Alaska June 2017

June 9th, Ginny and I took the light rail to Union station and boarded the train to Seattle, $49 one way.  The train was packed, the weather was partly cloudy and the scenery was nice, especially a long Puget Sound north of Olympia.  We arrived right on time in Seattle and had 20 minutes to get on the bus to Bellingham.  It was an Amtrak bus and quite comfortable.  We had packed a lunch and ate it on the road, but somehow left our roll of paper towels on the bus.  Just as we got into Bellingham a deer and a very tiny fawn, maybe 16” high, ran across the road.  The train station and the ferry terminal were next to each other, neither one had a bar.  

Around 4pm the ferry started boarding.  When the woman took my boarding pass, I asked if we could get off and walk to town.  She said sure but be back by 6:45.  I pointed out that we were scheduled to sail at 6 and she was totally befuddled.  Ginny was a bt ahead of me and they sent her one way and me another.  The only elevator was broken.  So at 71, with a cracked rib, I’m trying to haul my luggage up two flights of narrow stairs.  When we finally got to our cabin, we both collapsed.  We found out later that there was a place to drop our luggage and they would bring it to the cabin, but no one told us anything as we boarded.  They had switched ferries because the original one was still in the repair yard, so we got an inside 4 berth cabin instead of a 2 berth with a window.  There was no WiFi, the upper berth no longer could be folded away, the bar had been closed for two years, there was no soap in the head, people were pitching tents on the rear deck, welcome to the last frontier.  We got off for a bit before sailing time, but neither of us had the energy to walk the 6 blocks to the cute shops we had seen on the way in.  The Cafeteria menu explained the diameter of the crew and most of the passengers, we just had chowder for dinner..  Fortunately we had our own wine, but had to drink it in the cabin.

We entered Canadian waters shortly after sailing.  The scenery, as we sailed, was littered with little islands, beautiful.  We slept for 11 hours.  Breakfast was basic diner fare, the biscuits and gravy were great, even the coffee was good.  Saturday was high overcast and soon we past the north end of Vancouver Island on the left and were in open water.  There was a slight roll to the ship on the open water so walking was like walking while drunk, no problem for me.  By noon we entered the inside passage.  The water was dead calm and the trees came down to the sea.  There were waterfalls everywhere.  Some places were so narrow, two ships could not pass.  We saw a small humpback whale spouting, but that was the only wildlife.  As evening gathered the scenery became ethereal.  At dinner they were out of my first three choices so I had the BBQ pork ribs which were pretty good. There was a sign on the elevator, saying it only worked for a few cycles and then had to rest, so we took our big bags down and put them on the luggage cart before we went to bed.  We slept well but had to get up at six to disembark.

Ketchikan                

As we approached the harbour there were many float planes taking off and landing.  There were also three big cruise ships docked.  The ferry docked at the other end of town from the cruises.  The hotel sent a free taxi to pick us up.  We stayed at the Gilmore, built in 1927, registered national historic building, and right on Front street. The beds were extra comfy, but we did have to walk up to the 3rd floor.  The town was crawling with cruise people but we found the Pioneer cafe for breakfast and I had the biscuits and gravy with three eggs, which lasted me all day.  There were two walking tours on the map, the first one went around downtown and then to the heritage totem center, $5, which had a wonderful collection of 19th century totem poles.  After that we walked thru the Creek Town historic district, built on stilts over a rushing creek.  Nicer tourist stuff and one excellent gallery of local native art.  There was a funicular that went up to a lodge, restaurant, and lookout, $3.  The shops by the cruise ships were all Caribbean jewelry shops owned by the cruise lines, and doing a great business, we took a nap.  The second walk was thru “historic Newtown.”  The first part was along the waterfront, but then it was a mile of closed businesses and abandoned clapboard buildings, yuck.  Then we climbed up a couple of blocks and walked back thru an upscale neighborhood with fantastic views.  Many streets on both tours were just wooden stairs.  Dinner at Annabel’s, in the hotel, was great.  Excellent fresh oysters, grilled halibut and salmon.  $130 for two.

