Our Alaskan Cruise

Our next port of call was Juneau, the state capital. Oddly enough, Juneau is only accessible by boat or plane, there are no roadways coming in our out of it due to its location. The Borough of Juneau itself is the size of Delaware and Rhode Island put together, but is surrounded primarily by ice fields and mountains. Residents of Alaska have petitioned multiple times to have the capital moved, but as a new location could never be agreed upon, the government remains there.

Our travel agent arranged for one excursion compliments of her agency while we were on our cruise. The “Mendenhall Glacier & Alaskan Salmon Bake” was not an excursion we would have booked for ourselves as it sounded pretty tame, but we were both so grateful to get to experience both.

“Travel through Juneau’s picturesque downtown to the mighty Mendenhall Glacier, a moving river of ice with rugged crevasses. Stroll the many walkways or enjoy some time at the Visitor Center, then you’ll board your motor coach for your tour to the traditional Alaskan salmon bake at Salmon Creek. An Alaskan feast, this salmon bake features Alaskan-caught wild salmon grilled over an open alder wood fire. Also enjoy Cheechako baked chicken, Bonanza barbecued ribs; Chilkoot baked beans, wild-rice pilaf, a variety of fresh salads, corn bread and lemonade, coffee or tea. (Beer and wine are available for an additional charge.) Dine beside Salmon Creek in Southeast Alaska’s rain forest and listen to a local musician–a translucent roof protects you rain or shine. After dining, toast marshmallows over a crackling campfire and walk to view the beautiful Salmon Creek waterfall. Remnants of the historic Wagner Mine are evident here. Return to the ship by shuttle bus.”

The bus trip through town to Mendenhall Valley was about fifteen minutes and again our route was narrated by the driver. We arrived at the glacier and were immediately in awe. From the bus itself we could already see the vivid blue color of the ice. Glacial ice appears blue because it absorbs all colors of the visible light spectrum except blue, which it transmits. You have to see it to truly grasp the crisp clarity and beauty of the ice.

We did quite a bit of quick hiking around Mendenhall. Detoured by a sign warning us of bears in the area, the ground littered with half eaten salmon, we never quite made it to Nugget Falls. We did witness the salmon frantically swimming up stream in the river surrounding the Visitors Center however, so bizarre. We were also able to video some calving of the glacier while we were there.

We left Mendenhall in the same tour bus and soon found ourselves at the Salmon Bake. Wow… mmmm… The description of the menu above does do it justice and we couldn’t get enough to eat. We may have been joined by 100 other tourists, but really there was plenty to eat, the folk band was very entertaining and the hiking trails were beautiful.

We found ourselves alone by the abandoned mine and were able to forget that we were with a large tour group. After being awarded the ceremonial Salmon Bake baseball hat and herded back on the bus, we were on our way back to downtown Juneau for the part of the trip Ryan was most looking forward to; a glacier landing via helicopter.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (March 25, 2010) — Princess Cruises has added nine new choices to its lineup ofoptional land excursions for Alaska cruisetours, giving travelers opportunities for fresh adventures, including discovering how local hunters and trappers live, exploring by ATV, riding a dog cart, visiting a true Eskimo village or learning to cook Alaska cuisine.

In total, the optional land excursion program features 96 tour choices that cruisetour travelers can add to the land portion of their trip. These activities are currently open for purchase and offer a range of experiences from easygoing to exhilarating — including cultural tours, nature hikes, kayak adventures and flightseeing tours.

Cruisetour passengers can get additional information about the land excursions from a new section on Princess’ web site, http://www.princess.com/learn/cruisetours/alaska/land_excursions, offering full details on the program and tour listings.

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We returned to the heart of Ketchikan after our zip-line expedition, in order to catch our next bus. We had scheduled an afternoon tour of the Misty Fjords by floatplane. This became by far the most relaxing, awe inspiring, breathtaking part of the entire vacation for me. It can’t be explained accurately with words, or pictures even… it was a feeling that took me entirely.

