Ok, Alaska is the 50th state of the USA, but Alaska is the 30th state we have been to, since we started exploring north america in Oct 2007. Only 20 more to go! There are 10 up in the eastern corner of the US we haven't been too at all. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. And Washington DC – which isn't a state I don't think. But we haven't been to any of those places as a family yet (ie. Denver wasn't born when we first went to New York and Washington DC with Madison in 2006).
The other 10 states left to do are a little more scattered, Utah and Nevada on the west side, North Dakota, Kansas and Arkansas are spread across the middle. Then disappointingly we still haven't made it to Florida (ie. Disneyworld) or the connected states of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Oh, and Hawaii – not to forget Hawaii – not sure how we take the RV there ;)
Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alaska. Show all posts
Friday, June 19, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Catch Ketchikan if you can.
Not sure if I actually believe the title of this entry. It rained the whole time we were there, which made it a little challenging to look around. I think the things one should do in ketchikan is go on one of the Duck amphibious vehicle tours and go whale watching.
We collected the last of our free charms for the kids charm bracelets, found ourselves in a funny little outdoor market where there was a stand for a local wildlife and there was a live owl and an amazing live bald eagle. They were only a few feet away and were just incredible. The bald eagles eyes are yellow and they just seem to take in everything. His name was Thor and the little owl was called Pina. Madi really enjoyed the owl in particular, I think the bald eagle may have been a little too intimidating.
At the stand next door a local artist was painting an owl (probably inspired by Pina) so Madi spent the good part of 15 minutes chattering away to him as he kept on painting. All of this while standing in a light shower of rain.
The old's were trying hard to get Australian dollars exchanged and spent almost an hour at the local bank. Not sure if they succeeded or not? We went off exploring Creek Street, which seems to be Ketchikan's most infamous street. We took the cable car straight up to the lodge on top. Well, the kids and I did as Le is not fond of heights. Then as we waited for the car to come back up for our trip down, guess who was in it. Le had decided that better being up the top of the mountain with her family than waiting with her phobia down the bottom! Touche!
So then we took the “married man's trail” back down the side of the mountain. This was a gold rush town, so it had its share of “conveniences”. And Creek Street, Ketchikan was at the heart of it.
At the bottom of the married mans trail was the creek and the salmon ladder. We haven't ever see n the “salmon running” yet, and it seems we weren't in luck today either. We found the local library and as it was warm and out of the rain, we happily all wiled an hour or more away in here. They had a craft table so the kids drew their own postcards. Then Madi once again prooved she is well on her way reading by herself as she read through 3 early readers with hardly a prompt. In the back corner there was a well stocked toy area with dinosaurs, and toy castles. It was difficult to get the kids to leave, but we had an appointment at 4 back on the ship – with the ships captain!
Things to Do in Ketchikan, AK
Yes, we were going to get a bridge tour and meet the ships captain. Well, not so much us as the kids. As part of the HAL kids club the kids got to do the bridge tour. Le had enquired days earlier and we were told that bridge tours were not available any more so we were excited that the kids had a chance to see it. Madison in particular was very interested. We had stumbled on a window into the bridge as we had been exploring the stair cases outside on the decks the yesterday and Madi had been very interested in the computers and instruments we could see through the window.
Of course, there was a catch. No adults on the bridge. Just the kids club. We coached madi and denny the whole trip from the kids club room on deck nine at the back of the ship to the bridge on deck 7 at the front of the ship that they would be going in with the kids club co-ordinators. So as the double security doors open, and the 30 kids aged from 5 – 16 go in – Madi and Denny pull back and refuse to go by themselves (which in a way we are happy with). But at the same time, Madi starts crying that she wants to see the bridge. Le and I quickly go down a deck across to the other side of the boat so we can look through the same window we found yesterday.
