Juneau

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Nanette Harter

Juneau is of course the capital of Alaska. One of its novelties, like Honolulu, is it can only be reached by sea or air. Although there isn’t a road connecting the city to the “mainland,” that lack doesn’t prevent tons of cars and buses from being shipped in for use on the local roads. More fun is the Mount Roberts Tramway.

We visited Juneau in the afternoon following our sail through Tracy Arm. This is the stop where the ship excursion desk really pushes all the evening Salmon Bake tours, and although we had the option of an Alaskan Luau (yes, the flyer shows both Alaskan and Polynesian food and performers), we opted to go the scenic route and travel high above Juneau on the tram for the view and hike. We got positioned by the windows as the crowd filled the tram and we soon started getting the views we were hoping for.

Checking in at the naturalist deck at the top of the tram, we were told the hiking trail to the top of Mount Roberts was still covered in snow about a mile beyond the loop trail (lucky for me or Neil might have wanted to hike the whole 8 miles up.) We hiked the nature loop trail and some spurs off it which took us through the forest and out onto the alpine meadows above timberline. The emerald green grass and the numerous delicate wildflowers were a treat to view as we hiked. We reached a rocky outcropping which provided a scenic overlook of the channel, the town, and our cruise ship! We hiked past patches of snow still on the mountainside but the weather was lovely enough for short sleeves. We ran into some small critters (including a small snow bear 😉 and get a glimpse in the distance of a mother bear and her two clubs frolicking on the snow just before they went over the edge and into the forest far below us.

We were impressed with the totem in the Tramway lobby. Neil found a article in the Juneau Empire newspaper about the carver Stephen Jackson and the totem pole meaning. It took Jackson two years to complete the intricate detailed carving. “The story is about the supernatural gift of the constellation of the Big Dipper to the Big Dipper House of the Auk Kwan. A creature symbolizing this gift is one of five design elements in the pole. At the top, Raven’s folded wings seem to hug the surface. In the center is a totemic frog figure. Toward the bottom, a woman — the ribs of her back strikingly evident — stretches down to embrace an infant.”

All this wonderful air and exercise made us ready for another decedent dinner aboard ship. Not salmon that night but we did have it later on the cruise!

[One more note about viewing the full size photos and Neil’s witty descriptions. If you click on any photo in the text portion, you will only be able to arrow through the five photos included in the text. However, if you click on a photo in the gallery below, you will be able to move through all ten.]

Photos and commentary by Neil

Tracy Arm

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Nanette Harter

Most people have heard of Glacier Bay, Alaska, as the place to go see tidewater glaciers. I do recall it as quite impressive twelve years ago. This trip was the first time I had heard of Tracy Arm Fjord as an alternative choice for cruise ships to view tidewater glaciers. Although we couldn’t get quite as close to the front of the glacier as the ship had in Glacier Bay (due to a rock island creating a narrow passage), the scenery entering and exiting the fjord was stunning. We sailed through the 3000-foot steep granite walled fjord while icebergs and seals floated around us, the walls spouted waterfalls plunging into the sea, and cirque glaciers clung high up in the small depressions of the rock left shaped by the retreating glaciers. I think it is best to let the pictures speak from themselves.

[Click on any photo to see the full size image. Then click on the left or right arrow below it (or use your keyboard arrows) to move through all the other photos.]

Photos and commentary by Neil.

Ketchikan

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Nanette Harter

First, in answer to many questions about that last post: Yes that really is Neil in a suit and tie!!! That image is not photoshopped! The suit (and some of our other “warm” clothing for the trip) was purchased at a thrift store in Seattle the day before the trip. The suit coat and vest have since been passed on to Neil’s son-in-law Greg who is delighted to have them. (Greg looks great in them, by the way.)

