Leaving Alaska

The ship returned to Vancouver and it was quite sad to disembark. We left Alaska with the desire to return as soon as possible. Once back to Vancouver, we stayed an extra night and flew home the next day.

It was one of the best times away from home we had ever experienced. (Except for China of course! :) We were excited to see our Princess and I think the feeling was mutual (but she had such fun with her Miss Angie and Miss Brittany!) Thanks again guys for the love and care you bestowed upon our sweetheart.

When Elizabeth is 5 or so, we hope to make the journey again and this time we would also do land/ cruise tour. You spend the first days on land via train and bus, then cruise South to Vancouver or Seattle.

Thanks for following our journey to the Arctic Edge. We now resume regular programing... :)

Smoked Salmon Dip!

During our stay at Icy Point Strait, we sampled the most delicious Smoked Salmon Dip. I'm not a big Salmon eater usually, but have to say this dip was delicious. It is wonderful on dark pumpernickel bread, crackers, or with raw fresh vegetables. Try not to substitute canned Salmon here - use only smoked.

*SMOKED SALMON DIP*

8 ounces cream cheese, softened + (2 Tablespoons mayo if needed to thin)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 to 1/3 pound smoked salmon (remove any skin or bones and chop fine)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or chopped green onion
freshly ground white or black pepper
(optional = 1/3 teaspooon celery salt, garlic salt, and/or onion salt)


Use a food processor and blend the cheese, sour cream and lemon juice until mixture is smooth. Scrape mixture into a medium bowl. Add the salmon, chives, and pepper and mix gently w/ a wooden spoon. Makes about 2 cups of delicious dip. If it lasts, it's good for a week in the refrigerator.

** You can order Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon from Alaskan waters that is hand filleted, cured then slowly smoked with alderwood and brown sugar then vacuum sealed ... HERE.

and find more Alaskan Salmon recipes HERE.

Enjoy!

Icy Point Strait, Hoonah, and the Tlingits

Our final port-of-call was the hidden jewel of the entire trip IMHO. Icy Point Strait.

Icy Strait Point — is adjacent to the largest Tlingit Indian settlement in Alaska, Hoonah. Situated on the northeast shore of Chichag of Island, 40 miles west of Juneau, the Tlingit tribe (pronounced KLINK-IT) has inhabited the Glacier Bay region for centuries. The Tlingit language is a dying language. It is estimated there are only 200-400 people fluent in this language left in the United States, and only about 100 in Canada.

Decades ago, Icy Strait Point was the home of one of the world’s most productive salmon canneries. Today, it’s a living testament to the past. Beautifully restored, the Icy Strait Point Cannery reopened in 2004. Its halls are filled with unique family-owned shops, a museum, and a mid-1930's cannery line display.

It was decided that we would go on a Remote Bush Exploration & Brown Bear Search. We rode through the tiny town of Hoonah that is home to only 860 residents. Then off to the old growth forest in search of Brown Bears or other such sightings...

During our venture into the old growth forest, our guide gave us some fascinating background about the town of Hoonah Alaska, and the Tlingit Indian tribe...

Early Tlingit History
Tlingit families have inhabited the southeast Alaska archipelago for many hundreds of years. The original village of the Huna Tlingits was located in what is now known as Glacier Bay. More than two hundred years ago, during the last small Ice Age, advancing glaciers forced them to relocate. Since the area twenty miles to the south was used each summer as a subsistance harvesting camp, it was a natural place for them to settle.

Early Hoonah History
At first, the new settlement was referred to as Gaawt'ak'aan, or "village by the cliff", but later the name was changed to Hoonah, meaning "land where the north wind doesn't blow".

The Tlingits, skilled in hunting, fishing and plant gathering, harvested the resources of the sea and forests according to the bounty of the seasons. Operating within the laws of nature, they related to their surrounding eco-system with respect and wisdom. For example, they utilized every part of what they took from nature, that their resources would not be wasted. Their name itself spoke of what was important to them: the word Tlingit, meaning "The People", distinguished them from the four-legged inhabitants they lived amongst.

In Hoonah, many communal long-houses and clan houses were built where the Tlingits lived and interacted in a well-organized social structure. It was a matrilinial society, meaning the children inherited rights through their mothers.

For traveling to places beyond the village, the Tlingits used the ocean as a transportation corridor. They traveled in sea-worthy, hand-carved canoes, some large enough to carry forty people. In fact, these highly-skilled Tlingit navigators thought nothing of paddling for days in any direction.

Tlingit women were fine weavers of spruce root and grass baskets; hide tanning, plant and berry gathering and food preservation also occupied their time, as well as the men's. Both spent time decorating everyday objects with sophisticated, highly stylized animal designs. This distinctive, dramatic art form became a medium for the preservation of Tlingit history and culture.

