Cruise the Last American Frontier: Alaska

Glacier Bay

Few places on earth are more beautiful than Glacier Bay National Park. Snow capped peaks, icy water, glaciers, fiords and other beautiful vistas are breathtaking. In 800 ft deep water, Cruise ships stop and sit in awe in front of 50 ft walls of Glacial ice. Calfing ice from the glaciers creates iceburgs the size of houses in a spectacular display of natural erosion.

Most cruise ships travel up the western side of Glacier Bay stopping to give their passengers a great view of Reid Inlet. You are likely to see seals and humpback whales since the bay is a favorite summer home for both. Using your binoculars, it's not unusual to see bears and mountain goats on the surrounding mountainsides.

Mountaineer John Muir wrote of his experiences during one glorious morning in the Bay as he was departing:.

"The green waters of the fiord were filled with sun spangles; the fleet of icebergs set forth on their voyages with the upspringing breeze; and on the innumerable mirrors and prisms of these bergs, and on those of the shattered crystal walls of the glaciers, common white light and rainbow light began to burn, while the mountains shone in their frosty jewelry, and loomed again in the thin azure in serene terrestrial majesty. We turned and sailed away, joining the outgoing bergs, while 'Gloria in excelsis' still seemed to be sounding over all the white landscape, and our burning hearts were ready for any fate, feeling that, whatever the future might have in store, the treasures we had gained this glorious morning would enrich our lives forever."

Glacier Bay has formed in the last 200 years starting in 1794 when Captain George Vancouver visited the area. At the time of Vancouver's visit, the bay was a snow covered indentation of solid ice. Today, when you enter the Bay at the point called Icy Strait, the great glaciers of ice are still over 50 miles away.

Download your free copy of John Muir's wonderful book "Travels in Alaska" or see other great books on Glacier Bay National Park. If you prefer a bound book copy of the book, please click here: "Travels in Alaska".

 

 

 

Juneau

Juneau is home to some great arts and crafts shopping along Seward and South Franklin Streets. The shopping area is small enough to easily cover in a morning and still leave some time in the afternoon for an excursion.

Whether it's whale watching, hiking around Mendenhall Glacier or taking pictures of the bears, eagles, seals or other wildlife, you'll never forget experiencing the sights of this area.

One of the great tours in this town is the photography safari operated by Gastineau Guiding. On this excursion, an experienced photographer leads you to places known for Juneau's indigenous wildlife. You'll see humpback whales, bald eagles, seals, Mendenhall Glacer and take a hike through the picturesque rain forest near the glacier. Providing tips for your photography and suggesting neat framing for your photographs, the knowledgable guide provides fascinating information about the wildlife, flora and fauna of the region. Pictures of the wildflowers, ferns, mosses and other features of the rain forest are bountifully described and explained by the guide.

Another neat thing in Juneau is the Tram ride from the docks area to the top of Mount Roberts enjoying the terrific views, hiking, having a meal or shopping.

The dramatic Juneau Icefield is a spectacular experience, especially from the air. One way to view the glacier's from the air is to fly by floatplane to the Taku Glacier Lodge, home of a great salmon baked lunch. The lodge is on the Taku River about 17 miles northeast of town. You reach this location by floatplanes that leave from downtown Juneau, fly over the glaciers and up the Taku River valley to the lodge. Here you'll enjoy a delicious baked salmon meal fit for a king before returning to Juneau by floatplane.

Juneau is also home to the famous Red Dog Saloon. From the sawdust floors to the flag-draped ceiling stands testament to Juneau's gold rush. In the old days, "Ragtime Hattie" played the saloon's piano. Today, the saloon is home to one Wyatt Erp's guns, a number of game trophies and paper currencies signed by miners from around the world. The Red Dog Saloon is a great place to visit while you're in Juneau.

To visit beautiful Juneau see Global directory of vacation rental homes, condos, cottages, and villas available for rent by owner. Click on Alaska once you're there.

Sitka

The trip to Sitka is truly breathtaking. John Muir said it so beautifully in his book " Travels in Alaska":

"No excursion that I know of may be made into any other American wilderness where so marvelous an abundance of noble, newborn scenery is so charmingly brought to view as on the trip through the Alexander Archipelago to Fort Wrangell and Sitka...