de Haviland Beaver Float Plane at Taquan Air

Board an authentic Alaska seaplane and take off from Ketchikan’s bustling waterfront on a scenic flight over the Tongass National Forest. You are en route to the nation’s second-largest wilderness area, encompassing more than two million acres and, to fully appreciate the vastness of the Misty Fjords National Monument, you must see it from the air. Since its first identification by Captain George Vancouver in 1793, Misty Fjords has been called a scenic wonder not to be missed. You will see majestic fjords, waterfalls and lakes, and perhaps wildlife such as bears, mountain goats, deer, wolves and eagles. Individual headsets allow you to enjoy the lively narrative and inspirational music as you take in the dramatic beauty of a land slowly crafted by the hands of nature. See sheer granite cliffs, 1,000-foot waterfalls, crystalline lakes and low-hanging mists on your flight from Tongass Narrows over Revillagigedo Island to Misty Fjords. At the entrance of spectacular Rudyerd Bay, your introduction to the monument, watch for New Eddystone Rock–a striking remnant of early geological activity. Enjoy a brief lake landing in Misty Fjords, giving you the opportunity to experience the silence, serenity, and monumental beauty that surrounds you. Each guest is guaranteed a window seat.”

We bussed through Ketchikan to Taquan Air, located just outside of the edge of town. We were a small group and as with previous bus trips, we were given a narrative as we passed the historic structures along the road. Within fifteen minutes we arrived at our destination and were prepared for our flight.

The Misty Fjords National Monument, sometimes spelled Fiord, covers 2.3 million acres of the southeastern region of Alaska. Wikipedia calls it the “Yosemite of the North” due to the similar geology. You basically find yourself flying through a never-ending mountainous forest, carved throughout by glacial activity, full of streams, small lakes and waterfalls. A misty steam rising from the water softens all of the edges. Glacial snow melt, volcanic lava flow and mineral springs add to the unique terrain. Being at such an elevation allowed us to truly understand how glaciation works, the kettles and moraines left by the prehistoric sheets of ice were quite visible to us.

We flew with four others and a pilot into the monument, Enya was being played over our headsets and everyone was just silent. Soon we were flying low through steep rock lined U-shaped valleys, encouraged to look for sheep and bear. It felt at many times we could reach out and touch the soft pines we were flying past. Halfway through our trip, our pilot landed us on a lake, allowing us to really be encompassed by the exhilarating silence. A lone sailboat was asea at the other side of the lake, the water was like glass. We climbed out of the plane to stand on the floats in order to best take in the scenery.

I can’t speak enough as to how much impact this one excursion had on me, it is the one experience I insist you take during your trip to Alaska.

We returned to Ketchikan proper for an hour remaining of shore time. We would have definitely enjoyed having a longer visit in order to explore the village itself, its streets of wooden walkways and fishing museums, but we took in some of the local art instead and bought our first piece to take home. At my husbands dismay, I also insisted on purchasing the obligatory long sleeved tees at the largest tourist shop on the corner, but they did come in handy as essential layering pieces during the rest of our trip!

Ryan was able to work on his portrait photography with a local bald eagle, this one being located at the street market, but we were very aware of the many flying overhead.

We ended our shore stint in Ketchikan with some fried fish from a shack located near the dock. Wow… albeit wrapped in newspaper and served with lemonade in a Styrofoam cup, it was an incredible meal.

Local and quaint is the way to go. I personally left the day fully satisfied, humbled and blessed.

Ketchikan is located on an island, approximately 540 nautical miles north of Vancouver. It was remarkable to think that we had already traversed so far at sea. As we docked, we could see much of the town from the ship as many of the residences and businesses are built into the sides of the cliffs that surround the town. The population of Ketchikan is only 14,500 and already appeared to be that perfect example of small town Alaska .

Factoid: Ketchikan is actually the location, or non-location as it is, of the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere”. The residents petitioned to have a bridge built to connect their island to the neighboring Gravina Island in order to have better access to the local airport. This expense and project was curbed by the government.

We had planned an early morning excursion through our cruise line so after departing the ship, we found the bus we were supposed to get on next. We were about to visit an Alaskan Rainforest, an oxymoron we thought for sure.

Live the thrill of gliding through the top of a rich rain forest canopy along a series of eight dual cable ziplines with three aerial bridges suspended between tall spruce, hemlock and cedar trees, bordering the magnificent Tongass National Forest. This major rain forest reserve embraces one of Alaska’s richest salmon spawning streams and a pristine inter-tidal estuary. Abundant wildlife habitat here includes a high concentration of bald eagles, black bear and a variety of other species.

