Sea to Land

Having been on the water for a few days, we finally went onshore in Juneau, Alaska’s capital.  We walked the shops along the waterfront (so not worth it), many of them owned by the cruise line, and took a bus to the Mendenhall Glacier (so worth it).  As it was getting late in the day when we disembarked, we ate a late lunch, then frantically looked for transportation to the glacier.  Luckily we found a tour bus making its last round to the park.  We hopped on and made our way across town to the Mendenhall Glacier.  We hit the main viewing spots, snapped some pics, and went to wait for our ride back to the ship.  While waiting at the bus stop, we were treated to a brief encounter with a black bear that was interested in the salmon, living out their genetic responsibility of spawning in a nearby creek, just steps away.  Definitely a better Alaskan experience than the shops in town!  Back on board that evening, we finished packing and sailed to our final port, Skagway.

Drifting into Juneau.

Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls.

All that work, only to become bear food!

For some reason, I did not connect the dots that at least the first part of our cruise and land tour celebrates the gold rush to the Klondike, that began in the late 1800’s.  So this adventure took on an educational twist, besides that of our beer exploits on the ship.  So, goodbye Volendam…hello Skagway.

Looking towards Skagway from the ship.

Looking toward the back of the ship.

Looking toward Skagway from an overlook.

Skagway was the jumping off point for over 100,000 wannabe miners, looking for gold, once word got around about a year after gold was first discovered in the Yukon, in Canada.  The problem was, that once your ship docked, you still had another 500+ miles to go to get your chance to find your fortune.  But this is not a history blog, so I will keep my educational snippets to a minimum.  

Skagway is roughly 20 blocks by 5 blocks in size.  It has a main drag, leading away from the docks with numerous stores, again…many owned by the cruise line.  There is a weird, disproportionate number of jewelry stores compared to the other stores as well.  I didn’t spend much time trying to figure that one out.  While our bags were being delivered to our hotel (also owned by the cruise line), we visited the city cemetery, where a few colorful historic characters were laid to rest from Skagway’s early days.  Headstones, dating back to the late 1800’s, were within a short hike of a beautiful waterfall.  After a short ride back to the hotel, we checked in, walked the city of Skagway, supported a number of stores and establishments, then back to prepare for leaving the next morning on our land adventure.

Cemetery

Where's Waldo?

Beth in a shower of bubbles.

T-shirts only...no bikes!

I finally found the truck I fell off of a long time ago!

Downtown Skagway

The miner’s heading into Canada in search of gold became a concern for the Canadian authorities, because most of those seeking out their riches had no clue what they were getting into.  Once it was apparent that these fortune seekers were in way over their heads, they were required by Canada to take with them on their journey, a list of supplies to help insure their longevity that totaled approximately 1 ton.  Each miner to be, had to transport 2,000 lbs. with them, 500 miles to Dawson City, the hub of the gold fields.

Leaving Skagway, we headed to Whitehorse.  Our first mode of transport north was the Whitehorse Pass Railway, unfortunately it was not available at the time the miner’s headed that direction.  Like some of the narrow gauge railroads in the lower forty-eight, it followed mountain streams up to the lowest mountain pass.  Most miners chose a different path though.  The Chilkoot Pass.  It was shorter, but more vertical than the Whitehorse Pass.  Our train ride ended at the Canadian border, where we boarded our motor coach (bus) and continued onto Whitehorse.

A picture of a picture of the long haul up Chilkoot Pass.  Makes me want to
have been miner wannabe...NOT!

Heading up Whitehorse Pass.

Still heading up Whitehorse Pass.

The uphill side of the train.

Canadian Border

Rachel, our Holland America Cruise land tour guide, and our motor coach driver, Scott, got our things stowed away and we settled into our seats.  No more getting up and going to the buffet if you were hungry or slipping out the back of the railcar to snap a photo of the next train tunnel we would be passing through, our confines were becoming more confined.  But, with a few photo and potty stops along the way, we reached Whitehorse, a city of significant size over Skagway, where we checked into our hotel, again…owned by the cruise line, and then cruised the main drag of shops.  It was now becoming clear that we were getting farther and farther away from “civilization,” because things were getting more expensive.  With a half-day warm up on the bus this day, we had a full day of it coming next.

