Northbound

Wild Encounters

I rented a bike and began a scenic 20 mile loop around Anchorage. Just minutes into the ride, I was riding along Raspberry Road, and found myself face to face with a moose who had just finished running some errands at the UPS delivery area in the Anchorage Airport. We were both a bit surprised. She stopped and nonchallantly smelled the sign. I'm pretty sure we were both thinking the same thing. Am I going to die?

I was stuck between a hill and a road. There was nothing else to do but stop, wonder how a moose hoof in the face feels, and start giggling. Her ears were up (not back) so I figured she just wanted the tasty plants behind me.

She walked to a comfortable distance and began eating.

Coastal Trail

The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is an 11 mile paradise.

It starts at Kinkaid Park and ends in downtown Anchorage.

The whole trail is breathtaking. In the winter, the trail is used by cross country skiers, and sledders.

Here's my little red bike. I had so much fun the first day that I ended up renting the same bike the next day and doing the same loop.

College Fjord

One of the best parts of the trip was cruising through College Fjord. We stood on Mandy & Jeff's balcony and watched icebergs float by. When the icebergs became the size of small homes, we headed up on deck.

It turned out to be an exceptional day because we were able to get just .4 miles from Harvard Glacier. Everyone was on deck, staring at the river of ice. It was cold and silent. We were riveted as we listened to the booming cracks, hoping a chunk might fall.

All the glaciers were named after colleges - Brown, Smith, Vassar, Yale...

Sitka

As we cruised up the inner passage, the towns grew increasingly smaller and more interesting; each one was rich with history. Although Sitka is tiny, and themain street was only two blocks long, everywhere we turned there was a another building on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Michaels Cathedral was built during the 1840's in the Russian architectural style with the domes and spires.

The interior is extravagantly decorated with golden chandeliers, intricate paintings, and priceless relics.

The Russian culture is kept alive in many ways. We attended a Russian dance performance. The troupe is made up of all females, and doesn't actually have a single Russian in it, but they were wonderful!

Salmonberry! Mmmmm...they taste sort of like a raspberry and tart strawberry mixed together.

Skagway

Skagway came into existence during the Gold Rush. Broadway (main street) is much like it was in the late 1800's.

Fireweed grows everywhere in Alaska during the summer. The hillsides were blazing with the purplish-pink flower.

Notice the sign.

We couldn't leave town without stopping at the Red Onion Saloon. This was the most famous bordello in town in the 1890's. They used to have 10 girls with small rooms in the back of the bar. The bartender kept 10 dolls on the bar, and when one of the girls was occupied, he laid that doll down.

Soapy's Cemetary

The Gold Rush lured many men to Skagway in hopes of striking it rich. They were told to bring a year's worth of supplies to Alaska, drag it all up a really steep, snowy mountain (this took about 15 runs with the sled), and then hike even further to find gold. This cemetary was a reminder of their hard life.

Some women and children made the hard journey as well

The trail led to the majestic Reid Falls.

Juneau

Like every other town in Alaska, Juneau is small and cute.

Our first stop was Glacier Gardens. The owner, Steve, had to get a special permit in order to build a road through the Tongass Forest because it is the second largest rainforest in the world (the first being the Amazon). He bought a really expensive bulldozer for the job. After promptly breaking the thing on a big rock, he cursed, grabbed a tree trunk, and shoved it into the muddy ground, root side up. That gave him the idea for the upside down tree that is now the trademark of the botanical gardens. Every year, he plants new hanging flowers on the tops (or is that the bottoms) of the trees.

The gardens contain a small stream and several serene pools of water.

 

Mendenhall

These icebergs are between 5-15 feet long.

Mendenhall Glacier is 1 mile wide and 12 miles long. It has been slowly retreating since the 1960's. Every year they send out a college student with a GPS and a kayak to get an exact measurement.

As we walked along the Trail of Time, the big, fat salmon taunted Josh constantly. Ha ha, where is your pole?

You man see the end of Nugget Falls on the right.

Life on the Ship

We spent several evenings in the piano bar with Vick and Cathy.

Mandy and Jeff couldn't get enough of the all Asian classic rock band. And I have to admit, neither could I.

Each night, the crew would come into our cabin while we were eating and leave chocolates on the pillows and make towel animals.

The hanging monkey was my favorite.

Alaska!

Can you believe the state of Alaska is only 50 years old? Russia sold it to the U.S. for 2 cents an acre (they needed to raise money for the Crimean War going on at the time). William Seward, the Secretary of State organized the deal, and many Americans scoffed at what they believed to be a giant waste of money. It was nicknamed "Seward's Folly." The flag was designed by a 13 year old orphan in a school contest during 1927. The blue symbolizes the sky, sea, & fthe orget-me-not flower (state flower). The stars symbolize the big dipper (or bear) for strength, and the north star which leads the way to Alaska.

The Carnival cruise ship holds over 2,000 people.

There were 10 decks, 2 pools, casino, spa, bars, restaurants, shops, golf, basketball, pilates, giant buffets, and anything you could ever want.

Every inch of the ship was glamorous.

Ketchikan

The small, rainy town of Ketchikan was quaint and idyllic. We stopped at this creek to view the bald eagles and salmon swimming upriver.

Waterfall in Tongass Natinal Forest.

Native village.

Ketchikan is known as "Alaska's First City," as well as the Salmon capital of the world.

Saxman

We went to Saxman Native Village where there were dozens of totem poles. The totems were built for 1 of 3 reasons: memorial, honor, or insult. Each tribe had an animal to symbolize it's clan, and that animal was featured on the very top. The eagle and wolf are the most famous.

The totems were always painted with the colors red, black, and turquoise. These could be made from the natural elements. The women chewed up salmon eggs, and made the red paste.

This is an example of an insult pole. Seward was thrown 3 potlachs which are parties in his honor by the native people during which he was given lavish gifts. In Tlingit culture, it was expected that he return the favor. He never did. The totem features him sitting on his box of wealth. His red ears, nose, and mouth represent his stinginess.

This totem memorializes a little boy who, despite being warned, put his hand in a rock clam. The clam closed, and his hand was stuck! His friends ran to the village, but all the men were out hunting. The women ran to the shore, but the tide was coming in, and there was no way to save him. The little boy sang a song, knowing that it would be his last moments on earth.

Creek Street

Creek Street is the old red light district in Ketchikan in the early 1900's. We walked along the wooden boardwalk to Dolly's House.

Dolly was the proud entrepreneur of 3 brothels, all of which she owned. The green house was where she lived and worked.

At night, the gold miners would come into town to drink. They often ended up here.

This is where all the magic happened! There were 2 entrances. The first was in the front. The second was in the back, leading to what is now called "Married Man's Trail."