As soon as we got onboard the ship, Jim and I felt like we have been here before.  The ship is the Coral Princess and we had no trouble finding our stateroom or any of the other places on the ship we wanted to go.  Because we are old, we can’t remember the name of the ship we were on going through the Panama Canal but it was either the same ship or a sister ship built very similarly.  Usually, you spend the first few days on a cruise studying the maps and getting lost, but we didn’t have that problem.  I knew I was going to like it on board the ship.

We sailed directly to Yakutat Bay and reached the Hubbard Glacier by about 5 p.m.  How massive!  We actually got to see it calf, sending chucks of ice into the bay.

Entering Yakutat Bay

Water was filled with ice from glacier as we got closer to Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier

The next day, we were in Glacier Bay where we had good views of  the Margerie Glacier and the Lamplugh Glacier.  Of course, it was overcast and cold.

Entering Glacier Bay which is a National Park

Margerie Glacier

Margerie Glacier up close, it goes up the mountain

Lamplugh Glacier

On the third day at sea, we arrived in Skagway, Alaska – the picture of a small Alaskan mining town. 

Red Onion Saloon a very  popular place in the late 1800’s

Building in Skagway built out of driftwood

It was still overcast, but the temperature had warmed up to about 65 degrees.  There were quite a few jewelry stores and souvenir shops and only 1 or 2 restaurants but we also found a local theatre giving a performance of the Soapy Smith saga which was fun. 

It seems Soapy Smith was a first class swindler who made Skagway his home.  If there was a way to cheat the residents and visitors, he found it.  After years of this, the townspeople had had enough and there was a gunfight.  Soapy was no more.  According to local sources, the Soapy Smith story is absolutely true and he is buried outside of town in a lone grave.

Back to our hotel on the water and on to Juneau.

We needed something different and Princess had the wisdom to know that at this stage of our trip.  We left Denali by “luxury Princess double decker train” complete with guide and attendants tending to our breakfast, lunch and beverage needs.  The rain continued which made the view less than optimal, but we were dry (for a change) and comfortable.  In fact, on a few pictures you can see the rain on the window.  Occasionally, we even saw  an animal or two but not enough warning to get the camera.

The rivers are all flowing very quickly because of all the rain and we saw them overflowing some of their banks.

We were told the story of Clyde and Mary Lovel who ventured to Alaska and homesteaded along the railroad with their four children back in the 1960’s sometime.  Imagine leaving Alabama and moving your family back then.  Clyde worked for the railroad so he was gone a lot and Mary was left to deal with the day to day hardships of life in Alaska.  As we passed their home we were surprised to see 90 year old Clyde pulling a log toward the track and Mary standing near the house waving to us.  Maybe the hard life of Alaska is better for your health.  As the train pulled into the Talkeetna Station we realized it was raining so we were in for a wet night.  At least the Mt McKinley Princess Lodge had guest laundry facilities so we would have clean clothes for the ship.

The next morning (suitcases out by 6) back on the bus to Anchorage where we would board the ship.  We had a stop along the way for snacks and leg stretching and found this polar bear (stuffed of course).

We had lunch in Anchorage and then back on the bus to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center where animals are placed to rehabilitate or rescue.  We saw many of the animals native to Alaska and Jim got some good pictures.  The most unusual of the animals was the Muskox who I never heard of before.  The underbelly fur of this animal is softer and more valuable than Alpaca fur.  Most Alaskans only make hats or mittens from it because you couldn’t afford a coat of that fur.  The animal itself is not attractive and actually looks ratty.  Gross!

Other pictures from conservatory

Black Bear

Elk

Moose

Porcupine

Wolves

From the bus going to the Center, we got some good pictures of the Turnagain Arm and various glaciers.

Piece of glacier floating near the rivers edge

Finally, take me to the ship!  Before we could get there we had to go through a railroad tunnel where the bus will actually ride on the tracks.

Entering the tunnel

Riding through the tunnel just wide enough for bus

Light at the end of the 2.5 mile tunnel

We saw the ship as we exited the tunnel 

The traffic is scheduled just like a ferry because the tunnel is only wide enough for one lane of traffic.  Different.  Only in Alaska.  Get me to the ship,  p l e a s e!

Since we had no WiFi while in Alaska, we have lots to catch up so  obviously the next several posts will be written in the next few days.  Being old, our memories are not as sharp as they once were, and some details may not be accurate (we spent most of last evening trying to figure out what we did on August 6th and 7th).  Just in case our new friends the Merediths and the Shryocks are reading this, please don’t tell them when our memories are wrong.

