Thursday, September 1, 2011
Eastern Prince William Sound At Its Best
With memories fresh and colorful, I can recall in vivid colors and smells the experiences of our trip and the impression I had of the Alaskan coast,truly, all of it enjoyable. The long-day, day-long, 10 hour cruise on eastern Prince William Sound was magic. It was a near perfect day in all regards, sunny and cool. We were headed to see the Columbia Glacier, South central Alaska's largest tidewater glacier and the Meares Glacier, an advancing and very actively calving glacier. The first glacier we saw from a distance of at least twenty miles due to the amount of ice bergs it is producing. A natural cycle was occurring which happens about every 150 when what is known as a catastrophic melt takes place, the interplay between ice, land and ocean. The locals do not point to the glacier as proof of global warming - look elsewhere. The Meares Glacier was worth the whole day's trip. Our "large boat" approached this tidal glacier within about a 1/4 mile and we sat listen to its groans, cracks and saw some ice cascading off the glacier into its bay. Standing on the deck of the boat and witnessing this wondrous site defies words. The ice, hundreds of feet high was twisted and distressed due to the uneven ice movement of the glacier wall behind. Much of the front of this glacier was white with hues of blue and grey, but some spots were a more rich vibrant blue, an indication of tremendous pressure it bore earlier in it journey down the mountain and valley. Take a look at it yourself and experience the moments, the sights and the sounds of the glacier.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Stan Stephens Cruises
First, read the Prince William Sound entry.
I neglected to share with you the name of the outfit we cruised with. They are known to be the best overall value, and Louise, Floyd and I were satisfied customers.
The Pics -
I neglected to share with you the name of the outfit we cruised with. They are known to be the best overall value, and Louise, Floyd and I were satisfied customers.
The Pics -
Prince William Sound
I would venture a guess that most of us have seen cruise commercials on television showing pieces of glaciers falling into the ocean water when taking the inland passage up the Alaskan coast. I had visions of experiencing such at some point in the future. Instead of taking a several day cruise we took a long one day cruise out of Valdez AK through part of the Prince William Sound. This was billed as a 12-hour cruise on a large catamaran boat, and oh way a day it was. Many times on our journey north we had the experience of wonderment at the sights, sounds and smells of some of nature's best, and the day was no exception! Unlike the days before when wind and clouds prevailed, we woke up to a sunny and temperate day. The boat could hold over 125 people, but we enjoyed closer to fifty companions. Not feeling like sardines, we enjoy open space, open seating on the deck and plenty of complimentary food.
For those of you who do not like the idea of boat rides on the ocean because of the tendency of sea-sickness, the Prince William cruises boast that the waters are calm and the likelihood of such illness is greatly diminished. Our boat was newer, built in 2005, clean as a whistle and powered by twin diesel inboard engines. It's captain, a woman in her late 30s or early 40s had worked herself up from the ground floor, or should I say the boat floor, went to school and gained her licenses. She was a pleasant woman, who clearly thought she had one of the best jobs on the face of the earth. She steered our course and narrated the day's events which included sea lions, harbor seals, Orca whales, dolphin, ice bergs, glaciers, and ribbon waterfalls. We cruised passed small islands and inlets and bays, sometime with waters that were milky emerald green. The sites enthralled us all. We learned about the history of the sound, including the fox farms that had existed prior to the Great Depression of the 30s. Have you experience days where you didn't want it to end, but for time to slow down so you could absorb more memory and enjoy the sights? This was such a day and I have not even shared with you about the glaciers that come right to the ocean and then calve off.
Before I speak more of the experience, let me share what I learned about fox farms, something that I never knew about before. When fox had been hunted by the furriers of the north, supplies were so greatly diminished that fox farms were established on many of the island in the Prince William Sound. These were not glorious enterprises or settlements of any kind. We learned that foxes are afraid of the water, thus if you raised foxes on the small islands by feeding and watering them, there was no need for fences. A lone man would, for a nominal annual fee of something like $25, lease an island from the federal government and set up shop which consisted generally of a place to sleep and eat and a elevated cache. His stores for himself and his foxes would be brought in or caught and at the proper time, pelts would be rendered for the markets of the world beyond. I enjoy alone time, but I am made of a different cloth than those of old who would spend months by themselves on these isolated islands.
My next entry will talk about the glaciers we experienced, namely two of them, including seeing the viewing of three of the total of eight surviving Rouge Orcas and the epicenter location of the great earthquake of 1964 that did so much damage to the towns of Anchorage, Valdez and the many others less notable. But before that entry, I will separately post a picture or two of our day on the water. I hope you enjoyed the read.
