Alaska Cruise 3 - Skagway through Glacier Bay and College Fjord

Wednesday, 26th, we woke up in Skagway. The view out of our porthole was not very inviting as we looked out at the struts of a wooden dock and a mountain wall filled with graffiti! After breakfast we boarded the White Pass and Yukon Rail train and made our way out of town and up one of the passes that stampeders had followed during the gold rush. Along the way we were given some of the history of the gold rush. The prospectors were made to take 2 tons of provisions with them as the government was worried about a famine in the area. As a result many of them made the 40 mile trek numerous times before they could even pan for gold. It was very rugged scenery and though we passed into Canadian territory, we didn't get off the train, so didn't have to go through customs. It is quite bizarre how narrow this strip of Alaska / USA is, that we travelled up and I often wondered why it is still in the USA?

   The back of our train. Consisted of 2 engines and 10 coaches

   Passing over one of the gorges towards the first tunnel

   The original bridge which is now replaced by a tunnel. Seemingly built in the winter, when

   there was 4 hours of light so gasoline lamps were used for light!

    Some of the scenery.

We tried too late to do a wilderness tour as we have not really seen any wildlife apart from whales, bald eagles, seals and seal lions but were too late so wandered round the shops in Skagway - not very different from the previous 2 cities, though maybe not as many end-of- season sales! There was still quite a buying frenzy going on - which has continued on the ship with jewellery, art and clothes sales plus reduced prices on beauty treatments.......

That evening we treated ourselves to the Crab Shack and feasted on crabs and prawns - it was fabulous having all the correct implements and aprons so could really enjoy it!

   Jenny, Lauren and Karen ready for the feast!

Thereafter, until disembarkation, we were at sea - literally and the weather deteriorated considerably. On Thursday 27th, we woke to grey misty skies with a marked increase in the sea swell which continued to worsen throughout the day. However we were extremely lucky as we had relatively clear weather when we cruised past the 2 main glaciers, Ludlugh and Margery that we visited in The Glacier Bay National Park. We were entertained with live commentary and interesting facts by Rangers who joined us on board. It was fascinating seeing and hearing the calving and watching the bits float away. I feasted on the various shapes through my binocs - the camera isn't strong enough to capture those views. 

 Breathtaking view of the layers within the glacier

 Taken from the back of the ship - gives a bit of perspective on the vastness of the wilderness

Margery glacier calving - an amazing sound and sight

Our party bundled up warmly as both the wind and swell picked up and we were lucky to be standing right above where the Rangers transferred to the parks boat - phone unfortunately died!!!! But it was rather exciting watching the maneuvering procedure. I handed out a couple of seasickness tablets as the ride got very wobbly! But despite that we all enjoyed lobster for dinner - yum!!!

Friday 28th was spent cruising through the College Fjord and we experienced the worst weather conditions of the trip. High swells and winds put a number of the open decks out of bounds and seemingly caused flooding in some of the 'larny' staterooms with balconies! I tried sitting on the semi-open decks but it was pretty miserable so it was an opportunity to attend some of the talks.

We passed some spectacular peaks, many of which are snow covered but photography does not do them justice as we were too far away plus the clouds were down, which added to the atmosphere. Late afternoon both the sea and wind died down and we saw some pods of dolphin. Packing suitcases in the afternoon was an interesting occupation and I seem to get it all in - tho that did not include the Everest jacket as it was still needed? Our suitcases went separately from us and needed  to be outside our cabins in the evening before supper.

Late afternoon we entered the glacier region of College Fjord and had problems deciding which side of the ship to stand on, though the wind was pretty strong especially in the prow! We feasted on tidal, hanging, retreating and advancing glaciers as well as snow fields balancing on the tops or sides of mountains - wonderful. And all of this under clear skies which meant that we were able to see the full moon.

 A tidal glacier

The Harvard glacier with various other 'college-named' glaciers entering it. Princeton is the only one not named!

The ice floes

The moon rising! A special sight at the end of a fabulous cruise.

We arrived in Whittier, a port outside Anchorage during the night and on Saturday 29th, were up very early as we had to assemble at our disembarkation point, which was, in fact in our favourite bar! I was then wheeled off the ship while the others walked, we were signed off the ship and assigned buses and then were driven through the tunnel that connects the 2 towns. It is a single track tunnel which accommodates the railway line and 2-way traffic so waiting times can be up to 1/2 hour to allow for each form or direction of traffic to have a turn. 

Waiting for our turn to enter the tunnel!

The countryside was pretty but certainly not as spectacular as we had seen. At the airport we were re-united with our suitcases and some re-packing occurred, including a desperate search, on my part, to locate my SA passport. I forgot that I would need it again!! We were able to book the cases all the way through to Jhb which was not only a relief but also we didn't need to pay the internal luggage fee, which was a bonus. 

And then we started the long journey home, which was tedious in the extreme and is best forgotten along with the 11 lost hours of Sunday - that was really quite a weird feeling! Rob met us on our arrival and was regaled with tales of our adventures. Monday passed in a bit of a zonked out, jet-lagged state but a good night's sleep helped.

Final impressions of the trip:

- it was fabulous with an incredible number of outstanding moments and some amazing and  

   spectacular scenery

- it was extremely challenging and limiting travelling, while recovering from a broken leg and tho

   it was useful having the wheelchair along, because it needed a pusha, it limited the whole group 

   so using the electric scooter was a bonus in Vancouver. There were positives though - I have 

   never been first onto an international flight before! And the opportunity to legally skip the queue 

   with 'my' entourage was fun, plus, having my own personal escort meant that we rarely got lost 

   in  the airports as we were taken to the next flight. This was a major bonus especially in Seattle 

   where, I think, we had to board at least 4 transit trains to get to the correct terminal!

- the best way to see Alaska is on a cruise

- I didn't enjoy the continuous hard sell and constant spending fever on both the cruise and in the 

   towns we visited, though I do realize that tourism is their main form of income, and, that, for only 

   the summer months, so, if I do choose to cruise again, I will look more carefully at the areas to 

   be visited.

But, all in all, it was a fabulous trip, with a great bunch of girls and the memories made are unforgettable.

Have now been back in SA a week and home in CT for a few days, so I am picking up the routine of life, which disappeared 9 weeks ago when I broke my ankle. A soft brace is on the ankle with an odd pair of shoes to accommodate the bulk and I am getting out onto my favourite piece of turf - the promenade! Plus the cat seems to be happy that I am home.

Life is good!

Alaska Cruise 2

I So just when one thinks that it can't get better or more magical, it does!!!! And finding the photos out of 1500, that best describe what we have seen is challenging!

We berthed in Juneau early on Tuesday morning and because our tours were only in the early afternoon, we had a leisurely breakfast and disembarkation. The docks were off to the side of the town and were full of cruise ships. We are sharing the seas with the Norwegian Pearl, the Radiance, and the Norwegian Jewell so you can imagine that the towns get busy. Speaking to the one bus driver about the situations, there are possibly only 5 days in the season from April to the end of September when there isn't a cruise liner in port. as you can imagine, the shops and restaurants are very tourist orientated with fleeces,jackets, trinkets and jewelry shops abounding! Many of them are running end of season sales! It also sounds as though many of the workforce travel south in the winter to other jobs!

Back to Juneau, Karen and I headed to the Tramway to halfway up Mount Roberts and wandered around the nature centre plus did a bit of a walk - not easy when the left foot doesn't bend at the ankle and there was some muddy steep areas underfoot but the boot held out.

One of the cars to the top of the mountain

A view of the Star Princess with the Norwegian Sea Jewell in the background

  Juneau in the foreground with  the causeway to the island of Douglas

 We discovered that the shop had free wifi, so did a catchup session. Karen has had an Internet package on board, which has been very useful as we have had to re-arrange our flights (more later). As I hadn't been on line at all, I read email and posted some photos on Facebook. Karen continued into town but I stuck around for our helicopter flip over the glaciers.

We were picked up with about 10 other passengers and taken through the town, past some of the landmarks including the pelican statue in front of the government buildings - the only Pelicans in Alaska - they ordered an eagle statue from Florida but the wrong statue was delivered! And then we arrived at the helicopter pad on Douglas Island, 

   The start off an amazing adventure!

After we sat through a safety video, were strapped into flight Vests and given overshoes for walking on the glacier. In my case, 1 overshoe of size 6  but they didn't have anything bigger for the left foot! We had a woman pilot who took us very skillfully over 3 glaciers and landed us on one spit of the Taco glacier called 'Hole in the Wall'  near a crevice with a waterfall tumbling down the one side. I was helped out and managed a very short shuffle to the edge as well as a walk round the helicopter, holding onto various bits. It was cold and windy but quite amazing.

