Our day in Sitka

Day 21
Sunday 20 September

Our day in Sitka.

Sitka the old, original capital of Alaska going back to the time of the Russian ‘ownership’ when it was called Shetka, was our first shore excursion. Sitka is a small fishing town and sits in the middle of a group of islands that make up the territory of Sitka. It is more often wet and misty here than not. There are forests of Sitka Pine, Spruce and Birch which run down to the water’s edge. The whole area is pristine, mountainous, lush green temperate rainforest and could easily have been the setting for a “Lost in the Jungle” movie. There are lots of waterfalls cascading down the mountain slopes through gorges cut through the forest to the sea. These waterfalls can be hundreds of metres tall and look like silver threads running through the deep green forest. It was really quite stunning to look at and hard to take your eyes away.

The township of Sitka is built on the shoreline of the biggest island, on the spot of the original Tlinget Indian settlement. They settled in the area about 10 000 years ago – around the time of the last ice age. They were superb forest dwellers and fished and harvested berries for food. As it was icy and snowy for about 7 months a year they collected all their food and other needs during the summer months as food was abundant. They lived in long houses in family groups. As it was too cold to go out much during the winter months they used their time creatively. Their art work is quite prolific as they had the time to spend involving everyone in some form of artistic pursuit. The women and girls made baskets from bark and roots, the men carved totem poles etc.

We didn’t have a lot of time in Sitka but we had decided to go on The Fortress of the Bear and Sea Otter Quest. We were disappointed to wake up and see that our spectacular run of good weather had come to an end. It was windy and showery. Not to worry we had come a long way to see these sea otters.

To get ashore we had to go by ship’s tender as there was no dock at which the ship could anchor. Once ashore we joined the tour bus and local guide for the trip to the Fortress of the Bears. Our guide was local and Tlinget in heritage and spoke in both English and his native language. He told us he was able to trace his family tree back 4 000 years. He had a wife and 7 kids and couldn’t afford to live in Sitka all year round as it was too expensive. Everything has to be shipped in and it costs. Therefore he winters in Antarctica where he is a fireman for 6 months. During the summer he stokes the larder for the family while he is away. He and the family – like most others- live off the land as their forbears had done. He hunts mainly deer, goat, rabbit, fox etc and collects berries – lots of different berries grow wild – blueberries, raspberries, wildberries and so on. He grows his own vegetables and really only needs to buy milk, eggs and bread.

Back to the Fortress of the Bears. The fortress is the remains of an old wood pulping factory that closed down about 20 years ago. The factory is now used by many different businesses as it provided buildings that were otherwise abandoned when the mill closed. Among those to use the facilities are the custodians of the orphaned bears. These bears would otherwise be killed by the state, as bears under 2 years of age are unable to fend for themselves and will die of starvation - 200 cubs are put down each year across Alaska. It is kinder to euthanize the orphans. However, the Sitka bears are unique and there is a move to try and save some if possible. These bears are a brown bear, not a grizzly bear. They have evolved over the past 10 000 years into the unique bear found on only 3 islands in the Sitka group. They are more closely related to the polar bear than the grizzly. When the ice disappeared at the end of the last ice age they were left behind on the islands and flourished because of the abundant food sources. They evolved to suit their environment- brown to fit into the dark forest, big because they have no natural predators and water resistant fur because they like to sit in the water.

There are 2 bears (brothers about 2 years old) on display at the Fortress who are used to humans and 3 more, smaller bears who haven’t been accustomed to being around humans and are too small to be left to roam in the enclosure just yet. They are big bears and their story was interesting. They will never be allowed to be released into the wild as they are too accustomed to being near humans. Sad really after all the effort put into saving them.

