Vancouver

The further south we went, the worse the weather.  We arrived in Vancouver at 6 am with fog, clouds and light rain.  We already knew what to expect from several people who live here that were on the cruise with us.  We would have been disappointed, I guess, if we didn't see some rain.

Immigration and Customs were actually pretty easy.  Long lines, but they moved fast.  We followed the signs to the taxi lanes and waited our turn.  Cabs came and went quickly and the attendants who directed passengers and cabs were cheerful and efficient.  It took less than 10 minutes to get to our hotel.  More cheerful people who zipped us through and up to our room on the 19th floor.  Odd arrangement with every room on a corner and with a balcony. Not much to see with the gray weather, though.

Mom's test kit showed a low battery reading and she was running out of test strips so we went to find a drugstore.  We walked right by the first London Drug that had a very small front opening and a sign high up on the building.  So we kept walking figuring we would find another eventually.

After 7 or 8 blocks we came to the Pacific Center that was supposed to have a large underground shopping area, perfect for a rainy day.  We passed on the Art Museum saving it for later, maybe.  Across the street we noticed a London Drug store so we went there first.  It was large and even had a lower level.  We got the batteries and test strips and went down to get bus passes.  The lower level opened into the underground shopping area we had been told about.  Not that much to see unless you wanted upscale clothes or Sears products.

We surfaced again and started looking for a place to have lunch.  The people in Vancouver have to be among the friendliest in North America.  We must have looked like lost tourists, because several pedestrians stopped and asked if we needed directions.  We got directions to the White Spot, just two blocks away.  Think upscale Chilis.  Good food.

Back at the hotel we had to decide on what to do in the rain.  The worse that could happen is that we get wet, so we started out to find a bus to Stanley Park.  Our friendly pedestrian had told us about the #19 bus and where to catch it, so we took a chance.  We seemed to have perfect timing missing our bus just across the street three different times during our stay, but the public transit system is really good.  Buses come every few minutes and most are electric.

We got to Stanley Park just as the rain stopped and walked over to the Vancouver Aquarium.  Pricey, but worth it.  Much more than we expected.   And while we were there, the sun came out and it actually was warm outside.  They have a Beluga Whale tank, Sea Otters and a Pacific Dolphin show.  The inside exhibits are the usual fish, large and small, but also birds, amphibians and a sloth.  Just as we were on our way home the sun disappeared and the rain poured down.  Got a little wet, but not bad.

Tuesday we set out to Granville Island and the public market.  Gray skys but no rain. One transfer and we were one block away.  The driver must deal with a lot tourists because she reassured tourist-looking riders they were on the right bus and showed everyone where the return bus would stop.  Canadians have to the most polite people you'll ever meet.

The public market is only one of dozens of shops and restaurants in several blocks by the water.  Musicians take turns playing at several public venues in the area.  All kinds of goodies are there: baked, veggies, sea food, meats, flowers, coffee and sit down delis.  We spent a couple of hours there and headed back to the hotel.  Mom wanted to see the totem poles at Stanley Park so wewent back again to find them.  We talked to another friendly Canadian  at the park and got directions.  Looked like a long way on the map, but as usual was a short hike through the woods.  And the sun came out again, right on schedule.  And of course when we left it disappeared but this time no rain.  Very scenic city and probably really nice during the summer, but only a few more things to do in the city.  The surrounding areas are supposed to be beautiful.  Maybe next time.

                Sunday At Sea

We were up late (for us) last night plus there was a one hour time change.  The ship is going down the coast with open ocean to one side and there is a lot of rocking and rolling, especially on the upper deck where we are.  Mom is back on Dramamine and having a tough time.  We get back on the inside passage early this afternoon so it should be smoother.

Talking with lots of interesting people at meals, from Rhode Island to Brazil and Australia to England.  The rest of the day will be packing up for an early departure tomorrow morning and hanging out on the lower decks to avoid the ship’s motion.  Probably our last cruise.

                    Juneau


We expected a major city when we got to Juneau with lots of attractions.  But it is actually pretty small and not very attractive.  Near the dock is the Mt. Roberts Tram which carries you to the top of Mt. Roberts, about 3,000 feet  up.  Pricey, but worth it.  It’s owned by the local native American tribe who respect the land and preserve the mountain top.  Spectacular views and a good walk through the forest.  The weather is still holding and they haven’t had rain for the last two weeks.  Not good for a forest.
There is a restaurant and gift shop at the top and several trails and of course we took the easy one and did fine.

After we came down from Mr. Roberts we walked into town down Franklin street which is the main drag. Lots of jewelry and diamond shops again, divey bars and gift shops.  The public library is on top of a parking garage and the governor’s house (not a mansion) is at the far end of the town up a long hill.  A fair amount of street people and not much energy among the locals.  The Red Dog Saloon, a major attraction, is small, dark, run down and crowded.  The two saloon gift shops are almost bigger that the saloon itself.  We were glad to get back to the ship.

