A Glacial Adventure

Did I mention that our hostess was cooking tea for us last night? Husband Bruce had caught halibut last week and Christie kindly offered to cook additional pieces for us. This was followed by salmon smoked in Bruce's bespoke smokehouse, being served on muffins with cream cheese for this morning's breakfast.

Another perfect day weather wise. This time we were sped to Petersberg,about 1 1/2 Hrs boat journey. This SW Alaskan town has Norwegian origins. Immigrants in the early 1900's moved from New York to find their home-away-from-home on this extreme westerly island with fjords and glaciers. Fishing has provided a lucrative income ever since. We stopped here for a brief walk and lunch.

We then headed to the Leconte Glacier, an hour or so away. Excitement when we saw small chunks of ice in the water. Much delight when we circled some larger icebergs. A little amazed when the fjord was becoming clogged with ice and icebergs. A huge buzz when we turned the bend and there it was...truly majestic. Our wonderful driver/boat pilot Mike kept edging us closer to the face. We would think that we could go no further and then a break would appear in the ice flow and he would edge closer. Finally the only thing that stopped him was the calving glacier...too close and any major calve could result in a wave too big for our little boat!!!!

Our return trip was affected by the ice packing too close together and therefore requiring a few gung-ho runs through the layer; and the tide needed to turn so that we could get back across one of the wide but shallow straits on our way back to Wrangell.

Although our return was late, about 7pm, we had an eventful day, topped off by a meal shared at the local hotel with the couple who shared the trip with us.

Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Seattle. Lorraine and I then make our separate way back to Oz.

Such a fun trip. For me, a regular thought now fulfilled. All stemming from Duane returning from Whitehorse, Canada, in the mid 90's and saying, "There are always the ferries Karyn. The Mail has to get through somehow!"

...and big thanks to Rutts who showed me how to set up this blog. It has been fun to do.

...and Big Hugs to Tony who has endured 20 plus days of frozen meals!!

Cheers To All Karyn. ( oh! And thanks to Lorri for letting me tag along on HER trip)

Petersberg holding on to its Scandanavian routes.

All supplies come in by boat or plane.

Waiting for the tide to turn!

Fairly impressive.

...but let 's get closer!

View while having our 8pm dinner. Wrangell.

 

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Wild Wrangell

Well, it wasn't actually wild when we first arrived at 4.30 am Weds morning. It was however, almost daylight! Lorri and I emerged from our cabin "bunker" to be greeted by that eerie near-daylight look. The thoughtful Christie was there at the ferry terminal to collect us and to drive the 2 minutes to her B nB, The Squawking Raven.

After a little more sleep and a scrumptious breakfast we set out to wander Wrangell. The pleasure boats/cruise ships that come here are of the smaller variety...perhaps 80 passengers or so. The town is unpretentious. You use it like the locals use it. Not a jewellery shop in sight. Like most of the towns in South West Alaska, Wrangell has a history of Tlingit origins followed by the fur trade, fishing, logging and gold fever. The town in the early days was indeed a wild frontier. Boat building and maintenance is the extra factor in this small town on the hillside above the beautiful harbour.

Thursday morning, another beautiful, warm day. Wander to the deserted wharf to be taken on our "exclusive" jet boat ride up the pristine Stikine River. This is where more "wild" begins. Not that the day produced any startling wildlife sightings, but the isolation was memorable and of course the scenery was special. We spent 6hrs exploring the river and its banks. Once again I will let the pictures tell the story.

The deserted Wrangell wharf at 9am.

Our muesli bar stop.

Lorraine and Spencer.

Our lunch stop.

Ice flow from the Shakes Glacier.

Fascinated with the icebergs in the river...under the bright sunshine.

 

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The Ferry to Wrangell

Monday morning after our scenic bike ride, we returned the bikes and prepared to wander Haines until the ferry departed at 5.30pm. We found the cutest coffee shop that had only just opened that day for "the season." Its feature was a variety of scones and pastries made by the male college student behind the counter.This was his summer job! We then went to the Museum across the road and had a fun time talking to the young intern ( again there for the summer) and the not much older curator. Time flew and we then met the manager of the units we had been staying at, who drove us to the ferry terminus ( remember, no taxis!).

This is our last ferry trip and this one is for 36 hrs. We have a small but adequate cabin and having both slept well last night, the beds are comfy. This large ferry has about 50 passengers on board...a minuscule number. I am currently sitting in what used to be the bar ( suspect that it may have been abused in the past and that is why it is closed ) and I have it to myself. Snow-capped mountains are drifting passed on both sides. I spent the afternoon on the deck in the sunshine away from the breeze. Lorraine read in the lounge, perhaps sharing it with 10 other people. We had a stopover in Sitka in the morning and we walked to a National Park to stretch the legs. The forests are so mossy and lush.