In rather blustery and showery weather we then boarded a catamaran to go searching for sea otters and other sea creatures. No long into the trip we started to see the otters. They hang about either by themselves or in gender rafts - males with males etc. A raft of otters seems to be anything more than 2 hanging together. We managed to come across a raft of about 15 – 20 (it was hard to tell as it was a bit rough and they move about). Basically they just lie on the surface of the water on their backs with their back flippers out of the water and their front feet tucked in under their chin. This is done to reduce body heat loss in the cold water. They look so cute. Surprisingly they are large and can grow up to 6 feet. They live to around 20 – 25 years in the wild – so it is thought – and go grey as they get older. Their pelt was extremely valuable in the days of Russian occupation and was only affordable to the nobility of Europe. There is over 1 million hair follicles per square inch of their pelt compared to 500 000 follicles on a human head. It is as soft as silk.

Once the otter had been hunted to near extinction the Russians saw no further value in Alaska and decided to sell it to the Americans for $7.2 million. The Indians were none too pleased because the Russians didn’t own the land in the first place. At the time most Americans didn’t see any reason to purchase the land and the deal was known as “Seward’s Folly” after the politician who saw it as a great natural asset. He turned out to be right. And just as fortunately the sea otter – now protected – is a growing population and has been rehabilitated into areas where they were hunted to extinction.

We also saw seals and sea lions frolicking - they move quickly when in the water and are hard to photograph. We were also lucky enough to see an uncommon sighting of a grey whale. It was just ‘a sighting’ as this whale was heading south for the winter. Humpback whales are more common in the area and grey whales are usually further out to sea. We also saw bald eagles and a nest (no eagles at home though). Some eagle nests can weigh as much as 1 ton and be as wide as 10 feet and deep as 8 – 10 feet - (the Americans don’t use metric so it is in imperial) - they are large.
All in all it was a great trip out on the waters around Sitka and the local guides were well informed and truly local.

The Hubbard Glacier

Day 20
Saturday 19 September

We awoke to the soft hum of the ship’s engines and the gentle sway and rock as we powered through the Alaskan Gulf toward the Hubbard Glacier. It was difficult to get out of bed as it is the most comfortable bed I have slept in since leaving home. We are both tired and not from doing too much but more likely from all the long distance travel catching up with us.

Anyway following a light breakfast we attended a session by the tour coordinators regarding the Shore Excursions. We had already chosen the ones we were interested in so we were only there in the hope that we could win a dinner at the plush restaurant here on the ship. You have to dress formally to be able to go to it so that cuts us out as we sacrificed formal wear for warm clothes. Alas we didn’t win, but we did alter our booking for Juneau so that we can do 2 different ones that day. Now we are all set for the rest of the week.

We stupidly followed this up with another talk about the shopping available in each port of call. It is truly astounding how many people seem obsessed with parting with their dollars when travelling. We listened to a lady rattle on for almost an hour about the fantastic jewelry you can purchase in this or that shop. She hardly drew breath the whole time. It was an exercise in ‘people watching’ and quite fascinating.

Needless to say the VAST majority of people aboard are well into their twilight years. I thought for a while that I should visit the Day Spa and have my hair dyed grey so as to fit in with the little ladies. However, Richard didn’t think I needed to do this as I was already starting to go grey. How rude!

We were on a mission today to reach the Hubbard Glacier. The one I mentioned earlier wasn’t the Hubbard. The sea has been relatively calm and the rock and roll of the ship is quite gentle.

We had to pick up a ship pilot and some Park Rangers about an hour before we reached the glacier. The closer we got to it the colder it got. Really cold! Interesting fact:The glaciers create their own climate/weather particularly these big ones. I had to come back to the cabin and put on almost my entire ‘cold weather’ wardrobe.
The glacier is massive. It is still growing and is expected to close the fiord in years to come. It already goes from one side of the fiord to the other and back into Canada about 70 miles. Across the face it measures about 1.5 miles (not KLMS) and it is about 300 feet high – above the water line and about the same below. The ship was parked about ¼ mile from the face. As with all the glaciers, when the engines are off, you can hear it moving. It grinds and pops and cracks like a cannon going off. Usually, shortly thereafter it will calve somewhere along the face. When they hit the water there is an enormous splash and accompanying loud noise. The wave from the broken ice hitting the water caused a corresponding wave sometimes strong enough to rock the ship. They are powerful events. We saw several calvings and managed to get a photo or two (or in Rick’s case 250 or so). These glaciers carry thousands of years of dirt, stones rocks and boulders along with them so they range in colour from a bright blue to black.

Once we were suitably frozen and had dozens of photos, we hastened inside for a warming cuppa and icecream. We spent the remainder of the late afternoon relaxing in the library and writing to you all. Richard is reading a book from the library – Alan Alda’s autobiography – called “Never Have Your Dog Stuffed and Other Things I Have Learned”. Sounds like something you’d expect from Hawkeye Pierce doesn’t it? Every so often I hear a little chuckle so I guess he is enjoying it.

We also spent some time with the computer lady in what they call “Techspert”. Yesterday we learned to stitch 4-6 photos together to create a panorama so we used the photos we took today to practice on. This has been fun and is easy to do. Even Richard is trying it out. He really needs to learn to listen though! You all know what he is like – nothing has changed.

Tonight was “formal” night for dinner and everyone had to be formally dressed to go to dinner in the restaurants. We had to skip that as we elected not to bring formal wear (as I have mentioned before) so we are getting some room service tonight. We’ll be formal in our PJs.

Tomorrow we land in Sitka – the old Russian capital of the area in the 1700s. We’ll be going on the Fortress of the Bears and Sea Otter Quest. We are hoping the weather holds up as it has been absolutely brilliant so far. Cross fingers.

The cruise begins...

Day 19
Friday 18 September

Well today we leave land for a while. We started the day with breakfast at the Bakery in Seward – a popular spot for locals and visitors alike. With winter approaching and lots of places closed already in preparation for the impending snow and closing summer tourist season, there were not many options anyway.

After checking out we went to the Sea Life Centre. As Seward is not a very big place it was just down the road a bit. The hotel had a shuttle to take us there so it was an easy little tour to do before embarking at 1pm.

The Centre was set up with money paid by Exxon to a trust fund for the rehabilitation of the whole area following the oil spill in 1989. It is both a rehab. Centre for sick and injured birds and aquatic animals – seals, otters, etc. and a research centre. They have been, and will continue to monitor the health of the area, and assess which animal/bird populations are still recovering, not recovering or have recovered following the oil spill. The Bald eagles are the only animal species that has fully recovered and doing better than before the spill. Quite devastating really! We really enjoyed the exhibits and reading the history of the environmental issues both past and future. We could have spent some more time there but the ship was waiting for us.

Getting onto the ship was really simple as I had done the online check-in a few months back. I love the internet! We got through security with ease. There I was ready to take off my shoes, present my feet for inspection, waiting for the patting down procedure, the explosives wipe over and the palava that they go on with each time I beep going through their scanners. I didn’t beep this time so I’m not sure what level of security they actually have. Perhaps it is all for show.

Anyway we got to our ‘stateroom’ and were pleasantly surprised at its size. It is a disabled room so we have a large bathroom and lounge area. Good for spreading out when we get unpacked. As usual the suitcases come later so we had time to go exploring and checked out where everything is on the ship. We are at the pointy end and will be among the first to know if we hit an iceberg. The ship is quite palatial and almost completely crewed by Filipinos and Indonesians. We have only seen a couple of English looking officers and know that the captain is English.
We had to attend the mandatory life boat drill. This entailed dressing up in a stylish orange foam device designed to save us if we need to swim. Firstly we did it up incorrectly, so we failed that test. It was Richard’s fault as he didn’t read the notice behind the door. After standing around for 15 minutes, looking rather odd we were told to leave and remember what to do if it was necessary. We’ll be right now because we know how to put the things on, but we would likely freeze to death if we had to go out in the cold icy water.

We also did our first onboard class. Imagine that! We were only on the ship for 2 hours and we had the chance to attend a computer class on how to make your photos look better. I dragged Richard along – but he enjoyed it in the end. It was very good and easy to do.

Dinner was in the swish dining room tonight. We are supposed to be dressed in smart casual or formal wear to go to the dining room, but everything is crushed and still in the suitcases. We went anyway, as did others. It was a nice 4 course meal shared with our table companions. They were from west Texas (as opposed to everywhere else in Texas) Charles and Wilma. He is a typical Texan – arrogant. Tomorrow night we are skipping the formal dinner as we don’t have formal clothes, and will do the casual dining.