On the way out of Juneau we found out that the channel acts as a funnel for wind and rain so the local natives didn’t want to live there!  They found sheltered coves instead. 

We began to see a lot more marine life as we reached the entrance of the channel.  There were Orca’s and Humpbacks on both sides of the ships for about an hour.  Lots of brown bears were supposed to be on Admiralty Island but we didn’t see any.  The weather was still clear and sunny and the open water areas were smooth as glass.  Exceptional according to the naturalist on board
 
At night we went to listen to Tom Franek, the piano/comedian guy again who is the most entertaining thing on the ship at night.  He did a “name that tune” thing with movie and TV themes.  We got 15 out of 16 and only missed the theme from Top Gun.  Funny and talented guy.

Tomorrow we stop at Ketchikan, the last stop before Vancouver.  Sorry to see this part end, but glad to get back on land and head back home Wednesday.

                Skagway

Skagway was an old mining town before the gold ran out and tourisam moved in.  It actually is the best town so far, including Anchorage.  There is the White Pass and Yukon Railroad and a busy main street (there are no other streets) with restaurants, bars and gift shops.  There are a huge number of jewelry/diamond shops!  Apparently the diamond merchants follow the tourists.  Now it’s Alaska, and in the winter they close up the shops here and move to the Caribbean.  They must be making a lot of money because there are so many of them.

Not a lot of marine life so far but there will more further south we hear.  Anyway, it was nice to get on land and walk around.  Much better than being herded onto buses and trains for hours.

Tomorrow is Juneau, the capital city of Alaska so that should be even better.

                Glacier Bay

The coast of Alaska looks about the same from The Hubbard Glacier down to Glacier Bay National Park.  Mountain after snow capped mountain, with a few trees  along the shoreline.  Lots more clouds and cooler, breezy weather.  More like what you imagine when you think of Alaska.

 We went to the naturalist talk this morning before breakfast to listen about whales.  He is an interesting fellow who reminds me of Bill Nye the science guy.  He walks around with a fur tail attached to the back of his pants (it’s not real fur).  I didn’t expect more than  the usual generic information about whales, but he was much more specific and detailed with pictures and video in the Princess Theater.  He was up on the current whale research and dispelled a lot of common myths about whales.  Did you know that there are three types of humpback whales:  resident, transient and oceanic?  Neither did I. Do you know the difference between dolphins and porpoises?  Or Why Orcas are called Orcas?  Neat stuff.

 
Most of the aquatic wildlife is concentrated at the mouth of Glacier Bay (where most of the food is).  I saw a couple of humpback whale tails as they dove and several sea otters.  We picked up a couple of Park Rangers as we entered the bay and they are providing a running commentary as we sail toward the glaciers at the end of the bay.

 There are two TVs in our mini-suite so we can sit here and watch a webcam live view from the bridge of the scenery ahead of the ship.  We also have a 3’x3’ picture window for photos.  Lots of TV  channels but  only a couple worthwhile.  I’m avoiding the current news  channel and it’s a relief not to know all the bad things happening around the world.

Mom is still struggling a little with the motion of the boat so we went down to the lower levels of the ship last night to hang out before bedtime.  Most of the music is for geezers, but there was a one man show with a Broadway theme.  Corny with  some props, but he was funny and entertaining.  He couldn’t play anything from Spamalot though.  He was in the Crooners Lounge with large pictures of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. lining the walls.

The Train To Whittier

          

We spent 10 hours on the train from Denali to Whittier Monday.  It is a 295 mile trip, but the train had to stop several times to let other rail traffic pass, pick up and drop off crew/passengers.  Just outside of Whittier we stopped and then backed up.  No one seemed to know why.  A few minutes later a fire vehicle and paramedics pulled up on the road by the train and boarded.  Twenty minutes later they removed an Asian man on a stretcher and transported him and his wife back toward Anchorage.  He apparently was having symptoms of apossible heart attack.

We got to whittier, next to the Island Princess about an hour late.  Several hundred people from our train and another that was supposed to be behind us all emptied to the dock at the same time so there was a crowd to go through security. 

Janet Napolitano’s homeland security folks were waiting at three screening stations inside a warehouse next to the ship.  It was déjà vu of Disneyland, with the serpentine lines winding back and forth.  They checked our passports (again even though they were checked on the train) and our cruise cards before sending our bags through the scanners.  Then we had to empty pockets and walk through a metal detector before we could board, where they checked our cruise cards again.  At least we kept our shoes on.

Then the marketing began.  Discount tickets for coffee, internet, photos, tours, etc. before we went 15 feet.
We ran the gauntlet and got to our room.  Our bags beat us to the ship and were waiting in the cabin, even though they were trucked from Denali Lodge!  We missed the muster drill and our assigned seating for dinner for the first night, but got to the buffet (along with a hoard of other hungry passengers in a feeding frenzy.