Tuesday started with a high overcast and threatening rain, but the rain never came.  Breakfast was at Sweet Mermaids, a funky local coffee shop.  Afterwards we took the city bus to the Totem park in Saxman, $5, which had an extensive collection of poles as well as a carving shed with one in progress.  Back in town the Tongass museum was only one room of native art which was very nice but didn’t seem worth the $3 entry.  In the afternoon we decided to do the Rainbird trail which the visitors guide called an easy 45 minute hike.  We took the free shuttle to the end of the line and walked up 8 very steep blocks but could not find the trailhead.  We went down a couple of blocks and asked a local who explained where to go and said “it was well marked.”  So we went back up 4 more steep blocks to the SE Alaska State college parking lot.  The trailhead was well marked.  It seemed like an easy trail thru the rainforest.  There was moss on every surface that was not perfectly vertical, a very special kind of place.  We kept going and the trail started getting less defined.  We picked up a couple of walking sticks as the trail got steeper and rougher.  We came to a point where the choice was, go back, scramble straight up over the tree roots, or follow a very faint hint of a path to the right.  We went right and soon came to a point where there definitely was no place to go.  Ginny looked up and saw a bridge about 75 yards up and to the right.  We scrambled up to it, almost out of gas.  An hour into the 45 minute “easy trail,”  we saw some ridiculously steep steps going down.  We pressed on and eventually came out on the road, total time 2 hours for about a mile and a half.  We trudged down another mile to the main street and stumbled into the First City Cafe, the oldest bar in Ketchikan, for a beer.  We were too tired to go anywhere so we ate at the hotel again that night.

Petersburg

We were both still sore from the hike the previous day, so we had breakfast at Sweet Mermaids again, and wandered around a few blocks of the tourist shops.  When we checked in for the ferry we were told we didn’t need special tags on our bags but when we turned in our bags, the guy said we did need tags and it was his first day on the job.  The ferry left Ketchikan at 11:45 am and it was a lovely 10 hour cruise through the islands.  There was a brief stop at Wrangel which is barely a town.  The trading post there did have some beautiful furs at very low prices but neither of us had any need.  When we got to Petersburg, population 2800, it took almost 30 minutes to dock, maybe it was the guy the who was on his first day driving the boat.  The Tides Inn, $165, sent a free van for us and we promptly crashed.

The breakfast at the hotel came with biscuits and gravy, and I may gain 10# on this trip if I continue eating them every morning.  It was flag day and the weather was high overcast, again, as we set out to see the town.  Petersburg has a 700 vessel fishing fleet and three canneries,it’s  the town that fish built.  We meandered down Nordic Drive admiring all the hardware stores.  Sing Lee Alley is the two block historic district with the Sons of Norway hall at the end.  The Fisherman’s Memorial Park is in remembrance of those who have been lost over the last 100 years or so, with a replica viking boat and an impressive statue of a fisherman.  The local museum was very nice and had a great film on the history of the town.  When the corporation out of California was closing the last cannery, some locals bought it.  They sold shares to all the local fishermen and their wives opened local stores and even bought out the old company store.  It is a quite prosperous small town now.  We stopped by the cold storage place that had a sign for oysters, but they were sold out so we split the snow crab platter, $19, for lunch.  The local insurance company was giving out free ice cream and root beer floats.  It started to rain so we took a nap.  Dinner was at Inga’s, a food cart with a heated tent, excellent halibut sandwich for me and curried halibut fo Ginny.  The only other place that stayed open past 4pm was a pizza joint.

Thursday was Ginny’s birthday and we started out to hike to Sandy Beach which had petroglyphs and ancient fish traps, but after a mile in the cold rain we gave up.  We checked out of the hotel and wandered the shops again before lunch at Salty Pantry.  I had the “Pig and Fig”, a thick grilled ham sandwich, $11, with fig jam that was very good and unique.  The Tlingit natives revere the raven and the ravens here are bigger than chickens.  We flew to Sitka as there was only one ferry a week.  It was only 92 miles to Sitka but the flight stopped in Wrangell and we changed planes in Ketchikan, 3 ½ hours total.  The Totem Square hotel was a newer hotel like a Hampton Inn but $270 a night, at least there was a free shuttle from the airport.   Dinner was at the Sitka Hotel and the halibut was a huge serving perfectly done, with ceviche and drinks $134 for two.  The hotel is on the water and across from the Pioneer retirement home.