Flying over one of the glaciers - I love the folds

The view out of the helicopter door of the ice peaks on the glacier and the colour

Looking towards the other helicopter over the crevice

After a very slow walk I was able to peer into the crevice

I was fascinated by the surface of the glacier with it's cracks and grit patterns.

As you may have gathered, this was a once-in-lifetime experience for me!!!! Still smiling at the memories!

Everywhere we went, there were comments about the weather. It appears that we experienced one of the only 42 days a year without rain. South African luck!

We landed after this awesome trip, had a quick tea on board the ship and then boarded buses for our evening whale watching tour and experienced a traffic jam at rush hour, as we travelled the main highway which was undergoing some construction. Along with a number of other boats, we travelled for about 1/2 hour towards Sentinel Island passing other small islands plus with views of various glaciers. Although the day was warm there was quite a windchill factor, so my Everest jacket was again used. Once in the area, the humpback whales treated us to quite a display including 2 separate pairs breaching, something not often seen in these parts. I gave up trying to photograph them as I kept missing the good bits so just watched the magnificent display.

I haven't been partaking in much of the nightlife. By the end of the day, it is a relief to take off the boot and get horizontal. That is not to say that I haven't enjoyed both the food and the various beverages on offer. We have eaten in a number of the traditional dining restaurants as well as the buffet and paid a cover charge to eat in the Crab Shack as well - having the correct implements and numerous crab legs to practice on was great fun. We have eaten well!!!

 Juneau has taken over on this blog so there is still a part 3 to come!!!!

Alaska Cruise part 1

Saturday 22nd was pretty frenetic as we had to hand over the scooter (sadly, as I had enjoyed my runaround so on it!) breakfast, pack and check out and then catch a cab down to the embarkation zone. There we parted with our luggage, and stood in various queues, some shorter than others, thanks to the presence of my boot and wheelchair. First we had to checkin, then go via other checking point and then cross the Canadian customs and finally clear our bottles of wine! Finally we located our stateroom which is very adequate for 2 of us but a little cramped for the other 3 who are sharing with a bunk bed. Once our cases arrived and we had unpacked, we had to attend a 'muster' and learn how to put on our life jackets and practice a very slow evacuation. 

Then it was up to the Lido deck to watch the ship sail out of port and start experimenting with the cocktails!!

Leaving Vancouver

Supper, we partook of the buffet in the Horizons restaurant and then explored the various bars, facilities and crooning areas. I gave up before the others explored the Night club, which they seem to have enjoyed. 

Luckily Sunday was a slow start but we discovered that certain areas close early for breakfast so had to make do with pastries ( a real hardship but plays havoc with the Banting diet!)! We did find the promenade deck and I had the opportunity to try out the Everest jacket as it was quite misty and windy, especially in spots where it was shaded! 

 I Thoroughly enjoyed the first full day at sea which though a little bit rough,  the sail was very steady. I think by the end of the day, I had worked out most of the routes to the various restaurants, places of interest and our stateroom. We were also well on our way to trying a number of the cocktails or mocktails on offer and tried out quite a few of the loungers at the different pools both in the bow and stern, my favourite being right at the back of the ship as it tended to be quieter. We did not, however try the pools!!!

An afternoon nap was very welcome before we dressed up for the formal captain's welcome with a champagne waterfall. We watched the proceedings from the Vines bar and were impressed with the formal wear. For dinner we tried the Traditional Dining restaurant where they were having a special menu for the 50th Celebration. Much more enjoyable than the buffet of the night before.

The others again went  exploring the night life, but I must admit I tended to fadie quite early!

Monday, we docked early in Ketchikan along with 2 other cruise ships. The main souvenir shops seemed to be open aswe docked - 05:30 and were busy all day!

View of Ketchikan - float planes everywhere!

 As Karen and I did the cruise tour to the Misty Fjords park with a float plane trip back, we hung around the port and souvenir shops before we left on a newly built boat, manned by Ketchikan locals. As we left port, we were lucky enough to see 2 Bald Eagles roosting on a tall dead tree. We passed through various sounds and straights and fjords until we passed the volcanic spit  - New Eddystone Rock- Looked like a gothic castle on a spit of sand which can be big enough to camp on, depending on the tides.

