Back on Dry Land

 An early start to the day meant that we were ready to disembark the ship at Whittier by 6.15 am and left the luxury of the ship behind as we boarded our train for the next part of our trip, the Princess land experience.

We boarded the train which was quite cramped with all of our carry on backpacks and while Peter and I had some space under our seats Cheryl and John did not which meant that they had stuff around their feet as well as John having to have his camera bag on the table the whole time. He didn't seem to mind as he used it as a head rest during the journey.

Each of the train carriages had their own crew consisting of a guide, a waiter and a cook for any of the snacks which required a bit of basic cooking. Our guide Ester was a 70 year old retired school principal and while she was very knowledgeable her commentary did get a bit much at times. As we left Whittier she explained about the port and that there only 220 people who love there and they all live in the one building which is a block of apartments up from the port. Whittier was used by the US army in WW2 where they constructed a military base named Camp Sullivan. It was inactive base until 1960 but once the army moved out the population declined.

On Good Friday 1964 Whittier suffered over $10 million worth of damage in a 9.2 magnitude earthquake. This caused tsunamis along the West coast of the US and the tsunami that hit Whittier reached a height of 13m and killed 13 people. As a result of that areas along the railway which Ester pointed out changed forever and a lot of the trees died due to the inundation of salt water.

Whittier is a popular disembarkation port for many cruise lines and with the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel through the Maynard Mountain it links the Seward Highway south of Anchorage with Whittier and is the longest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America.

As we go along on our journey Ester continues with her commentary about every little thing along the rail line which is great but after awhile it does start to get a bit much.

We arrive in Talkeetna which is where we will connect with the first of our land accommodations Mt McKinley Princess Lodge. When we left Whittier it was quite cold and windy but when we arrive in Talkeetna it is very warm. We drop off our backpacks and coats at one of the local businesses which must make  a killing every time one of the trains come as they charge $1 per bag to store them at the back of their store. It is great though as it means we don't have to carry a lot of stuff while looking around this quirky little town. We make our way to the pub for sme lunch and there are heaps of people around but it is only a short wait to get seated and have a yummy lunch before a short walk around the town. Now we were told it wouldn't take long to walk around town and they weren't wrong.

We make our way back to the shuttle stop to go back to our accommodation at the lodge which is an hour bus ride from town. When we arrive we dump our stuff and have a look around making our way to the back deck of the lodge to see a sight that only few people have - Denali or Mt McKinley!

We wanted to go for a walk along one of the trails which fan out from the lodge but unfortunately it was closed due to animal activity which most likely meant a moss was on the loose.

To fill our time here we decided to book a tour for the following day to Byers Lake.

A pub dinner and then bed after a long day of travelling.

Day 2

Our day started with a tour of Byers Lake with our tour guide Annie. We were a small group which was nice. Our first stop was at Denali South Lookout and we were fortunate to be able to see the mountain again from this viewpoint. The lookout also afforded a great look at one of the many braided rivers in the area.

We set off again and along the way we see a mother and baby moose by the roadside. Annie slows right down and they walk across the road in front of us. A very Northern Exposure moment.

We arrived at the lake and set off on one of the many trails. The lake is beautiful and it was a lovely morning for a walk. As we walk around Annie points out a cabin which is owned by the park but which people can rent for $60 a night. Think of camping but with a solid roof. Very rustic indeed.

As we go along the trail Annie points out a lot the plants that are edible and tells us some interesting things about what the native Athabascans used some of the plants for.

One of these is this fungi that grows on the side of trees (see above) and it is a shell shape and the Athabascans would use it to carry the coal of a fire from place to place so that when they arrived they would be able to start a fire when they arrived.

Further along the trail we come upon and original trappers cabin which was built in 1959 and abandoned in 1964 and is now being left to go back to nature.

The views across the lake we stunning and the day before was a clear blue hot day so Annie told us that a lot of people were at the lake with their kayak and canoes and also swimming. Some people even drive from Anchorage for the day her dad being one of them.

The water is way too cold fro me but we do pass a family whose kids were swimming.

After the walk we go back to the lodge and decide to go into Talkeetna for an early dinner as we are on the road again tomorrow. A nice dinner of fish tacos and a beer at the West Rib Pub and Cafe back on the 7.30pm shuttle, packing and then bed. yet another day done and dusted.

College Fjord

After a fabulous day at Glacier Bay, our next stop was College Fjord. This journey took us South West Alaska at Cape Hinchinbrook and then we altered our course to the North into Prince William Sound. We then followed a course into Port Wells and onto College Fjord arriving around 5pm.