All the kids happened to be in that end of the bridge and so we were quickly spotted by the kids club co-ordinator. Some unclear hand signals through the bullet proof, sound proof glass later – Le, I and the kids were headed back for the security entry. We were met by 2 other dads who had been left waiting outside as well, except they seemed very happy now, and expressed their gratitude. Apparently the sad puppy eyed mums and kids outside the bridge had got all the parents onto the bridge tour.
We had our tour, the kids got to sit in the captains seat, and turn the (rather small) ships wheel, we saw radar and we asked about the extra certifications the ship needed to travel through the panama canal. And best of all we had a family picture with the ships captain, Peter Bos of the MS Volendam.
View Larger Map
We collected the last of our free charms for the kids charm bracelets, found ourselves in a funny little outdoor market where there was a stand for a local wildlife and there was a live owl and an amazing live bald eagle. They were only a few feet away and were just incredible. The bald eagles eyes are yellow and they just seem to take in everything. His name was Thor and the little owl was called Pina. Madi really enjoyed the owl in particular, I think the bald eagle may have been a little too intimidating.
At the stand next door a local artist was painting an owl (probably inspired by Pina) so Madi spent the good part of 15 minutes chattering away to him as he kept on painting. All of this while standing in a light shower of rain.
The old's were trying hard to get Australian dollars exchanged and spent almost an hour at the local bank. Not sure if they succeeded or not? We went off exploring Creek Street, which seems to be Ketchikan's most infamous street. We took the cable car straight up to the lodge on top. Well, the kids and I did as Le is not fond of heights. Then as we waited for the car to come back up for our trip down, guess who was in it. Le had decided that better being up the top of the mountain with her family than waiting with her phobia down the bottom! Touche!
So then we took the “married man's trail” back down the side of the mountain. This was a gold rush town, so it had its share of “conveniences”. And Creek Street, Ketchikan was at the heart of it.
At the bottom of the married mans trail was the creek and the salmon ladder. We haven't ever see n the “salmon running” yet, and it seems we weren't in luck today either. We found the local library and as it was warm and out of the rain, we happily all wiled an hour or more away in here. They had a craft table so the kids drew their own postcards. Then Madi once again prooved she is well on her way reading by herself as she read through 3 early readers with hardly a prompt. In the back corner there was a well stocked toy area with dinosaurs, and toy castles. It was difficult to get the kids to leave, but we had an appointment at 4 back on the ship – with the ships captain!
Things to Do in Ketchikan, AK
Yes, we were going to get a bridge tour and meet the ships captain. Well, not so much us as the kids. As part of the HAL kids club the kids got to do the bridge tour. Le had enquired days earlier and we were told that bridge tours were not available any more so we were excited that the kids had a chance to see it. Madison in particular was very interested. We had stumbled on a window into the bridge as we had been exploring the stair cases outside on the decks the yesterday and Madi had been very interested in the computers and instruments we could see through the window.
Of course, there was a catch. No adults on the bridge. Just the kids club. We coached madi and denny the whole trip from the kids club room on deck nine at the back of the ship to the bridge on deck 7 at the front of the ship that they would be going in with the kids club co-ordinators. So as the double security doors open, and the 30 kids aged from 5 – 16 go in – Madi and Denny pull back and refuse to go by themselves (which in a way we are happy with). But at the same time, Madi starts crying that she wants to see the bridge. Le and I quickly go down a deck across to the other side of the boat so we can look through the same window we found yesterday.
All the kids happened to be in that end of the bridge and so we were quickly spotted by the kids club co-ordinator. Some unclear hand signals through the bullet proof, sound proof glass later – Le, I and the kids were headed back for the security entry. We were met by 2 other dads who had been left waiting outside as well, except they seemed very happy now, and expressed their gratitude. Apparently the sad puppy eyed mums and kids outside the bridge had got all the parents onto the bridge tour.
We had our tour, the kids got to sit in the captains seat, and turn the (rather small) ships wheel, we saw radar and we asked about the extra certifications the ship needed to travel through the panama canal. And best of all we had a family picture with the ships captain, Peter Bos of the MS Volendam.