Once the miners cleared the pass with their ton of supplies (sometimes taking as many as 40 trips up and down the mountain), which seems miraculous in itself, they soon became boat builders, because the most efficient way to get to Dawson City was by river.  So while waiting for the Bennett Lake to “ice out” from winter, they tried to create something that would float them and their supplies to their destination. 

With everyone in hopefully comfortable clothing, we boarded our bus and once again headed north.  We traveled through what seemed like a big valley between mountain ranges toward Dawson City.  With anywhere between 30 minutes to a couple of hours between stops, our time on the bus was interspersed with narrative from Scott, who provided some history and a few bad jokes as the kilometers rolled by. 

Some of our stops north included Carcross (shortened from Caribou Crossing), which could just about fit on a couple of football fields side by side.   But as you leave town, there is a miniature “desert”…Carcross Desert.  Evidently this area use to be underwater at one time and now all this sand is exposed and so seemingly out of place, yet unique.  We stopped at Braeburn Lodge for a butt break.  Besides being an “oasis” in the middle of nowhere along the Klondike Highway, they make gigantic cinnamon rolls, of which this crotchety old Santa looking dude sells for 16 Canadian dollars a piece (good, but not that good!).  A number of photo stops/restroom breaks later, we arrived at Dawson City, although technically not a “city.” 

Just another view.

And another.

World's smallest desert.

A butt break.  The color comes from minerals and diatoms...look them up!

Another butt break overlooking the Yukon River.

A pile of cinnamon roll.

Braeburn Lodge...home to the pile of cinnamon roll.

Another pee stop.

Antlers adorn most things.

After checking into our hotel, owned by…you guessed it…we headed out for a quick dinner, a visit to Diamond Tooth Gertie’s saloon show, and ending with the Downtown Hotel, home of the Sour Toe Cocktail.  I won’t tell the whole story of the Sour Toe, but it involves a real toe, alcohol, and in this case…Stuart!  

Saloon girls doing their can-can and they did-did.

Stuart emerges intact after his brush with a
mummified toe in his drink.

That brings you up to date and to our last stop in Canada.  Of the tens of thousands of hopeful miners that made it to Dawson City, most of the gold was gone before they arrived.  If you were lucky enough to make it all the way, you now had to deal with the heartbreak of doing it all for not.  Tomorrow we fly to Fairbanks on our own chartered jet plane.  Thanks Canada, for letting us travel aboot your beauty...eh?

My Zen from the Klondike Highway:  When the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally comes up in conversation, as it occasionally does, I tell those that have not been, that everyone needs to experience it at least once.  The vast open space that we have experienced on our trip here in the Yukon is in that same vein.  It is hard to appreciate its vastness.  But stuck on a motor coach, going 90 kph or about 50 mph, for 9 hours or so, you get a small sense of scale to it’s vastness as you stare out the window in awe.  It’s beautiful, it’s barren, it’s daunting, and it’s tantalizing.  For brief moments I can almost pretend to understand the draw for some folks to find their way here and carve out a life of sorts.  Me…I’m good where I’m at.

Bon Voyage, Mon Amie!

Guess where we are?

Goodbye Vancouver.

Getting ready to board the Volendam

The ship as seen from the Port of Juneau, Alaska.

We are beginning our third day on the water now, having left Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon and due to exorbitant internet fees, you are reading this post-cruise.

I was looking forward to my first cruise, heading north to Alaska along the inside passage.  A floating buffet, what’s there not to love?  Hot tubs, different levels to explore, a pre-paid “booze card,” and a continuous change of scenery. 

The buffet was one of the activities we participated in, with a view from
almost anywhere you were seated.

With the “honeymoon” over, with a few days under my belt, some little things have surfaced that have gotten under my skin about “what’s not to love.”  I promise to include more positive, but I am feeling the need to release some negativity off my chest.

Some of this frustration is out of the control of anyone, like the fog that was with us the first 24 hours.  Granted this was combined with smoke from over 100 wildfires that British Columbia was experiencing and made scenic viewing virtually impossible.  But this is not how I saw my maiden voyage going down.  This inconvenience never crossed my mind as my expectations formed pre-cruise.

