Grand Alaska and Panama

Looks like you had a wonderful day for your Tracy Arm excursion.

Great picture -- especially of the bear.

Great pictures Roy!

You certainly had some great scenery and sightings.

Very nice, indeed :)

You had a gorgeous day in Tracy Arm! How fortunate for you. I love how it's the middle of July and there is still a goodly amount of snow on the mountaintops.

Thanks for your faithful reporting.

Good morning Roy

Best sunrise pic yet! Beautiful day for you on your scenic cruise with Tracy Arm.

Always being able to see the magnificent wildlife in its own element is always a plus.

Your pictures of the humpbacks you took is wonderful!

Third time is a charm👍.

Coffee finished time to start my day!

Thank you

Denise 😄

Thanks for the update and photos.

Thank you Krazy Kruisers, Kazu, RuthC, Denise, and erewhon.

Day Y4C-3 (Part 2), Friday, July 20, South Sawyer Glacier

When the whale finally disappeared we were near the end of Tracy Arm. What had once been a mammoth glacier had receded and was now 2 smaller glaciers separated by Sawyer Island. The Captain had a choice of which one depending on ice conditions. He could turn left to Sawyer Glacier or bear right to South Sawyer Glacier. Captain Dave chose to bear right. Even from a distance the view was quiet stunning.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/approaching.jpg

It was also clear that this was prime harbor seal habitat.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/seals1.jpg

Our guide noted that seals chief predator is orca whales and they have difficulty distinguishing between pack ice and seals so they are relatively safe there.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/seals2.jpg

We picked our way through pretty heavy ice.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/floe.jpg

One larger piece of ice reminded me of a whale.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/whaleice.jpg

As we got even closer there was little but pack ice between us and the glacier.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/veryclose.jpg

One of the crew went out on a back platform with a large net and brought in a chunk of glacier ice for us to examine.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/bergerbit.jpg

The seals seemed to just lay happily on the ice and not be disturbed by our presence, even as we were close enough to just about photograph them individually.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/seals3.jpg

As we left little bits of ice filled in our route away from the glacier. Captain Dave eased the St. Phillip gently through them.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/icydeparture.jpg

There will be one more post on this day but no promises on when it will happen.

Roy

Breath taking!!!!

Such a wonderful day great weather and the pic of the

Ice sculpture whale is a big hit!. I sure do love those seals too! Well again outside watching the sunset over the water here and enjoy your time in Alaska and with your brother!

Look forward to the next.

Denise:)

I love how that baby seal is looking back at you in the seals2 pic. Thanks for sharing the beauty Roy.

What a great excursion you had for Tracy Arm.

The seal pictures are terrific!!

Thank you Denise, Miss G, and Krazy Kruizers.

Day Y4C-3 (Part 3), Friday, July 20, Tracy Arm and Beyond

I’ll start this with a map of our route:

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/tracytour.pdf

The trip out was not as good in as the entry and fjord time, but how could it be. We left the glacier about noon, and the snack bar selection was limited, hot dogs, pretzels, and cheeseburger, but the prices were not bad (I think $5 each) and they were not gourmet but good enough.

What we saw on the way out was mostly waterfalls. The first 2 were quite close together. The

r was a tiny cove on our starboard side, just about the size of the boat. On the opposite bank was quite a pretty waterfall.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/falls2.jpg

We backed almost entirely into the cove and the other waterfall was almost directly above us.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/falls2b.jpg

Another lovely waterfall on our port side 20 minutes later had a long, ribbon-like descent.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/falls3.jpg

We were almost out of the fjord when we came to the final spectacular falls. It is called Wedding Cake falls because couples often will charter a boat to be married below the base of the falls.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/wedddingcake.jpg

Our trip up Stevens Passage was fairly routine with Captain Dave pointing out a number of the landmarks. On the sail into Juneau from the South there are 2 significant islands that mark key points in the passage. The first is majestic Grand Island, a tall round island about 20 minutes before we leave the Gastineau Channel.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/grand.jpg

