Hello from Tierra del Fuego!

Day 12: Homer/Anchorage

Updated: June 1, 2014

This morning Matt’s parents left early for their bear sightseeing excursion and after a slight weather delay, they boarded a tiny plane for the 35-minute flight to Lake Clark National Park located west of Homer across Cook Inlet. The weather was rainy, but after a beach landing (note the plane’s large, slightly under-inflated tires) and short walk, they viewed numerous bears grazing and walking through the marsh.

"Take us to the bears, please."

Aerial view of Homer Spit

Brown bears grazing in the marsh

They did see some bear cubs as well

While Rick and Mary were out bear-viewing, Matt and I decided to do a little on-foot sightseeing. The Homer Brewing Company, located on the shore of Beluga Lake, was a 30-minute walk from our hotel. Matt sampled two of their offerings that he had not yet tried, as well as my two free samples (I am not a beer fan), and purchased a pint glass to take home.

The only day we needed the umbrellas

Much smaller than the brewery in Juneau - their distribution is local only.

Our version of bear-viewing, complete with puffin, top hat, and banjo

After picking up some Alaskan-made salmonberry jam for my dad and making a pit stop at the post office, we walked back and had lunch at the Cosmic Kitchen, a eclectic little diner recommended by our water taxi driver. We sat outside and shared a delicious halibut caesar wrap while we waited for Rick and Mary to return from their trip.

Cool fishing mural

Recommended as "best-kept secret in Homer"

One more meal featuring halibut before we leave Homer

After Matt’s parents returned, we jumped in the minivan and stopped by the Pioneer Inn to pick up our bags. Then we hit the road for the 220-mile drive to Anchorage. Oh, but first we stopped at the local McDonald’s to settle Matt’s bet with his mom re: the price of an ice cream cone. Matt won and we discovered McDonald’s will dip your cones in chocolate here a la Dairy Queen. Nice.

One last look at Amy and Rich (Pioneer Inn owners) in 1991 with the 85-lb halibut they caught

We got a late checkout, but missed the owners to say goodbye

Driving back through Kenai Peninsula

North on Highway 1

Back in the glorious luxury of the Parkside Guest House, we chatted a while with Carly about Homer and went to dinner at the FireTap Alehouse (thanks again, Paul, for the giftcard!). Over pizza and local Moose’s Tooth beer, we made plans for the next few days in Anchorage.

Alaskan Blues

Day 11: Homer

by Nicole

Updated: June 1, 2014

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(THE WRITER RETURNS! 🙂 I’ll share writing duties with Matt for the last few days of the trip so we finish the blog before we forget everything we did. As of today, three new posts are up: Days 9, 10, and 11!)

This morning we had our supermarket cereal breakfast before driving to the Spit where Matt and I would depart on our half-day kayaking trip with True North Adventures. We dressed in layers anticipating a dreary day on the water, but the weather was sunny and pleasant, if a bit windy.

Blue skies with cirrus clouds and no rain on the Spit

After checking in and signing a waiver that held us responsible if we got swept out to sea, we met our guide, Marin, and got suited up. The six of us on the trip were provided rain jackets, pants and boots. Once dressed, we walked down to the pier to wait for our water taxi. The boat that pulled up was comically tiny; Marin told us that it had been custom-built for its former 4’11”-tall owner. It was at this point that I wondered if I should have taken that Dramamine.

We'll be easy to spot if we fall overboard

Our tiny taxi arrives

The trip across the bay to Yukon Island took about twenty minutes; the water was very choppy and the poor guys in the path of the spray got soaked. No seasickness, although I did concentrate pretty hard on the horizon straight ahead of me for most of the trip. Arriving on the beach, we unloaded our gear and marveled at the gorgeous mountain scenery.

Our guide Marin (right) tries to avoid the spray

Landing at Yukon Island

Beautiful view of Kachemak Bay Park mountains

Marin gave us a lesson on paddling, steering, and what to do if we flipped over, then helped us adjust the pedals in our kayaks and showed us how to attach our splash skirts. Worn around our waists, the splash skirt forms a tight seal around the edges of cockpit and keeps water out of the kayak. If we flipped, however, it easily pops off allowing a quick exit. We hoped to not to test this first-hand. Neoprene gloves that attached to the paddle were also provided, which would help keep our hands protected from the cold water. Once we were clear on the basics, we pushed off and paddled around for a bit to get a feel for things. Matt sat in the back where he was responsible for steering; all I had to do was paddle.

