It is a long way to get to the ferry in Bellingham,
Washington state from Nebraska and flights do get cancelled, delayed, etc. To give us a little cushion, we decided to
get to Seattle a couple of days early and see a few sites there. This turned out to be a good choice, as Liz
and Dennis were thinking the same way and we got to spend some time with them
before getting to the ferry. Even though
this slutigram is mainly about Alaska and the Yukon, Territory of Canada,
Seattle has a place in this story, as Seattle was the historic starting point
for ships going to Alaska.
Seattle is a city of about 670,000 people, with a metro area
population of over 3.6 million. It has a
very good light rail and public bus system, which we rode to get to downtown
and back on our first day in the city.
Pike’s Market is a district in the downtown where fresh fish, flowers, cheeses
and other items are sold under one very large roof overlooking the harbor. The very shot was on the TV show "Grey's Anatomy" this week. The harbor, not the cheese.
Another interesting(?), yet disgusting site to see is the
chewing gum wall. For some reason people
began removing their chewing gum from their mouths and sticking them on a wall
in downtown Seattle. Apparently the city
health department sees no problem with this, so it remains for you to discover
its location.
Latest information that Gary sent me in November 2015, is that the city finally washed off all this gum. They estimated that there were over 1,000,000 gum deposits on the wall. A very good use of taxpayer funds to count and estimate this.
Another place to see is the Museum of Flight, where we spent
most of the day at. The museum is across
the road from the vast Boeing Aircraft assembly complex. This building is the original Boeing
facility, now a part of the museum.
If you want to learn about powered flight, this is the place
to come to.
Exhibits range from early flight, such as one of the Wright
Brother’s actual early planes.
To old and modern military and commercial aircraft.
Can see and get on board of a Concorde
Enjoy lunch, al fresco, from the cafeteria. The runway in the background is quite active with private flights and is the one that many newly manufactured Boeing aircraft take off from.
Finally, explore flight that is out of this world. This is the training model of the shuttle that we saw at the Houston Space center in the January 2011 slutigram.
Alaska Ferry leaves from its Port at Bellingham, Washington,
about 2 hours from Seattle. A shuttle
bus runs from downtown and the airport.
We had pre-booked the shuttle and were to get it at the airport, only a
couple of miles from our hotel. Good
thing we asked the hotel driver to get us there early, as the regular driver
for the hotel called in sick so they asked the maintenance man to get us to the
airport. His incompetence was
amazing. He had lived in the Seattle
area all of his life (in his 50s or 60s) and proceeded to go in the wrong
direction. We told him this and he got
even more lost. After a half-an-hour of wrong
turns, he finally got us to the airport, where our shuttle awaited.
The ferry was scheduled to leave at 6PM and we arrived by 3
PM. When we say ferry, the picture you
have in mind is probably wrong, as this was no “Weeping Water” South Dakota or
Opononi, New Zealand type of ferry, but a large seagoing vessel. It can transport maybe 150 vehicles, to
include large semis and trailers and 400+ passengers. We had booked staterooms on the ocean
side. Each room has a bathroom and roomy
shower.
The ferry terminal had a very long line of passengers and
vehicles waiting to board. Here we met
up with Gary and Elaine, now we were six in our group.
Shortly after leaving port, we were in Canadian waters. We dined on board and were introduced to
Alaska prices, quite expensive. We
planned to use our provisions instead of eating 3 meals a day on board; we
planned to only eat one in the dining room.
Passed a remote Canadian village and a lonely lighthouse
flying the maple leaf flag. Other than
that, the Inside Passage world is one of water, rocks, sky and ancient pine
forest.
Unlike cruise ships, where they allow you to bring maybe one
bottle of wine on board, there are no such restrictions on the ferry, as many
of the passengers are just travelling to their homes and businesses in Alaska. Our provisions allowed us to have happy hour
for the six of us each day for the 3 days we were on board.
The ferry allows you to sleep in the lounge or on deck (in
tents, tied down with duct tape or in sleeping bags) if you do not want to pay
the stateroom charge. The ferry had
public showers for those folks. Also
available were laundry rooms, one for men and one for women. There was always a wait in the women’s, but I
do the laundry, so we had fresh clean clothes before we landed.
After breakfast the next day, the Captain gave us the bad
news, the repair was not holding. The
Captain informed us that instead of cruising at 21 knots, we would cruise at 7
knots. Furthermore, we would not be
getting off at Juneau, but a Ketchikan – which is the furthest south port in
Alaska. Gary’s phone was working
(remoteness did not affect his phone for some reason he had a few bars, while
we did not) and he talked with our travel agent in Petersburg, Alaska to inform her of the situation and ask
that she make necessary alterations in our agenda. We had already lost a day due to the repairs
and now we had no idea how much more delayed we would be. The Alaska Ferry people were great though out
this all. All meals were free and you
could have whatever you wanted up to a high dollar figure. Also, part of the fare was to be
refunded. After a few hours at 7 knots,
the crew was able to maintain a 15 knot speed.