Economy
Up until the 1850's, fur trading was a major economic activity. When the commercial salmon industry began in this area in the late 1800's, the Hoonah Tlingits thrived because of their innate knowledge of salmon runs, tides, weather, boat management and navigation. From 1912 to 1953, a large fish canning and packing company, located one and a half miles north of Hoonah, employed Tlingit women while their husbands purse-seined for the cannery in the waters nearby. It was during these years, when Hoonah is said to have had the largest fishing fleet in southeast Alaska, that the traditional subsistance economy of the Tlingits gradually changed to a cash economy based on commercial fishing. In the 1980's and 90's, logging in the Hoonah area shared the eonomic base with fishing; in this decade, Tourism is taking its place.

The Hoonah Fire
In 1944, a disastrous fire destroyed much of the town. No one perished, but homes filled with ancient, priceless objects of traditional Tlingit culture and art were lost to the flames. The federal government assisted in the rebuilding of the town by diverting to Hoonah World War II housing that was already enroute to Hawaii. These houses, located on Front, Second and Hill streets, are still called "Hoonah war housing".

A wonderful relaxing day in Hoonah Alaska was had by all!

I was quite relieved to see that John was to young to do *THIS* (Dave considered doing it himself though) You have to see it!

On board formalities

There were so many highlights each day, but one of the wonderful things we looked forward to at the end of a busy day sightseeing and experiencing Alaska, was to gather with our travel group at dinner. We traveled with some very special family members and friends. I think we had about 14 people all together, and we chose to meet back at the main restaurant each evening for dinner together as a group. We would each go our own way during the daytime and do what we wanted as individuals. There were many choices of restaurants on the ship, but the main dining area was where you could sit down and order from a menu instead of a 'mega' buffet ;)

There were two formal nights during our week at sea. The first was early on in the journey, and the second was toward the end. As I mentioned we left home without a jacket for our son John and the ship's dress code for these evenings seemed pretty carved in stone. In some ways it is nice to experience the formality, but in other ways, after a full day of Alaskan wilderness exploration, the last thing one might want to do is come back and put on sequins..lol.

John had an idea for a 'coat' to go with his shirt and tie. We had picked up a faux bear rug to go on his bed at one of our stops, so he tied it around his neck and called it his bear coat. He proudly wore this into the restaurant along side of the tuxedos and other gala attire .. (big grin here). We did get a few stares and smiles but at least we weren't asked to leave! ha.

This evening was the last formal evening, and they had a very special ending to the 6 course meal. Live musicians played music while all the chefs paraded through the dining area. Our waiter marched out with a flaming BAKED ALASKA for desert! SO fun! All the ships guests (us) waved our white cloth napkins in the air as the music played and the flaming deserts were brought out and served. It was quite festive and impressive. Sharing it with family and friends made for wonderful memories that will remain with us the rest of our lives.

The ship had many attractions for evening entertainment. Everything from a 'fun factory' for the children, to musicals and shopping, art auctions, casinos, spa, you name it. It was indeed a floating city.

There was one more port of call on the agenda, and I think this next one turned out to be one of our favorites...

Tidbit of info: It is estimated there are 12 bears living in Alaska to every one person!

CLICK HERE to make your own Baked Alaska for desert tonight!

MUSH!

OK, I thought the sea plane was over and I could now enjoy the rest of our time in Alaska either on land, or ship, but not so fast..

Dave was like a little boy so filled with the excitement of this yet another venture into the arctic world. There was really nothing I could say or do to change his mind about doing this, so I decided to embrace his enthusiasm with a resolution that God would protect them and that I would most certainly do my part to ask for His protection!

CLICK HERE to see what was next!

What an adventure! They took the helicopter to a glacier, landed on it, and spent time exploring. Then, a visit to a dog sled camp where John was able to ride with the Mushers! Dave said it was actually quite comfortable temp. wise with the mid day sun.

Upon their return, I was to meet them at an area where their bus that took them to the helicopter pick up point, would return and drop them off. I waited and waited and bus after bus came, but no John and Dave. We had to be back on ship at 5:30 and at 5:20 they were not back. Surely you can imagine what was going through my mind! FINALLY, the last bus arrived, and they were one of the last to get off, and we dashed madly to catch the shuttle back to the ship.

The ship had hot chocolate and cookies waiting for all the returning guests and after a dose of sugar before 6 coarse meal that John referred to as "6 dinner meal" :) we all felt a bit more relaxed! lol.

It was 'formal' night on the ship.. and we forgot a jacket to go w/ Johns shirt and tie.
We generally don't "do formal" so I'm not surprised I forgot it.