View Larger Map
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Glacier Bay
I think today is the kids favorite day so far. They spent over 3 hours in the pool on the Lido deck as we coasted around and around Glacier bay. There is something like 15 glaciers feeding into this bay and our ship, a little smaller than most of the big cruise ships, could get right up close and personal with a number of the glaciers. Our captain must have sailed us around in a 360 past the 2 glaciers up the top of the bay at least 15 times. We spent a long time there.
From the deck chairs on the Lido deck I could see through the opened roof the amazing jagged mountain ranges, and I could see the glaciers as we passed through the glass windows that lined the entire deck. So with one eye on the kids and the other out behind them through the windows it was quite a relaxing day.
A national park ranger from the Glacier Bay National park boarded early in the morning and spent the day describing the sights. We were able to get a stamp to go into our National Park passports – as we collect the official stamps as well as pins. Speaking of collections, I can't wait to put the alaska sticker on my map of the US.
All in all, a lazy day by the pool – with glaciers for a backdrop. Doesn't get better than this.
View Larger Map
From the deck chairs on the Lido deck I could see through the opened roof the amazing jagged mountain ranges, and I could see the glaciers as we passed through the glass windows that lined the entire deck. So with one eye on the kids and the other out behind them through the windows it was quite a relaxing day.
A national park ranger from the Glacier Bay National park boarded early in the morning and spent the day describing the sights. We were able to get a stamp to go into our National Park passports – as we collect the official stamps as well as pins. Speaking of collections, I can't wait to put the alaska sticker on my map of the US.
All in all, a lazy day by the pool – with glaciers for a backdrop. Doesn't get better than this.
View Larger Map
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Skagway and Frazer BC.
Caught a bus up to White Pass from Skagway to BC today. Skagway is this little town in between tall towering mountains. There is a winding road that takes you up to the border of British Columbia. A very nice Canadian border patrol officer boarded the bus and check all of our passports before we got off and boarded the train to do the whitepass rail trip back to Skagway. The round trip took about 2 ½ hours. The railroad runs right on the edge of the mountain and you look down into amazing valleys.
As you get towards the BC border the terrain changes into sub tundra with dwarf conifer trees that stand between 3 and 6 ft high but could be over 100 years old. Then the bright blue of the fresh water rivers run into the amazing green of the glacier lake – where these waters meet the color literally changes with a line running the length of the lake, on one side bright clear blue the other murky glacier green.
Plenty of snow still around (though only in patches). Snow goes right into the river and ponds, and the water is so clear you can see the submerged snow under the edge of the water. I will have to include some photos in this blog as it really was spectacular and the scenery was very different from anything we have encountered in our travels so far.
Skagway itself is a quaint heritage town with a population of 800 and a cruise ship population of 8000 on a peak day! Mainly all tourist shops and jewelery shops, in 100+ year old wooden buildings. We really were unaware of the shopping potential with jewelry that a cruise to alaska provides. We learnt that Alaska specialises in rare ammolite, tanzanite and alexanderite …. ever heard of them? They are all very colorful and different gemstones. Because of the volumes of visitors these stores receive they can offer (apparently) very good prices on these types of jewelery. Ammolite is only found in Alberta Canada, which is nearby (ish). And alexanderite is from russia which, originally owned Alaska and sold it to the USA. Tanzanite is from tanzania – so I have no idea why they have that in Alaska but they specialize in that too.
View Larger Map
As you get towards the BC border the terrain changes into sub tundra with dwarf conifer trees that stand between 3 and 6 ft high but could be over 100 years old. Then the bright blue of the fresh water rivers run into the amazing green of the glacier lake – where these waters meet the color literally changes with a line running the length of the lake, on one side bright clear blue the other murky glacier green.