Our first night's sunset.

The fog came and went and eventually lifted for the majority of our time on the water.  As our position on the water changed and the winds shifted, the smoke became less of an irritant as well.  I would have included pictures of the fog, but it would have looked like holding copy paper up close to your face, so just do that for a minute.

After the fog cleared.

The one surprise that I have become fixated on, is this vertical, intermittent vibration that seems to erupt from the belly of the ship.  What I picture as an aftershock from an earthquake, it seems constant with only about a second between.  The mattress of our bed and the hot tub seem to be the two sanctuaries that offer some relief as we head toward Juneau.  And as I write (…it has just subsided…Ha!)  I do get use to it, but in quiet moments, which there are many; these vertical releases of energy work their way through my body and make me hope everything is OK down below.  I’ve evidently watched too many episodes of The Deadliest Catch, where there is trouble in the engine room!

The only other surprise came last night, as we were playing cards.  The wear and tear the “Saltlife” has taken on the ship has caught caught my eye.  I hadn’t noticed much in the beginning, but like I said, as the big picture of my first cruise’s newness wanes, the more I see.  The rust and corrosion on the metal takes its toll, even though they do their best to cover it up with paint.  Even on the inside of the ship, next to where we were playing cards, the corrosion along the window frames is apparent.  I guess that’s why there’s so much glitz and shimmer in the design of the interior of the ship itself, to lead your eyes away from the years of “experience” the ship has seen.  Don’t get me too wrong, the ship is clean, attractive, and our room is awesome.  It is what it is.

Our (upgraded) stateroom.

With our private balcony for fog viewing!

The “aftershocks” have now been replaced by a steady, almost undetected vibration.  You can see it in the water bottles sitting on our desk.  These few negatives are quickly forgotten as you look out and see the land covered in thick forests.

The motion of the ocean got to Beth and Karen, but a little trip to the drug store brought some relief and our last day on the water was more enjoyable than the previous one for them.

By the last day onboard, I felt like I knew my way around the ship and began seeing the same people over and over.  With a few exceptions, most of the people on board are older couples, a few families with kids, but it seems as though we are younger than most (through rose colored glasses).  Most are not from the US, but from Australia, with some from the Middle East, and a smattering from Asia as well.  These are observations from my total lack of worldly experience, mind you.

Can’t say that I’ve made any new friends for life, but then we came with some.  We explored the ship with Karen and Stuart, played cards, ate a bit much, and drank a bit more.  Overall it was a good introduction to taking a cruise and as far as doing it again, I’m on board…haha!

Will miss our little towel animals each day.

Oh, I just remembered…we did experience some incompetence in the form of a botched couples massage that we never got to have and we came to realize the sometimes not so subtle push from the staff to support certain shops on our excursions ashore, belonged to the cruise line.  Here I was under the naïve impression that the cruise company was just there to help us enjoy ourselves at sea.  It just goes to show that…well…it shows something!

Oh, I just remembered…Stuart and I signed up for an Alaskan Beer tasting “class.”  I love learning!  Hosted by the Lido Deck master bartender, “Rex”…who’s real name I’m sure I could not re-pronounce, if given the chance.  The class was educational to a mild extent and the results were predictable!  One of the better educational opportunities I’ve taken advantage of.  Well done, Rex!

Classroom materials provided by The Alaskan Brewing Company.

We passed our class with flying colors!

Next stop…dry land…for the remaining days of our trip.

My Zen from the Water:  Know where your life vest is...  Even though our safety drill we had to participate in before sailing was crowded, took a while, and seemed inconvenient ..it was good to have a plan seeded in the back of my mind.  So know where your life vest is located in your cruise!

Where ever you go, there you are.

I’m sitting somewhere around 35,000 feet above an unnamed western state, with Stuart, Karen, and Beth, as we are heading toward Vancouver, BC to begin an Alaskan cruise tomorrow.  Another adventure under the guise of “retirement.”

It began this morning about 2:30 am, as we weren’t quite getting the REM sleep we’d hoped for and with the alarm set to go off in 30 minutes, we got up and started our wheels turning a little earlier than expected.

