Photos of Alaska

I put some of my PHOTOS online if you are interested. I took over 400 pictures but I just posted my favorites.

It is going to take me a long time to recuperate from this trip.

This is how I spent my birthday!

Headed home

Our gamble paid off. We made the 6a flight out of Gustavus without any problems and got to our Juneau connection without a hitch.

Day 9 - I already feel older

We woke up this morning, grabbed a bite at the lodge then headed to the bay for a half day of sea kayaking. We ended up paddling along the shore for about four hours. It took us a bit to get into a groove but we worked it all out. We saw lots of kelp, a couple sea otters and harbor seals and then on the way back a little black bear cub foraging for roots along the shore. We watched him and let the current pull us.

After lunch we did one of the two whimpy hikes they offer. They have over 13 million acres and there are only two trails. I will say it was a very visually interesting hike. Lots of moss and lichen.

Before bed we decided to shower since we have to get up at 4:55a for the shuttle to the airport. Once we were cleaned we had an Alaskan moment where we realized we couldn't remember when we took a shower last.

I can't move without groaning. I feel achy and old.

Oh, while we were kayaking we saw millions of these quarter-size jellyfish. Our guide told us they were phosphorescent and if you come out when it is dark and throw a rock in the water they'll glow. So of course we had to try it out. My footsteps were illuminated. It was so much fun!

Things We Learned While Traveling Through Alaska

In no particular order:

• Bring binoculars!
  
• Be flexible, you are on "Alaska time" now and it is affected by the weather and the wild.
• Talk with people. Everyone here is so nice and extremely helpful. We learned a lot from the locals.
• Consider upgrading your camera so you can get some nice close-up shots of the wildlife.
• Buy bug spray and always have it handy. The bugs in the Southeast are not as bad as legend has it but when you need bug spray you will want it immediately.
• Dress in layers. We can't stress this enough. You are constantly peeling clothes off and adding layers back on.
• Having two pair of shoes is nice, rain-proof outdoor shoes and a second pair that you can wear inside or out somewhere special. It is a treat to switch it up some but weather will force you to wear the outdoor shoes more.
• We know where "nowhere" is now. I will never throw the word around again.

Day 8 - Happy Birthday to ME

I was going to subtitle today, "When in doubt, porpoise" but decided to celebrate my birthday instead. I think today was the best birthday EVER. When I said that to David somewhere in the middle of the day he replied, "Yeah, if today was my birthday it would be the best birthday ever too." It only got better from there.

We started our day on a 7:30am Glacier Bay cruise that ended at 3:30pm and we returned to the same boat at 5:30pm for a whale watching cruise that ended at 8:30pm. It was basically an entire day on a boat but it was AMAZING. We saw so many different things. We saw a glacier calving. It sounded like thunder. We saw whales sloshing around on the shoreline eating fish and the highlight of our glacier cruise was seeing mountain goats sleeping on the random ledges along a mountain face. Mountain goats are beautiful and surprisingly large. They are not your typical goat. We also saw a sow and two cubs in one inlet. They were walking along the shore. There were lots of birds (More Puffins, this time Tufted. The Puffins of Sitka were Horned Puffins.) The wildlife was a bonus but the glaciers were truly unbelievable. They are so violent and blue. The only word I can think of to accurately describe them is awesome.

For the second or thrid time on this trip my cell phone rang in a remote spot. Today it rang in the MIDDLE of the Glacier Bay. When it sounded, David and I looked at each other in complete surprise. It only lasted a few minutes but I got birthday messages.

By the time we got back to the lodge, fog had set in and it was starting to get cold. We were not that optimistic about the whale watching but we'd paid for it so... Motoring out to Point Adolphus with Captain Don had a very ominous feel. I was expecting a pirate ship to come out of the fog and crush us. When we got to Pt. Adolphous we saw "spoutage" immediately. Through the fog we could hear the cries or wailing (no pun intended) of the whales. I didn't realize they made sounds above ground. It started to rain and the fog thickened. Whales started popping up all around us. They are very brazen creatures. Of course when you weight 40 tons I guess you can afford to be brazen. The were all around us. We saw several pods of three-six whales. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. One whale came very close to the boat then stuck its tail 8-12 feet into the air then flopped it down into the water several times. When we didn't move, it came in closer and did it several more times. At one point the whale flipped over and belly exposed flopped its tail at us again. People on the boat though the whale was being a show off. I thought it was being a little aggressive (not a sense you want to pick up from a WHALE -- turns out the captain thought the same thing). We didn't see the breaching money shot but we got a fabulous show. We arrived back at the lodge sopping wet but gitt

It was a GREAT birthday. My mother even emailed me the birthday song since she couldn't sing it to me. It was better than an appendectomy for sure!

Day 7 - Glacier Bay

What a big day we had today.

