Just returned from our Alaska trip
Sorry we weren't able to meet any of our TF friends while there but as we typically had 10 or 11 on our boat and lots of plans as a group it was the one pleasure we just had to forego. We actually had a total of 14 people with some flying in or out. Plus our schedule, as one would expect, changed often. However, we do want to share some of the things we saw and the highlights and our tribute to the beauty of Alaska.
As a prelude, we're warm weather people, live in Fort Lauderdale. Had never boated in the PNW even until May, had never even been to Washington state until last winter (yes did get snowfall on our first trip to Seattle). So in many ways Alaska is about as far opposite to our norm as one can get. Same was true of our guests. Other than our Alaskan pilot we used, all of us currently live in Fort Lauderdale. Only one of us had ever lived north of North Carolina.
So we experienced a world so new to us. Dolphins beside our boat we're use to. Whales around us not. Sea otters, sea lions, walruses, harbor seals, dall porpoises, all wonderful to experience. The wildlife was equally stunning. Most of it we had seen variations before but perhaps not the specific breed. Some we'd only seen in zoos. We're not bird watchers or experts but even those that looked similar to ones we were familiar with always seemed a bit larger. They say everything is bigger in Texas but we found that to be more true of Alaska.
This was the first time any of us had ever seen glaciers. We were certainly in awe of the first ones we saw, but still in awe of others. They didn't get old as each was a bit different. Some we saw from our boat, some from our tenders, some by float planes, and some from tours on other's boats that took us deeper and closer in some areas.
Total trip from leaving Vancouver to landing again in Port Angeles was 38 days. We covered 3650 nm in our boat, 280 engine hours. Also another 18 hours or so on other boats, 6 on a float plane, and 18 in each of our tenders as we always took both out. We docked in 11 towns, also spent time in Glacier Bay and anchored five nights. Our Captains also took advantage of the fishing opportunities and went our 5 times while we did other things.
We love viewing the beauty, seeing museums and learning the history, and finding local art (and buying way too much of it but we only keep a little and the rest goes to a store we have so South Floridians get to share the beauty we find on our trips). Mainly we love to show love to the local artists and encourage them to continue in their craft of beauty.
Now we're not swayed to want to move to Alaska. While lots of hours of sunlight is nice, don't think we'd do well with the opposite and we have missed warm weather. But certainly we gained an understanding of what those of you who live there see. We also will say that people were extremely friendly wherever we went. Don't yet have words to describe the uniqueness of the Alaskan people but there is something special there.
Now while the sea life, wildlife, and natural beauty were the highlights of the trip, a few of the wonderful things we saw or places we visited.
Ketchikan
The Totem Heritage Center is beautiful. We were a bit envious of those who get to take their Native Arts Classes although I have no artistic skill personally. For the first time in our lives we gained an understanding of totem poles. Not just some poles with drawings but the culture and the history. We're glad they are being preserved. While the Tongass Historical Museum is small it is beautiful. We found the story of the first people and the history of Ketchikan as depicted there to be fascinating. We did find a few hand crafted pieces at a local gallery that we could treasure as remembrances of our trip and share with others. We loved just walking Creek Street in Ketchikan. Such retained beauty. We fell victim to Norman Jackson's and ended up with a carving. At Alaska Eagle Arts my wife couldn't resist a couple of pendants and somehow we ended up with four serigraphs, Summer Journey, Family Reunion, Journey's End and Golden Messenger. and we loved our stroll through Sam McGee's Warehouse. We did stop at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center and we had dinner at Annabelle's Keg and Chowder House one night. One advantage of a large traveling party is sampling of many different foods. We enjoyed their Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, Halibut, Cod, Salmon, Prawns and Scallops but the highlight was clearly their King Crab. We even took a huge take out order of it to the boat the next night and had a feast. We didn't sample desserts as we'd just have another bite of seafood instead. Lot's of sharing and sampling.
Then the Float Plane to Misty Fjords. You see the spirit of the Doyon's family business. What a way to experience our first Fjords. This was just a beautiful peek into what was to come as we moved further north. As much as we love seeing things by water the air view sure gives a beautiful perspective.
Wrangell
We started our exploring with the Wrangell Museum which gave us a good introduction plus tempted us with hand made items in the gift shop. But the Anan Bear and Wildlife Observatory was the highlight of our time there. Just seeing the bears in that habitat was incredible. Then we visited the Petroglyph beach. To see the preserved carvings in the rocks was amazing. We're use to just sand on our beaches.
Petersburg
We spent a full day exploring Petersburg area by tender. Up Petersburg Creek, down the narrows, just taking in the beauty of the Tongass National Forest from a very close water view. We had to refuel both tenders a couple of times during the day. Had a blast. Very pleasant day doing a lot of nothing but just absorbing the feel of where we were.
