Summer vacation 2014! After spending the past several summers in foreign countries...we're finally looking forward to staying home in the United States this year (and, not just any state, but the largest state)! "Go Big or Stay Home!" right?
My wife and I would like a.) reimbursed for this flight b.) a free flight next summer, or c.) all of the above!
Who knew an airplane could run out of gas? Well, we found out on our flight to Vancouver as our pilot attempted to bypass a patch of storms, and in the process ran the plane out of gas! So we had to make an unexpected pit stop in Spokane, Washington to refuel the plane before arriving at our final destination in Vancouver.....only two hours behind schedule! :(
So if you're reading this blog, Delta.....please send those free travel vouchers to leonardandme! Thanks!
As we were being shuttled to the Holland America cruise terminal from
the hotel, we were lucky enough to meet up with some other teachers on
the bus. And, with a few extra hours to spare....Jenesa convinced our
shuttle driver to drop all of us off at the local Steamworks Brewing
Company. Great idea, wife! It was just a ten minute walk to the pier from the
restaurant, and the shuttle driver said he would take all of our luggage
and check it in for us down at the cruise terminal while we enjoyed
some liquid lunch. Cheers!
Meet the brew crew!
After lunch, we boarded the ship and proceeded to check out our cabin! Holland America offered us a suite upgrade (discounted price) on this cruise just last week, but they refused to throw in any other upgrades and/or perks....so we decided against it. We knew we were guaranteed a walk-out balcony from our room, and that's all we really needed to relax and enjoy the scenic cruise through Alaska. The room itself exceeded our expectations - a spacious sitting area, lots of closet space, and a "big" bathroom by cruise ship standards! :)
We were greeted at our first port of call to typical coastal Alaskan
weather - windy and rainy. Unfortunately, this morning we were
scheduled to take a floatplane to the Misty Fjords National Monument, and the weather
was not cooperating much for us to get any great pictures. We had some
time to stroll the streets and shops before our excursion....and,
managed to track down some nice souvenirs. Anyone need a fur jockstrap?
Ketchikan is the southeastern most city in Alaska.....population 8,000. The city is home to world's largest collection of standing totem poles located throughout the city and at two major parks! Climate seems to play a major role in this area which accumulates roughly 155 inches of rain every year (coincidentally, back home in Pennsylvania we only receive 40 inches annually). Check out the Liquid Sunshine Gauge!
It was pretty obvious that Ketchikan was a tourist trap more than anything else....catering to all the cruise ships that dock at the port. Just yesterday on the cruise ship we attended a lumberjack show in the theater that featured a world class champion. Lumberjack Steve is now quite the entrepreneur and has developed the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan (and Pigeon Forge, TN). The dude was even on the popular TV show the Amazing Race a few years ago! We didn't have time to catch the show in Ketchikan, but all of his Alaskan anecdotes and personal stories were pretty amazing!
Jenesa and I were both excited for our early morning floatplane
adventure in Ketchikan. Before sailing from Vancouver, we watched from
the ship lots of floatplanes taking off and landing in the harbor. The
concept of airplanes on water is hard to imagine back in York, PA. But, up here in the northwest....it's as common as the Amish and buggies
back home (or something like that!). Cool fact - we heard that 1 in 60
Alaskans own a plane for transportation around the state. Many towns
and cities are not connected by roads, therefore making it nearly
impossible to get from point A to B by vehicle on land.
Our group of six squeezed into the little Cessna floatplane with co-pilot Corbett in the front for the flight out to the fjords. Luckily, the rain from earlier in the morning began to slow to a drizzle and later stopped altogether once we made it into the fjords. What's a fjord? It is a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea typically formed by submergence of glaciers in the valley. It was difficult to take many pictures from inside the plane....but it was quite the amazing view flying over the mountains, lakes, and misty landscapes as we descended into the Misty Fjords National Monument.
Upon landing on one of the lakes inside the fjord, we had the
opportunity to get out of the plane and hang out on the pontoons. We
were pretty much out in the middle of nowhere....but enjoying every
minute of it (at least for the moment....stay tuned)!
On our return flight, the pilot spotted a bear with her cubs down below
in a mountainside clearing. He was even nice enough to circle the plane
back around for us to get another view of these bears. Unfortunately,
this was also the exact same time I was searching for a barf bag....and I
missed the whole bear show! Geeeesh....I was mad and sick at the same
time! Jenesa was fine, of course! But my belly felt there was just
enough turbulence in that little floatplane to make me wish I hadn't
eaten breakfast that morning! Poor Leonard!
Even though I missed
seeing the bears.....I got another great photo opportunity as soon as
we landed back at the dock. Sitting high on his perch beside the plane,
I nailed this closeup of the bald eagle. It certainly made me feel so
much better!
Well, if you've ever been on a cruise before....you know that they force
you to dress up for at least one (or two) dining room meals during the
week. Some guys rent tuxedos. Some women break out their fancy gowns.
