetation. There was a slight haze and no wildlife was seen. It was as I expected from movies and TV. I was excited to be there.
Just as we thought this would be the scenery all day, things began to change. The sun was shinning and the ground was no longer covered in snow. To our surprise we drove into a desert.
Carcross Desert was formed from a sandy lake bed. Strong prevailing winds have stopped vegetation from taking root. It's name is a nick name for the town of Caribou Crossing. The small town of Caribou Crossing still appears as a rugged frontier town. Touristy shops line the main street. On the way back to the Alaska border we stopped at a small lake that looks like it belongs in the Caribbean islands. Dark blue water with coral green at it's edges. It was carved out by a glaciers thousands of years ago as so much of this part of the world was shaped.
Juneau
No roads lead to Juneau. Permafrost prevents any roads from being constructed into the capital city. This has not prevented Juneau from becoming a thriving metropolitan city
(http://www.traveljuneau.com/ ). When you are in Juneau do not miss seeing Mendenhall Glacier. You can get a very up close encounter with this 1.5 mile wide glacier. The glacier is large enough that it actually influences the weather around this part of Juneau. What we enjoyed most was whale watching. We went out on a boat at Gastineau Channel. Earlier that mourning a pod of Orcas had passed though. Although we missed them we did get to see six Humpback Whales. Two had calfs at their sides. Bring your own binoculars. The boat crew will provide a pair but the pair I was provide had so many scratches I couldn't tell whales from white caps. Luckily we brought our own. The captain also brought the boat to several sea lion rockeries. Fifty or sixty sea lions were lounging on the rocks and many more were in the water forming little islands of sea lions.
Shopping in Juneau? Sorry you are asking the wrong guy. Here's the deal, there have been actual studies showing that men who go shopping with their wives have a greater risk of heart attacks. I am only trying to save my life. Don't ask me about shopping.

Ketchikan
If you can, don't miss Ketchikan. The highlight for us was the Alaska Rain Forest Sanctuary. Yes, this entire area is actually a rain forest. Hiking the trails of this unique area revealed green dense forest with ferns and moss laden trees. The trees are noticeably taller than we had seen in other areas of the state. Many trees showed signs of bears sharpening their claws. This is home to a large population of Alaskan Black Bear which left there calling card of large amounts of bear scat ( poop) along the trails. Each trail guide kept a can of bear mase in hand just in case of a close encounter. Along the trail I caught sight of the Zip Line. It was promoted as
" Rain Forest Zipline, See the tree tops". Well after watching several people sliding upside down at a very high speed toward the ground, I do not believe they were actually seeing the top of the trees. There was probably some people "scat" below that Zipline.
The city of Ketchikan is a picturesque fishing village. It proudly states on it's city gate that it is the Salmon Capital of the World. The main street is a revitalized area of shops and restaurants that overlook a bay of fishing boats.

Long Day At Sea
As we left Ketchikan I was skeptical of the day to come. A dreaded day at sea. The weather was too cold for the ship's swimming pools to be open. Only a few dared to get into the outdoor hot tubs. So we ate and drank. Ate again and drank some more. There were still mountains with tips of snow at a distance and there was ice and water and more ice and more water and... well you get the picture . By this time I was getting a bit tired of ship life. Boring, boring, boring. Luckily I brought my lap top so I downloaded photos, savored the good ones and delete the bad . The night life on this particular cruise is hopping. Well actually "sock hopping". The most up to date music heard in the lounges was 1955. We watched as a group of senior citizens battled it out for the title of " Name That Old Singer". A fist fight almost broke out with competing tables as one man pushed ahead of an other man's wife to give an answer. Now I understand why they have AA meetings on ships.

Vancouver
Huge! Although I have been to Vancouver before I had not seen it from this vantage point. As the ship sailed into port we were entertained by the city's towering mass of buildings. Many were architecturally impressive. Most were very modern in design. The waterway was very active and many boats and ships were passing as they headed out. The cruise line offers additional nights stay in Vancouver. If you have the time it is a fun thing to do. Vancouver offers most of what any big city can with museums, history, shopping and fine dinning. It also has it's own unique flavor ( http://www.vancouver.com/ ).

SEE YOU ON THE ROAD!

New Orleans Home Town Visitor

New Orleans

Susie and I went to New Orleans last weekend to play tourist. Although we live outside the city it is still our home town and we want to support it as much as we can. As we traveled over Lake Pontchartrain brown pelicans sored on the updrafts from passing cars. The Lake was deep blue and it was still. Low clouds reflected from the Lakes surface and remained me how much the water quality had improved since Hurricane Katrina. Since the disaster of 2005, previously known as Katrina, much has been done in the French Quarter to improve its cleanliness. There was a noticeable change for the better. However, it is still sickening to me that after over 2 years there is still much more to be done. As a tourist, if you stay only in the French Quarter and the downtown business district, you will never see the underbelly of the disaster recovery that is still very evident in New Orleans East, 9Th Ward and LakeView areas.

BIG EASY PARKING AT FRENCH QUARTER
If you are driving, the most convenient place to park is at the river on Decatur just down from CAFE'Du Monde (http://www.mapquest.com/). It is just a short walk to everything that matters from there. Just watch out for the horse "poop".

WE LIVE TO EAT NOT EAT TO LIVE
While we were there we had lunch at the French Market Restaurant and Bar. This place has been in New Orleans since before I was born but it was the first time I have ever eaten there. Usually I try to stay away from the tourist spots. We sat at a small table facing the bar. A bar that had seen many tourist and locals knocking back beer on tap and raw oysters. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food. True south Louisiana cuisine at a reasonable price. The service was O.K. but what "T"S me off is when it is time to pay the bill and wait staff ask if I need any change. " Lady, I gave you a hundred, the bill was $35.00. What do you think?". When did such poor manners by wait staff start? The only thing that gets me more upset is when poorly trained staff are let loose on the unsuspecting public.
But let's get back to food. From the French Market Restaurant it is a short walk to Cafe Du Monde where you can get New Orleans beignets ( type of doughnut) and coffee. While sitting enjoying your beignets you will usually be entertained by nearby street musicians, or other street smart acts.
Another one of my favorite restaurants is MR. B's Bistro on Royal Street. It has great Barbecued Shrimp. It is a little messy to eat but worth it. And remember, don't refuse the bib. It cost me an extra $18.00 for dry cleaning the last time I was there.
There are some many great restaurants in New Orleans you may want to check out a list at http://www.nomenu.com/.

WHAT ELSE TO DO IN THE CRESCENT CITY
First let me say, don't try to out smart the street hustlers. Enjoy them for who they are but realize you gon'a be giving them money if you want to play their game. Best thing to do is ignore them.
It is worth a stroll around the French Quarter just to take in the architecture. Just a short walk from Cafe Du Monde is St. Louis Cathedral (http://www.stlouiscathedral.org/). A cathedral that is an active working church. It can take years to set a date for a wedding in the cathedral. Built in 1720 this Catholic church was the primary architectural feature of the city and some would argue still is.
I do not want to forget the Aquarium of the Americas (http://www.auduboninstitute.org/) which I believe is the best in the country ( yea, yea yea, I know Atlanta's is great but you will see animals here that are native to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast , several albino alligators for example). Also, there is an Imax theater next to the aquarium that has some really great short movies. You can check out the current movies at the Audubon Institute web site listed above.
Hope you will make the effort to visit our great city. Send me a question and I will be happy to answer.