Ready to go!

An awesome over-the-shoulder shot of expert-steerer Matt

Shortly after we set off the wind picked up a little, and after fifteen minutes we changed directions so we weren’t fighting the current so hard. We paddled for a half-hour, scanning the shore for wildlife but not seeing much. The wind continued to pick up, making the water pretty choppy, and after a while Matt remarked that we were going to have a tough time getting back to the beach in a timely fashion if we didn’t head back soon. As if on cue, Marin shouted to all of us to turn around; under calmer circumstances I think we would have paddled farther but she realized our time was running out and we would need more time to return.

Once we turned around, I realized just how windy it actually was; we weren’t being pushed backwards, but we had to paddle significantly harder to make even half the progress we’d made in the other direction. The large buoy in front of our beach was nowhere in sight; we cut a path away from the shore, put our heads down, and paddled. Hard. I was actually enjoying myself quite a bit, though Matt cursed a lot (this was probably because his other Alaska kayaking experience had been on glassy-calm water and he was not having as much fun here. :)) It was a workout, we were getting faces full of salt water, and there was no chance to idly look around for otters or birds, but we started counting 50 paddles at a time and eventually our beach came into view. When we came ashore, we looked back for the rest of the group and discovered that we had smoked them all – if it was a race, we’d have won by a mile. Just saying.

Not swept out to sea!

Once everyone made it back, we helped put all the gear and kayaks away and waited for our little water taxi. On the return trip, we came within a pretty close distance of an adorable otter, although he disappeared underwater before we could get a picture. Back on the Spit, we shed all the rain gear and met back up with Matt’s parents, who spent the morning checking out various shops in Homer and planning their bear excursion for Wednesday.

Boarding the taxi back to the Spit

Weather optimism: it may have been windy, but it wasn't raining!

While Matt’s parents stopped to look in one more gallery before we headed back to the inn, Matt and I watched a charter fishing excursion unload its haul of halibut and cod. Each fish had a color-coded tag corresponding to the person who’d caught it, and the captain processed all the fish as desired (most people had it filleted and frozen to take home, but area restaurants would also happily prepare your catch for dinner, too).

Whimsical buildings line the Spit

Seven halibut on the left, three cod on the right

Proudly posing with their catch

Homer attitude

Back at the inn, Matt and I rested for a bit while his parents made a late-afternoon visit to the Pratt Museum a few blocks from our hotel. Later we all cleaned up and walked down the street to Don Jose’s Mexican Cantina and Pizza, where in the halibut capital of the world, we devoured a delicious pizza that had not a hint of seafood on it. After dinner, we visited a little with the inn’s owners before turning in for the night.

Pretty good pizza for a Mexican restaurant!

Our view from Pioneer Inn, plus evening yard chores for one of Amy & Rich's three sons

Day 10: Anchorage/Homer

by Matt

Updated: June 20, 2020

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The extended daylight hours that Anchorage (and the rest of Alaska) sees during the summer months are great. But while sunsets at 11:30PM are fantastic, waking up at 8AM to the kind of sunlight that hits Chicago around 11AM is a bit jarring. It gives you a momentary feeling you’ve badly overslept for something. Now I know why Carly keeps that skylight closed.

Since this is Anchorage and it really was 8AM, Nicole and I rolled out of bed, got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Sitting on the counter was home-made granola, a giant tub of fresh berries, freshly-baked raisin bran scones and hot coffee. Awesome. This B&B is worth the price just for breakfast alone! Meanwhile, my parents had already spent an hour or two chatting with the other travelers in the dining room, who happened to be the owners of this B&B as well as Camp Denali (where Mom and Dad are staying next week).

With breakfast in the books, we loaded up the van for a two-day excursion to Homer. On our way out, Carly hooked us up with a copy of the “Milepost,” which is a mile-by-mile breakdown of everything to see, do and know as you drive Alaska’s highways. Whether you’re looking for a gift shop or the next gravel pullout to let faster traffic pass you, this phonebook-sized guide has you covered.