We woke up, packed and headed out to the Alaska Canopy Zip Line Tour. David thought I was going to freak out because I don't like to fly but I was really fearless. Getting there was required a boat, an ATV and a hike. Once we learned out to zip, we raced through the trees doing ten zip lines and a suspension bridge. The views, as is true with most of Alaska, were astonishing. The sad part was helicopters were circling above because three hunters including a 12-year-old child, had gone missing. They asked us to be on the lookout but we saw nothing.

It was the hottest day this year in Juneau, 72 degrees. We were actually boiling in the sun.

In the afternoon we took a little six-seater plane to Gustavus. This time our pilot looked 17. I think Alaskans must get their pilot's license with their driving permit. I took a whole valium for the trip and had an amazing time. It was BEAUTIFUL. We could see countless mountain ranges. The best was the Fairweather Moutain Range it was like a painting draped across the horizon. I feel like I am in Alaska now. We've also discovered the much talked about bugs. We started noticing them in Juneau but they might be worse here.

We had dinner in Gustavus. It only has three roads. The local school is K-12 and there are only 41 students enrolled. The island has the oldest gas station in Alaska. I hope I'm able to get a picture of it.

Now we are at the lodge. I would really appreciate it if someone would call me if Obama or McCain announces their VP (907-697-4000). We are very much out of the news loop.

Discoveries (or things we've seen)

• Alaskan Muskeg
• Bald Eagles
• Bears (Black and Brown)
  
• Common Murre
• Dall's Porpoise
• Glaciers
• Gulls
• Harbor Seals
• Humpback Whales
• KELP (David can spot kelp!)
• LOGS (I can spot a log!)
• Mountain Goats - We (heart) Mountain Goats!
• Parasitic Jeager
• Pelagic Cormorant
• Piglets
• Pigeon Guillemot
• Porpoises
• Puffin (Horned and Tufted)
• Red-necked Phalaropes
• Salmon
• Sea Otters (one with a pup on its chest)
• Stellar Sea Lions
• Surf Scooter
• Waves (when you are looking for sea mammals they can be deceiving)
  

Day 6 - The wild GRAY yonder

Evidently, everyone likes to say that Juneau is "the wild gray yonder" because it is always rainy or foggy.

Well, today was GORGEOUS. It was so warm we had to peel off a few layers.

After breakfast I treated myself to an early birthday present of binoculars. They are a must while traveling around Alaska.

We then headed up to Mendenhall Glacier where we took a helicopter (gasp) up to the glacier and went dog mushing. Of course I was a little nervous then our twelve-year-old pilot came out so I grabbed the drugs. The woman who helped us load into the plane assured us he was older than he looked. I know she was trying to be comforting but this was not helping me. The ride was AMAZING. The glacier and all the blue ice is just stunning. I feel at a complete loss for adjectives to describe the beauty. The dogs were cute and very excited to see us and take us on a run. David and I both got to mush for a bit.

In the afternoon we took the tram in town up the mountain and went on a hike. The views -- I'm afraid my camera will not truly capture the beauty.

Now we are back at the B&B and getting ready for dinner. I can't believe we only have a few days left in Alaska. Tomorrow we head to Gustavus and Glacier Bay.

Capital Inn B&B in Sitka

When we arrived in Juneau, our host, Linda, gave us a tour of her B&B. Our room (it has twin beds with pink quilts -- it would have been any seven-year-old girl's dream) is around back and downstairs. As we walked out of the back door Linda pointed to a spot on the ground and said, "See that smudge? That's a bear butt print. He evidently came through last night. See here at the top of the stairs, all those hairs? He rubbed up against there as he turned the corner." Then she took us down the stairs to our room. It was the first one at the bottom, by the stairs. David and I looked at each other with a twinge of concern stretching across our faces. Inside the room David said, "You know I'll sleep right through it if the bear passes by. If you hear anything you'll have to wake me up." Needless to say, it was a rather sleepless night for me. I woke up with every creak and branch sway.

The B&B is cute though.

I hope we survive.

Day 5 - The sun doesn't set, it just gets dark

We are now in Juneau. It was so sad to leave Sitka. I am going to miss it FOREVER.

We took a four-hour ferry ride from Sitka on the Alaska Marine Highway. We took the "fast" ferry. It is new. It was very nice. Everyone in Alaska is impressed by it but they still prefer the pace of the "slow" ferry. We arrived at the ferry at 12:30p even though it wasn't scheduled to depart until 1:30p. "Alaska time" is very curious. It could be earlier than scheduled or posted, it could be later, and it might not even happen. You have to be very patient if you live here. Lucky for us the ferry left close to schedule.

Juneau is very different from Sitka. It feels like a miners' town setup after the gold rush (that's actually how they stole the honor of being the state capital from Sitka).