Jenesa and I wound up digging our "formal attire" out of the bottom of
our suitcases (wrinkles and all!). And, somehow....we still seemed to
clean up quite well for our dinner portraits.
Tonight we had the pleasure of being invited to eat in the cruise ship's
specialty steak and seafood restaurant for formal night. It seems this
was part of a free promotion they were running when we purchased our
cruise ship package last fall. Normally, the rich cruise passengers
would pay an additional $30 per person each night they wanted to eat in
this restaurant. So, of course, we took advantage of this free
invitational meal....but it would be the last time we stepped foot in
that restaurant again.
Today was a cruising day at sea, so I
attended some technology classes on the ship while Jenesa took the
liberty to hibernate all morning! I learned how to use some of the more
advanced features on my digital camera. I also was impressed with a
photo editing program that was demonstrated in the tech course. One of
our homework assignments was to take close-up pictures of our food while on
the ship. So I took advantage of our fancy meal at the Pinnacle Grill
to snap some pictures of our food. Some of the food looked almost too
nice to eat it!
dungeness crab appetizer
seafood entree
dessert
I managed to save the best picture for last. Another free promotion
that we received on the ship was a beverage package....and this was the
biggest surprise of all! We both got a beverage card when we first
checked-in on the ship.....but, of course, I didn't pay for the extra
drink package that was offered by the cruiseship. Upon asking at the
front desk, we found out that we were each allotted up to FIFTEEN DRINKS
A DAY free of charge! Woohoo!
Fast forward three hours.....and take a look at this beautiful Alaskan landscape!
For a capital city....it's no bigger than York, PA. It's also one of four state capitals not served by an interstate highway. Trivia Challenge - Can you name the other three? You cannot reach Juneau by car - only by air and sea. This is due to avalanche hazards, steep slopes, cold weather and environmental protection concerns that make road construction and maintenance difficult and costly.
We were excited to get to Juneau, because there were so many different excursions offered at this port. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit ugly when we arrived.....causing our first activity to be up in limbo for a while. We spent the first hour walking around with our fingers crossed because we did not want to miss our helicopter flight to dog sled with the huskies on a glacier. Some of the cruise ships already had canceled this excursion because of the stormy weather. Fortunately, I had booked this activity through a private online company (not the cruise ship), and we were luckily given the OK to go after a brief break in the clouds. Phew!
While we waited for the storms to clear up....we hit the shops in town and checked out the famous Red Dog Saloon. This place has been recognized by the Alaskan legislature as the oldest man-made tourist attraction in Juneau. Founded during Juneau's mining era, the owner's would meet the tour boats at the docks on mules that had signs saying, "Follow my ass to the Red Dog Saloon."
If you don't like to shop for souvenirs, drink beer, or eat seafood.....you're pretty much limited to getting pulled into all the jewelry shops in these ports. Fortunately, for both of us....we enjoy t-shirts, pale ale, and crabs! And, Jenesa does enjoy flirting with all the old fishermen! :)
We certainly would have been heartbroken if the stormy weather would have caused us to miss this adventure! This was one of the more expensive activities on our trip.....but it was the one thing we both really wanted to do while in Alaska. Not only were we meeting the team of huskies high atop the Herbert Glacier....but this would also be our first experience flying in a helicopter.
(Nick....check out Jenesa's goggles!)
Jenesa and I both bundled up in weatherproof clothes and strapped on glacier boots (extra traction) before boarding the helicopter. Our pilot was a good-lookin' 25 year old.....and Jenesa did not hesitate to tell him he was an ideal candidate for the TV show The Bachelor. Good grief! It was a quick (scenic) flight to the glacier and, luckily, the storm seemed to clear up as we got closer and closer to the summit where the husky dog camp sat. We didn't even SEE the dog camp until we almost touched down on the glacier....because it was required by law to be camouflaged (white on white) on top of the glacier.
We were introduced to our dog sled team.....and learned that the fastest dogs are placed in the front and the strongest dogs are placed in the middle-back towards the sled. Do not confuse these Alaskan huskies with Siberian huskies. These dogs are no bigger than your average dog (think of Gus, Chloe or Gracie!). All of these dogs are named by themes (Batman & Robin, Salt & Pepper, Sonny & Cher).
Our sledding guide was actually the owner of this camp, and allowed us to view
his living quarters. Each tent is stocked with a two week supply of
food and heated using a Mr. Buddy gas heater.
It doesn't take a professional athlete to be a dog musher....even Jenesa could do it (haha)! You just hold on for dear life, use the sled brake to keep the harness taught with the sled, and enjoy the ride! A musher uses commands to guide the dogs - "gee" for a right turn and "haa" for a left turn. Luckily, these dogs knew where they were going! They wound up pulling us two miles around the glacier....