After a day at sea, our first stop was Ketchikan, Alaska. Ketchikan is known for fishing, timber, and rain! It is listed as Alaska’s wettest city, with on average, 13 feet of precipitation annually. And it didn’t let us down. Neil, Mom and I donned our rain coats and headed out. We even bought an umbrella later on (yep, we found a thrift store in Ketchikan). That purchase was well worth it since it brought us the gift of sunshine for the rest of our trip!

The Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian were native to this part of Alaska. Their culture is honored in town with parks and some exhibits such as the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, the Totem Heritage Center and the Salmon Hatchery and Eagle Center. We enjoyed touring through the informative Discovery Center with its exhibits on the natural environments, flora and fauna, as well as the area’s cultural and developmental history.
Mom then headed off to shop and we continued our walking tour, off to see the famous, or should I say infamous, Creek Street. Many of the streets used to be wood-planked due to rain and mud. And the available places to build were limited by the mountains surrounding the town. So they just built one of the streets out over the creek with houses right on the wood planks. Creek Street became the red-light district in the early town history. Today it is filled with tourist shops and restaurants. But Dolly’s house, home of one of the most famous madams in the heyday, has been refurbished for touring. We skipped the tour but a scantly clad “lady” was in the doorway to tempt you inside as we walked by. The creek itself was incredibly picturesque with the moss covered rocks lining the sides. We just stood and listened to the water flow by this gorgeous view.

It was raining so heavy through much of our walk around town that we didn’t dare get the camera out. Our photo journal is a little limited here.

We celebrated Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, as we sailed away from Ketchikan while viewing the stunning panorama of the town and Gravina Island on the other side.

Ship Life

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Nanette Harter

Quite spontaneously, we decided to join my mom Audrey and her husband Bill on an Alaskan cruise in June. What a wonderful adventure! Our ship was the Sapphire Princess leaving and departing out of Seattle. Our route took us to Ketchikan, Tracy Arm glacier viewing, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria.

[Click on any photo while viewing in the browser to see the full size image and description. Plus you can move through the entire gallery of photos using the arrows on screen or your keyboard.]

We arrived in Seattle a few days early to visit friends and stayed a week after to visit with Mailea and Greg. I’ll write several more posts incorporating more great photos Neil took of our trip. Let’s start with our life on board the ship.

The Sapphire Princess has capacity for nearly 2700 passengers and over 1100 crew so you get an idea of the size of the ship. As we boarded, they gave us a pocket size fold out map of the ship and we needed it the first couple of days. Several decks are all for entertainment and of course lots of dining rooms and food areas. Yes, the food was fantastic most every meal. We had the evening seating with same waiter and assistant every night and they got to know our preferences. There is food service nearly 24 hrs a day in one location. One dining room was opened daily for afternoon tea. The waiters even wore white gloves! Yep, I did go a few times to that.

We had an inside stateroom right next to mom and Bill. We didn’t spend much time in the room as there is plenty to do, see, and explore. We realized the only photo we took in the room was on departure day with all our luggage slung on our backs (and fronts) for walking off the ship. The photo is blurry because the camera started acting up the last few days of the cruise.

It wasn’t nearly as cold in Alaskan waters as I remember from 12 years ago cruising with Mom and Madison in May. People would actually be out sunbathing on the deck at times. It was still quite cool to me after living in Hawaii so I was bundled most of the time in long sleeves. We would often walk the deck in laps when we had a day at sea for our exercise and that would warm me up. Of course the hot tubs were a pleasant diversion to the cold as well.

The captain is on the bridge whenever the ship comes into port. Neil was able to get a good shot of the captain bringing us up to moor in Victoria.

The scenery in the inside passage is of course a highlight of the cruise and we have added a few shots to give you a feel for this wonderful trip.

Welcome

Featured

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Nanette Harter

Welcome to my website where I share my adventures and family news. You can subscribe with your email address on the right If you would like to receive an email each time I write a new post. Or you can subscribe in your feed reader. My old website pages can still be browsed at nanharter.com/past.

Aloha, Nan

Nan Harter

Sharing my adventures with family and friends