Plenty of snow still around (though only in patches). Snow goes right into the river and ponds, and the water is so clear you can see the submerged snow under the edge of the water. I will have to include some photos in this blog as it really was spectacular and the scenery was very different from anything we have encountered in our travels so far.
Skagway itself is a quaint heritage town with a population of 800 and a cruise ship population of 8000 on a peak day! Mainly all tourist shops and jewelery shops, in 100+ year old wooden buildings. We really were unaware of the shopping potential with jewelry that a cruise to alaska provides. We learnt that Alaska specialises in rare ammolite, tanzanite and alexanderite …. ever heard of them? They are all very colorful and different gemstones. Because of the volumes of visitors these stores receive they can offer (apparently) very good prices on these types of jewelery. Ammolite is only found in Alberta Canada, which is nearby (ish). And alexanderite is from russia which, originally owned Alaska and sold it to the USA. Tanzanite is from tanzania – so I have no idea why they have that in Alaska but they specialize in that too.
View Larger Map
Friday, June 12, 2009
Do you know Juneau?
Juneau was our first port of call. It was a little overcast and we needed warm jackets to cope with the wind and the temperature. We had been sucked in with the shopping talk on the ship and promises of free charm bracelets, charms and other free souveniers to visit a number of high end jewelery shops when we arrived.
We had our coupons and brochures ready and we had a plan. So 2 charm bracelets, a whale tale, and a 2ct Saphire later … we jumped on a bus and went to see the Mendalhall glacier. Denny in particular loves travelling on buses and trains, so the 15 minute trip was just long enough to keep him happy.
At the Mendalhall Glacier information center they have a small diorama of the surrounding icefields that have created the glaciers. We took the walk down to the viewing area and snapped lots of photos. There was a great waterfall just to the right of the glacier and plenty of large, stunningly blue icebergs floating around in the lake below the glacier too.
While waiting for the bus to take us back into town, a large C class RV pulled in. It was built on a crew cab truck so had 4 proper seats in the truck part instead of the normal 2. With both our kids still in car seats/booster seats for the next 4 years at least, we are always interested in other RV alternatives that still provide a safe seating environment for the kids.
Ironically, the people in the truck were Aussies too. They had purchased it from a company in Oregon, of which I have already forgotten the name. I need to look it up. It had a hefty $140,000 price tag however … so we will continue looking.
So Juneau to us was mainly jewelery shops, the Mendalhall glacier. A few interesting facts – you can only get to Juneau by sea or air. There are no roads in. Juneau is the capital of Alaska. We drove past the now famous Governor's house. Didn't sight Sarah Palin at all, but their were plenty of Sarah souveniers around!
We had our coupons and brochures ready and we had a plan. So 2 charm bracelets, a whale tale, and a 2ct Saphire later … we jumped on a bus and went to see the Mendalhall glacier. Denny in particular loves travelling on buses and trains, so the 15 minute trip was just long enough to keep him happy.
At the Mendalhall Glacier information center they have a small diorama of the surrounding icefields that have created the glaciers. We took the walk down to the viewing area and snapped lots of photos. There was a great waterfall just to the right of the glacier and plenty of large, stunningly blue icebergs floating around in the lake below the glacier too.
While waiting for the bus to take us back into town, a large C class RV pulled in. It was built on a crew cab truck so had 4 proper seats in the truck part instead of the normal 2. With both our kids still in car seats/booster seats for the next 4 years at least, we are always interested in other RV alternatives that still provide a safe seating environment for the kids.
Ironically, the people in the truck were Aussies too. They had purchased it from a company in Oregon, of which I have already forgotten the name. I need to look it up. It had a hefty $140,000 price tag however … so we will continue looking.
So Juneau to us was mainly jewelery shops, the Mendalhall glacier. A few interesting facts – you can only get to Juneau by sea or air. There are no roads in. Juneau is the capital of Alaska. We drove past the now famous Governor's house. Didn't sight Sarah Palin at all, but their were plenty of Sarah souveniers around!
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