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!
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment