Alaska RR to Denali

Sept 11, 2018

After a comfortable night and quick breakfast at the Westmark Hotel, we were shuttled to the Alaska Railroad for our trip to Denali. The engines are owned by the railroad and the cars are owned by HAL.

We all had reserved seats on the upper level and enjoyed grand views along the way.

Before we had traveled far we saw a big bull moose right on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Saw another a few miles further on down the line. Not many other animals were sighted from the train but the endless scenery made up for it.

As we rolled along the track Denali reared its head now and again even though still more than two hundred miles away.

We wended through Wasilla and a little civilization then soon back to the wilds. Here and there we saw a homesteaders cabin. Homesteading ended in Alaska in 1986 but many homesteaders still live on their land. It takes planning and resourcefulness to live far from roads and the corner grocery store.

Vegetation we saw included paper birch cottonwood, scrub willow and alder, aspen and white and black spruce. Nothing very tall. Lots of areas with pockets of dead trees where the '64 earthquake changed the topography.

While Ikuko and I were in the dining car, we passed though Willow, a small trading post, and then picked up Princess passengers in Talkeetna.

As we gained altitude we gained colors, with gorgeous yellows and golds showing on the birches and aspens and a red understory of blueberry and fireweed leaves lighting up the forest floor.

Strangely the trees here, though small, were a little taller than those we saw down by Anchorage.

The passenger across the aisle from me was reading his book, "Sundays at Tiffany's" all the way. I had noticed him earlier reading on the ship and on the land portion. He might as well have stayed home.

Hurricane Gulch trestle was completed in 1921 and still carries trains 296 feet above Hurricane Gulch. The trestle is only eight feet wide so the walkway beside the tracks is a scary trek for the occasional brave pedestrian.

We arrived at the HAL McKinley Chalet Resort at 1700 after a beautiful ride through some of America's best wilderness.

McKinley Chalet Resort

September 12, 2018

Our bus dropped us off last night at Canyon Lodge. We got settled in, explored the grounds a little then went to bed early.

Our room was on the third floor of Canyon Lodge, the only building on site with elevators

An eight-hour tundra wilderness tour is part of our Alan package. Ikuko is still suffering from a cold so we decided to stay at the lodge instead. She could nurse her cold and I could try to catch up on my blog.

McKinley Lodge is the Holland America destination lodge here in the Denali area. It is well conceived and efficiently laid out.

There is the main lodge with its ancillary buildings, Denali Square with its buildings, and residence buildings arranged around several circular roads. There are 843 rooms with 90 more under construction, two large restaurants on site, souvenir shops and a dinner theater.

Bus from the old days

In Denali Square there are fire pits (gas) at some of the tables and several around the courtyard, some gas, some burning wood.

Denali Square

Karstens restaurant interior

The utilities are all underground and each building cluster is served by its own septic tank system. Even the septic drain fields are landscaped, lending into the park-like setting.

The complex is served by buses continuously circling around the roads, other buses run to and from nearby restaurants and the large coaches deliver arriving and pick up departing passengers. It's a pretty good system, well conceived and well run.

During our meals I noted wait staff from several European countries. Last night after dinner I asked how many nationalities were represented here. The answer: "I don't know but almost all the European countries as well as some other countries." They sign on for the summer then go home again. Some have worked here several summers while some come over a couple years to fill in breaks during their university years.

Anchorage

Sept 10, 2018

Had a good breakfast then checked out of the Windsong Lodge and boarded our buses for a scenic trip to Anchorage.

First stop was the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center near Girdwood. They do rescue work, selective breeding and manage animals to support the species.

The northern edge of the sanctuary borders Turnagain Arm, so named after the entry Capt Cook made in his journal while searching for the Northwest Passage. After sailing into numerous promising bodies of water only to be frustrated, this time he wrote, "turn again, turn again" as he went out to continue his search.

Today there was an especially high tide of 37.5 feet so parts of the road were flooded. Margo dropped us off at the visitors center so we could walk around as desired. I walked out to Turnagain Arm. This is one of several places in the world that have a bore tide where a tidal bore comes roaring up the channel under the right conditions.

On the way back, I admired the various animals then got back to the bus in time.

After lunch at a small diner with an efficient system, our busload of tourists headed on into Anchorage and our hotel.