Sitka

Friday was raining and the breakfast place we picked only served coffee and pastries.  Petersburg was crawling with breakfast places, Sitka not so much.  Sitka was the capital of the Russian American colony and has preserved some of its Russian heritage.  The Russian Orthodox Cathedral, $5, opened at 9am, lots of history and all the icons were original.  From there we visited the Russian Bishop’s house which is now part of the National Park service.  The last Russian bishop moved out in 1969, the Park service completely restored it and managed to recover many of the original furnishings.  The first floor is a museum and the upstairs is furnished as the original quarters with a nice guided tour.  All the rain and long days make for great flower gardens all over town.  The Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi clan house had a 30 minute Tlingit dance show that was nice with a good narrative.  Sitka seems to have more native art and way fewer jewelry stores than Ketchikan.  After lunch the rain let up and we climbed castle hill, which used to be a Russian fort with the governor’s house.  The view was great but there were no structures left.  We then visited the grave of Princess Maksutov which was just a grave with a cross and the Russian block house which was a small tower left over from the old Russian fort, both pretty minor sites.  

The highlight of the day was the Sitka Summer Music Festival, $20 each.  The program Friday night was all Russian and the final piece was Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov with a Ukrainian pianist.  The festival draws players from around the world with several of Russian heritage.  The Harrigan Center is new and sits right on the water.  The back of the stage is glass and you see the mountains and the sea; float planes and fishing boats sometimes go silently by.  The festival goes for all of June with both day and evening concerts.  There is even a crab feed but is is on the day we are leaving.

Saturday was partly cloudy but still chilly.  We had the fisherman’s breakfast at the hotel, which was substantial. We went back the the performing arts center to see the local Russian folk dancing group.  They are all amateurs and the troupe has been going for 48 years.  From there we went to the Sheldon Jackson museum, which was the best collection of native art and artifacts we have seen.  Sheldon Jackson was a missionary and was dedicated to understanding and preserving the culture of the local tribes at the end of the 19th century.  The Sitka National Historic Park is the smallest National Park.  It had more totems than I have ever seen in one place,  Several were clustered around the Park Service building and many more along the trail thru the forest.  The exhibits inside were also very good with a collection of totems from the 19th century as well as local artists demonstrating their work.  The totem carver, Tommy Joseph,  answered all our questions and taught us several things about his work.  From there we headed for the Raptor center.  The bridge in the park was being reconstructed so we had to go around a mile and a half to get there.  The center, $13, had several bald eagles and a few owls being rehabilitated.  Some were permanent residents as their injuries were permanent.  They even had a snowy owl.  Most of the birds were injured by cars as they were eating road-kill, note, avoid eating road kill on the highway.  By the time we finished that tour, we were beat, so we took a cab back to the hotel.  Dinner that night was at Ludvig’s Bistro, a tiny house made into a seven table restaurant.  The food was amazing, we started with seared scallops, and I had grilled salmon from Sitka bay which was as perfect as salmon gets.  Ginny had the seafood paella, which had every type of seafood the area produces and was so big the two of us could barely finish it for lunch the next day.  

Juneau

The ferry left at 4:45am so we were up by 3:30 and caught a shuttle, $6 each.  The sun came out, the passage was narrow, and the scenery was the best of the trip so far.  I figured out how to shoot panoramic photos on my phone and got some beautiful shots.  The ferry arrived in Juneau by 2pm and we took the hotel shuttle to the Driftwood, $145, a clean motel close to town.  We settled in and started walking toward the old part of town.  Unfortunately that is cruise central, swarming with overweight people and tacky trinket stores exploiting them.  We wanted to ride the tram up Mt Roberts to see the view as the sun was still shining, but tickets were $33 each which we felt was ridiculous.  We settled at the Twisted Fish and sat outside for oysters and beer.  Dinner was at Maguire’s, steak, salmon, wine, and a view of the water, less than $50 each.