This meant that we could be on schedule if a flight could be arranged
out of Ketchikan for the six of us. All
the while, the seas were glass calm and we just enjoyed the extended ride. The lounge ran movies all day long and they
were very interesting. One was a
documentary about a couple and their child who built their own cabin in the
wilds of Alaska and overwintered.
Another was about the timber industry, one about the
animals of the State, one on native peoples and one on fishing. All very interesting, and it kept our focus on the wonders of this grand state and not on the failing motive power of the ferry Columbia..
The ferry docks in Ketchikan at 9AM, we are told we can stay
on board all day if needed and meals are once again free. It is foggy and rainy, which is normal for
this small town. We viewed 4 cruise ships
that are docked near downtown, with hoards of people being expelled from them
into the various trinket shops of Ketchikan.
Each ship holds 4 to 5 thousand tourists, plus the crew. Even in spite of our mechanical troubles, we
all agree that we are glad that we are not travelling with so many people.
Our itinerary is pretty much up in the air at this point in
time, as we have not heard back from our travel agent. After lunch, we take a walk into town, as
there is cell phone receptivity everywhere in Ketchikan.
Our travel agent calls us with a new itinerary and says we
are booked on a flight to Juneau at 5 PM.
The end result is we are to fly to Gustavus (Glacier Bay) one day later
than originally booked and everything else is pushed back one day until we
reach Dawson City, Yukon Territory, where we will spend one day not two. After that we would be back on our original
agenda. Being mid-afternoon, we return
to the ship and catch a bus to the ferry which takes you across a strait to the
airport. This is a regular Alaska
Airlines flight to Juneau, with a stop in Sitka (the original capital of
Russian Alaska). All goes well and we
are settled in our hotel in Juneau by 8 PM.
Our travel agent arranged a pickup at the airport, booked the room for us,
and arranged transport back to the airport in the morning. As I do not sleep well if I dine late, I
chose a shower and bed. The other five
went out and had a very nice seafood meal.
The airport shuttle driver gives us the tourist talk about Juneau. Juneau is about 35,000 in population. It is the capital city of Alaska. There are no roads connecting Juneau with any
other places, so one gets in and out by air or sea. Over half the adults here are government
employees. A bureaucrat’s paradise. I’d go back to spend some time here as there
are many touristy things to do. Elaine
would like the fishing trips that can be arranged. Also, unlike most of Alaska, there are plenty
of hotels and restaurants.
On the front page of the August 18, 2015 “Juneau Empire” a
story entitled “Ferry Columbia docked again.”
The Columbia apparently has had some troubles. It is the largest and, I think, the oldest
ferry in their system.
A six-passenger plane, complete with pontoons awaited
us. Liz expressed some reservations
about the plane, but it was a short and safe flight to Gustavus on Glacier
Bay.
The picture gives you some idea of the size of the
plane. This is the one we took out of
Gustavus to Skagway after 2 days in Glacier Bay. The Gustavus terminal is sort of small isn’t
it?
As we depart the plane, the Glacier Bay Lodge shuttle awaits
our party of six. The driver tells us
that the year round population is about 200 people; summer doubles it, excluding
tourist of course. We arrive at Glacier
Bay Lodge, part of Glacier Bay National Park.
It is 12 miles from the airport to the lodge. Most of what we see along the way is dense
forest and thick mossy ground cover.
Glacier Bay is not just one small bay with a couple of
glaciers. It is over 92 miles long
and has hundreds of glaciers. It is a
world of its own.
As our flight arrived by 10 AM, we had a whole day to take
advantage of the activities at the lodge.
Our cruise onto the bay would be the next day. The lodge itself has a large gift shop,
dining room, very large gas fireplace, ranger exhibits, a theater, and a large
outdoor deck, which overlooks the bay and boat dock. After a rainy flight, the sun comes out and
it is a very warm day. We take a ranger
narrated walk through the forest and see large Sitka Spruce, alder and hemlock
trees. The carving was done by a native
to show how they used to mark the forest trails.
The broadleaf tree is the alder, which is more of a bush
than a tree, as few grow to large size.
The soils are rocky and poor.
However, alder have an adaptation that allows them to get their nitrogen
from the air itself and fix it in their roots.
Other trees and plants then can feed on this vital nutrient. Obviously, the alder precedes the spruce and
hemlock in colonizing an area.
The ranger explains all this to us as we take in nature’s
beautiful work. As the area is quite
wet, the ground in the forest is covered in beds of thick, soft moss and loads
of colorful fungi.
I don’t have much knowledge of fungi, but the ranger says
there are over 1,600 varieties in the Park.
Here are the 1,600 – just kidding.
Throughout the forest, there are areas where water collects
and the trees having shallow roots topple over, creating tannin colored pools,
where water lilies and other plants thrive.
Flowers and plants abound along our walk. Here are some of them that you may see if you
are here at the right time of year.
The bunch berry (edible), is said to taste like an
apple. As the ranger discouraged my
grazing proclivities, I can only guess at the taste. Apparently, bunch berry is a type of creeping
dogwood.