The ship has set sail and we have hit the open waters of the Alaskan Gulf. How do I know this you ask? Well Richard has gone to bed feeling queasy (only 2 hours into the sailing part of the cruise) and we are rolling about a fair bit. I won’t be walking anywhere just yet – need to get my sea legs first.

Tomorrow we will sail to the Hubbard Glacier. It is supposed to be very large and impressive. I’ll let you know. It’s time for bed for me too. Another installment to follow in the next day or so.

Love
Mum and Dad

North to Denali

Day 8

Wednesday 9 September

Today we head to Denali. This involves a train trip on the McKinley Explorer. It is a domed train similar to the Rocky Mountaineer (as seen on TV).

The train station, or depot, as it is known, is only a few hundred metres from the Hilton. It is the old original station built in 1915 when the railway was built and connected from Seward. It was necessary to have a means to transport the gold mined in the interior to the coast, as well as furs and other goods, so miners petitioned the federal government to provide better transport (up until then it was dog sled, canoe/boat or walk). It is a big old building and apparently survived the earthquake of ’64. They also have an old steam engine on display at the front which had been used to build the railway. It had been brought up to Alaska from the Panama Canal after that project had been completed. It was affectionately known as the “Moose Gooser” for obvious reasons.

The Explorer was a long train and made up of parts. The first bit was 3 big diesels, followed by about 6 Alaskan Rail carriages which were for the general public who need to use the rail, then came the privately owned carriages for Gray Line/Holland America – about 6 of those including a dining car - and then 2 Princess Cruise Line carriages and possibly a couple of baggage cars in there as well.

Transport in Alaska is really simple – there is one main road that basically begins in Anchorage and goes south to Seward, East to Valdez, north to Fairbanks and not very far west to Homer. Any other roads/ tracks lead off this main highway. The Haul Road or Dalton Highway built for the pipeline is the other major road (very rugged). The rail goes from Seward to Anchorage, Denali and on to Fairbanks - about a 16 hour trip straight through. I don’t think there are any side rail lines - just one down the middle of the state.

And then there is flying. This state is the busiest float plane/ small plane traffic in the world. It costs about the same to buy a small plane as it does to buy a car. Many people out of the main towns have a plane instead of a car as a means of transport. There are 3 million lakes in Alaska and these float planes are able to land on any of them that are capable of handling a plane. They are also allowed to land on any bush tracks/roads or landing strips. In Anchorage there is a landing and parking lot for the float planes near the airport. They are able to land on Lake Hood and even park there for a while or if owners are patient enough to wait up to 9 years they may secure a permanent parking bay. The small plane traffic is handled by Anchorage air traffic control which also handles the cargo planes. The airport is the 3rd busiest in the world and almost all cargo in the northern hemisphere goes through the Anchorage International Airport – a very busy place.
Anyway back to our travels. The trip to Denali starts at Anchorage Rail Depot. There are NO station platforms at any of the railway stations and you board the train like they do in the movies – walk to the carriage, hop on the portable step and then the train steps and you are there. Cheaper not to have a platform – not so good for passengers if it is wet or snowing though. So up the steps we went and into a carriage like we have never seen. There was a really narrow, curved staircase leading up to the domed seating – the dining section was downstairs. Great seats and great view.

We had our own train guides who were on hand to tell us what we were seeing, what to look out for and a little of the history of the rail as we went along. There was an elderly gentleman who was the entertainment for the day – he told a few jokes and chatted with people. He also had his scrapbook of his life in the entertainment industry which was passed around the carriage throughout the day. (A bit odd we thought but ….). He had been a support act for a lot of famous old stars like Sammy Davis, Frankie, Ginger and Fred etc. and mainly in live theatre and vaudeville - An interesting old guy to listen to though. This trip was an 8 hour run so we had both breakfast and lunch on the train – a novelty for us. Rick spent much of the time on an open observation deck where he snapped away at various aspects of the scenery.
On arrival in Denali we were met and transferred to our various hotels. We stayed at the McKinley Resort Chalets. To get to the cabins we had to catch a shuttle as the resort is big and spread out. It has been built to cause as little disturbance to the environment as possible????? We had our own little bus stop called the Dahl Sheep stop which let us off at the cabin. Ours was a set of 12 rooms – 6 up & 6 down. Needless to say we were on the top floor. Fortunately our bags were delivered and we didn’t need to drag them up the stairs ourselves.