The things I do remember are:

1. By this time on the trip, our luggage had to be outside the door by 6 or 6:30  each morning.
2. Most people would fall asleep if they sat still for 20 minutes.
3. We were all looking forward to getting on the ship so we could unpack and get some rest.
4. We were really tired of hearing “it only rains 10 or 12 inches a year here” since it felt like it rained all 10 inches this week.
5. I decided I’m not cut out for land tours that change locations frequently. Now for sure Perillo’s tour of  Italy is not on my bucket list.

Thank you for caring enough to keep following our blog.

From Fairbanks, it was a half day ride to Denali Princess Lodge where we would take one of the infamous school buses into the National Park.  Mind you, it’s still raining.  What we found out is Mount McKinley was given it’s name as a political gesture before President McKinley was elected and has been trying to change it’s name back to the Native name (Great One) until it finally succeeded during President Obama’s administration.  Talk about political bureaucracy!  Unfortunately, we also found out that only 30% of the visitors actually get to see the mountain because of the weather.  That’s something they don’t put into the travel brochures either.

Actually the “school buses” are not bad at all and are more comfortable than some airplanes I’ve ridden on, but that’s another story.  Our driver has a degree in environmental engineering but became attracted to Alaska and is happy driving this bus during the summer and being a personal chef to people with medical issues in the winter.  This year she is planning to stay in Alaska and live in a dry cabin with no plumbing or electricity.  Truthfully, the Alaskan mentality of self-sufficiency and modest means is admirable but not one I fully understand.

As soon as got into the park, we spotted a mother moose and baby.  Unfortunately that would be the extent of the animals we saw during our trip into the park.  There were stops along the route when we would get off the bus and walk some but it seemed like every time we got out of the bus, it would rain hard.  Our first stop was a cabin with a guide giving a presentation while she stood on the covered porch and we stood in the pouring rain.  I have no idea what she said only that it seemed to me that she didn’t shorten her speech at all given the rain.

After being totally drenched, the rest of the trip into the park was a blur.  Jim got this picture to prove we were there but please don’t ask me to describe it because I  couldn’t.   When we got back to the lodge, I  was so frustrated I ate a reindeer hot dog and didn’t ask it’s name.

Pictures in Denali Park

Before we left the Copper River Lodge, we took a short excursion with sled dogs on what looked like a surrey with bicycle tires.  Bear in mind it was still raining. Yup, I put on my new waterproof jacket, put the hood over my head and headed outside to meet the 4 dogs who were going to give us a ride.  They brought a fellow along with them named John and he did the introductions.  There was Lily and daughter Shelly, Tony and dog-in-training Nadine.  These four dogs pulled us around at probably 20 miles an hour with no hesitation and John told us on snow they can go faster.  The entire family of dogs is 17 strong which includes 3 retirees who just sit by the fire most days.  We spent time getting to know the dogs and hearing about how they are trained.  Really fun.

The bus arrived and we all piled on for our trip to Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway that parallels the pipeline most of the way.  At one time this highway was just a walking trail called “dead horse trail” (I can only guess why) used by the prospectors to get to the mines.

Oil Pipeline through Alaska

The story of the pipeline is fascinating if you ever want to look it up but, in addition to the conflict and history, the engineering that had to go into it is amazing.   The oil has to be heated so it will flow easily in the cold but warm oil could melt the perma-frost in some areas.  They developed a method of taking CO2 from the air and create refrigeration where necessary.  Some of the pipeline is above ground and some is buried under rivers and on Caribou trails.  It is a real masterpiece of technology and environmental protection.

We  stopped at an old roadhouse still functioning for lunch and were treated to lots of old stories and antiques from years gone by.

Garden at Rika’s Roadhouse

Tanana River by Rika’s Roadhouse on the way to Fairbanks

Last stop before we got to Fairbanks was the North Pole, AK

Who else but Santa at North Pole

The short answer is I bought another jacket that has a waterproof side.  Rain everyday has been our experience so far.  On Thursday it wasn’t too bad because we were traveling most of the day to Copper River  Princess Lodge  with just a lunch stop in Palmer for lunch and a stop to see a glacier. Palmer was started as an experiment during the Depression as a government run colony of young families given land, house, barn and animals and lots of rules. Surprise!  By 1940 it was deemed a failure and the colony became a normal community with very few government rules and still exists.

Downtown Palmer

The lodge is exactly what you would imagine a lodge in Alaska would be like including the a large common room complete with fireplace and conversation groups of sofas and easy chairs.  There are even games and tables for folks to gather to play cards.  It is located on 200 acres right outside the Wrangell-St Elias National Park which is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite and Switzerland combined and has higher mountains.  Because the lodge is so close to the Ranger Station, there are regular presentations at the lodge about the park.  This is an outdoorsman’s paradise designed for hiking and fishing.