Another amazing sight as we made our way down to the fjord. It contains five tidewater glaciers which means that the glaciers finish in water, five large valley glaciers and dozens of smaller glaciers. The glaciers are named after East Coast Colleges, women's colleges for the NW side and men's colleges for the SE side.

It was discovered in 1899 during the Harriman Expedition when the glaciers were also named. Not sure of the actual names but really who cares as they are just spectacular to look at.

We spent quite awhile cruising through until we came to the end and the captain spent 45 minutes at the face of the last glacier which we had a great view of from our balcony. He then turned the boat around for the starboard side passengers to get a look.

When the glaciers are calving which is when big chunks break off the sound is like a gunshot or thunder in the distance and you can hear it, so you just keep scanning the glacier to see where it might come away. I didn't manage to get a photograph of any of the calving but saw quite a few pieces come away both in Glacier Bay and here in College Fjord.

After spending quite awhile being amazed it was time for our final night on board and we spent some time in the Crooners Bar with our favourite waiter Rey and then off to dinner where the last night tradition is a Baked Alaska dessert parade with all the waiters weaving though the tables and all the patrons waving their serviettes in the air.

View from the Crooners Bar

Our favourite waiter Rey 

Off to bed to finish packing ready for an early morning disembarkation in Whittier and onto the land portion of our tour.

Glacier Bay

Peter, John and I started our day early to see our arrival in Glacier Bay. At 6.10am Star Princess embarked Glacier Bay National Park Rangers at the entrance to the park for our journey into Glacier Bay. I am glad for some of the information from our cruise ship log of our journey. We spent most of the morning admiring the view and taking photos. It was very cold and all the layers were required along with the beanie and gloves.

As we were arriving in Glacier Bay

Such beautiful views as we made our way into the bay. We passed Marble Islands which were the home for heaps of sea lions lounging on the rocks. Such a lovely sight to see the sea lions in their natural habitat.  

As we cruised up the bay there were some warming drinks to be had on board as the waiters walked around with a cart offering a variety of coffee with additives. I had a Nutty Irishman which was Frangelico, Irish Cream, coffee topped with whipped cream. It was very nice and warming and probably the only time I would have alcohol before 10 am in the morning. Peter also had an Irish Coffee which is very unlike him but he did say when on a cruise do as you want to. As we cruised it was unbelievable the vistas we were being treated to. 

The boat very safely navigated the icy waters to the John Hopkins Glacier. The glacier is 19 kilometres long and was the first glacier we came to. There are really no words to describe it as it was just magnificent. It was named after the John Hopkins University in 1893 by Harry Fielding Reid.

John Hopkins Glacier

Up close

It is amazing how you get so many different perspectives from the boat and when I was looking at photos of the glaciers I did think that i had the wrong one but it is just the angle from which the photos are taken.

As we continued to cruise the bay it was hard to draw ourselves away from the views. Not only the glacier but all the pieces of floating ice which littered the water. 

The next glacier was the Margerie Glacier. Margerie is 34 kilometres long and extends 34 kilometres upstream from Tarr Inlet and is 1.6 kilometres wide. Another spectacular sight. It is named after a a French geologist and geographer Emmanuel Margerie in 1913.

Margerie Glacier

Up close

The whole time we were there the rangers are pointing out wildlife when they see it. One such thing was an eagle which landed on an iceberg. I got a photo of it, not so sure about the quality but here it is. Another bird on a cold perch was the seagull which were everywhere. The eagle might look better with a bit of editing when we get home.

After spending more than 3 hours cursing the bay and being gobsmacked at the views the rangers disembarked and we made our way out of Glacier Bay.

We had lunch and I found Cheryl and we spent the afternoon relaxing around a couple of different spaces on board. The boys didn't know where we were but that was ok we enjoyed a couple of G&Ts before making our way back to our rooms to get ready for dinner at one of the speciality restaurants The Crown Grill, which again was very nice.

There isn't much more to say about a day that was fabulous except WOW!!

Skagway

The third port of call on the cruise was Skagway. The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the rock face across from where we were docked. Lots of references to ships which had been painted on the rock face. Later on in the day I also found some more reflecting one of the stores in the town.

Skagway sits atop the northernmost point of the Inside Passage in southeast Alaska. This made it the perfect starting point for gold miners hoping to strike it rich in the Yukon in 1896 when gold was discovered. The Klondike Gold rush only lasted a few years but while it was happening Skagway was a bustling boomtown.