John had an idea though.
~~~
*You will most certainly want to add one of these to your next gala event attire*.
Come back to see it :)

Juneau!

Juneau, the capitol city of Alaska is situated approx. 600 air miles south of Anchorage and 900 miles north of Seattle. The city is only accessible by air, or sea as there are no highways connecting Juneau with the rest of Alaska, or Canadian provinces. The average Summer temps. are in the 50's with lows in the 40's. Juneau gets more than 18 hours of sunlight during the month of June, but only about 6 hours at the winter solstice.

Anxious to get of the ship, we were up at the crack of 3 a.m. :) and after one of the mega buffet breakfasts on the ship we were on the streets of Juneau by about 7 a.m. We took a tram to the top of a mountain that overlooked the town and saw a play done by native Indian tribes about Ravens at the top of the mountain. The views were astounding once again, and they just kept getting better the more time spent on land. We hiked a few trails into an old growth forest and John had great fun climbing the massive trees. The soil is shallow and the roots grow on top so it made a wonderful climbing adventure!

After riding the tram back down, we boarded a trolley that took us on a tour of the city. We saw many interesting neighborhoods... including THIS one! (Sheila L. you were correct!).

Click on the pics to put yourself a little closer to all the majesty!!

**Well, I thought the testosterone was back to normal levels after the sea plane adventure.... but I was wrong. They had another agenda. The afternoon, was spent once again praying for the boys safe return....

to be continued...

Land of the Midnight Sun, Hubbard Glacier, and..sigh, seasickness

We said goodbye to Ketchikan hoping that one day we could return and spend more time on land. By this time, sunsets were not until after midnight, and sunrise was around 3 a.m. You would think this would make sleeping difficult, and it did, but interestingly we weren't as tired at 6 a.m. as we usually are at "home" 6 a.m. since the sun had already been out for 3 hours. We kept telling our bodies it was 9 a.m. :)

At one point, the ship went into open sea waters again, and encountered some rather high waves and storms. During the night, it was quite soothing to be in bed and feel the ship rocking back and forth. In the morning however, the shower was very tiny and there were no windows in the bathroom. During my shower, I kept bumping up against the wall attempting to keep my balance ... it hit! I was seasick! It seems from that point on, until we reached calmer waters it wasn't quite as pleasant as it had been. lol.

Hubbard Glacier was the next point of interest on our route. Hubbard Glacier, is the largest calving glacier on the North American continent. Interestingly, it is approx. 25% larger than Rhode Island and you can read all about it HERE if you are so inclined. Its interesting reading for those wanting to expand their knowledge on glaciers ;) It truly was fascinating and the captain of the ship did a complete 360 to make sure all passengers had a premium view of this wonder. We spent about 3 hours at the Glacier and it was breathtaking.

Be sure to click on the pictures and enlarge to appreciate the majesty. You won't be sorry!

The Sea Plane

There wasn't much getting around it, Dave was determined this had to be one of the 'must do Alaskan experiences'...and that John would enjoy it as much or more. Perhaps the pictures will tell the story here ;)

Some may recall hearing about the safety record of these small planes, and within a 2 month period of our travels, there were 4 sea plane crashes killing most of the passengers and crew involved.( In Alaska). In one case there was a family that included a set of 7 yr. old twins, the mom and dad, grandmother and grandfather. The plane went down killing all on board except the grandmother and one of the twins. They were seriously injured. The family was on the 3rd day of their cruise.

My instincts were NOT to do this, but this was something Dave REALLY wanted to.

So, off they go... CLICK HERE!

Put the kid in a red jacket on a front row and...

the Lumberjacks pick him to try out their artistry with a chain saw.

John however thought the chain saw was going after him! These guys were the nicest lumberjacks you would ever want to meet in a dark alley with chain saws though. They carved a small chair in just a matter of seconds, and then picked John out of the audience to 'sit' in it. After they were done, they gave John the chair.

The only catch was we had to get it home. It was over $50.00 to ship it home.

Next on the agenda for the day was the underwater boat. I should interject that when Dave was in high school, his "plan" was to become a Marine Biologist, work with the Jacques Causteau team on Calypso and eventually have his own ship.. (Really! :) His 'plan' however was derailed by a not-so-great advanced biology teacher in 11th grade. He then channeled his efforts into a bit more conventional and mundane Chemical Engineering path. Wonder what life would have been like on board the Calypso w/ two kids? lol.

So, needless to say, the adventures of the day were reflections back on past dreams for the big guy. The little guy got to hold and touch interesting creatures and learn about life at the Arctic edge.

Then, it was time for THIS

Ketchikan!

Known as the salmon capital of the world, Ketchikan is a quaint little town near the southern most part of Alaska at the entrance of the Inside Passage. It is 679 miles north of Seattle and 235 miles south of Juneau. Summer temps. range from 51 - 65 degrees with Winter temps. a surprisingly mild 29-39 degrees. The town averages 132 FEET (yes FEET) of precipitation each year. It was indeed raining the day we were there.