Heading down Highway 1 alongside the Alaska Railroad tracks next to Turnagain Arm

High tide and bright sunlight on Turnagain Arm

After leaving Anchorage, we entered Chugach National Forest and eventually turned the corner on the end of Turnagain Arm. At that point, Highway 1 (also known as Seward Highway until it becomes Sterling Highway later in the Kenai Peninsula) turns southwest and heads into the mountains.

Entering 5.4 million acre Chugach National Forest

Heading into the mountains of the Kenai Peninsula

Welcome to Alaska, Nic

Continuing south, the scenery we encountered kept getting better and better. Mom noted the general absence of residences or cabins, which was nice. We stopped to see Sixmile Creek Canyon (watch your step near the edge!), Lower Summit Lake and Tern Lake (where Highway 9 splits off if you are heading east to Seward)

Stumbling into a postcard-quality scene near Summit Lake

Turn the other direction and this is the view

Group shot overlooking Tern Lake

Sticking with Highway 1 and heading west, the mountains soon give way to Lake Kenai and the world-famous fishing rivers near Cooper Landing. Beyond the flurry of resorts and RV parks in that area, we entered Sterling, where we stopped at a gift shop (run by a guy with a taxidermy shop in back) and found a couple establishments selling ice cream and BBQ chicken for lunch (to supplement our car diet of peanut M&Ms and salmon jerky).

We found a nice chair at our lunch stop in Sterling

Mom wanted an ice cream cone for lunch, then this building appeared

After Sterling, we passed thru Soldotna, and turned south toward the smaller towns of Kasilof, Clam Gultch, Ninilchik, and Happy Valley — to name a few. Compared to the mountain views a couple hours earlier, this portion of the drive looked more like Northern Minnesota, except for the part when Mom finally spotted a moose.

Moose munching away on the side of the road

Finally, by late afternoon, we reached the outskirts of Homer and took in a sweeping panoramic view of Kachemak Bay, with Cook Inlet to the west, Kachemak Bay State Park to the south and the Homer Spit to the east.

Kachemak Bay panorama

Homer Spit, much farther away than it appears in this photo

We drove the rest of the way into Homer — the Halibut fishing capital of the world — and promptly checked in at the Pioneer Inn. Owners Rich and Amy greeted us with smiles and showed us to our respective rooms.

Chatting with Rich outside the Pioneer Inn

With clouds rolling in to end our sunny afternoon, we ventured down to the Homer Spit to find some dinner. It takes about 10-15 minutes to drive 4.5 miles out to the end of the spit where the boat harbor operates. Experts believe the Spit exists because of A. tidal swells in Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet, or B. sediment from an ancient glacier. Whatever the explanation, tourism is alive and well at the end of the Spit, as a large number of restaurants and excursion companies, etc. occupy rows of weathered shacks built on stilts.

Homer Spit is like the Renaissance Festival of fishing

Who decided the blood would be a nice touch here?

Based on a recommendation from our guidebooks, as well as Amy back at the Pioneer Inn, we settled on Captain Pattie’s for dinner, where we all ordered the fresh fish. Captain Pattie did not disappoint. The place also delivered on the finer details, with contour maps as table decor, fish-shaped plates and local Homer Brewing Company beers on tap.

I think this place sells fish

Best halibut I've had in Alaska

After dinner, Nicole and I sought out a couple different options for sea kayaking from companies operating on the Spit, while Mom and Dad investigated the popular Bear sightseeing trips. When we each gathered enough information, we drove off the Spit (past the semi-junkyard of old boat parts) and stopped by the local Safeway grocery store to pick up some breakfast food, taking advantage of the fact that Mom and Dad’s room at the Inn has a full kitchen. Upon our return to the Pioneer Inn, we briefly reviewed our plans for Tuesday, and then hit the hay shortly thereafter.

Leaving the Spit for the day

Day 9: Juneau/Anchorage

by Matt

Updated: June 1, 2014

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Today was another travel day with a 12:35PM flight from Juneau to Anchorage on our itinerary. But I was not about to leave Alaska’s state capital without a final shot of that delicious salmon hash breakfast in the hotel cafÃƒÂ©. Even Mom ordered it this time instead of her usual bowl of oatmeal. That is quite an endorsement.

