Category Archives: Alaska

Cruise #3 Alaska- Land of the Midnight Sun

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The #3 Cruise was Alaska

A cruise to Alaska is on so many people’s bucket list that I have to share our experience. Looking back on it I can see where we made some big mistakes. This should have been the trip of a lifetime. But let me fill you in and you can let me know what you think.

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Alaska Land-Cruise

There is so much to see in Alaska that we didn’t want just a cruise. Most of the cruise lines offer land/sea packages so that’s what we looked into. When the time came to book our cruise I turned to a travel agent for help. Usually I plan and book all of our trips myself but we were spending a lot of money so I wanted to be sure we had the right cruise.

The First Mistake

We weren’t sure about the best time to take the cruise so I met with the travel agent. We talked about what we’d like to see. Were the Northern Lights important or maybe 24 hours of sunshine or were the abundant animals the draw? Having previously discussed some of this with my sister I said we’d like the animals, especially baby animals. The agent then went on to sing the praises of an early  spring cruise. The flowers would be blooming and baby animals would be everywhere. Alaska is beautiful in the spring. Sounded good. Sign us up.

No one can control mother nature but spring came late that year. Our cruise was cold and rainy. Baby animals were rare. Many animals were not around at all. And as for wildflowers, the were still snow covered.

The Second Mistake

While on the land part of the trip in Denali National Park  we took a tour into the park. We saw a moose or two and some caribou but no bears. It was a little disappointing. Turns out our travel agent  signed us up for the short half day excursion. The folks that went on the full day saw a  lot more animals, went deeper into the park and at one time had 3-4 grizzly bears surround their bus.  Note to self, next time take the long tour!

The Good Advice

 We had a choice of starting in Denali and then sailing south to Vancouver or doing the cruise first. Our Travel agent advised since this was a spring cruise that we go south to north. Good advice. We signed up for 3 days in Denali at the end of the cruise. We really would have missed out if we had gone the other way. It would have been way too cold in Denali.

Denali

But Wait There’s More

Before I rate this cruise I want to go into some more detail about the excursions and ports of call so stay tuned for more details. This was just an overview.

 

 

 

Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami warning

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NOAA buoy detects Tsunami

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Did you hear about the Alaska Tsunami warning?

Imagine if you had been cruising when the tsunami warning came on! I was about to tell you about cruise #3 which was to Alaska but I decided I wanted to know more about the tsunami and earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska. How do these events affect a cruise ship?

Earthquake under the Sea

Its pretty interesting. If you are on a boat and there’s an earthquake near you, you won’t even notice it. Imagine a cork in a bowl of water. Tip the bowl and the cork won’t move. Same idea but the ship is the cork and the bowl the ocean. If you are tied up in port your experience might be a little different. The dock will be affected because it’s connected to the land. Since the ship is tied to the dock tie lines may jerk and the ship may bump into the pier. All that energy is being transferred to the ship.

But What about a Tsunami?

Those are pretty big waves. It would seem that they would affect the ship. Remember the movie “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972 & 2005)? That is not what is going to happen. At least not if you are out at sea. If you are on a cruise ship in the ocean you might not even notice the Tsunami! Much like the cork above, your ship will probably just ride over it.

The Shock Wave that is a Tsunami

Tsunamis can travel at speeds of 500 mph in the open sea but it isn’t a wall of  water. It’s not until it hits shallow water in a harbor or along a coast that it is compressed into a big wave. Stay away from land and you should be good. Experts say that large cruise ships probably won’t be affected even when docked because they need at least 30 ft of water which is still considered fairly deep.

Alaska’s Alert

Although everyone was evacuated from the low lying coastal areas near Kodiak, the tsunami never materialized. By 7:30 EST the alerts and warnings along the west coast were being canceled. That’s good news for all!

 

Its Breaching Whales and Hungry Sharks

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The Whales are Breaching!

Breaching Whale off Cape Cod

Breaching Humpback Whale Stellwagen bank 2016

Last year was the first time I ever saw a whale breach here in New England. I’ve see lots of other behaviors but I always thought breaching was only in Maui, HI or Alaska. So with that in mind I went to Alaska but no breaching there. Finally last winter I spotted a breaching calf. A 2000 lb baby was leaping for joy. It was dawn and the day was still very gray. A good picture but not what I’ve been envisioning. My quest continues.

Breaching Humpback Calf

Breaching humpback calf in Maui, HI 2017

They were Breaching before my tour and after

I follow Captain John Boats on Facebook and all season I’ve been seeing posts about breaching whales on their tours. I finally got out on a tour last week but as you know from my last post, no breaching. In fact, right after my tour, there is was! Another post about a breaching whale. I know they aren’t trained performers but just the law of averages seem to favor my chances. How is it that I keep missing this amazing behavior?

Up the Stakes for a Trip that will be hard to top!