The second is Marmion island. We pass it just after entering the Gastineau. It is quite low slung and a bit hard to distinguish from the cliffs of Douglas Island.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/marmion.jpg

As we approached Juneau we first passed the Seabourn Sojourn. I have sailed one of her sisters, the Odyssey, and it is very nice.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/sojourn.jpg

Entering the harbor twin sisters Volendam and Zaandam were waiting bow to bow. We left the St. Phillip much as we entered, going directly through the tender hatch into the Volendam. Our cards were scanned but we did not have any further security. There was really no opportunity to acquire any contraband.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/r-sisters.jpg

Roger had forgotten some significant although not critical medicine. When we docked he headed for a pharmacy for them to contact his home pharmacy and get a new supply. He was successful but the wait for all the procedure to happen was extremely long. I waited till about 5:45 before going to dinner solo and in forgot my camera. Roger joined me about 6. I chose the carrot salad, pasta, and raspberry tart.

Most of my final evening was spent packing. Sailaway for both the Zaandam and Volendam was 10PM. I went out about 9:45 and we had turned away from the pier. Watching from the forward platform on deck 6, there wasn’t really much to see of the sailaway but the first moon I had seen on the trip was shining above us.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/moon0720.jpg

As a parting shot, some tours are better than others. I had looked at this tour with high hopes, and found that the experience far surpassed my wildest expectations. That’s rare. For anyone who gets an opportunity to visit Tracy Arm by small boat, I highly recommend it.

Roy

Roy,

The Tracy Arm excursion sounded super, great photos.

Good to see the two sister ships together.

As a parting shot, some tours are better than others. I had looked at this tour with high hopes, and found that the experience far surpassed my wildest expectations. That’s rare. For anyone who gets an opportunity to visit Tracy Arm by small boat, I highly recommend it.

I once booked the 7-day Volendam Alaska itinerary for the sole purpose of taking this tour. Although my weather wasn't nearly as good as yours was, I never regretted taking the cruise---or the tour.

It was so very different from the Tracy Arm scenic touring from the ship those prior times.

Thanks for refreshing my memory about getting close to the waterfalls. I had forgotten about that.

Hi Roy!!!

Good job on awesome photos. WEDDING CAKE FALLS was wonderful.

So glad Roger was able to get his medicine. Such a bummer but sooo glad it was taken care of. You said you left your camera? With Roger? You didn’t elaborate so I didn’t think you forgot it on the excursion.

Thank you for your time giving us such great detail.

Denise:)

Great pictures, Roy. Sounds like a truly wonderful excursion. Glad it surpassed your expectations.

Good news that your brother was able to get his medication.

Hope you just left your camera behind in your room or with Roger and it is not missing as in lost (yn)

I am so glad that your excursion surpassed your expectations. You really were fortunate to have a great day weather wise.

Love your pictures.

Glad that your brother was able to get his medications.

Thank you RuthC, erewhon, Jacaqui, and Krazy Kruizers. Yes, the camera was just back in my room. I was already 15 minutes late for dinner and decided not to go back and get it.

Day Y4C-4, Saturday, July 21, 2018, Disembark MS Volendam, Skagway

I was up again by 4:30. I was in time for sunrise but there was no such thing as we were surrounded by steep cliffs on both sides of the Lynn Canal which had it’s own visual charms.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/lynn.jpg

We tied up at Skagway’s railroad pier by 6AM, looking out from the aft decks at the town of Skagway.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/skagway1.jpg

Breakfast was from the Lido Marketplace, on the early side, waffles for me. Skagway has a tradition of placing ship emblems on the rock wall facing the railroad pier. One that caught my eye was the Ryndam with Captain Jonathan Mercer (World Cruise Captain extraordinare) now nearing retirement.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/mercer.jpg

It was an early day as all the cruise tour passengers meeting at 7:30 on the Mainstage. We had a quick farewell from Cruise Director Tom, a presentation from a park ranger, met our Journey Hosts (ours is Mandi), and left group by group. We were the last of the 5 groups to leave.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/mandi.jpg