New Eddeystone Rock

We then turned into the Misty Fjords park and were totally overwhelmed by the amazing scenery with granite stone walls, amazing colors on on the rocks and moss and ferns and waterfalls - it was stunning visually. Choosing a couple of photos is very very difficult. 

One of the numerous waterfalls 

Amazing colors on the rocks

We arrived at the international floatplane airport!!! And climbed aboard. 

It was quite a different trip as we then flew overland as opposed to over the water, though there is  so much water that there are lakes within lakes.

 It was a fabulous trip and experience.

As we didn't have too much time on our return, we caught a shuttle to the famous Creek street - the old red light district - and were able to see some salmon swimming in the creek though there were numerous dead ones as well. They are seemingly left to provide nourishment for other river life!

Creek Street

Back on board for lunch and a nap, followed by another supper in the traditional dining area with planning for Juneau.

More to follow shortly! 

Having trouble choosing the most relevant photos!!!!

Vancouver 2

NIt is late Friday afternoon as I sit in the hotel room with the afternoon sun streaming in while I look down on the city and the bay below. There are at least 6 large ships at anchor, a number of yachts plus other small craft plus a cruise ship leaving! And that is where we will be tomorrow afternoon. The cruise became a reality this morning as I scooted round Canada Place and looked up at the huge liner!!!

But back a couple of steps!

Yesterday, Thursday was an extremely long but very worthwhile day. We made the trip out to Vancouver Island. Back home, everyone asked whether we were going to Victoria and the Buchart gardens or insisted that we went! The implications of the trip only dawned on us as we planned it and once again Steph proved an invaluable source of information. The trip involved a walk to the bus, bus, sky train, which confused us a bit as in this section it is underground, then another bus for about an hour and finally the ferry to the island! This was a pretty spectacular trip tho chilly out on deck. Yet another bus trip to get to Victoria! 

View from the ferry of some of the islands

Amazing plantings all over Victoiria - hope to see lots of these on our cruise

Bike envy!!!!

We had arranged to meet a friend of Jenny's at the Rebar restaurant so had brief photo moments on the way through and while waiting for our table, were able to hit the market in the area. Lunch was superb, a shrimp - basil pesto- tacos dish. ( we have had some delicious meals on this trip). We wandered back at a more leisurely pace but didn't dawdle as there was still a longish bus trip to the gardens. They were amazing and a riot of colour with the most incredible mass plantings of ordinary plants eg geraniums mixed with more exotic ones. We all wished we had more time. I loved the sunken garden and the beds of dahlias, and experienced numerous 'wow' moments as one rounded another corner and another explosion of colour!

The sunken garden at Butchart gardens

A few of the dahlias

We were picked up by Linda's sister in law and taken back to their house. Trixie and Mikey have lived on Vancouver island for the last 18 years and have beautiful house near Sidney where Mikey works. We thoroughly enjoyed being in a home again and the 2 long-haired Jack Russels and Siamese cat were rather overwhelmed by the petting! We were made so welcome that I left my one crutch (luckily I only took the one!!) behind and only remembered as we were about to board the ferry home - too late to turn back - so a piece of me is permananently there. I hope I can return!!

The ferry back was quiet and we managed to reduce the return trip to just one bus a relief! 

A view of the sunset and the other ferry

Friday was a very much quieter day, thank goodness. I scootered down Burrard Street down to Canada Place and enjoyed exploring the precinct, watching the people, boats and float planes and getting very excited when I saw another cruise ship berthed - it made our trip very real. We all met up to watch Fly Over Canada in the old IMAX cinema and then lunch on the waterfront. It was quite a disappointing area and certainly not a patch on our Waterfront, very underutilized! The others decided to hit the shops on Robson Street, but shopping from the scooter is more than a little difficult, so I scootered home.

Canada Place

One of the many pianos dotted round the city

Different forms of transport

Early  evening Andrew (David's brother in law) fetched me and we walked a couple of blocks to their apartment and I spent the evening with them, Claire, Matilda and Sabrina! What a fun evening. Even in the 4 months, both kids have changed so much  but remain delightful. Sabrina is walking well and talking a little, definitely knows which is a blue M&M! And Matilda served me a tacos with her restaurant toys. And then I was allowed to read 3 bedtime stories. Still smiling!