In it’s heyday the small town boasted 80 bars, which included the Red Onion Saloon the town’s most famous brothel. The saloon still remains and we did try and go for a drink there but like the Red Dog Saloon in Juneau there was no room.  

The town is one that is very well preserved to the gold rush era with the wooden boardwalk which fronts the shops and the classic feel of a Klondike town like you would have seen in all those western movies some of us grew up with. At the height of the gold rush in 1898 The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway was built. It was built in only 26 months. This is one of the excursions you can do, riding the railway up The White Pass which looked great.

Our excursion for today was the Yukon Suspension Bridge and White Pass Summit tour. Our driver Milan picked us up from the dock and we set out for what was a bit of a disappointing day in some aspects. It was a day long tour and by the end of it I was glad to see it finished unfortunately. For this trip we had to have our passports as we would be crossing into Canada.

As we made our way up the Klondike Highway Milan gave us a commentary of what the area was about. We stopped at Pitchfork Falls for a photo opportunity and I managed to get a shot of the railway cars going across in front of the falls. Today was the coldest day we had had so far so we did need our winter coats as it was quite windy at each stop. 

Pitchfork Falls

As we drove up the highway at some stage (not quite sure exactly when) we passed through from Alaska back into Canada to experience the Yukon. The borders are very close and customs officers came on board to check that we were all ok to go on. No problems and we continued our journey.

The next stop was the Yukon Suspension Bridge which crossed the Tutshi River another fast flowing river as most seem to be in this part of the world. It was completed in 2006 so not an iconic attraction from the olden time. We all made our way across and there was lots of interpretive displays to tell the story of the area. It was quite windy out on the bridge but once on the other side the interpretation continued with a timeline of the development of the area and what it was like to live there. 

There was a trappers cabin and a cache which is a structure built up high so as to keep food stuffs in and not let the local wildlife get to it as conditions were quite harsh in the days of the gold rush and supplies had to last as most came by ship.

All of the buildings and displays were made entirely of wood as concrete couldn’t be used as the temperatures got too low at the time of building the attraction. Back on the bus and more fabulous scenery which also included a bear siting along the road. Along the highway there were a few photo stops one being at the Yukon sign. 

Not long after this was our lunch stop which was at a recreated Yukon village called The Caribou Crossing Trading Post. This was not what I was expecting and while the lunch was ok the rest of the experience left me cold. Clearly as with all tourist attractions like this and we do have them in Australia too, the object is to get you to part with your money for “experiences” related to the area. I don’t mind sometimes but this one was a bit too kitschy for me. They were also offering a dog sled ride for $35 pp and what it was was the dogs hitched up to a man made metal sled and run around the track for a few minutes. This was one activity “that was not to be missed” well needless to say we missed it. The guide did say that the dogs enjoyed it and that this was part of the training for the Iditarod Race but I didn’t think much of it. There was also a petting farm and a huge gift shop as well as a museum which was interesting telling the stories of the area and how the Mounties had to do many roles in the early days of the settlement.

After this we went on our way back down the highway to a small town called Carcross. This town used to be called Caribou Crossing but in 1904 was renamed Carcross as a result of some mail mix ups with the Cariboo Regional district in nearby British Columbia. It was full of quirky little buildings and the burnt out ruin of a paddle steamer that was being restored and burnt down before it could be finished. There were also a number of shops being run by Natives to put back into the community. This is one aspect of the day that I liked.

After this short stop we made our way back down to Skagway but with one other stop at the “Welcome to Alaska” sign which is the only one you can actually get a photo of. Back on the bus and we got dropped off in town so we could have a wander around before going back to the boat.

As I said at the beginning a lovely town which has been preserved by the residents of the area. It has a fabulous feeling to it and we wished we could have spent longer there really appreciating the atmosphere. After a quick walk around and a bit of shopping we made our way back to the boat anding another day in the lovely Alaskan summer. Unfortunately a lot of my photos from Skagway aren"t any good as I flicked my camera settings to the wrong setting and they are shocking but there are a few that turned out and some from my phone so you get the idea.

Below is the most photographed building in Alaska. "Built in 1899 as headquarters for the Arctic Brotherhood Camp Skagway No. 1. The facade constructed a year later consists of more than 8,800 pieces of driftwood collected from the local  tidal flats.

Really enjoyed the time we spent in the town itself.