Airports can be fun

Posted on July 11, 2013July 11, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I was just thinking how much air travel has changed in the last 30+ years. Yes that’s how long I’ve been flying the friendly skies. But I didn’t always travel for fun so I don’t think of those business trips as “travel”. “Travel” to me is a vacation, an exploration of my choosing.

But anyway, “back in the day” they didn’t have security, x-ray machines, body scans and pat-downs. Oh occasionally there was a hijacking but it was to get to Cuba or some such thing. Because gates weren’t locked away the duty-free shops and restaurants were all along the concourse.

Since we didn’t have to take our shoes off and belts were ok, travelers dressed up. Flying was a “Big Deal”. I know I always felt very important. Jet ways were rare if at all. Most of the time you crossed the tarmac and climbed the stairs. The planes were small but they weren’t crowded. I seldom had to share a row with anyone unlike today where we sit on top of each other.

But in spite of the modern inconveniences of air travel there are some nice trade offs.

The airports are much fancier. Some have the moving sidewalks like flat escalators. Many have shuttles to take you from concourse to concourse . Good thing because the airports are so big now that we’d never make our connections if we had to walk and carry luggage too.

The restaurants have definitely improved and since they are often beyond security they are closer together. Lots more choices in less space.

We dress simpler so we can get through the security scanners without setting alarms off and slip on shoes like loafers or boat shoes are much more comfortable than even sneakers.

Yes, air travel has changed, some good , some bad but I like it more now because most of the time it’s taking me to someplace new and exciting, or so I hope. 🙂

(PS. I had more pictures to share but they were all taken with my camera phone and for some reason, the transfer keeps failing. I’ve been trying for 2 days to get them from my phone to the computer so I’m just settling for the one that went right through. That was in Chicago O’Hare )

Homeward bound

Posted on July 8, 2013July 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Back at the hotel we retrieved our carry-on’s and made ourselves comfortable in the lobby of the Hotel Captain Cook.

It’s a very nice hotel all polished and shiny with lots of shops to explore.

Eventually we moved outside to sit in the sun while we watched them load our luggage onto the bus for our trip to the airport.

One stop in Seattle, very briefly, and then the red-eye to Newark. From Newark a short hop to Albany, NY. Lots of time to review the trip in my mind.

A few quick facts I ran across during our Alaskan Adventure.

The Alaska Flag: The Big Dipper & the North Star on a field of blue.

State Motto: North to the Future

State Fish: ( Bet you can’t guess) King Salmon

State Flower: Forget-Me-Not

State Tree: Sitka Spruce

State Mineral: ( Another obvious choice) Gold

State Gem: Jade

Sport: Not hunting, not fishing…it’s Dog Mushing

State Bird: Willow Ptarmigan

Native People: Eskimo, Aleut, Athabascan Indians, Haida Indians, Tlingit Indians, Tsimshian Indians

On the Summer Solstice (June 21) Anchorage gets 22 hours of functional daylight.

The largest Salmon caught in Alaska weighed 97 lbs.

The largest halibut weighed 459 lbs.

The average snowfall in Anchorage is 69 inches. 42 miles away , on Mt Alyeska, the average snowfall is 650 inches.

The Northern Lights are most often seen between September and March unless you are above the Artic Circle.

Mendenhall Glacier

Posted on June 5, 2013June 5, 2013 by Dusty Roads | 4 Comments

Mendenhall Glacier is part of our tour package but for those who aren’t on a tour and wish to check it out there are regular shuttles that leave from Franklin Square by the Mount Roberts tramway station.

Meanwhile back on our tour bus, Phil handed out Nature Valley Bars and bottled water as a snack before our hike to the glacier. The Mendenhall Glacier is one of 37 glaciers that flow down from the 1500 square mile ice field. The glacier stretches approximately 13.5 miles from the ice field right into the valley finally ending in Mendenhall Lake.

The Glacier once covered the whole valley reaching it’s fullest extent around 300 years ago. Since then it has been in retreat. When Sandy and I planned out trip we joked we wanted to get to Alaska before the glaciers all melted. Scientists predict that Mendenhall Glacier won’t be visible from the Visitor Center in another 40 years if it continues it’s current rate of retreat. Maybe our joke wasn’t such a joke after all.

Meanwhile the retreating glacier often spawns large icebergs that drift across the lake.

The area is known for it’s wildlife sightings as well as the glacier but today at mid-day we didn’t see much in the way of wildlife.

At the edge of Mendenhall Lake is a beaver lodge but even the beaver were missing, maybe taking a siesta?

We started our hike to the lake on an easy trail through more of the rain forest. Phil stopped often to point out different mosses and lichen.

The trail opened out into more open, dryer land. Phil explained that the type of soil didn’t retain the water as well as the topsoil in the rainforest which resulted in the more sandy, open area. We could see a waterfall churning it’s way down the mountains. At this time of year, spring, waterfalls are everywhere as the snow melt makes it’s way into the valleys. By summer these torrents will be little more than a trickle if they exist at all.