We arrive in Wrangell at 4.30 am and our hostess at the B n B is meeting us! Think we will be going straight back to bed. Will let you know! Cheers K

Haines coffee shop to left, museum to the right. Spot the bear!

Our ferry at Sitka stopover.

Easy to find a table at lunch time.

 

Can you spot the bald eagle? Lorraine saw porpoises from the Lounge.

Delightful way to pass an afternoon.

 

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Biking in Bliss.

A couple of days to catch up on!

Lorri and I left a still drizzling Juneau on Saturday on our second ferry trip; a short one of 2 1/2hrs to Haines. We passed two glaciers that were flowing into the fjord. We are often reminded that we are pre-season. This was the first ferry of the season to Haines. We arrived to be told that there were no shuttles and no taxis in the town! A local overheard the conversation and kindly offered to take us to downtown. Once settled into our one yr old mini-unit, we wandered this ex-army base and now, adventure haven. The mountain backdrop took our breath away.

We arranged bike hire for today, made spaghetti bolognaise in the unit then I took myself off to a local theatre production. A comical satire on the Christian church in France( so I got my French fix after all!) during the 1200's. When I came out at 9.30 it was an easy walk back in the eerie daylight of this far northern town.

 

Woke this morning to a beautiful sunny Mothers' Day. A lazy breakfast, packed our lunch and took to the road about 11 am.

What a stunning way to spend our special day. 42 years ago Lorraine and I celebrated her 21 st in Greece. Now we were sharing a Mothers' Day in Alaska.

I will let the pictures tell the story. Simply, we rode on a smooth flat road and saw about 25 cars all day. It was 11 miles to Chilkoot Lake with the road hugging the fjord all the way. We spent much of the day exclaiming, gasping and sighing.

 

Local street, Haines, 9.30 pm

Leaving Haines about 11 am.

Our Muesli Bar stop.

Lunch break at Chilkoot Lake.

We met some friends!

Returning to Haines.

...and then we finished off with a decadent hot chocolate at a sunny cafe that we only just discovered.

 

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Marvellous Medenhall Glacier.

It rained steadily all night and continued until late afternoon. Soggy, steady rain. Straight down, no wind and not particularly cold. We caught a taxi to the "town's" glacier...Medenhall. I have always wanted to see a glacier. And blue ice. As I caught first sight of the glacier I burst into a big smile...it was huge and just there!! It looked strong and silent. We had the visitor centre and the pathways to ourselves and walked to the waterfall that is adjacent to the river of ice. Despite the weather we stayed in the area for the morning.

Taxi back to downtown Juneau. After hot chocolate and a bit of lunch we visited the native Cultural Centre and the City Museum. After fur trading in the early 19th century, Junaeu's next appeal came with the discovery of gold. We now have a deeper appreciation of this area' s history. We spoke to an artist who was carving the yellow cedar. If you ask a question, everyone is only too willing to relate their story and heritage.

After a wine in one of the numerous heritage pubs in town, we found The Twisted Fish down by the wharf. We had read about it in a local paper. With fresh fish, crab and prawns, it was a delicious meal.

 

Majestic and silent.

We walked right up to the waterfall.( ignore the rain drops on the lense!)

A drink in the pub. The barman was so amused by Lorraine' request for a weak shandy that he shouted us the drinks!!

A soggy downtown Juneau.

 

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On the Ferry.

We can now actually claim that we have used the ferry system to travel the Inside Passage! Today was our first of 3 ferry journeys.

We shared our breakfast time with the 8 other people in the B and B. Their tales of hunting, trapping and fishing and their affinity with the seasons had us enthralled. One fellow and his wife had been fishing for two days. They were taking home 75 kg of filleted fish...salmon and halibut. He had photos of his catch and all of the fish were over 80 cm long. Some MUCH longer. No wonder it is part of people's livelihood up here. Other folk were in town for the Graduation of children from the most respected High School for boarders. About 80 children were graduating and there was a buzz in the town around the event. The majority of the students are from native communities. Most will continue on with their lives..college, trades, jobs. Not many will return to their villages.

We said goodbye to the wonderful Ann, took the shuttle bus that came to our door and delivered us to the ferry port. We were sharing the ferry lounge with two teenage school groups. One had been on the ferry since 9pm the night before. There were swags and sleeping bags strewn around and some bleary- eyed students. They were travelling to a remote community to perform a concert. Heavy black instrument bags were also around about. The other was sailing from Sitka to Juneau like us. They are the "Track Squad" travelling to a combined school event. Others are local people travelling from community to community. It has been a peaceful trip. There is a cafeteria and dining room.The sea is calm and of course the mountains and islands are never far from us. It has been so interesting to see the smaller towns that we have dropped in to. Sooooo isolated.