Accommodation we relatively basic – no frills but still was very comfortable. A good night sleep was in order as we had a really early start the next day for our Denali wilderness tour.

Alaskan Adventure - Day 1& 2

Alaskan and Canadian Adventure 2009

Day 1
Sunday 31st August

We have to start on the 31st because the packing and last minute stuff that goes with a big trip is all a part of it really. So with the last round of washing, yard stuff and tidying done, all attention was turned to the packing of the suitcases. Knowing the limits the airlines place on the weight of bags we were very conscious of the need to keep within range. We actually managed to come in with a kilo to spare in each bag - that is if our scales were correct. With the packing done we headed off to pick up a hire car to get to the airport. We got a little Kia Rio – it would fit into the Fairlane’s boot – but Rick thought it was OK and it did the job.

Needless to say we were later leaving home than anticipated and we still had to drop in to say goodbye to Kaitlin and Mikayla. That was very hard to do knowing that Kaitlin is about to give birth and we will desperately miss not being there to be with her. Mikayla will be so different in 2 months time – she may even forget who we are?????

Mum and Dad had generously cooked a lamb roast for our going away dinner and although the veggies were a little crunchy (due to our late arrival) it was yummy. Meg joined us as well so we had a nice Aussie farewell before leaving Australian shores, however we didn’t invite Tom Cruise.
Off to bed for a couple of hours sleep (3.5 exactly) before an early start…

Day 2
Monday 1st September

Rising before the crows and the roosters – at 3.ooam – we had a quick shower and headed to the airport. We said goodbye to the little car and checked in for our 5.50am flight to Melbourne. All went smoothly and we left Brisbane on time. Amazingly the flight was absolutely full – all the suits heading to Melbourne for business and a sprinkling of non suited folk going elsewhere.

Arriving in Melbourne we headed to the Check In counter only to be told that we had been UPGRADED - the very word that anyone who is an accomplished “cattle class” flyer dreams of hearing. As we already had seats in Premium Economy that meant we were UPGRADED to BUSINESS CLASS. The Holy Grail! We were stunned. We not only managed this incredible feat, but with it came the benefit of the QANTAS BUSINESS CLUB Lounge (who knew these things existed?) and Express tickets that allowed us to by- pass ALL the queues at Customs and Immigration. Straight through and NO waiting at all! A little taste of the bliss to come! In the Lounge there were free drinks –alcoholic and non alcoholic – we stuck to coffee as it was still only before 9.00am, and breakfast. Everyone was quiet and composed as if they were used to this sort of thing (spoiled brats!). Richard was happy because the Stock Market Report was live on a big screen in the business centre of the lounge. It was like checking into a plush hotel - big glass doors, reception counter, lovely décor etc…. We were really enjoying this trip now and all the last minute rush around was quickly forgotten. We are obviously easily pleased …

The toilets were like no other airport toilets we had ever been to and therefore are worth mentioning. They were clean! There were no bits of paper on the nicely tiled floor. It had always amazed me how untidy airport toilets are generally, so this was a pleasure. But there was more… toilet seat liners, enormous cubicles large enough for half a dozen ladies (Rick says 3 guys in their cubicles) at the same time, no graffiti on the walls, great hand basins, thick hands towels that didn’t need to be pulled out of a dispenser but were neatly folded for our convenience, hand creams – a choice of 2 from some famous cosmetics maker whose name I have now forgotten – and a lovely vase of Australian flowers (what a nice touch). I made two visits so as to make the most of our 1 hour in the QANTAS Lounge for Business travellers. I might join the QANTAS Club before we travel overseas again – we loved it.