... we seemed to float in true fairyland, each succeeding view seeming more and more beautiful, the one we chanced to have before us the most surprisingly beautiful of all. Never before this had I been embosomed in scenery so hopelessly beyond description. To sketch picturesque bits, definitely bounded, is comparatively easy--a lake in the woods, a glacier meadow, or a cascade in its dell; or even a grand master view of mountains beheld from some commanding outlook after climbing from height to height above the forests. These may be attempted, and more or less telling pictures made of them; but in these coast landscapes there is such indefinite, on-leading expansiveness, such a multitude of features without apparent redundance, their lines graduating delicately into one another in endless succession, while the whole is so fine, so tender, so ethereal, that all pen-work seems hopelessly unavailing. Tracing shining ways through fiord and sound, past forests and waterfalls, islands and mountains and far azure headlands, it seems as if surely we must at length reach the very paradise of the poets, the abode of the blessed.

At the end of this fairyland voyage lies Sitka, the cultural center of Southeastern Alaska. Offering museums, vistas, great fishing, the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center, the Sitka National Historical Park, plus a Russian cultural dance show and a Native Alaskan Dancing show, this quaint town must be experienced. The town was developed by Russian fur traders seeking the riches from the sea otter trade and, therefore, was home to theater, fine food and other riches brought from this trade. It is also at the center of many outdoor activities.

The waters around Sitka have great charter fishing for halibut and salmon. Strong runs of king and silver salmon along the outside coast where Sitka is situated increase the chances of catching a salmon. These fishing charters also provide an excellent opportunity to see the rugged coast of Alaska and the sea and wildlife that live in this environment.

Take a jet boat from Sitka to Salisbury Sound to see the abundant bear, whale, sea otter and other wildlife population native to the area.

The Alaska Raptor Center, established in Sitka during 1980, provides treatment for injured bald eagles and other birds and is an excellent place to see some of these majestic animals. Eagles and other birds that can't be rehabilitated to the point that they can be released back into the wild, become residents of the raptor center and can be viewed by visitors to the center. The raptor center is within walking distance of downtown Sitka.

 

 

 

Ketchikan

On a narrow strip at the base of the 3,100 foot Deer Mountain on Revillagigedo Island, is Ketchikan. Home to numerous indigenous woodcarvers, basketiers and weavers engaged in ancestral designs, the city, at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek, is also known as the "Salmon Capital of the World".

Things to see in this rugged town include the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Heritage Center, St. John's Church, The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show and, of course, the great shopping.

The Tongass Historical Museum displays a collection of native ceremonial items and artifacts, minerals, pioneer relics and provides a good historical perspective of the key contributors to Ketchikan's development.

The Totem Heritage Center is an impressive display of native totems depicting legends, rememberence of momentous events or poles created to honor deceased family members. The poles on display here are authentic works rescued from abandoned villages near town and some poles donated for historical preservation.

The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is an action-packed competition of the world's best lumberjacks in a dozen exciting events including sawing, chopping, log rolling, relay races, axe throwing, a 50 foot speed climb, etc. This activity is a great way to experience elements of a bygone era in a rip-roaring show that will be enjoyed by family members of all ages.

Experience the sights, sounds and culture of Ketchikan by Horse-Drawn Trolley. You'll see that this frontier like community at the base of Deer Mountain is home to early-day wooden streets built on pilings, a picturesque City Park, Ketchikan Creek (a rich Salmon habitat), and the fish ladder, the fish-spawning grounds, the berries of Alaska and examples of great totem poles. Photograph these sites as the guide stops at picturesque locations within the town.

Victoria

Victoria is definitely influenced by the British heritage first initiated by the Hudson Bay Company when the city was first formed in 1843. From cobbled lanes lined with shops to the abundant availability of shortbread, scones, English woolens and Scottish tartans, Victoria is alive with the atmosphere of 19th century Victorian England.

At the Royal BC Museum you can see exibits that include a model of a late 19th century town, a Kwakiutl Indian village and other fascinating displays. Behind the museum, you can see carvers working in the carver's shed at Thunderbird Park.

The Empress Hotel near the harbor is an example of the classic architecture in the city. Try high tea at the hotel to break your afternoon of sightseeing in the city. The Empress Hotel was the first location in Victoria to serve high tea (afternoon tea) having hosted numerous celebrities and royalty. To those with knowledge of tea, the Empress is considered the "Beverly Hills" of high tea locations.

You'll also want to see the extraordinary Butchart Gardens, just outside Victoria. As darkness falls on these beautiful gardens, colored lights turn the garden into an enchanting environment scented by a vibrant wonderland of flowers, winding paths, fountains, footbridges, music and outdoor entertainment. During July and August, the gardens set off firework displays choreographed to music.

You can also take a high-speed catamaran to view seals, sea lions, porpoises, numerous species of sea birds and killer whales .

Another way to enjoy Victoria at a pace more like that of the Victorian age is by horse-drawn trolley. The tour heads out from the pier and travels through numerous streets and passes numerous city sights. It travels through the historic James Bay area and finds its way back along the harbor with glorious views of the Legislative buildings.