Tomorrow is a big day. In the morning we are going to take a helicopter to Mendinhall Glacier and go dog mushing with an Iditarod team. I'm hoping we'll be able to do some laundry in the evening just to balance out the excitement.

Highlights (updated daily)

Day Nine
Julia: My highlight was the phosphorescent jellyfish. They were so cool. Every step along the shore was illuminated. We threw rocks in the water and the splash glowed. It was an awesome end to an awesome trip.
David: Seeing the black bear cub while kayaking.

Day Eight
Julia: WHALES! WHALES! WHALES!
David: If you'd have asked me earlier it would have been the mountain goats but now -- WHALES! WHALES! WHALES!

Day Seven
Julia: Seeing the Fairweather Mountain range as we approached Gustavus. I have to say, the people in Alaska are super friendly. The one car service in Gustavus couldn't pick us up for hours so the airline (think "Wings" not American Airlines) called the restaurant we had a reservation at and the chef's mom and dad came and picked us up and gave us the don't-blink tour of Gustavus.
David: I'll have to ask him but if I was to guess, I'd say his highlight was the zip line tour. It was exhilarating.

Day Six
Julia: Being on top of the glacier. It was so bright we were almost blinded by the sun. The blue ice is like nothing I've ever seen. I thought glaciers were peaceful ice flows but they are rather violent and jagged. Nature is phenomenal.
David: His schadenfreude while watching me stress out over flying in a helicopter. He also liked the dogs on the glacier but he laughed at me A LOT.

Day Five
Julia: Seeing the blue ice of the glaciers as we approached Juneau.
David: Seeing Bob again before leaving Sitka.

Day Four
Julia: Hiking with Marilyn
David: The muskeg

Day Three
Julia: Bob, our guide, our captor
David: Bob - "If that avalanche gave way again, we'd die right now." He also liked the sound of the whale.

Day Two
Julia: It was a GORGEOUS day. The highlight of my day was definitely the sunlight streaming through the trees at Totem Park. I hope my pictures capture at least a tenth of the beauty. I also enjoyed biking everywhere.
David: The sound of the eagles (JF: they make a watery trill)

Day One
Julia: My highlight was seeing David at the Seattle airport after a long day of travel from NYC.

Day 4 - Goodbye, Sitka

We are sad that it is our last day in Sitka.

After breakfast we went to the Raptor Center in town. They try to rehabilitate injured eagles, hawks, falcons and owls. It was impressive to see an eagle up close. They look big but 40% of their bulk is just feathers. They only way 9-12 lbs. I felt the eagle we saw was a little agitated and I kept waiting on her to pounce on the guy sitting next to me who kept fussing with his bags. They are very powerful creatures and they have amazing eyesight. At the talk the bird expert told us that if a person was sitting at one end of a football field with a newspaper and an eagle was sitting on the goal post at the other end that the eagle would be able to read all the headlines.

We ate another fried lunch in town then headed out to Beaver Lake Trail with one of our hosts, Marilyn. The hike was a little steep at the beginning but a nice rewarding jaunt. We hiked up a mountain, around a lake, across a muskeg and back down. I think Marilyn is more popular than Bob. She knew people everywhere we went including three people on the trail.

When we got home, Mike was roasting coffee. It is dreamy here -- never mind the sea lions ripping apart fish as they eat/play just outside our bay windows. It was a savage scene right out of a nature doc and we couldn't turn away.

We had dinner again at Ludvig's. It was delicious. At some point I stopped, looked at David and lamented, "I can't believe this is our last day in Sitka."

I am going to follow up on that NPR job when I get back to NYC.

Why don't you move here?

Bob was trying to convince me to move here. The city is gorgeous and the people are incredibly nice. I really do love the place. He bet me a head of lettuce (which is worth its weight in gold here) that I'd be married in a year. The town is so quaint that we kept asking questions about very practical matters ("Where do cars go when they die their final death?" -- they get crushed into a Wall-E sized box and shipped off the island) so I think he thought we were good candidates to live here.

Later in the day he asked me what I'd do if I lived here. I commented that working would be a challenge since all I know is TV. Then he mentioned that they need a manager at the NPR station (Locally referred to as "Raven Radio," their call letters are KCAW. I LOVE THIS TOWN!). On cue David moaned and said, "Oh no, now she IS going to move here."

What would happen if I went back to NYC and packed up Gus and my tiny apartment then moved it Sitka, Alaska? I wonder if I can pitch a show about it at work.

Day 3 - Where are we and what is happening?

This morning we went out with Bob on the boat he owns with Mike (the guy who runs the B&B). Bob is a naturalist among other things (everyone in Sitka has at least two jobs -- one pays the bills the other gives back to the community). We went out for a couple of hours. We saw a sea otter. It had a rock tucked under its arm and would dive down and get a clam them crack it open on its chest with the rock. It was fascinating to watch it use a tool. We saw a sea lion and best of all a WHALE. It was a humpback whale and it was HUGE and awesome. David was impressed by the sound of the water coming out of its blow hole. It sounded a little like a horse to me. Then we went to this volcanic island and saw some puffins. They are tiny. We both expected the birds to be bigger like a penguin but they are squat.