Matilda as superhero 'Flash, Claire, Sabrina and Andrew

It is now Saturday and D-day. We are due to start the embarkation process at 12:00 and set sail at 16:30. I have sadly handed over the electric scooter - it was fab and so useful but as I am almost pain free and coping extremely well, as long as I have the boot on for support. Walking remains slow but I am covering longer distances. The manual wheelchair may be used - especially to jump queues!!!

Not too sure how much blogging will be possible in the next week as wifi from the boat is exorbitant so will probably only communicate once we are on land - but making memories will come first!!

Vancouver 1

I suspect there are going to be a few posts from Vancouver! What a fabulous city - it has most of what I love, sea with mountains nearby and a fabulous cycle/ walkway which  we lucky enough to explore today!

But let's take a step back

On Monday we caught the Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver which is a 5 hour trip along mainly the coast line. Was a bit of a pity that it took almost an hour to disembark and go through customs and then were lucky enough to get a taxi van to the hotel. Unfortunately there was a problem with our booking so we had to have some lunch while we waited for our rooms on the 29th floor to become available. Steph and Lauren fetched us and we caught the bus to Kits and stocked up on picnic foods, and then passed via Steph's house for glasses and picnic blankets and made our way to the beach and met up with a number of Steph's friends. 

Apart from a very large free yoga class there were numerous other picnic groups, small barbecues and lots of walkers and cyclists.as the sun is only setting after 9pm we had a protracted evening with a stunning sunset. 

Another bus ride and we thankfully tumbled into bed.

Tuesday dawned clear, a little chilly but warmed up quite quickly. After breakfast, I was introduced to my new transport, a small motorized 3-wheeled scooter which is fabulously easy to manouvre. The main group set off by bus to Steph's and collected their transport for the day - bicycles!!!  Which was rather an interesting experience for some as they were a little out of practice!! In the meantime, image my way via a taxi-van to the Granville Island Market

Offloading the scooter out of the taxi van!

I then set out to explore the market which is quite amazing with lots of fresh fruit (including cherries) and veggies plus anything else you can think of in the food line plus numerous crafts. A number of things were very tempting - but I made the mistake of converting to rands and didn't buy too much stuff. Got some very nice earrings tho!!!

Some cement silos within the precinct!

Lauren and Stephanie getting the bikes unlocked for the 'oldies'

Linda and Lauren setting out

Me surveying the cyclists!

Karen preparing to get aboard

Passed this along the way - totally appropriate!

The others joined me on their bikes and after they wandered a bit, we all 6 of us set out again along the Seawall which is an amazing cycle / walking path which stretches all along the edge of the city and goes through numerous parks and alongside beach areas. It was fabulous to see it being used by all types of people. It was a wonderful way to see the city and I tended to bring up the rear as the scooter only had a couple of speeds!!

The Science museum ( not it's correct name!!!)

We ended the cycle in Stanley Park after passing the Totem Poles and looking at the Coal Harbour. Unfortunately, we only afterwards realized how isolated the area was, in terms of thoroughfare and it took an awfully long time (1 1/2 hrs to get a taxi to make me and the scooter home.

Takeaway sushi was very welcome!

Today, Tuesday, we hired a very large car! All the photos I took tended to cut it in half!!! It was a 7seater and we were all thankful that Steph drove. We crossed the Lionsgate bridge and headed north with our first stop in Squamish where we went on the Sea to Sky Gondola and then across the suspension bridge. I ditched wheels today and used my crutches only and was very satisfied with my walking ability - the worst is standing around!

A view out of the gondola.

Looking back at the suspension bridge

Unfortunately my balance may have improved but at the expense of my photographic focus as today's shots are pretty poor! Thank goodness Karen took some really nice ones!

We drove onto Whistler and had a very nice lunch which included a Caesar cocktail which is a spicy tomato cocktail type! Unfortunately it has been an extremely hot summer so the snow has melted and the rivers and dams are extremely low. In fact there is a fear that some of the trees may be dying off. 

The town was overrun with mountain bikers in some very scary attire!!!

A view of some of the peaks on our return trip

The others made their way to Gastown for supper but I decided to stay home and watch the sunset and rest up. Tomorrow we are off on another day trip on the ferry to Vancouver island, Victoiria and the Buchard gardens. Thank goodness, we have earmarked Friday as a shopping day!