Chatting before the crowd arrived.

Our ferry. Not quite the size of a cruise ship.

The lounge after one group had left.

 

Tiny community of Takanee Springs.

...and now we are in Juneau. It is 11 pm and RAINING. Had to happen some time. Motel room is big and comfy. Two nights here. Cheers K

 

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Awesome Day in Sitka.

Truly a remarkable day in this most picturesque town. Our 72 yr old host, Ann, who still hunts and fishes on her own, gave us a suggested circuit of various locations. The weather was fine so off we went. I'm going to resort to point form as there is a lot to cover.

Totem Park. Met Tommy Joseph who was carving a pole for a public building "in the lower 48."

Wandered the lush forest that is home to a series of historical totems.

Had the lovely Diana give us a personal tour of the Raptor centre where they rescue birds and release them to the wild. Then the new Director of the centre most kindly offered to drive us the 5 miles to the Fortress Of The Bears.

Another personal tour by Les the founder of this bear rescue centre. A man most passionate about the animals in his care. His young assistant, Erin, then drove us back into town.

We then spent an hour or so perusing the excellent museum that features the many intricate artefacts from the various indigenous clans of this area. The clans were clever and fierce!

We then adjourned to a most cosy book store for yummy rhubarb pie made by the young owner.

We will leave with most fond memories of Sitka.

Tommy Joseph, a master carver.

Such a lush rainforest.

Rescued bears.

Waterproof clothing made of fur and seal gut. Fascinating, so practical.

 

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Travelling to Sitka

A travel day today. We iced Lorri's thigh after our meal last night and she has woken up quite well, just a few aches around the shoulders.

So, shuttle bus to airport and first flight to Seattle. Clear weather. The scenery from the plane is dramatic. All of those various sized islands and a myriad of bays and inlets. Northern America obviously does not expect a sealevel rise from climate change. There are thousands of homes on the shoreline.

Then a very full plane to Sitka that stopped in Ketchikan first. I noted the cliched frontier worker...heavy sweater, baseball cap, jeans and boots. Big people. Drizzle in Ketchikan but SUNNY in Sitka. EVERY time I had looked at Sitka weather it had forecast rain...and we arrived in sunshine!! Easy taxi ride to our B and B. Our hostess greeted us with " please take your shoes off at the door!" Lovely cosy room, but you cannot mistake that you are in the USA!

Because it was sunny and it could pour tomorrow we immediately went out for a wander. Past the Swan Lake and into the tiny township. Sitka was originally settled by the Russians in 1804. It was bought by the Americans in 1867. The Russian heritage is evident as is the frontier American era. We love the sea, the steep forested mountains and of course the snow caps. We settled on a family Mexican restaurant and had pizza and quesadillas. Strolled home in the daylight at 8.30. Lorri's legs are well and truly bruised!!!

Even the light switches are the American Flag! And yes, that is a white animal skin on the wall.

Sitka Harbour

Downtown Sitka with St Michaels Russian Orthodox Church in the background.

 

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Butchart By Bike

Ok. The plan was to ride to the world famous gardens, have lunch, wander and ride home via another route. Another gorgeous warm day ( surely someone is playing games with us and giving us this lovely weather knowing that we are going to cop it big time up north!!!).

Geared up nicely by the lovely people at The Pedlar. Actually missed vital roads and turn-offs in our initial hour, but always rectifiable and we eventually were riding blissfully on a defined bike lane towards our destination.

After 2 1/4 Hrs,we were rolling freely down the hill to the "park in a quarry," 150 metres from the park entrance when Lorraine's bike did a sudden jerk, back wheel came up and she flew over the handlebars and landed sprawled out on her tummy on the road. You can imagine what went through my head.

A young cyclist stopped to help. Lorri regained her breath and was eventually able to stand. Nothing broken. After a little more recovery time we actually continued our roll into the gardens and went to the first aid centre. All staff were wonderful. Ice packs were applied. A small wound cleaned. We asked for a wheel chair. We had lunch and then I pushed Lorri around most of the gardens. Where there were hills she walked. She was able to keep ice on her thigh but stretch the muscle by walking a little. We managed nicely! The gardens are indeed impressive, employing 500 staff.

Obviously we did not ride back but caught a taxi.

After a quick meal, including a stiff drink for both of us, we have returned to our unit to recuperate. It could have been far worse...but it wasn't.

Tomorrow we leave Beautiful Victoria and fly to Sitka. For me, this is where the real discovery holiday will start. But tonight, the bed will be extra comfy. Cheers. K

Blissfully riding along

Had to park her in the shade when I wanted to take a picture!

It was actually a fun day. Lorraine may feel a little less jolly tomorrow!

 

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