Juneau
We were disappointed that the Alaska State Museum is closed and I'm sure it will be great when it reopens. The Arts and Culture center was nice and saw some very nice local work. The Juneau Douglas City Museum was extremely interesting in exposing us to history we had no idea of from the Japanese resettlement to their history of mining, gold, hydropower, seeing what an Assay Lab looks like and much more. We loved the Last Chance Mining Museum. To us before the trip the Gold Rush was just a term but this made it a bit more real and alive. We visited the Macauley Salmon Hatchery as well. Just the magnitude of the amount of salmon they hatch astonished us and seeing it in person. Can't say a hatchery was tops on our must see list but glad we took the time to see it. We also saw St. Nicholas Church. Beautiful and very interesting history.
The highlight was still Tracy Arm Fjord and Sawyer Glacier. The emerald green water was beautiful. The bears, goats, seals, eagles, other big birds whose names I don't remember, and of course the whales that seemed to be everywhere we went. The mile high rocks. Beautiful sight.
As an aside the only disappointment in Alaska was we were a bit surprised by the water and it being rather polluted and dirty. Looking up at the water coming over the falls made us think of that more vividly. I guess somehow we had the misconception of the beautiful wilderness less disturbed and more pure. Having the risks of fish unsafe to eat or other impact is a bit scary. I just hope things are kept from worsening and turned around a bit for the sake of all the people there.
Glacier Park
Well, we anchored near, checked in at Bartlett Cove when they opened and thoroughly enjoyed the long day, then anchored not too far outside to resume our trip the next day. We felt so privileged to be able to share such beauty. It was such an awakening day. Our eyes were wide open all day. It might have been a bit cool but we spent the day on the decks just absorbing it all. We even brought our food outside to eat. It was as if we were all afraid we'd miss something. All day using the bridge helm. No way to truly describe how blessed we felt on that day with the chance to see it and all in our lives. To share it with such close friends. Maybe the most wide eyed was our friend's mother who flew in from Spain to join us. She's traveled the world, on yachts from 200-400' with the wealthiest of families, and the experience of Glacier Bay with her daughter and us was part of one of the most wonderful experiences of her life.
Skagway
You're afraid after Glacier Bay that everything will be anti-climatic but Skagway quickly got our juices flowing again. It started with the Klondike Gold Rush History Museum. Now we got an in depth look at it in an area it was huge. Of course we also loved the Red Onion Saloon Brothel Museum. It was such a fun escape and we'd never seen a brothel before. Some of the stories were so interesting whether true or not. We however didn't see the ghost, Lydia. We also went on a walking tour with one of the madams of the streets and back alleys. We enjoyed walking State Street and Broadway Street. Skagway had so much to see. We were able to pick up some native art. The carvings from Walrus bones are unbelievable as were the ivory carvings. We went a bit wild at Lynch and Kennedy. Fortunately we did get some discounts as dealers.
We enjoy the Trail of '98 Museum and even more the Days of '98 Show. This show is in its 91st Season. Soapy Smith is a con man. It is Vaudeville done Gold Rush style. It was hilarious and so entertaining. The Skagway Museum was enjoyable as well as was Corrington's Museum of Alaskan History. Of course, Corrington's also had to have a gift shop. Skagway was so much more than we expected. Time seemed too short. We did check out the Chilkoot Dining Room in the local hotel and it was excellent.
Haines
Haines was a very short stop but not without pleasure. The American Bald Eagle Foundation Museum was a great tour. The Bald Eagle was a symbol and a two dimensional drawing to us before the trip. Yes, occasionally a mass marketed statue of some sort. But this brought the eagle and it's habitat alive for us. The Kroschel Wildlife Museum was enthralling. This is a Kroschel Films project and there is a movie, "The Grounded" with a sequel about to premiere. From the wolf pups to the grizzly bears to the wolverines, all a great experience. Just a reminder too of how much beauty and excitement you can find everywhere you go. We've never visited any port that we didn't find something special. Last but not least was the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center. We enjoyed the Tlingit Cultural Displays and all the pioneer history displays along with the display of Fort Seward.
Valdez
Gulf of Mexico and Prince William Sound and then you find Valdez. We did have to explore the narrows by tender a few hours. The highlight was probably a cruise with Chugach Coastal Cruisers and the Columbia Glacier. We were educated on all the different types of whales although I must admit I've forgotten most of what I was taught but saw so many beautiful creatures. This glacier was so active and you just could see the tons of ice that flows down.
We went to our second hatchery, The Solomon Gulch Hatchery. We did get some smoked salmon to take back to the boat and actually found out we had two among us who like caviar so got some of it too. Personally, I don't see how or why anyone eats it. The Maxine and Jessy Whitney Museum is unique in that it's just basically the collections of the Whitneys. We found what they had picked up in their travels fascinating. Guess we're a bit like them in a way. We don't think of ourselves as collectors. But we do like to pick up things at various places we visit, especially if there is a story behind them. Something we can remember. It's like Apalachicola. We didn't think much about visiting there. But we did and met the artists in their studios. Heard why they created various works of art, what it meant to them. We also love that we're able to share some of these items with others. We visited the Valdez Museum on Egan and the one on Hazelet. While we think of history as old, we learned more of the Great Alaskan Earthquake and Tsunamis of 1964. Still before our time and we knew nothing about it before. The model and artifacts of Old Town, the exhibits on glaciers and mining were nice. Then the Alaska Native Gallery exhibit was intriguing. Learning different cultures always is to us.