Our room is near the top of the ship, so when the ship rolls or pitches the movements are exaggerated.  Mom got queasy when the ship moved out to sea and was on crackers, sodas and Dramamine most of Tuesday.  We spent most of our time at the lower levels of the ship where the movements aren’t as noticeable.

And what a scene it is was down there.  A virtual carnival of continuous pitchmen (and women) hawking everything from martinis to diamonds.  Our fellow passengers are made up mostly of folks older than us with lots of southern accents and MANY extra pounds.  It’s definitely not the Love Boat,  more like a floating nursing home. 

All that said, the views are amazing and the crew are all upbeat and helpful.  Mostly Philippino with a few eastern Europeans and English thrown in.  We’re heading for the Hubbard Glacier this afternoon where the water is smoother and hopefully less rocking and rolling.

Last Day At Denali

We went on the Denali Natural History Tour today, our last day at the Denali Princess Lodge.  The tour takes you into the park with 50 of your closest friends and a tour guide/naturalist/driver.  Cool way to see a little of Denali National Park and learn about it's history, geology, plants and wildlife.  Mom got a great picture of an Alaskan Hare (not a rabbit) and I got some pictures of two bears and a moose.  Weather has been terrific!  Warm, clear and dry.  Freshest air we'v.e smelled in a long time.  Tomorrow we take the train to Whittier, on the gulf of Alaska, to find the Island Princess

Denali

The drive from McKinley to Denali wasn't that impressive. Mostly trees and more trees.  The area around McKinley and Talkeetna is prettier.  The Princess Lodge here is older and not nearly as scenic as McKinley's.  Across the highway (we are right on the highway) is a collection of businesses from Subway to bars and restaurants.  One traffic light at the intersection for pedestrians.  On the plus side, the coach driver was the best so far, full of information and jokes and stories of his adventures in Alaska over the years (he is only 30).  And the dinner theater was far more than we expected.  A cast of 6 plus a piano player/violinist/singer, all were very talented performers.  The acting, singing, comedy and dancing were professional level. Tomorrow we go into the park and hopefully see some wildlife.

The Glacier

We made it to Talkeetna and the glacier landing.  Mom came through like a trooper and had a great time.
I didn't expect to get so high and close to the mountains as we did.  The pilot did a good job of navigating around peaks and next to mountain tops. He was a wealth of information too.  The glacier landing came towards the end of the flight and there were already several planes there, including one couple who flew in for a picnic!

There were close to 300 people on the mountain, so I overheard.  We saw tracks and lines of climbers all around the mountains including tents and sleds to pull their gear.  The weather was clear and the sun was bright.  It was actually hot walking around on the glacier!  We flew over the Princess McKinley Lodge on the way back and landed 7 minutes later.  But it took an hour by bus to get back.  I can see why there are so many private airplanes here.  Tomorrow we leave for Denali in the search for a moose photo by mom. 

Mt. Mckinley

Yesterday was a travel day and chance to recover from jet lag.  We left Anchorage at 8am and boarded the train for the Princess McKinley Lodge.  The first moose siting came as we passed Elmendorf Airforce Base on the edge of Anchorage. We were told that moose roaming the streets in Anchorage is fairly common.  The train is a lot cleaner and upscale than Amtrak.  Had breakfast on the train next to picture windows so you didn't miss anything.  Actually, the dining area is best for pictures because there is no glare from the bubble dome. 
The train stops in Talkeetna and we get a bus for the trip to the lodge.  You can also get off in Talkeetna and then catch a shuttle back to the lodge.  We'll be back Friday for our glacier flight.
The lodge is great.  We found out that it just opened for the summer and we were the first group through.  Lots of college kids staffing the restaurants and lugging baggage, but also lots of other folks our age and older drining shuttles, working in the gift shop, etc. 

Now for the best part.  Few people get to see "The Mountain" when they visit because of the clouds.  We were thrilled to get a glimpse of the peak on the trip in, but that was nothing compared to what happened later.  The sky cleared in the afternoon and the mountain was in plain view all day.  A waiter who had been here for two weeks said it rained the day before and the place was covered in snow when he arrived. 

It's now Friday morning and the sky is completely clear and temps are 50-70 today.  We got lucky.

North to Alaska

We are finally on our way and so far, so good.  We flew on Alaska Airlines through Seattle and both flights were on time and mostly smooth.  The airport in Seattle was just remodeled and it has the best airport breakfast ever at the Edgewater Sports Bar.  The weather was mostly cloudy on the second flight but we saw lots of snow capped mountains as we descended into Anchorage.  We got picked up as promised at the airport and bused into town to the Captain Cook Hotel.  Nice place but there's not much in the surrounding downtown area.  We did find the Glacier Bay Brewery thanks to our bus driver, and had some good halibut and salmon along with house brewed heffeweizen. Tomorrow is another early day (7:15am pickup to the train) but we'll be ready.  It helps that Alaska is one hour behind Arizona so our bio clocks get a little break.  McKinley lodge is the next stop!