For those of you who do not like the idea of boat rides on the ocean because of the tendency of sea-sickness, the Prince William cruises boast that the waters are calm and the likelihood of such illness is greatly diminished. Our boat was newer, built in 2005, clean as a whistle and powered by twin diesel inboard engines. It's captain, a woman in her late 30s or early 40s had worked herself up from the ground floor, or should I say the boat floor, went to school and gained her licenses. She was a pleasant woman, who clearly thought she had one of the best jobs on the face of the earth. She steered our course and narrated the day's events which included sea lions, harbor seals, Orca whales, dolphin, ice bergs, glaciers, and ribbon waterfalls. We cruised passed small islands and inlets and bays, sometime with waters that were milky emerald green. The sites enthralled us all. We learned about the history of the sound, including the fox farms that had existed prior to the Great Depression of the 30s. Have you experience days where you didn't want it to end, but for time to slow down so you could absorb more memory and enjoy the sights? This was such a day and I have not even shared with you about the glaciers that come right to the ocean and then calve off.
Before I speak more of the experience, let me share what I learned about fox farms, something that I never knew about before. When fox had been hunted by the furriers of the north, supplies were so greatly diminished that fox farms were established on many of the island in the Prince William Sound. These were not glorious enterprises or settlements of any kind. We learned that foxes are afraid of the water, thus if you raised foxes on the small islands by feeding and watering them, there was no need for fences. A lone man would, for a nominal annual fee of something like $25, lease an island from the federal government and set up shop which consisted generally of a place to sleep and eat and a elevated cache. His stores for himself and his foxes would be brought in or caught and at the proper time, pelts would be rendered for the markets of the world beyond. I enjoy alone time, but I am made of a different cloth than those of old who would spend months by themselves on these isolated islands.
My next entry will talk about the glaciers we experienced, namely two of them, including seeing the viewing of three of the total of eight surviving Rouge Orcas and the epicenter location of the great earthquake of 1964 that did so much damage to the towns of Anchorage, Valdez and the many others less notable. But before that entry, I will separately post a picture or two of our day on the water. I hope you enjoyed the read.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Yes, we are still alive!
I logged on and discovered that I have not posted anything since July 29th and here it is August 20th. Let me catch you up shorthand style first: Drove about 4000 miles since Valdez, most of the time we were not using internet or cell phones due to roaming costs, visited Hyder AK and Port Rupert BC before turning inland to central BC, central Alberta, central Saskatchewan, N. Dakota, S. Dakota, Wyoming and then to Denver/Lakewood. We are tired and we are staying put for 2-3 months here in our home state of Colorado. Here is what I will do. Let me rest up a bit and then some quite evening I will wax eloquent and share about our cruise in the Prince William Sound, our visit to Hyder AK and the phenomenal day visiting the Salmon Glacier and watching bears catch salmon, our visit to Prince Rupert BC, the Ukranian Village we visit, Theo. Roosevelt National Park and our stop at Deadwood SD. I will try to post one picture, perhaps my favorite of the entire trip - just to wet your whistle.
Friday, July 29, 2011
How Time Flies When You Are Having Fun
Of course, this is less than an original phrase, but true nonetheless. Since my last blog entry we have traveled hundred of miles, been prayed over and blessed by an Episcopal Priest (traveling mercies and blessings for a 30th wedding anniversary celebrated), walked right up to the Exit Glacier sharing a 3 mile hike with my 87 year old dad, experiencing (literally) breathtaking sights of hanging glaciers and flowing glaciers covering whole valley floors! Bridle Vale Falls and Horse Tail Falls, just off the highway to Valdez is nothing to discount or ignore. Oh, I don't want to forget to mention the interesting trip to Whittier on the Kenai Peninsula. After a delightful stop in Seward we started driving back toward Anchorage, but we needed to have the experience of driving through a mountain using the same tunnel that the train uses. The tunnel was all of 16 feet wide (11 1/2 feet paved surface) and perhaps 20 feet high and well over two miles long. Round trip was $20 and it was worth the experience. The tunnel is the longest of its kind in the world. Every half hour the traffic moves the opposite direction.
We decided to not stay in Whittier after a quick one hour tour and headed off to Anchorage. We stayed in the town's RV park, which included a lone small moose calf chewing its cud the second evening we were there. To our delight and satisfaction we enjoyed a few hours at the Alaska Native Heritage Center touring various native structures they lived in, learning of their culture and way of life, including the competitive games they play and the dances the tribes used to entertain themselves and communicate their stories of life and work. It was great to see the young high school students display such pride in their heritage.
We are now in Valdez, a beautiful end of the road town replete with harbor (large and small), tall and steep mountains, glaciers and lots of fishing and small cruise ships. Tomorrow, the three of us are going for a 9 1/2 hour cruise of the Prince William Sound and that will be another story...
We decided to not stay in Whittier after a quick one hour tour and headed off to Anchorage. We stayed in the town's RV park, which included a lone small moose calf chewing its cud the second evening we were there. To our delight and satisfaction we enjoyed a few hours at the Alaska Native Heritage Center touring various native structures they lived in, learning of their culture and way of life, including the competitive games they play and the dances the tribes used to entertain themselves and communicate their stories of life and work. It was great to see the young high school students display such pride in their heritage.
We are now in Valdez, a beautiful end of the road town replete with harbor (large and small), tall and steep mountains, glaciers and lots of fishing and small cruise ships. Tomorrow, the three of us are going for a 9 1/2 hour cruise of the Prince William Sound and that will be another story...
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