Funny, you mention museums and many are immediately disinterested. But even the two 18 year olds on board (ok, they both turned 19 during the trip) found many of these museums fascinating. We did sample THC Off the Hook Bar and Grill.
Seward
The Alaska Sealife Center was a highlight. More than the exhibits was the work being done in research, rehabilitation and education. Conservation science is something we find most interesting. We visited the Seward Museum and the Chugach Heritage Center as well. Great local seafood at Chinooks.
From Seward we spent some time exploring Resurrection bay, then Aialak Bay, Harris Bay, Nuka Bay, and even Hook Inlet around to Kachermak Bay, anchoring for a night on our way to our next destination, Kodiak.
Kodiak
I'm always reminded by the many cruisers whose books I've read how much there is to see. One part I love is that they talk about visiting the most beautiful place, only to be followed by the next most beautiful. The best place truly is where you are at the moment. Both Fort Abercrombie and Shuyak Island State Park were beautiful. We loved the Kodiak Laboratory Aquarium and Touch Tank. In addition to crabs, seastars, and various fish it is a museum with many other invertebrates, a large number of which I'd never heard. We had a lot of tender fun around Kodiak exploring the harbor, nearby bays, and a couple of islands nearby.
There were two noteworthy museums. First was Alutiig Museum. Exploring the history and culture of the Alutiig people was very enjoyable for us. The Artists Gallery was the real winner to us though with the works of over 20 native artists. From weaving to skin sewing to boat building to jewelry to carvings, it was all outstanding. I guess it goes without saying we got very carried away in the museum store. But there is something so wonderful about seeing local artists work, it's uniqueness and beauty and letting them know how much we appreciate it, not just by complimenting but by buying it. Is art necessary? I don't know and won't debate it. But it sure does give pleasure and even more it often tells stories. I'm not so interested in some piece hanging in the Louvre as in what the local artist creates and knowing what they put into it. There were many great pieces of jewelry that were "must have's" for my wife and our friends. The Baranov Museum was also beautiful. It really brought home the closeness and ties between Russia and this area of Alaska. Seal skin currency printed in Russia in the early 1800's and a metal bust of Tsar Alexander brought to Alaska in 1804. For those seeking a kayak they had a 26' one on display, built in wood and covered with sea lion skin, built in the 1800's. A reminder too of geographically close countries growing apart as Russia and Alaska were pulled apart by politics and government. Living in South Florida, our example of that is of course Cuba. People forget the closeness that once existed. I'm always a bit skeptical when any restaurant puts "Great" in it's name but we did have a great meal at Henry's Great Alaskan Restaurant.
Sitka
Our trip from Kodiak to Sitka was actually in pretty tame conditions or at least we considered them relatively mild for the area. Now many here might think quite the opposite. Regardless, they were better than average. We enjoyed Sitka National Historic Park, including especially the Russian Bishop's House. A stroll in the rainforest was nice. Yes, after a few weeks in the PNW and Alaska a bit of rain hardly matters anymore. You always go prepared. There was a wonderful short video shown too tying the history of Sitka together.
The Alaska Raptor Center has 24 raptors on display. The Sheldon Jackson museum was great for having native artists demonstrations and displays. More skin covered boats and dugout canoes. Several different cultures explored. The Sitka Historical Museum was excellent and there was one staff person who was so energetic and excited to tell you about the artifacts and history of individuals we could have listened endlessly to her. We had to go to the Fortress of the Bear, a bear rescue center. Were able to get safely close to the bears. The Sitka Sound Science Center was another great visit. We enjoyed the aquarium and hatchery but also seeing the research they are doing there. If you hear a restaurant named Ludvig's Bistro do you have any idea what to expect. Well, they say "Rustic Mediterranean Fare." I'm not sure yet I know what that means. Their main courses included duck, lamb chops, rockfish, linguini, steak, paella, halibut, shrimp, and scallops. It was quite good but the name and description still throws me a bit.
Back to the lower 48
Now the trip outside from Sitka back to Washington wasn't always the most pleasant. Had it worsened we would have returned inland but we wanted to make the circle. 8' much of the way but certainly tolerable. Funny though that everyone warned about the Gulf of Alaska and it was much calmer than this. We hit the lower 48 after an incredible experience. We thank all of Alaska. Wish we could have visited with all you who live there. It's also a reminder of wherever you are how much beauty is near. Each port is different but each has a lot to offer. I know ours was more museum and history oriented than many would enjoy. However, we saw a lot of the outdoors. We remain so thankful for the experience. Now a day of relaxing before the excitement of Victoria and Vancouver, a much different world than the one we've just left.
Besides I have spent a career in safety sensitive jobs (random drug testing) so I couldnt indulge even if I was so inclined.
