Ports of Call

Posted on January 31, 2018January 31, 2018 by Dusty Roads

Ports of Call on our Alaska Itinerary

If Vancouver is the first port of call, then we have 4 additional stops on our journey to the Big Land. There’s Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Anchorage. Three other locations of interest, although not ports, were Glacier Bay, Prince Williams Sound and College Fjord.

Port of Call, Ketchikan

It was raining in Ketchikan as we embarked on our shore excursion to Saxman Native Village. Here we witnessed a Native American Ceremonial Dance and watched experienced totem pole builders carve their next creation. We learned that being on the bottom of the totem pole is not necessarily a bad thing! It’s the most honored position. We spotted out first bald eagle too.

Then there was Juneau

Juneau is the capital of Alaska but conducting business can be a challenge. There are no roads. Juneau can only be accessed by boat or plane! I have fond memories of Juneau. Although it was cold and still raining off and on, we did get a glimpse of blue sky. We took a very chilly boat ride looking for whales but the Stellar Sea Lions were the stars of the day. We saw a lot more Bald Eagles too!

While in Juneau we also hiked up to Mendenhall Glacier. It was an easy walk and the the glacier is beautiful. It’s well worth the hike.

Skagway, Alaska

Skagway, Gateway to the Yukon! Our excursion in Skagway was the White Pass and Yukon Railway. Seated in vintage train cars we followed in the steps of the Klondike Gold Miners. We were allowed to stand on the platforms between cars so we could look down into deep mountain gullies as we crossed trestle bridges and clung to the side of mountains. It was still raining and cold and it got colder the higher the train climbed.

At the end of the line a bus was waiting to take us across the Canadian border in the Yukon territory.

Alaska Garden Party

Posted on June 13, 2013June 13, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I went to a garden party To reminisce with my old friends A chance to share old memories And play our songs again When I got to the garden party They all knew my name No one recognized me I didn’t look the same

But it’s all right now I learned my lesson well You see, ya can’t please everyone So ya got to please yourself

People came from miles around Everyone was there Yoko brought her walrus

There was magic in the air ‘N’ over in the corner Much to my surprise Mr Hughes hid in Dylan’s shoes Wearing his disguise

But it’s all right now I learned my lesson well You see, ya can’t please everyone So ya got to please yourself

Lott-in-dah-dah lot-in-dah-dah-dah

It was all I could think of…Ricky Nelson’s song Garden Party. Here we were at a Garden Party in of all places, Alaska. Not the first thing you think of when you think about Alaska and we’d certainly come “from miles around” and catching up with my sister included “reminiscing “.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The bus picked us up at the Yukon Suspension Bridge. As we made our way back to Skagway we followed a steep and winding road back through White Horse Pass. We were basically retracing the same path we’d taken on the train up the mountains.

We arrived at Jewell Gardens & Garden City Glassworks right on time. We stepped off the bus to be escorted right into a little enclosed area decorated like a garden shed.

We were served tea and salad, then the main course of quiche followed by desert. The tea was good and the salad was awesome. I passed on the quiche and I think I skipped desert as I can’t remember what it was.

Lunch finished we headed into the gardens themselves. According to our guide the spring weather was about 2 weeks late this year so they were just beginning to plant now. Because of the extended daylight the short growing season translates into gigantic plants. The gardens have been in Skagway since he gold rush when it was one of the few places the miners could get fresh produce.

One of the vegetables that grows extremely well here is rhubarb. We saw lots of rhubarb beds and vintage pictures lined the fences showing the huge rhubarb leaves. Rhubarb was the perfect plant because it’s high in vitamin C so kept the miners and residents alike from contracting scurvy over the long dark winter.

Flower beds and native trees were laid out in what is sure to be a beautiful design once the plants begin to bloom.

Glass decorations made in their own glass blowing shop accented the beds.

And speaking od beds, along the back of the grounds was a series of ramshackle sheds. In each shed was a bed frame with flower seedlings.

They were meant as a rather whimsical salute to the shacks the prostitutes used back in the day, the gardens’s “red light” district. 🙂

Speaking of whimsy, an elaborate model train was set up and ran all through the grounds. The town and it’s miniatures represented different events in Skagway’s history.

Last but not least we watched the glass blowing. I’ve seen glass blowing demonstrations before but never one that was so detailed and intricate.

The finished products were available for purchase in the gift shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I60XNolzxuI

Jewell Garden is a certified organic garden. We saw the compost heap to prove it! But seriously, their whole style is dedicated to this pure form of gardening and if the quality of the salad we had at lunch is any indication of what organic gardening can produce, well then, keep up the good work!

Next Stop, Skagway!

Posted on June 10, 2013June 10, 2013 by Dusty Roads

It was All Aboard at 8pm in Juneau as the Island Princess prepared to set sail shortly thereafter. It was getting lighter every night with sunset getting later and later as we traveled farther north.

Juneau to Skagway 99 nautical miles speed 10.8 knots

Before we leave Juneau behind a few tid-bits about the Capital of Alaska;

1. There are no roads into or out of Juneau. The only way to access the capital is by air or sea. If you have a need to visit the capital for Official Business then the state of Alaska will pay for your trip in and back out of the city.

2. Juneau is the 3rd largest City in Alaska in spite of it’s access problems.

3. The area of Juneau is larger than that of Rhode Island and Delaware individually and almost as large as the two states combined.

4. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet.

5. Juneau is the only U.S. state capital located on an international border. (Canada to the east)

So with that bit of trivia out of the way we will cast off and sail through the Upper Lynn Canal. By morning we will be safely moored in the Port of Skagway.

Skagway gets it’s name from the Tlingit people: ” a windy place with white caps on the water.” We have a very full day excursion in Skagway. We’re riding the rails on the White Pass & Yukon Railroad, visiting a suspension bridge, and ending with a “Garden Lunch”.

The Garden Lunch has me worried because I don’t eat Quiche and it sounds as though that might be the only option. We’ll just have to see.