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Tag: Chatham Strait

  • Part 4, In Juneau and Skagway

    Part 4, In Juneau and Skagway

    The crew makes up time, getting us to Juneau only slightly later than scheduled. A shuttle bus drops us off at the tramway station, and we walk the rest of downtown. The old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church welcomes tourists like us and worshipers alike. Andy and I make a quick pass through the State Capitol. Nothing is in session, and the Speaker’s seat waits to be usurped. Our brisk walk takes us back to the tramway station, and we hop on the next shuttle. Back at the dock, a van takes us meandering through the AJ Gold Mine ruins to arrive at the Gold Rush Summer Dog Camp. Following an introduction, twelve trained Alaskan sled dogs race us along the road, bumping over potholes, puddles, and pools. Alice gets to hold a six-week-old puppy. Back on the ship, Libby Riddles delivers an inspiring story of her dreams and journey to become the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, even with the mishap of losing her dog team early in the competition.

    We then set sail for Skagway. Early morning, we board the White Pass and Yukon Route train and snake our way up the narrow gauge track, coursing by the old cemetery, the Skagway River, Bridalveil Falls, two tunnels, and the historic cantilever bridge of 1901. However, mist shrouds any hope of having distant views. After eighteen miles, we cross into and back out of British Columbia. Returning to downtown, we visit the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush, now pulsing with tourists rather than prospectors. Before we leave Alaska, local entertainer Steve Hites sings ballads of the old gold rush and recounts stories of Alaska’s path to statehood.

    We retrace our path out of the Lynn Canal and into the Chatham Strait as dinner is served. The after dinner entertainment is the International Crew Talent Show, featuring some of the engineers, waiters, cooks, and other staff. By morning, we’re sailing the open Pacific Ocean on much calmer seas sprinkled with wavelets.

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  • Part 3, First Glimpses of Alaska

    Part 3, First Glimpses of Alaska

    Golden morning light bathes the docks and the town of Ketchikan. We decide to do a walking tour of this first stop in Alaska. We’ve escaped—from the contiguous states and the rocky seas. Turning onto Creek Street, the famous historic red light district of old Ketchikan, the stench of dead fish pierces our nostrils. It’s salmon spawning season. In this salmon capital of the world, countless fish thrash against the rushing rapids to end up in their ancestral waterways. We also visited the Totem Heritage Center. In St. John’s Episcopal Church, the ladies allowed me to play on their pipe organ.

    After a late lunch, we set sail through the Clarence Strait. Master of Illusion, Alexander Great, performs a pre-dinner show. Through Snow Passage, the full moon rises while we have dinner in the Canaletto Dining Room. Overnight, we cruise through Summer Strait, Chatham Strait, Frederick Sound, and into the Tracy Arm. Kathy Slamp, the onboard naturalist, begins her introduction at 5:45. She explains how Sumdum Glacier, at the junction of Tracy and Endicott Arms, carved away the mountainside. We pass countless waterfalls cascading down from tall cliffs and soon reach Sawyer Glacier. The St. Nicholas catamaran, which had trailed us earlier, now ventures out toward the glacier face where icebergs are calved. Turning around, we head back out, and near the entrance, we have to circle back into Tracy Arm, where the St. Nicholas developed a mechanical failure.

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