Alongside the highway I could identify scrub birch, alder, willow and mountain ash. Also, there were lots of medium sized cottonwood. Spruce trees are medium size down low, small higher up. Hillsides above timberline were red from blueberry and fireweed leaves sporting their fall colors.

I've seen scrub willow around home but it was different to see the mature scrub alder and mountain ash bearing cones and orange berries while only six to seven feet tall.

After dinner I watched the sunset after another good weather day.

Seward

Sept 9, 2018

We arrived in Seward about 0430. I had stepped outside about 0200 to check the weather and saw the Milky Way for the first time in a long while. What a beautiful night sky, plus more calm seas.

The Seward cruise ship terminal can handle two ships at a time but the pier is short so half the ship is tied to the pier while the other half hangs out into the bay and is secured by a couple dolphins and one long line to the pier.

A small boat harbor was nearby. Again, with a mix of commercial and sports fishing boats.

Our group is scheduled for disembarkation at 1215 so after breakfast we cleared out our room before the 0930 deadline and hung out in the public areas, Ikuko reading and doing puzzles while I drafted blog entries.

At the appointed time our group number was called and we said goodbye to the Westerdam, rode to the center of Seward and got off for some sightseeing.

Ikuko and I spent some time at time at the aquarium then walked around the beach path watching people. Fishermen fishing from the bank were catching salmon and there were plenty of campers and tents throughout the waterfront park.

At the appointed time our bus river, Margo, wheeled the big coach up to the curb and we reclaimed our seats.

On the way to our lodge, Margo told us a little local history and otherwise entertained us with stories and anecdotes.

Margo told us she was originally from New Zealand, had lived in Alaska for thirty years and is a retired pilot. She flew multi-engine freighters to supply villages and commercial endeavors in remote areas. Now she's retired and drives bus to keep busy.

We made a stop along the way at a salmon spawning creek then Margo delivered us to the Windsong Lodge about five miles out of Seward.

Windsong is well designed to accommodate the cruise ship trade. There is a main lobby near the road, a dining complex nearby and ten or twelve eight-unit bedroom buildings spaced around a large circular drive accessible to buses and baggage trucks.

While here, the Alan tour included dinner and breakfast. The dinner was a plated meal served to all 99 of the Alan people at the same time. I must say it went smoothly although there were no choices. Breakfast was buffet style and also was well managed. Quite a feat to serve so many people in a short time.

I must say this has been the most amazing weather. Even the HAL people are saying it's the best weather they've seen this year. Hope it continues for the next six days.

Gulf of Alaska

Sept 8, 2018

This morning we woke to blue skies and calm seas.

Before breakfast I stepped out onto the Promenade Deck. There was a following wind which canceled out the apparent wind caused by our speed so I walked a lap just to stretch my legs.

Morning on a calm Gulf of Alaska

A little later I saw passengers enjoying the warm morning sun with zero apparent wind.

Today was "On deck for a cause" day when, in return for a contribution to the HAL cancer charity, participants received a T-shirt and wrist band for doing a 5-km walk (nine laps around the deck).

There were about 100 walkers, most dressed for the Arctic. Since I'd already sampled the morning air, I wore only a T-shirt and light vest. Being such a nice day, it wasn't long before walkers began to shed clothes.

At noon I attended a special lunch for three, four and five-star Mariners (HAL loyalty program). Mariners are repeat cruisers on HAL and stars are awarded for cumulative days and dollars spent on cruises. As with most such programs, the more stars, the more perks.

This afternoon we spent some time packing. On the land portion of this cruise tour, we have the option of sending bags to the hotel where we're spending the night or, in the case of fancy clothes or other things that won't be needed after the cruise, we can send a suitcase(s) straight to Fairbanks, where we spend two nights before flying back to Seattle.

Off to the dining room, we had a farewell dinner to celebrate the end of the cruise portion of our holiday. There were more desserts than usual and the chefs made an appearance so we could thank them for a job well done.

Every night while we are at dinner, our room steward turns down the bed, leaves the schedule of the next day's activities along with some chocolates and does a piece of towel art. Tonight he folded a swinging monkey.

After dinner I stepped out and snapped another photo of the unusually calm Gulf.

Ikuko seems to be catching cold so we retired early hoping some extra rest would nip that in the bud.

Glacier Bay

September 7, 2018

We left Skagway last night at 2100 and sailed north.