While we waited for stragglers to catch up and enjoyed the sunshine, Phil told us the story of Romeo, the Glacier Wolf. I’ll share that with you in another post.

With everyone together again, we started downhill to the shore of the lake and the glacier views we’d been looking for.

Sure enough. the lake was filled with ice bergs.

The glacier glowed blue in the shade of the mountain side.

I am so glad the sun decided to come out today. They say the glacier is pretty in the rain but I find it hard to imagine it could be any prettier than it was today with the sun shining and the icebergs floating on the cold lake.

Thar She Blows!

Posted on June 4, 2013June 4, 2013 by Dusty Roads | 6 Comments

All hatches and windows “Battened down”, all passengers seated and secured and we were on our way to Point Retreat Lighthouse.

The first blow was spotted ahead and to the right around 2 o’clock but we were too far away to see the animal. The captain throttled back, Phil opened windows and we all spread out to watch for the next spout. He could be anywhere.

I was standing in the bow area and heard it before I saw it. Right behind me there was a loud whoosh. All of us in the bow jumped and whirled around. The whale was behind us now. Those aft were getting a clear view of the hump.

This whale was cruising along. We’d see his back hump then it would glide beneath the waves only to break the surface 5 or 10 minutes later in another place. It wasn’t diving deep as it wasn’t showing it’s flukes at all. Finally we didn’t see it anymore but the captain got a call about some more so we moved off to check out those sightings.

Not too much farther away we saw another whale surface and blow. This one didn’t hang around too long and we caught a little bit of fluke as it did a shallow dive.

We were running out of time. We still had to get back for the 2nd half of the excursion.

We headed back toward the lighthouse.

It was on our way back to the harbor anyway. As we again approached we saw other whale watching boats and there were more spouts.

They were really close to land this time.

Finally as the captain reluctantly told us it was time to head back we got a report of a mother and a calf. It was on our way so we kept our eyes peeled and were rewarded with a glimpse of 2 blows traveling close together. We didn’t have time to stick around 🙁 but at least we got a glimpse.

As we pulled back into our berth in the harbor I checked the pole where the eagle was perched when we left. It was still there! It was almost as if it was waiting for us to get back safely. As we were unloading I saw it take off, dip toward the water then soar away.

Time for us to clamber back onto the bus for the 2nd half of our excursion; the Mendenhall Glacier.

Day 4 ~ Juneau

Posted on June 3, 2013June 3, 2013 by Dusty Roads | 6 Comments

Up early for our shore excursion, we headed to the Horizon Court for breakfast. As we sat by the windows looking out at the side of Mount Roberts we spotted 2 bald eagles soaring almost at eye level! They would fly around a bit and then land in the trees and sit for a little while then take off and do the whole thing again. I wondered if we could see any of the eagles from our balcony.

Breakfast over we hurried back to get ready for the shore excursion and check out the balcony view of the mountain. Sure enough there was a bald eagle perched on a tree top right across from our balcony.

Even so it was way too far for my normal lens. I first tried to hand hold the telephoto but I wasn’t quite steady enough. Then I tried using the tripod. What I forgot was that there was a vibration from the ship so I still got motion blur.

Frustrated I put the telephoto away because it was time to meet our guide for our shore excursion.

Today we are going whale watching and visiting the Mendenhall Glacier. If the weather clears after our morning we might take the tram up Mount Roberts.

The announcement that we had permission to go ashore finally came and we headed out to meet our guide. To our surprise Phil, our guide, said we were going on the whale watch first.

That was ok just a surprise based on the tour description. Still it probably all has to do with what the weather is like. When we left the ship there were some clouds but it looked like we might finally see some sun as the day progressed.

We piled onto the bus and were soon on our way to the marina at Auke Bay where we spotted another bald eagle perched on a pole. As we waited for directions from Phil another bald eagle swooped down toward the water then right back up and over our heads. Breath-taking!

I kept one eye on the eagle on the pole as we approached the whale boat. I was fascinated that It hadn’t flown away.

The Whale boat was enclosed so the passengers would be protected from the cold wind but it made pictures impossible through the scratchy, cloudy glass. The captain was in touch with other boats to make it easier to find the whales. Once we spotted a spout Phil promised to open the windows and hatches to the bow and stern.

As we cruised out into the open water Phil gave us a lesson on whales using little plastic models.

We saw a pair of eagles perched on some rocks.

Other eagles soared over the boat the way sea gulls fly over them here at home. Off in the distance we could see 2 glaciers.

One was identified as Herbert Glacier, the other one as Eagle Glacier.

All eyes were on the waves looking for that first blow but so far nothing. Then we spotted a buoy. Something was definitely on it.

Obviously it couldn’t be a whale. As the captain maneuvered the boat closer to the buoy Phil opened the windows and we looked at some big guys…Stellar Sea Lions, no little harbor seals here.

There were some in the water too but no room for anymore on that buoy. We took our time watching the sea lions until the captain got a call that some whales had been spotted out by the lighthouse.