AS part of this express service we didn’t have to board the plane until they called us 10 minutes before departure (unlike ‘cattle class’ who board 30 -40 mins. ahead). It was just a short walk to the plane – separated from the non business class folk – and greeted by the lovely smiling stewards, who were dressed in high class livery, and who directed us to go upstairs (they have upstairs in planes??). This just got better as we went along.

Did you ever wonder what was at the front pointy end and upstairs of those jumbo jets. Well I can tell you now – the pilots, and 24 business class seats. Very exclusive spot. First impressions were WOW! Look at the seats! Look at the space! Where are all the people? Directed to our seat with a “Welcome Mr & Mrs Shaw” from a friendly smiling steward “May I hang your jacket for you Mr Shaw?” This was shortly followed by the offer of champagne, orange juice or water – it is never too early for champers. I hadn’t even had time to buckle in before there was a glass in my hand. I wondered what it was like in “cattle class”, knowing that the rest of our flights will be in with the masses but determined to make the most of the unexpected and gratefully received experience.

The meals were yummy and were from Neil Perry’s Rockpool Restaurant in Sydney. All were served on CHINA and glasses were GLASS, forks and spoons were silverware – knives plastic anti-terrorist variety. Our tray tables were covered with white linen tablecloths – WOW! - and serviettes were also linen. Impressive, to say the very least.

And on the toilet theme again, we had our own private toilet to share among the24 of us. No queues or waiting at all. Once again flowers in a vase, hand creams, and disposable cloth hands towels. We were also given a beautiful thick blanket, a personal care pack (eye mask, socks, ear plugs etc). Believe it or not they also gave everyone a pair of QANTAS pyjamas to change into if you wanted to – some did and most didn’t. They have become our first souvenir.

Now to the seats- how extraordinary they are. They were enormous and the SPACE! I literally couldn’t reach the seat in front of me – I had to stand up to do so. You could lie down and stretch out completely and you didn’t interfere with anyone else. We each had our own TV/DVD screen and could watch whatever we wanted independent of everyone else. We both made the most of the seats and, no doubt, arrived in LA some 15 hours later feeling better than if we had travelled in our usual manner.

Speaking of LA, what a huge city! We flew for a good 15 minutes over the city before reaching the airport. There are large bushfires circling the city and a significant amount of smoke in the atmosphere – just adds to the smog. We could actually smell the smoke in the plane which required the captain to announce that there was no need to panic (not that we were) but it wasn’t the plane, just bushfire smoke. The landing was perfect – barely noticed the touchdown. Great pilot! (or perhaps autopilot?). My faith and belief in QANTAS has been restored from this entire experience.

LA airport was singularly UNimpressive. Dingy and uninviting. Lots of customs and security people bossing everyone around. So many of them were Hispanic or Negro, but mainly Hispanic. It only took about 45 minutes to get through immigration – which we thought was fairly good and another 20 minutes or so to get to our hotel shuttle bus. The driver (Hispanic) was helpful.

We are staying at the Holiday Inn Express which is only a 5 minute drive from the airport. We were able to check in straight away – about 9.00am (that’s 23 hours after we left Mum and Dad’s this morning.) No wonder we are tired. Although we tried to stay awake today we both ended up have a short nap but will sleep well tonight. The hotel is perfectly fine for an overnight stay. The area around is not so conducive to us going out for a walk however, as it appears to be a lower socio-economic region of the city. There is a Sizzler right next door to the hotel and we had tea there tonight. Bec, you and Dave would have liked it as it was cheaper than at home. In American fashion you have to tip everyone so it seemed a little odd to just throw money on the table when we left – just like in the movies.

We have another early start in the morning (6.30am) so we can get to the airport to fly to Anchorage. That is another 8 hours flying with a stopover in Portland. That’s when we really start the holiday I suppose.

We are off to bed shortly as it is 9.00pm (Tuesday 1st Sept and 2.00pm Wednesday 2nd in your neck of the woods) here now.

Goodnight and Love from the Wanderers