As I was sulking over my continued misses the Whale Watching trip to beat all whale watching trips hit my feed. How about whales and sharks? Yup, a recent trip delivered on the whales and then found a whale that had recently died from entanglement injuries. According to the news report it was a dead minke whale. Its always sad to see an animal that has died but nature is very harsh. But this time the passengers got to see how nature recycles. The death of one animal sustains another. What was being sustained this time? 2 Great White Sharks, that’s what!

Great White Shark

It’s Shark Week on Cape Cod

This is amazing. There is a tour company that advertises great white viewing but the folks on this whale watching trip never expected to to see a shark. This tour would be off the chart if you rated it. It delivered everything advertised and then dished up 2 great white sharks. What I would have given to be on that trip! Rating 10 +++++++ Way to go Captain John Boats!

Great White photo provided by Google Search

Vacation Planning

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Anyone who has followed this space for long knows that my goal is to take a vacation in all 50 states.  Obviously that means two or more new states a year or I’ll be 90 or older before I manage to complete that goal.

I’ve gotten a bit side tracked lately because with each upgrade to my time share they’ve given me a vacation that includes airfare. Bottom line is I keep taking the bonus vacations and have gotten off track from my goal.

So I decided to organize my thoughts and future plans.

July is a brief visit to Maine to try to capture an Iconic Puffin Photo. Its only an extended weekend. (and I’ve vacationed in Maine-Loved it)

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I have a vacation to Maui all scheduled, if not completely planned, coming up in November.

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I’ve been to Hawaii twice before. Once to the Big Island and once to Oahu so this will be my 3rd visit to Paradise.

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In January my company will hold their annual convention in Las Vegas. I am seriously considering added a few days vacation on and staying at the Polo Towers. After all, my company is paying for my airfare. I’ve been to Las Vegas for vacation twice before but there are still things I’d like to see.

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February looks like another trip to Hawaii compliments of my time share. I have a choice of the Big Island (Kona side) or Maui.

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Right now I am leaning toward Maui again for the whale watching and snorkeling. February should be peak season for the whales.

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That will wrap up the commitments so far.

So where is my focus after those are done?

Jackson Hole Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park is still top of the list.

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Key Largo (John Pennekamp Park) (Even though I’ve been to Florida more times than I can count)

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Pacific Northwest (Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area)

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Central Idaho ( The Sawtooth Range)

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Channel Islands CA

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Katmai National Park, AK (Brook Falls) (Alaska is another repeat)

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I guess that will keep me busy for a while.

Mayor Stubbs

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I haven’t heard too much about Mayor Stubbs since he recovered from the attach on his life by an assassin dog. So when I ran across this recent article I thought I’d share. He does look like he’s getting old. 🙁

Talkeetna’s feline mayor contemplates retirement

Stubbs the cat has faithfully served his constituents for 17 years, and his owner says it might be time for him to leave Alaska’s political arena.
By: Laura Moss
Tue, Jun 10, 2014 at 12:12 PM
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A visitor cuddles Mayor Stubbs at Nagley’s General Store. (Photo: Cody Wellons)

I recently snuggled with the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska.
He was friendly and quite diplomatic, making sure to give everyone who’d traveled to see him an equal amount of attention.
In return, we all gave Stubbs, a 17-year-old cat, a few scratches behind the ears. We could be some of the last Talkeetna tourists to do so.
The mayoral Manx has served Talkeetna, which is home to fewer than 900 people, since July 18, 1997 when he was still just a kitten.
It’s rumored that Stubbs was elected mayor following a write-in campaign by voters who opposed the human candidates. However, Talkeetna has no actual mayor and no election — the town is run by a community council.
Nagley's General Store in Talkeetna, AlaskaStubbs conducts his unofficial mayoral business from Nagley’s General Store, where he can often be found sleeping in a basket or sipping his favorite cocktail: water with a catnip garnish.
On the day we met, Stubbs was doing the rounds in and around the store, greeting his constituents, as well as tourists who were in town for Memorial Day weekend.
Eventually, he curled up beneath a picnic table for a nap.
Having recently turned 85 in cat years, Stubbs may soon retire from life in the political spotlight.
His owner, Lauri Stec, says she may move Stubbs into her house to take a break from the deluge of visitors who flock to the store each summer to see him.
She says Stubbs will likely hate being stuck at the house, but she’s concerned about his health — and his penchant for trouble.
“He’s definitely used up 100 lives,” she recently told the Alaska Dispatch.
In August, Stubbs was mauled by a dog, an attack that left him with a punctured lung, crushed sternum, bruised hips and a deep gash.
He was rushed to a veterinary clinic in Wasilla, Alaska, and eventually made a full recovery.
In addition to surviving the assassination attempt, Stubbs has also lived through being shot with a BB gun and falling into a cold fryer at the café attached to Nagley’s General Store.
If Stubbs leaves the store this summer, his fans — who hail from regions far outside his constituency, from the likes of Turkey, Australia and China — will still be able to keep up with his adventures on Facebook.

Read more: http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/talkeetnas-feline-mayor-contemplates-retirement#ixzz34O4xvde5