Photo Blog: Alaska By Land & Sea 2018

Thank you, Patti Olson, for a fabulous Alaska photo blog of BNT travelers having wonderful fun together traveling the globe.

Tour Director: Patti Olson

Tour: Alaska By Land and Sea 2018

Tour Dates: August 12-26, 2018

Tour Director: “The highlight of the entire trip was the day cruising through Glacier Bay National Park with a park ranger who provided commentary on the amazing sights. The clouds parted to provide a sunny day as the Noordam plied the jade-green and glacier-blue waters at the base of rugged mountains. Numerous glaciers capped mountain peaks and extended down to touch the calm water. Margaret Glacier was an impressive wall of ice, and several thunderous calvings wowed us as we parked in front of it for an hour. It was truly spectacular! As the tour director for this year’s Alaska by Land & Sea, the passengers were energetic and adventurous, wanting to experience as much as they could squeeze into a day. We enjoyed many activities together as well as separate excursions going in many different directions. Then we regathered and shared our experiences. We truly bonded as a group, helping each other, watching out for each other, and enjoying the fellowship that is unique to a Bob Neff tour!”

: Holland America offers tea every afternoon. It’s a fun time to gather and share stories of our adventures from the day.

: Afternoon tea includes tasty pastries, scones with cream and jam, and finger sandwiches. Very British! Very fun!

: Yes, we spotted several whales playing alongside our cruise ship!

: Shades of blue and gray as we cruised along the shoreline with small islands dotting the coast and far-off mountain ranges on the horizon.

: Despite the rain, passengers gathered on the dock in Ketchikan to meet their excursion guides.

: Noordam at the dock in Ketchikan.

: Ketchikan is known for its native culture and decorated clan houses.

: Each totem pole tells a story. Thre are many different totem poles in a park in Ketchikan.

: View of downtown Ketchikan from the ship. The banner reads Welcome to Alaska’s First City, the salmon capital of the world.

: You can’t have beautiful sunbeams without clouds. The gray, rainy days in SE Alaska were brightened by evening sunbeams.

: Juneau’s waterfront has been developed to host the many cruise ships that visit each year.

: Yes, King Crab legs really are this big! Yum!

: Holland America’s Noordam, a mid-sized cruise ship with only 1900 passengers.

: This fishing boat docked near Juneau’s fish processing plant is reflected artfully in the jade-colored water.

: The Juneau waterfront was quite picturesque.

: Depot for the Whitepass & Yukon Railroad that runs from Skagway, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon Territories. The train was instrumental in getting miners to the gold fields in the late 1800s and is enjoyed by tourists still today.

: Board sidewalks front all the downtown buildings in Skagway, making a pleasant walk through history.

: Skagway buildings are so colorful and well preserved.

: There are so many flowers throughout Alaska to brighten our days. These are on an old railroad baggage car at the White Pass & Yukon train depot in Skagway.

: US & Canadian border along the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. Gold miners headed to the Yukon passed through here on the Trail of ’98.

: White Pass & Yukon Railroad in Skagway.

: The Margaret Glacier is as impressive as ever in Glacier Bay.

: Wow! The water in Glacier Bay is an incredible blue color.

: We all dressed up for formal night on our Holland America cruise from Vancouver, BC, to Seward, Alaska.

: Dinner each night was a 5-star affair – so elegant and delicious.

: The Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward allowed us to get close to fur seals, sea lions, puffins, and starfish.

: Puffin

: Sea lion

: Starfish

: Fur seal

: Salmon were returning to spawn in all the streams we crossed. Some were gray, but the red ones really stood out in the clear water.

: Great views were enjoyed by all in the vista-dome cars owned by Holland America. We traveled from Anchorage to Denali by train on the Alaska Railroad.

: Reflections in the tundra ponds.

: Black spruce trees are pretty skinny but reflect well in the water.

: Holland America rail guides are knowledgable and entertaining on the rail journey.

: The Alaska Railroad runs from Seward through Anchorage and Denali National Park to Fairbanks.

: Viewing seats above, dining car below: the double-decker rail cars make for a comfortable journey.

: Bundling up in wool blankets in the covered wagon made the ride comfortable.

: Some excursions were rainy and cool, but everyone tucked blankets around them and ventured out to see the sights.

: Covered wagon ride at 8pm and it’s still quite light outside despite the rain.

: Two draft horses pulled our covered wagon through the forest at the edge of Denali National Park.

: Enjoying some hot cocoa after a covered wagon ride into the wilderness at Denali.

: We found out how heavy caribou antlers are! It’s amazing that they grow this large each year, then are shed.

: Braided rivers in Denali National Park and a view of the narrow road cut into the mountainside.

: The bridge over the Tanana River near Denali Park is a great place to watch rafters fly down the river.

: Fireweed blooms from the bottom to the top and is a sure indicator of the approaching winter.

: White water rafting is popular in the Tanana River at Denali Park.

: This statue of Balto is in the hotel at Denali. He was the lead dog that ran the final leg of the Iditarod trail to bring medicine to Nome when they faced a diphtheria epidemic in 1925. A dogsled was the only way to reach the village and save the people.

: Hey, we’re ready for winter! Bring it on.

: Hey, the rain doesn’t stop us from having a great time!

: Umbrellas, ponchos, or just standing under the massive Alaska Pipeline shielded us from the rain as we learned about the pipeline’s history and construction.

: We took an historic train out to Gold Dredge 8 to learn about gold mining.

: Everyone saw “color” after panning a sack of sand and gravel to look for gold.

: These passengers are ready to drive their dog team to victory in the Iditarod Dog Race!

: Riverboat landing in Fairbanks. We enjoyed a tasty and hearty stew for lunch before riding down the river in an authentic paddlewheel boat.

: The dogs are hooked up and ready to pull a sled on wheels down the trail.

: Fur parkas are not only beautiful, but are a necessity to surviving during the winter cold.

: Sled dogs are happy and anxious to get out and run ahead of a sled. What energy they have!

: The Discovery riverboat is still propelled by its paddlewheel. It was so quiet and smooth!

: The Museum of the North in Fairbanks at the University of Alaska exhibits cultural and natural history of the state.

: Sitting inside the museum, watching to see if Denali will emerge from the clouds.

: Some passengers brought impressive cameras to capture their vacation discoveries.

: A tribute to the pilots who ferried planes through Fairbanks to Russia during WWII.

: The flowers and statues along the river in Fairbanks were impressive.

: Great views were enjoyed by all in the vista-dome cars owned by Holland America. We traveled from Anchorage to Denali by train on the Alaska Railroad.

: BNT’s Alaska By Land and Sea 2018 Group!

Photo Blog: Alaska By Land & Sea 2018

Photo Blog: Alaska By Land & Sea 2018

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