We started with a short Skagway City tour. We made the first of several crossings over the Skagway River on the way to Dyea. While it looks like a great stream for salmon there are none as the river is laden with glacial silt which keeps the salmon away.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/skagwayriv1.jpg

At Dyea we stopped at an overlook where we got a birds eye view of Skagway.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/dyeaview.jpg

Our next stop was the gold rush cemetery which is no longer used but has graves for people who died up to about World War 2.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/cemetary.jpg

A grave near the edge of the cemetery belongs to Soapy Smith, one of the town’s characters. In many ways a scoundrel, he was denied burial in Skagway, and his grave is about 10 feet outside the town line.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/soapy.jpg

The cemetery was our last stop. We drove up and down a couple of key streets with our guide pointing out where the key sites and resources were and ended up at the Westmark. It was around 10:30 with our rooms ready at 1. We hung out in the lobby for a little while catching up on emails but Roger wanted to take a second trip on the White Pass train. I wasn’t really interested but walked over to the depot with him while he bought a ticket, and we headed back to the Westmark for lunch (sandwiches) about 11:30. While he was on the train I walked around town a bit (well, quite a bit).

At the far end of town the guides had pointed out Skagway’s new fire station. The guides alleged that the station had cost twice as much as our purchase of Alaska from Russia. They indicated that Skagway was the only town that hadn’t been devastated by major fires and they wanted to keep it that way.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/skagwayfd.jpg

Heading back I was following a couple of blocks from the rail tracks and walked over to them. There were actually a few trains leaving about the same time. I’m not sure if the one I saw was Roger’s but it might have been.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/wpyrskagway.jpg

The Skagway library was back on Broadway. It was the only place in town with truly free wifi. A few places have it for customers but nowhere else can you just walk in and sign on.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/skagwaylibrary.jpg

The town has just one real grocery store. Groceries come in on a barge once a week and by the end of the week produce selection is pretty slim. I had hoped to find an apple but there was little if any fresh fruit in sight.

Skagway does have an airport, but it’s pretty limited. There are several flights a day to Juneau with a local operator on a single engine aircraft with about 9 seats, but apparently no interline ticketing. I did see one twin engine aircraft but it was for medical evacuations.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/airport.jpg

Next was the Alaska Marine Highway dock where the fast ferry Fairweather was docked, running a bit late so I didn’t think of waiting for it to depart. On the way back there was a display of old railroad equipment including a huge rotary snowplow and a vintage steam engine.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/bigplow.jpg

I returned to the Westmark a little after 3 after a stop for ice cream. Mandi had a gathering in the hotel about 4 for orientation on what to expect on the rest of the tour, then dinner (steak) in the hotel dining room around 6. I had hoped to watch the departure of the Island Princess and Volendam around 9 but dozed off in my chair and missed it.

My parting shot goes back to the Volendam. I enjoy looking at the various plaques given out by ports for maiden calls and one caught my eye. I think somebody at the port could have used a bit more proofreading. The plaque has the proper title but then the slightly smaller text says “Commemorating the Visit of Celebrity Millennium to Busan”. Oops!

Roy

Good morning Roy,

Thanks for all the nice photos. Glad the library had free WiFi for you. That is a really nice fire department too.

Very scenic and wonderful views.

Denise 😊

Thanks for your report and photos.

It's fascinating reading the messages on the rock wall at Skagway.

Thank you Denise and erewhon.