No wait.  It began about a week ago when the suitcases came out of the crawlspace and were set up in our bedroom, as we began contemplating what we would need to take with us for a 13-day Holland America cruise (by ship/bus/train/and plane) across parts of Canada and Alaska.

No, actually it began shortly after our most recent president was sworn in.  We had been planning a trip to Denmark, with Karen and Stuart, when our pocket book began to pucker and the short of it is, we set our sights on another destination.  A cruise to Alaska soon took on a life of it’s own.  But “cruise” only represents the first three days, as we scoured the literature online.  We also would be bused, flown, and carried by train starting in Vancouver, British Columbia, to the Yukon, and into Denali National Park, with our finale flying home from Anchorage.

Drew had asked us not to wake him until the last possible moment this morning, so that he would be able to roll from his bed into the back seat of the car, as he, in a weak moment, had agreed to take us to the airport at 4 am.  So, when Beth called his name at a 3:45 am, I only heard his response, which was something cartoonish-like… ”Huh?  What?  Ya, okay I’m ready!” as I’m sure his subconscious must have been scrambling to come up with a reason as to why his eyes were open, when the sun’s eyes were still shut.  But like a trooper, his eyes were open long enough to see that we’d made it out of the neighborhood and onto the highway, heading for K.C.I.

As our luggage handles were extended on the terminal sidewalk and as luck would have it, Stuart and Karen were in the crosswalk in front of us, heading for the same sliding door we were, we hugged and waved at Drew and began our two hour wait until we would board Alaska Airlines to Seattle.

A full moon set us on our way from KC to Seattle.

Fast-forward about 4 hours and we touched down in Seattle, scooted across the terminal and boarded a 30-minute jump over to Vancouver.  The flight from KC to Seattle was doable, only interrupted by a breakfast like serving of something involving sausage, egg-like material, and possibly a few other unrecognizable ingredients.  The orange juice was a hit!  Other than that, a few nods of the head, some video gaming on my phone, and a flyby of Mt. Rainier as we made our approach to land filled the time nicely.  The short hop for Seattle to Vancouver was so short (How short was it?), we didn’t even see the flight crew once we took off.

Busy Alaska Hub.

Mt. Rainier ushering us to Sea-Tac.

Large native water wall in the terminal.

Once reunited with our luggage, we traded some of our currency for theirs and headed for the train (light rail transit) that would deliver us to Vancouver City Centre.  From their, a 5 block walk to our hotel with baggage in tow.  Leaving our baggage at the hotel, we finally, at around 2 o’clock central time, found lunch and walked some streets of downtown.  Interesting area to explore, but that will come another time.

Waiting for the train and still smiling, with little to no energy in our bellies.

?

Our hotel

Alley art

Old and new.  Two wedge shaped buildings.

Clock had some significance, but I didn't read it all.
Too busy people watching.

A Seattle-like Space Needle.

Stars Wars inspired Inuit Art, or whatever.

Our take off point tomorrow where there was another cruise ship today.

A coffee stop on our walk around today.
The name of the shop and the person under it
have nothing in common.

Architectural significance everywhere you looked.

Old surrounded by new.

Big day today!  Tomorrow should be as adventurous, as we board the Volendam in the afternoon and set sail north, to the land of long summer days and short cool nights.

My Zen from the Road:  As we were walking along the streets of Vancouver this afternoon, we passed an alley lined with some really unique graffiti.  On the way back to the hotel, we passed another alley that had an odor that put me right in the heart of the Kansas City Zoo, at the Sea Lion exhibit (pool).  The smell was reminiscent of a cross between Sea Lion and restaurant garbage, with a hint of cotton candy.  So unique, I know.  My prejudices tell me that I wouldn’t want to go back to visit in the middle of the night, because there were lots of interesting folk hanging out in those areas that may call those alley’s home.  But my take away from this is that the highlights you encounter aren’t necessarily those listed in the free Chamber of Commerce material at the visitor’s center, sometimes they are the little surprises where you least expect them…even the smelly ones!  Look down the alley’s and inhale, even if your better judgment tells you not to.

Bonus (or not)?

This sign outside a business near our hotel.  The fine print drew
a double take.  To each their own!   (I can't make this stuff up!)