On July 2, 2001, my partner, Lois Farnham, and I left on our "dream adventure."  We flew to Vancouver, BC.  On Tuesday, the 3rd, we boarded the SS Universe Explorer  for a 14 night cruise along the southeast and south-central coasts of Alaska.  We returned to Vancouver on Tuesday, July 17.     Our ship

Our port of calls were Wrangell, Juneau, Skagway, Valdez, Seward, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria.  We also spent a day each aboard ship at  Hubbard Glacier  and  Glacier Bay.

Wrangell was our first stop and our introduction to the "liquid sunshine" common to the Inside Passage.  We walked to the petroglyph beach.  The petroglyphs are designs which have been carved into the rocks by an unknown source.  At first I was surprised by how faint the petroglyphs were, but then realized that they are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old.  Weather will wear even stones.  We started on a trail up the side of the mountain, but decided the wet trail was not safe.  Instead, visited Chief Shakes Tribal House.  Here we saw our first totem poles of the trip and started our introduction into the history of the natives.
                 Pictures from Wrangell

In Juneau, we first visited the city.  It is a delightful city built on the side of a mountain.  The only way to get to Juneau is by sea or air.  No one locks there cars because, if someone steals it, where would they take it?  We were supposed to take a helicopter to a glacier and dog sledding.  This was canceled because of rain--our only disappointment of the trip.  Instead we rode the  Mount Roberts Tram.  We had a wonderful walk on the nature trails even though it was raining.   Juneau pictures

On to Skagway.  We rode the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad to Fraser, British Columbia.  This follows one of the routes that gold rushers used to get to the Yukon.  The railroad is narrow gauge to allow the train to make the  tight curves necessary.  We took a bus back to Skagway and stopped in Liarsville, which is a reproduction of a tent city from gold rush time.  It is very "touristy," but but so well done, that we thoroughly enjoyed it.  We got our first introduction to the poetry of Robert Service and even panned for gold here.  Skagway     The White Pass and Yukon Railroad

Next stop was Hubbard Glacier.  We spent the day aboard the ship close to the glacier.  Is was a cold drizzly day, but we were so close we felt we could almost touch it.  The glacier was actively calving which is very impressive to watch.  I was intrigued watching the ebb and flow of currents around a cave in the glacier.   Hubbard Glacier

After a day at sea, we arrived in Valdez.  We spent the morning touring the terminal for the Alaska pipeline.  They have gone to great efforts to make the area safer, especially after the Exxon Valdez disaster.  In the afternoon we went  sea kayaking on the Duck Flats.  We had an enjoyable paddle out, but the wind came up on the way back.  We were paddling into a terrific headwind and high waves, but got back safely with stories to tell.  Unfortunately, we suffered a "camera failure" at this part of the trip, so there are no pictures.

The next day brought us to Seward.  We boarded a bus for a three-hour drive to Anchorage.  The ride through the mountains and along Turnagain Arm was impressive.  We left Anchorage on a float plane heading for Denali Park and Mt. McKinley.  I was surprised how much of the land is uninhabitable.  It is muskeg, similar to bog.  Again, the weather was drizzly, so we could not see the top of the mountain.  We did follow a glacier as far as possible until the ceiling stopped us.  We landed on a river for coffee and cookies on our way back.  This happened to be one of the stops on the Iditarod.  The bus ride back was just as beautiful.
          Our flight to Denali

After a day at sea, we entered Glacier Bay National Park.  We stayed aboard ship as we traveled up first the left arm and then the right arm of the Park. The Park is only available by sea.  We saw several glaciers here and enjoyed the scenery.  We felt that Hubbard Glacier was more impressive.  As we were leaving the Park, we encountered many whales.    Pictures

Next stop was Sitka.  We bicycled and hiked in the morning even though it was raining.  The cycling was easy, mostly flat.  We hiked up through a variety of climates in a very short space--from rain forest to sub-artic.  In the afternoon we walked around the town and did some shopping.        Interesting sign

Last stop in Alaska was Ketchikan.  We spent the day wondering through the community in pouring rain.  We visited the "red-light" district is famous.  We saw the most salmon here.  They were just starting to head up stream to spawn.  We did most of our souvenir shopping here.  We added to our Santa Claus collection and bought two authentic Alaskan dolls clothed in real fur.  I also bought a pair of fur lined moccasins.  We did not take any pictures here since it was raining too hard most of the day.

After another day at sea, we arrived in Victoria, B.C.  We drove through the town to the Butterfly Garden and then went to Butchart Gardens.  I had heard about the gardens and was looking forward to seeing them, but they far exceeded my expectations.  They were truly beautiful.     Butchart Gardens

Unfortunately, it was then time to return to Vancouver and home.

Other trips:
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
Iceland

Links of interest:
Our Cruise Travel Service
SS Universe Explorer
Wrangell
Juneau
Mount Roberts Tram
Skagway
Valdez
Seward
Sitka
Ketchikan
Hubbard Glacier
Glacier Bay National Park
Butchart Gardens
 

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