The Devil’s club, covered in noxious spines. The native people used the red seed berries
from this plant to make a tea or an ointment to treat adult onset diabetes,
rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis, as a paint source or to ward off evil. The natives resist commercialization of these
cures, as they regard the plant as sacred and it is slow to recover from damage
that may be caused by human trespass.
Here are some more flowers for your enjoyment.
Surprised me that orchids grow in Alaska. This is a calypso lady-slipper.
I think this is a queen's cup.
The above flowers are fireweeds.
When Dennis and Liz checked into their room, they looked out
the window and saw a porcupine. Quite a
treat for them, as sadly, there are no porcupines in New Zealand. At the end of our walk, we met up with a
porcupine. You can notice how safety conscious this particular porcupine was, crossing at the crosswalk.
Later that day, another short ranger-led walk brought us to
the skeleton of a humpback whale. In
July of 2001 a cruise ship struck and killed Whale #68 (AKA Snow). The carcass fed the wildlife and then the
skeleton was prepared for display. The
cost of the display was paid for by the cruise ship company.
Pretty big animal.
We enjoyed a nice meal and an evening presentation on the
tidal sea-life of Glacier Bay. Differences
between low and high tide have been recorded up to 21 feet, but normally are in
the 16 to 17 foot range. Still pretty
impressive, unless you have been to Nova Scotia (see slutigram November 2008), where
over 50 foot difference between low and high tide are normal. These are not my photos, but were given to me
by the Seaplane ticket agent in Gustavus – thank you.
After a restful sleep, we are off to see Glacier Bay from
the water. This is a much different
experience than on a large cruise ship, as the smaller vessel can operate close
to the shore and cruise ships are not allowed during seal mating season (don’t
ask me when that is). For the first hour or so, speed is limited to some slow speed to reduce the chance of hitting a whale. Apparently, the whales don't go that many miles in, so speed can be higher once you pass the limit of their range.
A short history of Glacier Bay. If you were in the area in 1680, there was no
bay, just a broad river valley with Tlingit native settlements. By 1750, the Little Ice Age sent a glacier
jutting into the Pacific Ocean. Since
then, the glaciers have receded and left a deep fjord where the glacier had
scoured out the former land. A river
valley generally has a v-shape, while a glacial carved valley is u-shaped.
By 1795, Capt Vancouver sailed 5 miles up the Bay. Naturalist
John Muir was able to sail a further 40 miles up the Bay in 1879. Hey, I thought this global warming was a
recent phenomenon. Today, you sail 65
miles up the Bay before encountering tidewater glaciers.
Those 65 miles are a treat to experience. Wildlife abounds. On the water and seashore there are
porpoises,
Sea otters looked like vacationers enjoying a float
on the water.
As you sail up Glacier Bay it becomes bordered by mountains
on all sides. Mount Fairweather at
15,300 feet is visible most of the way, although the closest you get to it is
about 50 miles.
We were pretty fortunate, as it was cloudy when we boarded
our vessel, but the further up the bay we traveled, the clearer it became. By the time we got to the glaciers, it was a
sunny, with scattered clouds.
There was plenty of bird-life to observe. Mostly gulls, but some other beautiful and
seldom seen birds. My favorites were the
puffins, eagles and ducks. The puffins look really strange when flying, something like a football being thrown through the air.
Large land animals were seen, although they were often too
far to get a good picture, unless you have a very good telephoto lens on your
camera. Yes, we saw brown bears. Seems like grizzly bears are brown bears, but
they would rather call them brown bears than grizzlies for some reason.
There are black bears in the area also. The brown bears chase them away, but we did
see some. Incidentally, never try to
determine if you are facing a grizzly by its color, as they can be black, brown
or grey.
The first moose in the area was seen in the 1960s. They are here, but we did not see any.
After a couple hours on the water, we arrive at the
tidewater glaciers of the Johns Hopkins Inlet.
Amazing to have been there. Visually it is stunning to see the glaciers
and to watch them calve (break off into the water). Besides that, a low rumble and cracking can
be heard, as the ice moves and cracks.
We’re not talking ice cube here, some blocks that drop into the water
can be as big as a house. The dirty
appearance is caused by the mountain rock the glacier has ground down to small
stones.
The boat takes us to a few more glaciers. They do look much alike one another in the
photos, but not when you are there.
For those of you who are really adventurous, the boat takes
on kayakers who spend a week camping and kayaking on these waters and
islands. We drop off some hardy souls. We were supposed to pick up a group of four
kayakers, but they were not at the rendezvous site. If they don’t show up by 2 days later, a
search party will try to locate them or their remains, should the bears have
eaten their fill. There are no cell phones,
towns or even people out here; you are on your own.
The next morning, the shuttle takes the travelers back to
Gustavus airport for the one-hour flight to Skagway on a single engine plane
that seats 10. The flight takes us over
a bit of the bay and then over some mountain ridges. Great way to get the feel of the terrain, as
the highest you get is a couple thousand feet, and often much lower.
Here we arrive in the small town of Skagway, where our adventure will
continue in the next slutigram.
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