It was a chilly misty rain much of the time with periods of heavy downfall frequent. It didn't stop us and we loved venturing into the quaint streets and local art galleries. Ketchikan is fighting back to perserve it's local heritage. It turns out there are 70+ jewelry stores (within walking distance of where the ships dock) that are run by businessmen who pay large sums of money to the cruise ship industry and then close up shop during the 'off' season and sell the same wares in other ports of call further south. The town leaders are diligently working to halt and decrease these types of 'touristy' businesses and bring back local native wares and arts.

At mid day, Dave and John split from my quest for 'native culture in a shopping bag' and took a very exciting excursion adventure...

An adventure that made me revert back to nail biting as a Mom and wife waiting for their return.

Entering the Inside Passage

This was the view when we entered the Inside Passage from the open sea heading North.

Muster Stations (and roast beef carving stations:)

Leaving Vancouver was breathtaking in and of itself, but as we approached more open seas, the landscape became even more picturesque. Click on the picture of my Mom and John walking down the steps to the dining room and note the view as you dined each evening! Unbelievable.

 

One advantage of taking the Inside Passage route is that your open seas sailing is limited to only two or so days of the trip. The Inside Passage waters are much calmer and you have the advantage of the views on both sides of the ship. 

We were sailing on Celebrity's ship the Infinity. The ship holds 2046 passengers and its tonnage is 91,000. It measures 965 feet in length, and was built in 2001. I found it very interesting to watch the everyday things behind the walls of it's glamour, like where the crew that cleaned the rooms stay, and what was life like living and working on a ship for 8 months at a time. 

All of our family and friends we were traveling with would go their own way during the day, and we would then meet for dinner in the main dining room in the evenings. I think having our family around us during such a special time was one of the best things about the entire voyage. We so enjoyed just being together. 

The head waiter for our table was from Turkey. He was married and his wife worked on the ship as well. I must say, I've never seen such dedication and attention to detail! He told us that they shared a very small cabin and work about 15 hours a day. John called each course they brought out 'a dinner'. So, the  appetizer was the 1st dinner, the salad was the 2nd dinner etc.. He was quite impressed when they brought out SIX dinners! :)

1st stop- Ketchikan AK!

It was all a go.. or so we thought

It was all a go. - Or so we thought.. We were headed to ALASKA! 

~

BUT, the night before we were to leave, we got a contract on our house, at 10 p.m. From 10 p.m. until about 2 a.m we spent much of the time we reserved for packing and last minute responsibilities with the real estate agent. When we finally collapsed in bed around 5 a.m. we weren't even sure the contract would go through after all. 

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We actually left not knowing.

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Whether due to the lack of sleep, last minute stress or whatever, I ended up with a major migraine headache. The flight was a total of about 13 hours of travel, and I left with ice packs which melted by the time we hit our first layover. I took baggies and asked the flight attendant to fill them w/ ice throughout the trip. It was not exactly what my dear sweet husband imagined (or myself ;). 

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I need to interject a very special thank you to my friends Angie and Brittany. They kept our Elizabeth for us as we felt she would fare better in familiar surroundings being only 2. The travel agent advised strongly that this trip would not be suitable for children under age 4-5 and looking back, we concur. Elizabeth adores her Miss Angie and Miss Brittany and we felt totally assured she was in loving hands. We took John and felt this would be a great time for some one on one before he started Kindergarden about 8 weeks later. We also met up with some travel buddies at our first stop! We were going with some family members, and friends which made our trip that much more memorable. 

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One very special person going with us was my Mom. I was so thankful she felt up to the trip. I learned that my Dad had been looking into this trip for the two of them just prior to his very sudden passing a few years ago. It was something he had always wanted to do. I thought of him constantly.

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Our first stop was the port of Vancouver Canada. It was where we would board the ship for our exciting cruise to the Inside Passage. We arrived a day or so early and did a little sightseeing in Vancouver, with a must see visit to Vancouver's China Town! Every weekend during the summer there is a Chinese Marketplace and it was actually the first time I've felt like I was back in China. The smells ;), the vendors, the music... It was VERY fun!

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We had dinner at the Seasons restaurant one evening. This restaurant is in Queen Victoria park overlooking the city of Vancouver. You could eat in your own private dining area outside complete with it's own fireplace. Ahhhh. 

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In Vancouver, it was raining almost the entire time we were there. I actually loved it. It was rather cold and I've never seen so many coffee shops! NO JOKE, there was either a Starbucks, or some other more 'local' establishment such as Blenz (my favorite) on every block! There was something special about the coffee.... 

~

Finally, it was time to board the ship!