This morning at 0600 we picked up the park rangers and naturalists and passed through Icy Strait into Glacier Bay.

When I was working on a purse seiner in 1962 we sometimes fished in Icy Strait. At that time there were pieces of ice in the strait. Today we sailed about 50 miles up Glacier Bay before we saw ice in the water.

We saw this Orca about halfway up the Bay in ice-free water

When we arrived at the head of the bay, I was shocked to see how the glaciers had receded since we were last here about ten years ago. The Grand Pacific Glacier right at the head of the bay had been dark with dirt and rock overburden but had a white ice face. Today it looked like mounds of dirt and rock with only a very few cracks where ice was visible.

The Margerie Glacier, the publicity star of Glacier Bay, is stalled and melting on the right. There is a small rock island visible center right and only the left side appears to be moving and calving. Another big change in only ten years.

If you enlarge the above photo, you can see the splash on the left side where I was rewarded for standing with my camera ready until a small chunk of ice broke off and fell just as I clicked.

On the way out, we turned up into Johns Hopkins Inlet and enjoyed some close views of the glaciers there. Our captain says cruise ships aren't allowed up this inlet until after September 1st so we were the fist HAL ship to go in there this year.

We'll be sailing across the Gulf of Alaska tonight and tomorrow, landing in Seward early Sunday morning. Tonight we enjoy a good dinner and a solid night's sleep on an unusually calm Gulf of Alaska.

Skagway

Thursday, Sept 6, 2018

Berthed at 0700 in the shade of a high steep hill on our east so we had a cool morning even though the sun was shining brightly. The side of the hill serves as a billboard for artists from the visiting ships.

Walked half a mile or so into town and found that "town" consists of a few blocks of stores catering to the tourists, apartments and mobile home parks for seasonal workers and homes further up the valley.

Spent an hour in the Gold Rush Museum but passed on the tourist stores in favor of walking through the waterfront park on the way back to the ship.

The Emerald Princess was berthed behind us and a Disney cruise ship was tied up across the channel leading to a small boat marina.

In the marina I saw some pleasure boast but most were commercial fishermen mostly gillnetters and trollers.

After lunch we boarded a bus for a trip to White Pass and other points of interest.

First stop was the Gold Rush Cemetery where Soapy Smith and other notable locals are buried.

Skagway is toward the northern end of the coastal rain forest. As we went over the pass (a little under 3000 feet) we passed into Canada and tundra country with scrubby vegetation and lots of exposed rock.

Being high and with relatively little rain, it is no wonder that it takes many decades for vegetation to establish a foothold after the glaciers recede.

Not so long ago (geologically speaking) this whole area was covered by ice. The highest peaks are jagged because they remained above the ice, but all the other mountains and hills are rounded where they were ground down by the huge expanse of glacial ice.

On the way back we passed back into Alaska.

Back in Skagway our driver took us to an overlook where we could see the town and the Westerdam.

A tourist couple with Skagway and the Westerdam in the background

After that photo op, we dropped off some people in town. We had a reservation at one of the specialty restaurants on board so we rode on down to the pier.
Our driver told us the summertime population is around 3000 people but in the winter after the tourist workers go south the population drops to around 750 people.

Ikuko and I decided we wouldn't like to live in Skagway.

Juneau

Wednesday, 9/5/18

We tied up in Juneau at 0700 this morning Sunrise brought another day's activities to pick and choose from. Lots of possibilities but only so many hours in a day.

Some of our fellow cruisers sign up for two or three tours a day but Ikuko and I believe in the "less is more" philosophy. We don't want to get tired out doing shore tours but today we joined the Alan Juneau tour which is included in our tour price.

First stop was the Mendenhall Glacier. I first visited here in 1962 while working on a purse seiner in these waters. The glacier has receded substantially in 56 years but it is still a remarkable sight.

The US Forest Service operates a visitors' center where they put on exhibitions and movies and answer endless questions. There are also numerous well maintained trails for the more adventurous. We walked down one of those trails to join other gawkers watching a black bear dining on salmon.

Back on the bus we headed back down the valley to the Macaulay Fish Hatchery where we saw adult salmon returning, over a million juveniles milling about in their tanks waiting for food, and all kinds of salmon products on sale.

