Whittier

Posted on April 6, 2013April 6, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Whittier is the end of the line for the cruise and the beginning for the Denali portion of the trip. We should get into Whittier at 12:30 am (midnight) and we won’t need to meet our train to Denali until 5:45 pm. The leaves us open all day.

Once again I turned to the shore excursions. We want to be sure that whatever we do we will make our connections so we chose to explore with the cruise line vendors.

The tour we settled on here has me really excited because it starts with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

Like most places with the words wildlife conservation center in their titles, this where animals unable to survive in the wild are given refuge in spacious habitats. Here, you can safely get close, observe and photograph some of Alaska’s biggest land mammals, including moose, bison, bears and musk ox.

This is right up my alley!

But as an old commercial used to say…But wait, There’s more!

30 minutes away our tour will take us to the base of mighty Mt. Alyeska, home to one of the most breathtaking year-round destination resorts in the world. Ride Alyeska Resort’s Glacier Express Tram and take in panoramic views of Turnagain Arm and the surrounding valley from 2,300 feet above its floor. Woo Hoo! Can’t wait!

The last leg of the tour is the return to Anchorage (Whittier) along the Seward Highway-Alaska’s “Scenic Byway.” We should be back at the Welcome Center with plenty of time to make it to the train station at 5:45 to head to Denali.

Of course these tours are all subject to change. I’m pretty sure we’ll do them all. The only one I really want to confirm with the excursion desk is this one. The special notes say you have to be staying in Anchorage because you have to get your luggage from the ship. I might try to call Princess to confirm but if I can’t get through there is an excursion desk on every cruise I’ve ever been on so we’ll have plenty of time for adjustments if necessary.

So our trip is all planned. Excursions booked. It’s just a matter of counting down the days. I can’t wait to share our actual experiences and of course…my actual photos.

The pictures I’ve used in these recent posts have all been on the internet with no copy write information. I was careful not to knowingly pirate any other photographers work.

Morning on The Loop Road

Posted on July 16, 2012July 16, 2012 by Dusty Roads

We were up bright and early the next morning. The sun seems to rise about 5am and light was filtering in through the small hall window. I believe that’s the “natural” way to wake up…to sunlight but it was still early!

Showered and refreshed we took the car when we went to breakfast. Back to the Great Maine Breakfast but we’d learned our lessons yesterday with the “Lumberjack”. We toned down our orders today. I had the cinnamon – raisin french toast. Soooo Good. I have to say, all the food has been fantastic and filling. I can’t fault the quality or the quantity. Once again I was only able to eat about 1/2 the order but I’d put a cooler in the car so I took the left over as a “doggy bag”.

We picked up some bottled water and headed out to spend the day exploring Acadia National Park. Acadia has a Loop Road that you can drive through the park. Following it will take you to many of the high points if you’re not a hiker.

We pulled off wherever there was a scenic overlook. The views of Frenchman’s Bay were beautiful. The heat and humidity were back so there was a haze that interfered with pictures even with filters to offset the effect. Still it was breathtaking.

The sand beach was so packed we weren’t able to get a parking spot.

Since there were so many other sights we skipped it for now and headed on to the next big location on our list, Jordan Pond.

We had heard that Jordan Pond was a must see/do especially their pop-over lunch. Walking to the lodge we spotted a “Mountain Garden”.

The Garden was made up of trails, water features and wild flowers native to the area. It was all done so naturally among the trees that it seemed as if you had just come upon it by accident. Each type of habitat was clearly marked.

It was here that I saw the jack-in-the- pulpit.

I was thrilled to spot it because it’s been years and years since I’d seen one.

Another plant I hadn’t seen in a long time was the pitcher plant but there they were. Talk about being taken back in time!

There were benches along the paths and little bridges over the brooks. It was much cooler under the trees too so the garden was a really refreshing break from the heat. Eventually we wandered to the lodge and checked the menu for the Pop-over picnic lunch. I don’t remember the price exactly but it wasn’t cheap and it was vetoed immediately by my frugal friend. Vacation or not, JR was on a budget. Maybe next trip.

Leaving the lodge we crossed a pretty log bridge and explored the Native American museum.

It’s very small but they had a series of dioramas that were very well done. The volunteer was well versed in the history of the area and the museum. Her husband was also there running the gift shop.

After we left the museum we headed back to the car. At the time it didn’t occur to me that we never walked down to see the actual Jordan’s Pond!

Next stop was my favorite…Thunder Hole.

Judging from the number of people here it’s a favorite of a lot of people. We followed the signs from the parking area out onto rocky cliffs. Stairs had been carved into the rock and there were metal hand rails.

Following these trails over the rocks let you climb right down to the waterline where the surf came crashing.

At the base was a blow-hole. I’d seen these in Hawaii. The water rushes in and as it exits there’s a whoosh and then the sound of “thunder”…hense the name Thunder Hole.

We spent quite awhile wandering over these rocks and listening to the surf crash and the “Thunder” roll.

Then it was back to the car to find the next scenic pull out.

Cannon Mountain

Posted on August 2, 2011August 2, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Tickets for the Flume Gorge and the Tramway at Cannon Mountain can be purchased together on what is known as a Discovery Pass. Luckily you don’t have to do both on the same day. I spent 3 hours of my afternoon at the Flume Gorge so I would have only had an hour at Cannon Mountain. Not knowing what to expect there I made the decision to wait til the next day. The weather was supposed to clear up so the visibility from the top should be good.

Even with a substantial dose of ibuprofen my legs were letting me know that I had used muscles that I normally neglect. I was looking forward to a gentle ride up the mountain. I imagined a casual walk around the top like there was on Mount Washington. That was far from the reality!

I arrived at the mountain at about 10:00 am. A sign said the temperature at the top of the mountain at 9am was 60 degrees. I had on a tank top so I went back to the car to get a jacket…just in case. I remembered how chilly but refreshing it was at the top of Mount Washington.

It was really great to watch the cable cars head up and down the mountain. It was almost more fun to watch that than to ride them. The car going up passes the car coming down at the midway point in the trip. Seemed like there were a lot more passengers going up than coming down. At each tower the car gave a little dip and sway. The guide on the tram said if we liked that we should come back on a windy day!

There’s a little bump as the car settles into it’s dock at the top and we’re there. There are 2 decks with tables and a cafeteria style restaurant. They were putting out fresh-baked cookies that smelled wonderful. I stopped to buy a bottle of water and commented on how good the cookies smelled. The cafeteria gal said that’s why they bake them…so it will temp us to stop and buy something. I bought the water but my legs were a reminder that I didn’t need the cookies so I managed to resist.

I followed the trail signs and next thing I knew I was following a hiking trail upward. Oh no! More hiking and climbing! My legs will never be the same. I am definitely going to have to get on an excercise program when I get home!

The views are spectacular! The trail takes you right along the top of the mountain right up to the edge in some places. Finally it curves through some woods and opens up at the base of an observation tower. It looks like a fire tower but the only people climbing it were us tourists. From the top we could see Maine and Canada (or so we were told). I can imagine it’s true as it looked like we could see forever. I’m glad I waited for a clear day although even today it was a little hazy.

There was a cool breeze but it was quite warm in the sun. I stayed on top of the tower for quite a while as I wanted to see if I could get some shots of the cable car from up there.

The trams run every 15 minutes but I didn’t see it. I finally realized that it wasn’t that the cable care wasn’t on schedule, the angle was wrong. I had to look very closely to spot it as it came up the hill and then dipped into the building to dock.