When we got back to town Bob took us on an adventure. He became our guide for the rest of the day and we became his hostages. It was quite the adventure. David and I would look at each other every once in a while and whisper, "How kooky" or "What is happening?" We went out to Blue Lake which was beautiful. Everywhere we went Bob knew someone, even the end of the trail. Afterwards, he took us to Rob's house. Rob is the fire chief. He collects maps but only ones that are polar views. We had coffee and talked like we were old friends. He gave us advice on where to go in Juneau, his brother lives there. Then we went to a picnic that Bob's wife's work was hosting. I ate some vegetables which was a real treat (the main diet here is fried fish). Then Bob invited us to his house for dinner but we had to pass, we were just too exhausted and over stimulated.

We ordered in Chinese and had a mellow evening at the B&B.

Day 2 - From one end to the other

We ended up riding our bikes seven miles outside of town to the end of the road and doing a little hike. We wanted to hike the Estuary Trail but it was closed because of a siting of a sow and two cubs (bears are referred to as either sows or boars). We ended up doing a lovely hike along Mosquito Cove. I want to say that I was a little concerned about visiting Alaska because of the bugs and thus far they haven't really been an issue. Mosquito Cove had a warning that a bear had been seen "stealing caught fish." A local K-9 officer told us to just make noise as we hiked and we should be fine.

We rode our bikes back to the B&B, had some wine on the patio as eagles circled above then headed into town for dinner. We ate at a delicious restaurant called Ludvig's. It was so good we made a reservation for Sunday night. It was a lovely and yet exhausting day.

Day 2 - Biking around Sitka (pt. 1)

Mike took us into town this morning and we rented bicycles.
It is GORGEOUS today and again Mike and Marilyn are impressed by the weather. They mentioned yesterday that in Sitka people don't postpone things in hopes of better weather tomorrow. If the weather is nice they take advantage of it.

A funny thing happened at breakfast. We were talking about something and I said, "Yeah, but that's in Alaska." David looked at me and said "YES." Which I interpreted as "Yes, dummy, that's where we are." It made us all laugh. It is hard to believe that we are actually in Alaska.

We rode our bikes to Totem Park and went on a lovely hike. The totem poles were nice but the best part was seeing a bald eagle. The views are so amazing. The city is on the coast and surrounded by mountains, snow-capped mountains. It is truly breathtaking.

We are at the library now. It is quaint and has a million-dollar view.

More later.

Day 1 - Sitka, Alaska

Today was a long day.
I left my apartment at 5am and caught a 7:15am flight out of Newark headed to Seattle. I met up with David in Seattle and together we flew to Sitka where the gentleman who runs our B&B, Mike, met us. He said the airport was packed because of bad weather in Ketchican so the airport was crowded (there were THREE planes there). Mike gave us a quick tour of Sitka. I was amused by how many times he said "at the end of this road..." There are only a handful of main roads and they all end. At the end of one is the airport. At the end of another is an outlet where he took us to see THOUSANDS of salmon. He said it was a good spot to see bear at night, preying on the fish. We dropped our stuff off at the B&B then hit the city. For dinner David got halibut fish and chips and it cost $28.95. I had nachos and a side salad because they were the only two vegetarian options on the menu.
Mike and Marilyn said we came on a good day because the weather was nice.

The Day Before

  We leave tomorrow. I have so much to do today. I have thought about packing but my bag is empty.  I've also got a little house cleaning to do before I leave. Ugh.  I AM A PROCRASTINATOR.  

  Yesterday it was 46°F and raining in Glacier Bay. I am certainly not going on the luxury vacation. I am optimistic it will be beautiful despite the rain.

Alaska - The Inside Passage (8/14-8/23/2008)

David and I leave for Alaska on Thursday, 8/14.  We are doing a little tour of the Inside Passage. We are going to start our trip in Sitka (Raven's Peek B&B).  We head for Juneau (Alaska's Capital Inn B&B) on 8/18 via ferry. I wish we could stay on the water but unfortunately we are going to have to take an "air taxi" to Gustavus on 8/20, so we can visit Glacier Bay (Glacier Bay Lodge).  We head back on Saturday, 8/23.  The trip is going to test my fears.  We don't have anything planned in Sitka but in Juneau we are going to take a helicopter to the Mendenhall Glacier and go dog mushing with an Iditarod dog team.  As for the air taxi... don't get me started. I'm going to be tossing back valium with shots of whisky. HERE is a map of our trip.

If we have access to the internets I will try to update this blog while I'm away.