Day Y4C-5, Sunday, July 22, 2018, Whitehorse, Yukon

It was a fairly early morning with breakfast close to 6, and meeting in the lobby at 7. We boarded our but for the next 2 days about 7:30 for a very short initial journey to the platform where the White Pass and Yukon Railroad loads people for the journey out of the valley. While others got buses with bears or moose on the side, ours had Orcas. Seems a bit odd for a land tour.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/ourbus.jpg

The rail journey was about 2 hours through a very steep valley. Along the way we passed a red caboose at Dayton now used by the US forest service followed by a look at a raging Skagway River.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/skagwayriv3.jpg

A few minutes later we got our last look at Skagway.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/lastlookskgwy.jpg

According to our guide about 35,000 people worked on building the railroad with 35 deaths. A memorial to the 35 stands at a point where 2 were crushed by a landslide. Soon after that we passed Bridal Veil Falls,

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/blackcross.jpg

About 20 minutes later we entered our first tunnel. A tall steel truss bridge was part of the original line. It was replaced by a second tunnel and shorter bridge about 1969 when the line started carrying heavier loads of ore. While no longer used, it is still quite pretty.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/steelbridge.jpg

There were several curves where we could get glimpses of our locomotives. One was especially good.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/sharpcurve.jpg

Shortly before the summit we could see traces of the original trail of 1898. I was surprised at how narrow it was, especially with people needing to go up and down several times to carry the required ton of supplies.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/trail98.jpg

The summit is also the border between the US and Canada. There were 2 slightly separated points. Right at the border there was a marker and US and Canadian flags and just past that a Mountie Cabin where travelers were checked for the required supplies before being allowed to pass. Beyond the summit the landscape was mostly a rocky plateau.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/summit.jpg

Our transfer point came about 10 miles later. Before we got off the coaches Canadian officials came by and checked everybody’s passports. Once Mandi and Kyle picked us up we went back through the border crossing a second time. Some buses were waved right through (perhaps those just turning around and going back to Skagway) while they boarded our bus and collected all our customs forms.

We made several stops on the journey to Whitehorse, the first being at the sign where we went from British Columbia into the Yukon.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/yukon.jpg

Our lunch stop was at Carcross. Some people had box lunches and there were also some local items available. Roger got a bag lunch while I used the Fritos we were given on the St. Phillip. I think we both got ice cream at Carcross. The WPYR has a few trains that continue to Carcross, and in addition to a station there is an old steam locomotive on display.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/carcross.jpg

We made 2 additional scenic stops on the way. The first was Emerald Lake, and then at an overlook viewing Miles Canyon just before we got to Whitehorse. Deep in the canyon there was a trail with a small foot bridge.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/miles.jpg

We were in Whitehorse around 2:30. I took a walk in town, buying a few apples and visiting the old paddlewheel steamer SS Klondike. Right now the upper decks are closed for restoration but about 2/3 of the ship is open including the engine room and some crew cabins.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/ssklondike.jpg

On the way back I passed the Yukon’s assembly building. Dinner was at Tim Hortons, a sandwich for Roger and Chicken Noodle Soup for me. We called it a night pretty quickly.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/assembly.jpg

I’ll take my parting shot from Mandi. I knew she was a teacher and was sitting beside her as we waited in the lobby. I asked her what she taught. Eighth grade science. Next question was if she had experienced any undue pressure in what she taught. She had not but followed up with “I was once offered a position in a neighboring state but declined because I wouldn’t have been allowed to teach evolution. I always knew that kids were shortchanged on content when politics entered the syllabus but had never considered the effect it would have on hiring good teachers. I see that as a double whammy.

Roy

I am so glad you and your brother Roger are together for this wonderful trip! I have pics of my husband and myself at the same Yukon sign from several years ago. Bridal Falls the foot bridge photo you took from the train I remember them. Take care Roy, and enjoy your journey.

I look forward to more from you.

Denise😊

Just got caught up with your last 2 reports.

Wonderful.

Loved your pictures.

Thanks for your report.

Super photos, good photo of you and your brother.

Thanks for the reports Roy.

You have some fabulous photos.

they are all great but I was really struck by the one of the wall with Captain Mercer's and the plaque that had the inccorect note.

Great picture of you and your brother.

It sounds like a great cruise and you are having a good time.

Thank you Denise, Jacqui, Krazy Kruizers, and erewhon.

