Alaska By Land & Sea: Part 2 ~ “The Sea”
Tour Name: Alaska By Land & Sea
Dates: June 5-16, 2024
Tour Directors: Patti & Dave Olson
Highlights: Alaska is currently a top tour destination and is drawing record numbers of visitors. We had a full tour this year and saw both the interior of Alaska, where the majority of the residents live, and the Inside Passage, mostly accessible only by air or sea. This Holland America tour is always well-planned, with rides on the Alaska Railroad and a National Park tour into Denali National Park to view wildlife and Denali. The sea portion affords views of many glaciers, and the calm, protected water brings visitors to Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. What a blessing to see God’s handiwork in creating such diverse and spectacular beauty. We covered so much territory that this travel blog is divided into two parts: Part 1, Land and Part 2, Sea.
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- We exited the 3.5 mile tunnels through the mountains to the first view of our ship, the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam.
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- Whittier is an ice-free port developed secretly during WWII to get materials to the military via the Alaska Railroad. The only land access from Anchorage or the Kenai Peninsula is through the long train tunnel through the rugged mountains.
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- Afternoon tea in the elegant formal dining room remains a tradition on Holland America.
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- The first 2 days were sea days, traveling in the Gulf of Alaska to Hubbard Glacier then Glacier Bay National Park.
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- You can tell you are getting close to a glacier as you pass larger and larger icebergs.
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- Hubbard Glacier was actively calving. Kersplash!
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- Some of us took a catamaran right up to the face of the glacier. This face is hundreds of feet tall!
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- There were lots of very playful Steller Sea Lions and otters hanging out near the glacier,
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- Did you know that sea otters hold hands when they sleep so that they don’t drift apart?
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- Entering Glacier Bay. It was so calm that the mountains reflected on the green water. Glacier Bay is a long fjord with multiple glaciers all around.
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- At the head of the fjord in Margerie Glacier, a large tidewater glacier (one that flows down and ends in saltwater).
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- Look who we spotted just leaving Glacier Bay! Anothr Holland America cruise ship. What a beautiful sight!
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- First land stop on the cruise was Skagway, an historic gold mining town from the late 1800s.
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- The main street is full of historic buildings, including the famous Red Onion Saloon.
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- Today the street is lined with many gift shops!
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- These guys are ready to head up the Trail of 98 in search of gold.
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- It’s necessary to keep the White Pass & Yukon rail line clear of deep, deep snow in the winter. This plow was known to do a great job keeping the rails open.
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- The White Pass & Yukon is a narrow-gauge rail line that runs from Skagway, Alaska, deep into the Yukon of Canada, ending in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories.
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- The train crosses many high trestles before entering long, dark tunnels on the steep climb to the summit across the border in Canada.
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- This is one trestle you don’t want to cross!
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- After turning around at Frasier Lake, we recrossed the US Border to return to Skagway.
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- Many mountains throughout Alaska and Canada have rounded tops, carved down by glaciers. The Sawtooth Mountains, however, never experienced glacier activity.
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- Next stop, Juneau, Alaska, the capital, famously known for Mendenhall Glacier at the edge of town. A sunny day in Juneau is rare!
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- Mendenhall Glacier
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- A unique site is Glacier Gardens. The owner forced tree trunks upside down into the ground (it’s a long story), then took advantage of the root balls to plant beautiful and colorful flowers!
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- And like the upside down flower gardens, the gift shop sports colorful upside down umbrellas!
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- Last port stop in Alaska: Ketchikan, Alaska’s First City and Salmon Capital of the World. The statues on the dock portray local indigenous musicians and miners.
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- Ketchikan is well-known for its many totem poles, both in town and at a nearby park.
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- And also well-known for Creek Street. The little houses now host gift shops. The creek is a busy salmon run in season. We were a few weeks too early to see them.
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- This is what the creek will look like later in the year!
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- That brings us to the conclusion of this fantastic Land & Sea tour.
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- All too soon, we were docking in Vancouver, British Columbia, for our flights home.
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- Dave and Patti were blessed to lead this year’s largest ever group of BNT passengers through Alaska, sharing memories from living there many years along with stories about the places visited.
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- Patti and this fuzzy, friendly moose say, “Come with us to Alaska in 2025!”
Alaska By Land & Sea Part 1 “The Land”
BNT Related Tours:
https://www.bobnefftours.com/tour/nova-scotia-prince-edward-island-deluxe-2
https://www.bobnefftours.com/tour/normandy-paris-the-seine-river-cruise
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