The next time you come to Alaska.....you MUST experience the thrill of dog sledding on a glacier! And, getting the chance to hold a huskie puppy is highly recommended too! :)
After two hours on the glacier with the huskies....it was time to leave! It kinda felt like Santa Claus leaving the North Pole on his sleigh.....ho! ho! ho!
One last view of the glacier as we ascended on our way back to Juneau! The sheer weight of a thick layer of ice, or the force of gravity on the ice mass, causes glaciers to flow very slowly....which also causes rock sediment from the mountainside underneath to appear down the slope of the glacier. Goodbye, Herbert Glacier!
Yep! We'll be old some day....but every day on this Alaskan trip we're surrounded by old geezers! Sometimes we compare them to Chinese people because they like to take pictures of everything they see! Sometimes they're a royal pain in the butt....like each time they butt in line at the cruise ship buffet! But, we think about the geezers we love back home.....our parents and grandparents.....and we try really hard to be patient and understanding every time we follow them around Alaska.
After lunch in Juneau, we were scheduled to go on a whale watching tour. Our last whale adventure was off the coast of Cape Cod a few summers ago when we rode the motorcycle through New England. We got to see some humpback whales on that trip, but we were HOPING for some bigger and badder whales on this Alaskan trip. Everything seems to be bigger in Alaska!
CHECKLIST: 1.) I wanted to see a tail the size of our boat come up out of the water. 2.) I wanted to see some black and white killer whales (Orcas) jump out of the water for some picture-perfect blog shots. 3.) I wanted a whale to breach (surface) right beside our boat. 4.) I obviously wanted to get my money's worth out of this adventure!
So....let the hunt begin!
1.) Whale tail? Check!
2.) Killer whales (orcas) jumping out of the water? Nope....but how about a pod of 6 orcas in front of our boat? Wow!!!
Shhhhhhh! Don't tell anybody this...but sometimes I'm cheap! Of course, I also realize that this may be our last visit to Alaska....and I (we) certainly did not want to miss out on all of the great seafood restaurants in each cruise port. We know that all of the food is free on the cruise ship - morning, noon and night - but we like to eat (a lot!)....and it's sometimes worthwhile to splurge on other food! We always treat each good meal or restaurant like it's a YOLO experience while on vacation.....
We also adhere to the seafood philosophy (we see food....we eat it!).
(Ketchikan, Alaska Fish House)
(Juneau, Alaska Twisted Fish Co.)
(Skagway, AK Fish Co.)
Fishing is a huge industry up here in Alaska, and we figured it would be well-worth it to break down and splurge on some freshly caught Alaskan King Crab. Expensive yes! Huge yes! Delicious yes! What else couldn't we resist? A plate of salmon mac & cheese (uh, yes, it was damn good!). A bowl of seafood chowder (I had to have one in each port!). Halibut tacos (a little light on the halibut, but heavy on the taco in Ketchikan). And a basket of fish and chips (our Welcome to Skagway lunch). Total seafood cost so far? Only $9,000 dollars!!! Geesh! It's a good thing we're both teachers and can afford all of it! (haha)
This tour was one of the top rated Holland America excursions in Skagway, Alaska. It advertised a chance to see a little of everything - glaciers, whales, bears, and sea lions. It also promised a canoe ride up the river to the face of a glacier. OK...sign us up!
This boat (pictured above) was designed by the United States Navy Seals to basically withstand Armageddon (or so we were told)! We cruised 30 miles out to the Davidson Glacier...and were immediately greeted by the one thing we've been dying to see.....a BEAR!!!
At this point we got off the boat and were bussed up to the main camp area where we were outfitted in life-jackets and wader boots. Then, we proceeded to hike 1/2 mile through the mosquito infested woods to the awaiting canoes in the glacial river (38 degree water).
After being schooled in what NOT to do while in the canoe....who knew you could fall out of a boat?.....we finally set sail for the Davidson Glacier.
(do you see the canoe ahead of us?)
Arriving at the base of the glacier, we were able to walk out on the muddy islands of sediment to get within 50 yards of the ice field. We took this opportunity to get a lovely photo for all of you! Nice wader boots, huh?
And, I also risked my life to swipe a piece of glacial ice floating in the nearby water for you!
After a quick lunch on the "beach".....we returned to our boat for the trip back to Skagway. Wait a minute! We hadn't seen all of the advertised wildlife on this safari excursion. Where were the whales? And sea lions?
The captain "sealed" the deal on the trip back to port....as we managed to track down a shoreline full of sea lions.....and one whale-of-a-view of humpbacks tooting in the distance!
The snow capped mountains in the background look just as amazing as the whales!
We are just two 30-something teachers from Pennsylvania looking to explore the world. No kids. No money. And, no worries! There is always something new to experience and see every year. And, whether by plane, train, or Harley Davidson...we want to experience and see everything we can! So, we're off again...
What adventure would you like to take with the Leonard's?