On down the road we crossed the bridge to the other side of the channel. On this side we found the town of Douglas, the "international" airport and a lookout point where all the tourist buses stop for a photo op.

The airport qualifies a "international" only because they have one weekly nonstop flight to Vancouver, BC.

The bus tour was interesting and it gave us just enough variety to spice up the day.

After dinner I was going to walk into town to visit the Red Dog Saloon but found out it moved from its original location in the mid-nineties. I visited the original a few times when my fishing boat tied up here in the summer of '62. Since the Red Dog isn't the same, didn't seem to be much point in going out of my way to visit so edited photos instead.

Ketchikan

This morning we were treated to a beautiful sunrise around 0545.

An hour or so later we docked in Ketchikan. The Emerald Princess was tied up just north of us and before long a Carnival ship slipped in between us and a Silversea ship tied up off our stern.

Approaching the cruise ship dock in Ketchikan

A two and one-half hour bus tour of some points of interest in and around Ketchikan was included in our Alan tour package. Ikuko and I have been on similar tours before, so after a leisurely breakfast, we disembarked and enjoyed a walk around downtown Ketchikan.

The Creek Street boardwalk was about the same with the historical houses in the old red light district converted to money-takers of other kinds.

I did see some new signs, reflecting our more permissive society reading "Creek Street where fish and fishermen came upstream to spawn".

On previous visits I never had a chance, but today we had time to spare so we visited the Tongass Museum. I spent a couple hours checking out artifacts of local history.

Most of the exhibits concentrated on the fishing and logging industries which were the life blood of early Ketchikan. If you visit be sure to look for the collection of old springboards used by loggers in the days before chainsaws.

Back aboard ship I walked around the deck for awhile, worked on email/blog and then went to dinner.

Another tough day of cruising.

A Day at Sea

Monday, 9/3/18

Last night we sailed up the east side of Vancouver Island, through the inside passage and into Queen Charlotte Sound. The weather was good and the waters untroubled. Since we're sailing up the inside passage there should be very little rocking and rolling on this cruise. Queen Charlotte Sound can be rough and later, when we sail from Skagway to Seward, the Gulf of Alaska can be very rough. Meanwhile, we'll enjoy the calm seas.

For me, days at sea are enjoyable. Today I walked a couple miles on the Promenade Deck, attended a Windows 10 class dealing with the Windows version of Photoshop, read part of a book, took a nap (as I'm wont to do as I've gotten older) and generally played the layabout.

Tonight was a formal night, or "gala night" as they call it now. I wore a coat and tie and Ikuko dressed accordingly. Most people were dressed similarly but there were a few I saw wearing jeans or similar.

I didn't see any tuxedos. I didn't even bring mine knowing that there wouldn't be many in evidence. On our first cruise some 25 years ago, about half the diners were dressed formally with tuxedos and cocktail dresses.

How dress codes have changed. Of course, we didn't see respectable women sporting multiple tattoos and body piercings back then either.

After dinner I listened to a string ensemble for awhile and then moved to take in some blues from another group. Passed on the big stage show tonight since my poor hearing doesn't let me appreciate a comedian. Maybe we'll attend tomorrow when the feature show will be "Playback, with hit songs of yesterday and today featuring the Westerdam Entertainers".

Off to Alaska

9/9/18

Just a short note to let you know why the dates are not current. On our cruise, even in port, I had trouble connecting so couldn't post to my blog. Hope to catch up in the next day or two.

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September 2, 2018

Four months ago when I left to trek in Nepal, Ikuko was patient while I did my thing. Now it's her turn to enjoy a vacation she likes while I patiently tag along. Well, I might enjoy it too 

At 0945 this morning our bus picked up four other vacationers and the two of us in Lynnwood and headed north.

Just in time, we made a rest stop and picked up six more people in Mt Vernon. That brought the total number of passengers to 43 on this bus, and 99 total in this tour group.

Ikuko and I, along with 97 others, are traveling on a Holland America cruise tour with Travel With Alan. It's the first time with the company for us although some of the others have been on other tours with the company. 

After we left Mt Vernon, our tour director, Nansea, gave us an orientation. A little later she asked about previous trips, etc. Turned out about half the group had traveled with Alan before. I was surprised to learn that about half the people had flown in from around the country to join this group. 