Monday was overcast and misty.  Breakfast at the Sandpiper was first rate, Blintz and Mascarpone stuffed french toast, $30 each.  We decided to do museums since the weather was not the greatest.  Our first stop was the city museum, $5, which included a film on the history of Juneau.  The exhibits were well curated.  When we walked into the state capital, there was no one at the security desk but they did have a brochure for a self guided tour of the building.  Mainly we looked at the art and the photos from the late 19th and early 20th century.  We stuck our heads into the chambers for the senate and house, which were quite small, I guess it does not take a lot of people to govern 626,000 people and a vast expanse of empty land.  The old Orthodox church was a small wooden building, still in use.  All the iconography was original.  We walked past the governor’s mansion which was a grand colonnaded white building on a hill overlooking the town and the Gastineau channel.  

The state museum had just opened in a new modern building by the water.  The exhibits were fantastic, with mostly native artifacts, and seemed to include all of the tribes including ones that had died out.  Part of the museum was focused on the transition from colony to territory to state.  Certainly worth a couple of hours, $11.  Lunch was at Seong’s sushi.  The salmon was local as was the hamachi, both were the best we ever tasted.  The sun came out late and dinner was at the Hanger,(in an old seaplane hangar)  right on the water.  The steamers were good but the chowder and salad just ordinary.  Overall a good, low key day.

Tuesday we wanted to go to the glacier but it was raining when when we finished breakfast, so we went to the local artist coop.  They suggested the Treadwell hike in Douglas, across the Gastineau channel, we could take the city bus to the trailhead, $2.   The hike was pleasant, though damp, and the signage explained the history of the old mine.  We stopped in the park shelter and warmed ourselves by the fire and got back to the city bus stop on time but the bus pulled out 2 minutes early.  We didn’t want to wait 30 minutes in the rain so we walked to the Douglas cafe and had some soup.  I don’t think they had seen tourists in a while as they asked if we were from Juneau.  We still had some time to kill when we finally got back to Juneau  so we found our way to the Sealaska center.  Sealaska is a corporation set up by and for the native population to preserve their heritage.  They had a narrated story of the man who holds up the world (like Atlas) and a mask exhibit that was compelling and unique.  The shop had the best work and prices to match.

Glacier Bay

The Alaska flight to Gustavus was 15 minutes in the air, then it was a 30 minute drive to the Glacier Bay Lodge, the only lodge within the national park.  It was four star accommodation,  We had a spacious room with a water view, $205.  After hiking around for a bit, and seeing the skeleton of a huge humpback whale that was hit by a cruise ship, we had a glass of wine on the deck overlooking the Sitakaddy Narrows.  Dinner of halibut was quite good, $115 for two.  

The boat tour, $224 each, left at 7:30 and was about half full.  Only two cruise ships, a few private boats, and the park service tour are allowed in Glacier Bay each day.  Just after we started we saw orcas sounding.  Our first stop was by South Marble Island where the sea lions haul out and bellow.  In addition to the sea lions there were massive numbers of birds nesting in the rocks and wheeling in the sky.  Humpback whale sightings were frequent all day and though they didn’t breach they did wave their tails at us.  One of the cutest things were the sea otters floating on their backs with pups on their bellies.  A little further on we slowed by some steep rocks with several mountain goats resting.  Another delightful sighting was a brown bear with three cubs walking down the shore line, we watched for about 10 minutes.  

Most of the glaciers have retreated from the water’s edge leaving scoured hillsides and valleys filled with morain.  The lack of vegetation and remaining snow made the mountains seem like another planet.  As we approached the Margerie glacier we saw two bald eagles sitting on a small iceberg, thinking about their next meal I suppose.  The Margerie is the last tidewater glacier still calving into the bay.  We hung out there for a while, watching big chunks break off and splash into the bay.  The glacier makes a lot of noise, creaking, groaning, snapping, and sometimes booming like thunder.  There were lots of sea otters and seabirds enjoying the show too.  The park ranger narrating the tour was full of history and seemed to be an ardent birder.  Tour boats first arrived in 1883.  The tour included a nice lunch of smoked salmon chowder with a  freshly made sandwich and you could buy beer if you wanted it.  We saw so much wildlife and fantastic scenery the only summary is WOW!  Probably should have stayed another day as there were several activities in the park that sounded good.

The bus back to the airport stopped briefly in downtown Gustavus, a 1940’s gas station and a ramshackle general store, because there was a bear in front of the store.  The 15 minute flight back to Juneau was almost empty, but then we had to wait 45 minutes for the shuttle back to the Driftwood hotel, at least it was free.  Dinner was at Seong’s sushi and we went straight to bed as we had an early ferry the next morning.