View from large common room

At 8:30 every evening they have a flag lowering ceremony  where they take down the Princess, Alaska,  and U. S. flags and acknowledge any veterans in the group.  Jim was in that group.

Today, we went on a rafting excursion down the river, in the rain.  The company provided boots and rain gear to make it more bearable.  We saw several eagles and moose tracks, plus a fish wheel with several fish in it.  These wheels are used by some natives to catch their quota of salmon each season.  A family has a quota of 500 per season to sustain themselves.

Eagle along the river

Fish wheel

Tomorrow, we move from this remote location to Fairbanks which may be more our speed.

We were awake at 4 a.m. to get to the airport on time for our flight to Alaska and we arrived at around 11:30 a.m. their time (they are not on daylight savings time).  I was dressed in my flip flops, jeans, and light weight jacket but it was rainy and overcast and I was cold.  Lots of people told me Anchorage was not cold in the summer but it was.  The bus driver said it was 78 degrees and sunny yesterday but I  was cold.

The Captain Cook Hotel is beautiful and very close to the Coastal Trail walkway that goes 10 miles at the waters edge with great views.  After lunch  we took a walk on it and lost track of time and place.  We walked almost 6 miles before we made our way back.  Everytime we pulled out our map to see where we were, someone would stop to help us.  Very nice people!

Anchorage is very much like most cities of about 300,000 people except the baskets of flowers.  We saw this in Michigan too.  I guess when you have a short growing window, it’s easier to make them look nice.

For dinner we found a little place around the corner from the hotel called the International Hot Dog House complete with buffalo and reindeer hot dogs.  I could not bring myself to eat reindeer  (it’s just wrong to eat something you name) but I thoroughly enjoyed my buffalo dog.

As you can imagine , we went to sleep early to prepare for another day tomorrow even though it was light outside until after 10 p.m.

We spent the day checking out all the special trees in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park and please know these pictures do NOT replicate what our eyes were able to see.  The first stop took us to a nature loop trail that is considered one of the nicest in the park because the trees are mostly “ancients” and not second generation trees with blankets of redwood sorrel covering the ground.  We’ve been thinking the sorrel was clover until we got here because it is so huge.  Even the ferns are taller (almost as tall as me).

Redwood Sorrel

Ferns and sorrel on forest floor

Ferns as tall as MG

This State Park has the largest remaining stand of virgin redwoods in the world partially because of $2,000,000 donated back in 1927 by John D. Rockefeller to preserve and protect a large portion now called the Rockefeller Forest.  It contains the largest concentration of trees over 350 feet tall found anywhere.  There are three unique trees on the loop trail: Flat Iron Tree, Tall Tree, and Giant Tree.

The Flat Iron Tree is fallen but you can see the cross section which is 7.5 ft by 17.5 ft. 

The Giant Tree has a 53 foot circumference. 

I’m not sure we ever found the Tall Tree because there are so many REALLY tall trees.

by the way, can you tell how narrow the road was driving to the Loop Trail.  We would have never made it with an RV.

Then on to Myers Flat where an enterprising capitalist turned his property into a tourist attraction and charges $8 for you to drive your car through a larger redwood, over a redwood and playground for the kids.  We were satisfied we got our $8 worth with just the pictures we took of Jim driving the car through the tree.  Glad it was him driving and not me.  Can you see how close it was?

This forest consists of mostly Coastal Redwood trees with the unique structure of top leaves that are like the Sierra Redwoods and bottom leaves totally different because the Sierra leaves can extract more moisture from the fog that the trees need to survive.

Sequoia foliage

Dawn redwood foliage

Coastal Redwood foliage

We found a trail that led us to the river basin that appears to be a secret hideout of local people.

We finished our day tracking down the Dyerville Giant on a 1/2 mile loop not far from the Rockefeller Forest.  This amazing tree was considered the “Champion” Coast Redwood as certified by the American Forestry Association at 375 feet tall, 52 feet in circumference, and weighing 1,000,000 lbs.  Unfortunately it fell on March 24, 1991and actually registered on the earthquake meters in the area.

Champion Coast Redwood

Champion Coast Redwood

C

Tree where MG and Carol played hide and seek

Trees with so many configurations

We’ve walked over 6 miles today and need a rest for our necks and feet.  Fortunately, tomorrow is one of those “just get from point A to point B days we will be in the car driving most of the day.  The next time we blog will be after we spend the day in Seattle, Washington.