Alaska Canopy Adventures Unimog

At Herring Cove an all-terrain custom 4×4 Unimog will transport you up a steep rain forest hillside to the canopy chalet. Professionally trained guides will outfit you with state-of-the-art safety equipment and provide a detailed orientation before you mount the first platform. Your rain forest canopy challenge features a flight over eight ziplines–6,000 feet of high-tension cables and ground-based nature trails. Your guides will progressively ease you into the forest canopy along cables ranging from a short 100 feet to the 850-foot, pulse-pounding “Ben’s Revenge.” Guests often see eagles and bears from the tree platforms. Discover Eagle Creek falls, and cross three hanging bridges offering breathtaking views of the virgin forest below. You will be up to 135 feet above the forest floor. Throughout this adventure you will be surrounded by the sights and sounds of the rain forest wildlife reserve.

The final zipline emerges from the rain forest and transports you over lush grassy wetlands to a viewing tower, 55 feet above ground. Descend the stairs and gear down at the base camp. Upon completion of this amazing experience, enjoy a snack and hot beverage, view your photograph and shop in the General Store.
–Alaska Canopy Tours

Neither of us had ever experienced anything like zip-lining through dense forest before but I have to say that my husband was equally as excited about getting on the Unimog (4×4 vehicle) that took us to the chalet. We were in a group of 10 people, joined by 4 staff to get us geared up, trained and to join us on our trip down. It was so exhilarating to release from the first platform, trying to take in the magnificent scenery at the same time keeping our bodies in the right direction so that we actually landed on the next platform without having to be caught by one of the staff, or reeled in by one of the staff if we braked too early.

After one run, we realized that we didn’t need to worry as much about our skill and were able to snap some pictures. The trees are so tall and lush, the sound of the animals was right there at our ear… the zip-line excursion was almost sensory overload. We ended with a short break in the gift shop, enjoying hot chocolate and popcorn. We were even given a little medal to commemorate our achievement. My two year old son loves it!

Holland America Line will, for the first time in the line’s history, pay calls to Anchorage, Alaska.

A diverse line-up of shore excursions within the state’s largest city has been arranged. Highlights include: fly-in fishing expeditions to remote Alaska backcountry; a sled dog rodeo; flightseeing safaris through the Chugach Mountain Range and over Captain James Cook’s Turnagain Inlet in search of beluga whales; a Prince William Sound Glacier cruise; a full-day scenic ride aboard the historic Alaska Railroad to Talkeetna with the chance to view Mt. McKinley; a guided, fly-out bear-watching tour where guests can view Alaska black and brown bears in their natural habitat; and a visit to Wildberry Park and Anchorage Museum, home of many Native Alaskan art and artifacts as well as paintings by renowned Alaskan artist Sydney Laurence.

My husband and I are travelers by nature. Not ones who like to follow the beaten path, but we like to set our own goals and timelines. We would never have guessed our travel plans could ever include a trip on a cruise line, but after several months of researching our desires, our financial limits and our time constraints through work, we determined a cruise would be the best way to experience Alaska.

We were interested in the culture of Alaska current, the history of the people, but mostly the sites and sounds of Alaska’s frontier. We both enjoy our visits to warm beaches, don’t misunderstand, but something about seeing a new great mountain range, calving glaciers, rainforests in the northern hemisphere, peaceful fiords really had us excited. We also couldn’t wait to try the fresh ocean-side cuisine. Alaska isn’t an easy land to travel via car. Getting to many cities can only be accomplished via boat or plane. We wanted to best orientate ourselves along but knew without an unlimited budget and over a month of time, we would never see everything on our list.

Once we started getting serious about our plans, we contacted a travel agent who had helped us with a few trips in the past, including our unbelievable honeymoon to South Africa Our travel agent works with executive clients out of Manhattan, helping to plan their dream vacations. She and her husband travel frequently themselves and we knew they would be best suited to help us put our ideal cruise together.

She suggested a few lines based on our desire to find a line without the masses of people or preplanned itineraries. We wanted to come and go as we pleased, eat what we pleased and enjoy a few quiet nights on the deck of the ship. We ultimately selected Holland America Lines and were very pleased with the results, as you’ll learn through the continuation of this blog. We also scheduled several on-shore excursions through the cruise line and ended our journey with two days on our own in Denali.