Haines

The ferry left at 8am, so we had to get the 6:30 shuttle.  We got a high speed ferry and arrived at Haines in 2.5 hours.  Haines has 1700 people and three roads out of town, two of which are dead ends and the other goes to Canada.  The Captain’s Choice Motel picked us up, $178, no WiFi, but an incredible view of the harbor and mountains.  There was no cafeteria on the ferry so we went to the Chilkat restaurant and Bakery, American, Thai, and Mexican food.  The breakfast burrito was OK but the eggs benedict were awful, $40.  As we started walking thru town we saw many galleries,  Haines claims the most artists per capita of any place in SE Alaska.  There was a Hawiian working the visitors center, he hated the weather but loved the Alaskan girl he married.  Life is all about choices.  Eventually we got to Ft. Seward, an army base declared surplus in 1946 and bought by 5 WWII veterans.  There was one building with a cooperative of native artists, a theater, a reproduction clan house and the gallery of Tresham Gregg a local artist of great talent.  Many of the old buildings were now private homes and other small businesses.  One Jewelry maker told us that she could not take to winters any more (300” of snow one year) so now she winters in North Dakota???  Dinner was at the Bamboo Room, a dive bar with excellent grilled salmon and a salad, $19.  

Friday was sunny and warmer.  We rented a 2008 Dodge 4×4 pickup, the only thing available $91, and headed north.  The road followed the Chilkat river and the scenery was such that superlatives seemed weak.  The mountains were jagged, steep, without vegetation, and still snow covered.  Looking across the river and above the forest at the mountains was just WOW.  We drove thru Klukwan, the last Tlingit village in its original location.  The cultural center was not open yet so we drove on into Canada, driving thru a corner of British Columbia and then into the Yukon.  The landscape was more open and the road had climbed closer to the peaks, but it was still stunning.  Eventually we arrived at Million Dollar Falls.  You drive to the end of the campground, walk down a short trail, turn right when you reach the fence, and go down some wooden stairs.  The roar is thunderous as the river is squeezed through a narrow  gap in the rock with a 25 foot drop.  The wooden viewing platforms have excellent viewpoints.  By this time it was noon and we were 90 miles out so we turned back.  As soon as we crossed back into the US we saw a brown bear with a cub who gave us a distinct “mind your distance” glare.

Lunch was at the 33 Mile Roadhouse, great burgers and hand cut fries.  The Klukwan cultural center, $12, was open by the time we got back there and had the interiors of a couple of clan houses that were 300 to 400 years old and in excellent shape.  The local girl who did our tour was full of interesting details.  Back in Haines we stopped by Fort Seward again and checked out the local distillery which had a great gin flavored with spruce tips.  The local cannery was still in operation but not very interesting.  The 3rd road out of town went to Chilkoot Lake, a beautiful serene spot with a camp ground and a boat launch.  We hung around late hoping to see more bears but just saw a bald eagle and lots of mosquitoes.  Dinner was at the Commander’s Room in the Halsingland Hotel.  Very elegant and seriously good food, watermelon salad, grilled local salmon, apple rhubarb crumble, wine, $115 for two.

Saturday was cloudy and misty so we took it easy.  We checked the remaining stores including the resale shop.  I could not get Ginny to go into the hammer museum with me and I admit it was not very exciting.  Lunch at at the Lighthouse was salmon tacos, 2 for $9.  We checked out the Sheldon Museum, every town has a Sheldon museum, and it was very well done with both native and more recent history.  Dinner, again at the Lighthouse was steak for Ginny and yummy pot roast for me.  A couple of bald eagles circled outside looking for their dinner and then perched on two poles at the dock.  Sunday morning broke cloudy but dry, so we walked around to get our steps.  Lunch was at Big Al’s Salmon Shack, but they were out of Salmon.  The halibut sandwich was delicious.  The ferry left 45 minutes late, the first late ferry in 3 weeks.  