Day Y4C-5, Monday, July 23, 2018, Whitehorse to Dawson

I need to learn that in the Yukon sunrise time has little to do with when one sees the sun, even on a clear day. I woke early and started walking about 5, in plenty of time to see a sunrise. I walked and walked and walked but no sun in evidence. We were roughly across the street from the old terminal point of the WPYR. The station was there and a track was there but no train service. About a mile section of the road now is home to a streetcar which runs limited hours.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/wpyrtop.jpg

The Yukon River ran behind the station. It was quiet and peaceful in the morning but the current was quite rapid.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/yukonwh.jpg

As the tour is currently configured we fly from Dawson to Fairbanks, leaving only 1 long day of coach travel. This was it, 332 miles from Whitehorse to Dawson. We met in the lobby and boarded the bus about 8:30.

While we have about a 15-minute stint on the Alaska Highway, almost all of the trip is on the North Klondike Highway. It’s mostly a fairly decent 2 lane highway, except for one construction area and some areas affected by permafrost. We made several stops but the first was a couple of hours into the trip. Before we got to it, Kyle noted that we were near the site of a massive fire about 50 years ago that burned for a year. At one point the firefighters were trapped and needed to take refuge in a lake for about 2 hours while the flames passed them by. While many trees have regrown, there is still a very prominent stand of burned out trees.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/aftermath.jpg

Our first actual stop was a place called Braeburn Lodge, a small café which served HUGE cinnamon rolls. It was also a stop on the “Yukon Quest”, Canada’s answer to the Ididarod. It’s an annual race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/cinnamon.jpg

Another memorable stop was 5-finger rapids, a group of islands in the middle of the river. There were several rapids, each with it’s own set of challenges. Some were either too narrow or too shallow to be navigable but some boats would be drawn into them anyway resulting in virtual certain destruction of the boat. At other times an upstream boat would be drawn into the same passage as a downstream boat, resulting in a collision. Often industrious First Nations people would arrange cables to guide ships into a safe channel, a vital help to the boatsman and nice source of income for the helpers.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/5finger.jpg

While stopped at 5-finger we encountered a bicyclist. It turns out he was headed home after starting out at the end of the Dempster Highway on the Arctic Ocean. It’s a dusty gravel road; that guy was a real hard-core trekker.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/realtrekker.jpg

A few miles after that stop we encountered construction with a mile or 2 of one-way traffic traveling in convoys on a dusty gravel road. The bicyclist would have come through that patch.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/roadwork.jpg

Our lunch stop was at Minto Resort. There was a dining room and buffet café (soup and sandwiches) , as well as picnic tables overlooking the Yukon.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/mintocafe.jpg

Mandi wanted a group photo. After it was taken she posed with Kyle for a picture of our 2 fearless leaders.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/mandikyle.jpg

Our last stop, about an hour before Dawson, was the Tintina Trench. I’m not sure if it’s an old river valley, a huge fault line, or a little bit of both but it’s quite pretty.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/tintina.jpg

Just before Dawson we got our first sighting of the Klondike River and passed the Dempster Highway. Dawson is a pretty compact town, unfortunately most of the streets are gravel. The Westmark is HUGE. We were in a satellite wing, a second floor walkup, and wifi is only in the lounge. We went down by the river for dinner and were pretty well read for bed soon afterwards.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/klondike1.jpg

As a parting shot I was last here in 2002, then on a land tour with a Canadian Company. We had flown to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories and flown to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean for a day trip. There was a bit of drama in that flight as due to a loading area one of our planes dropped down on it’s tail as I watched from the other plane. Our plane then had to make a second trip to pick up the other plane’s passengers. The next day we had an unforgettable 2-day drive down the gravel Dempster Highway(457 miles) to Dawson. I saw in the guide book that the Dempster has just this year been extended to Tuktoyaktuk. Change is slow in the high Arctic but it is happening.

https://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/dempster.jpg

Roy

Have just caught up Roy! The scenery pictures are stunning. I loved the cemetery! You are spot-on with your analysis of the Tintina Trench:

Sent from my iPad using Forums