Going through customs on a bus into Canada is a little different. We filled out a customs form similar to that of an arrival by air. When we arrived at the border the bus stopped and we all filed in to hand the agent our form and be questioned. After scanning our passports we were all cleared to go and filed back onto the bus to complete our trip to the Vancouver cruise terminal. 

I was impressed with the embarkation process. We arrived about 1330 and after going through the Holland America intake process, we cleared US Customs and were aboard ship by 1400. A few years back it took substantially longer. I like the new way better.

Aboard ship (the MS Westerdam) we got settled into our cabin and participated in the mandatory lifeboat drill. Here we found another change from previous cruises. No life jackets were worn to the assembly point BUT if you missed this drill, when they found you, you would be escorted off the ship.

Ever since the Costa stinking a few years ago, the cruise lines have strictly enforced the boat drills. We didn't see anyone leave but Nansea said a couple were disembarked two trips ago. 

The Westerdam got under way at 1700 and we were off into the sunset beginning our latest adventure.

Lest I Forget

I returned from Nepal four weeks ago after spending almost six weeks trekking in the Himalayas.

Living day to day in a comfortable home in the Seattle area promotes a sense of complacency that can be jarred by traveling to a developing country and experiencing things that are foreign to our daily life here in America.

We often curse traffic here in the States but our traffic, even at its worst, is predictable and somewhat orderly. Traffic in Kathmandu, on the other hand, is unpredictable and disorderly. Crosswalks are marked but drivers don't stop for pedestrians unless the pedestrian walks in front of their vehicle. Most often this happens in the middle of a block and not at a crosswalk.

Vehicles stop at stop signs but then edge out into traffic until they can nose in front of another vehicle. Pedestrians, bicycles and two-wheeled scooters go wherever there is room to edge in front of other vehicles. Two designated lanes morph into multiple lanes, spreading over the dividing lines and even center line into a mass of moving parts.

Our electricity and other utilities are dependable unless a major storm or accident interrupts the flow. Over there, even in the capitol city, power went off everyday. Water flow was interrupted often but every building had a rooftop cistern so the occupants usually didn't notice.

While trekking, of course we had to sterilize the water, but even in Kathmandu, water out of the tap needed to be sterilized because of contamination.

We complain about potholes and deteriorating roads but decent roads are a rule here. In Nepal the roads are sometimes primitive and pedestrians must keep a sharp eye out for unmarked holes in sidewalks where an unwary person could trip and fall or worse.

We have appetizing and safe food even if we hear about the occasional case of e-coli. In Nepal we had to follow the rule for eating in third-world countries--no raw vegetables and only those fruits that could be peeled by the eater.

Labor saving devices are a given in our country. Even in remote towns and villages everyone has washers and dryers, big screen TV's, electric or gas cook stoves, vacuum cleaners, electric irons, running hot water, etc. In Nepal, even in the big city, not many people had washers, dryers or vacuum cleaners or often, running hot water, although most had big TV's. Away from Kathmandu, people washed clothes by hand, often in a nearby river, and spread them on rocks to dry. Rock crushers, cement mixers, grain harvesters and such are people, and as you saw from my photos, the rock crushers were often women, making small rocks from large rocks by hand.

Our cities and towns have sewer systems/treatment plants. In the towns and villages in Nepal, the traditional treatment of sewage was to compost it with leaves to use as fertilizer. We saw a lot of people using this method on our trek. Now that "water toilets" are being installed to satisfy tourist demand, I couldn't get a good answer as to what happens to the sewage. I suspect it drains to a nearby river, to contaminate water supplies downstream.

The rule of law is necessary for a country to progress beyond third world status. Nepal, along with most developing countries, has a problem with basic government, protecting vulnerable populations and developing a viable legal system. Meanwhile, those with money have rights, those without get along as best they can. To compound their problems, a decade of Maoist agitation and killings, the murder of the royal family and even the disastrous earthquake in 2015, have made it difficult to reestablish and maintain an effective government. 

Americans complain about many things but we shouldn't forget how great this country is. I haven't mentioned our freedoms but even the differences outlined above aren't apparent to many people because they haven't had a chance to see the way people live in less fortunate parts of the world. Take it from me, the differences are real. 

I resolve to file away these memories. When I'm feeling like life is difficult and and my country is going to Hell, I'll remember how other people in this world suffer real hardships but keep smiling and working to improve their lot. It's a lesson worth remembering.