Skagway

Skagway is a tiny town at the end of the Lynn Canal, the longest and deepest fjord in North America.  The original native name for the place where Skagway was settled translated as “wind blows all the time.”  When we planned our visit, we had no idea that they get a million cruise visitors every summer, it was swarming.  We walked down to Skagway Fish Company but they were out of oysters so we wound up at Olivia’s for dinner.  Excellent cocktails, halibut, and dessert $102 for two.  The Park Service had nicely restored many of the old gold rush era buildings, unfortunately most of the shops looked like any cruise port in the world.  Monday was overcast but dry.  We looked at all the museums, the city museum was the best, and watched the Park Service film about the gold rush.  We went back to Olivia’s for lunch and got watery chowder without any fish, $14 for a small bowl, so good for dinner and so bad for lunch.  That evening we called Skagway Fish and they had oysters.  By 7pm the cruise people were safely back in their sardine cans and we had 2 dozen oysters, halibut stuffed with king crab and two rounds of drinks, $130 and well worth it.  

Tuesday we wanted to get out of town so we rented a car, $165 Avis, and headed north.  It started out cold and cloudy and the first few pullovers were full of bus tours, but we soon got ahead and the sun started peeking out.  As we crossed into Canada the terrain became treeless with lichen covered rocks and small glacier melt lakes and ponds, very forbidding but hauntingly beautiful.  The first sign of civilization was Carcross, a mostly first nation populated town.  From there to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, we passed lakes and subarctic terrain.  As we drove into Whitehorse we stopped at the SS Klondike, the last of the stern wheelers that plied the water to Dawson City hauling ore until the 1950’s.  Lunch was at the Yukon Rib & Salmon, halibut sandwiches and beer, outside in shirtsleeves!  The McBride museum had a great exhibit covering the development of the Yukon.  They even had an albino moose, stuffed.  Out by the airport was a museum about Beringia, the land linking Alaska and Asia during the last Ice Age, I learned a lot.  There were beavers 8 feet tall, 500 pounds, and carnivorous!  The highlight of the area was Miles canyon, with vertical basalt walls and a small suspension foot bridge, it looked like a small Yellowstone canyon.  Whitehorse deserves a couple of days.  We took the long way back and the clouds came in as we neared Skagway.  It was 70 in Whitehorse and 46 in Skagway, ugh.  We ate at The Station, a locals dive, and the grilled halibut sandwich was a winner.

Wednesday we took the White Pass & Yukon Railroad.  It is a narrow gauge line built in 1900 to haul ore from Whitehorse to the port at Skagway.  It climbs at a 4% grade and follows one of the two original gold rush trails.  We crossed into Canada and stopped at Bennett Lake, the headwaters of the Klondike river.  There is not much there but it was the end of both the Chilkoot Trail and the White Pass trail, from here the stampeders could take boats 560 miles to Dawson City.  The train now ends at Carcross, which had several reasonably priced local art shops.  One shop had a sign “Expensive shiny things, Not so expensive shiny things, Best I could do shiny things.”  From there we took a bus back down the Klondike highway, with a driver from Ireland and a brogue to match.  Just at the border is Pitchfork Falls which divides and flows south into the Skagway river and north into the Yukon river.  We went to the Chilkoot Room at the Westmark Hotel for dinner, very elegant, white table cloth,  cedar plank salmon, wedge salad, wine, $122 for two.

Thursday we spent most of the morning talking to people at the B&B, a very interesting pair of British teachers working in Singapore, and a couple from Australia were especially interesting.  We wandered a few of the back streets and saw some local shops that were interesting, and bought a few last souvenirs.  We had lunch at the Station again and this time the halibut sandwiches came with clam chowder, with beers $55 for two.  The ferry was late again.  I had left my trekking pole in the Ram truck in Haines and the hotel had dropped it at the ferry terminal so I could pick it up on our way back to Juneau.  The Driftwood picked us up for our third stay, the free shuttle is the best part of staying there.  It was late so we went to Seong’s again.  They were out of hamachi but did have white king salmon sushi which was out of this world.  Ginny and I took separate shuttles to the airport in the morning.  My plane was ⅔ full on the 20 minute leg to Sitka where almost everyone got off.  The plane then filled up completely with fishermen.  I got back to Portland in time to catch the first night of the Waterfront Blues Festival.  Three magnificent weeks.