We packed up easily after breakfast, largely because we barely unpacked for our one-night stay. Upon leaving the hotel, we hailed a cab for the airport rather than test our wits against Juneau’s bus system a final time (which would have been more difficult without express buses running on the weekend). During the twenty-minute trip to the airport, our taxi driver told us about his experience driving in Juneau, hauling around celebrities like the Deadliest Catch guys (they are rowdy when drunk, shocking) and Randy Travis (or some other famous country singer). We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to sail thru security and relax.

Preparing Alaska Air flight 65 to Anchorage

From Juneau (on the right) to Anchorage (on the left)

About two hours and 600 air miles later, we landed in Anchorage. At the baggage claim, we found Nicole waiting for us. She arrived an hour earlier after her morning flight from Chicago. With the whole gang together, we proceeded to the rental car area, picked up our Toyota Sienna and hit the road. No word on whether a 1991 Ford Aerostar was available.

The Parkside Bed and Breakfast in downtown Anchorage is about a 10 minute drive from the airport. We successfully navigated ourselves to the right address despite the city’s odd penchant for splitting up normal traffic flows into one-way streets (maybe it’s a snow-removal thing?).

Upon arrival, we were given an introductory tour by our friendly hostess Carly. I have not stayed in many B&Bs before, but I think we found the Ritz Carlton of B&Bs. Both our rooms were on the second floor along with an inviting common room area. Mom and Dad’s room was the size of a small auditorium. The custom-designed kitchen on the first floor was straight out of an interior design magazine.

Parkside B&B kitchen and dining room area

Mom and Dad, think this room will be large enough?

Nicole joins the party!

After getting settled, we decided to take advantage of the great weather and walk a mile or two along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which is an 11-mile, paved bike trail that runs along the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet, from downtown to the airport.

Knowles was Mayor of Anchorage from '81-'87 and Governor of Alaska from '94-'02

Dad looks south across the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet

Mud flats exposed during low tide can behave like quicksand

Where are the unimportant birds supposed to go?

The pleasant walk north along the coast deposited us onto 5th and L in downtown Anchorage. As luck would have it, it was only a couple more blocks to McGinley’s Irish Pub on 7th and G, where we intended to start using the various Anchorage restaurant gift cards my uncle had given my parents (Thanks, Paul!). Having eaten salmon for nearly every meal the past week, I actually enjoyed the opportunity to go Irish for a meal.

Delicious hot corned beef sandwich

After dinner, we strolled back thru Delany Park to the Parkside and marveled at how bright it was outside for the late evening hour. Apparently, there were other guests (actually, the owners) staying at the B&B (the place can accommodate up to about 15 people in 5 or 6 rooms), but they were out and none of them ventured up to the common room, so we had the entire second floor to ourselves.

Whatever. I played baseball in a yard filled with trees all the time as a kid.

Relaxing at the Parkside, researching the Kenai Peninsula

After an hour or two of drinking tea and perusing guide books for information about tomorrow’s agenda (a drive through the Kenai Peninsula to Homer), everybody went to sleep, save myself. I blogged a bit and finally turned in at about 3AM, which you’d never guess by looking out the windows. Can you be a night owl if it never gets dark?

11:30PM sunset from Parkside's north-facing windows

Day 8: Glacier Bay/Juneau

by Matt

Updated: June 1, 2014

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With a half-day remaining in Glacier Bay, today’s plans were dictated by what could be done before our late-afternoon flight back to Juneau. Last night, I checked with the front desk and decided to team up with another lodge guest who wanted to go sea kayaking, but needed a second person to get a rental. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad plotted a hike on the nearby Forest Loop Trail. (We briefly considered a whale-watching tour, but the outfit only offered an afternoon trip and it felt that was cutting it a bit too close for our 4:55PM flight. Oh whale.)

With our plans in motion, we all woke up and ate breakfast at the lodge. At roughly 9AM, I met Renee, my kayaking partner for the day who is from South Africa, lives in New Zealand, works as a software tester and is currently on a six-month vacation around the world. We walked down to the kayak rental office and a staff member got us ready to go.

Today's activity... sea kayaking

Let's get this boat afloat

The kayak rental company provided us all the necessary gear for the half-day kayak rental, including the rain pants, rain jacket, rubber boots, dry bags and, of course, the kayak, paddles, etc. The woman in charge gave us some tips on our planned route and reminded us how the tides would play. Then, she sent us on our way.

I’ve never been sea kayaking before, but Renee is an intermediate kayaker and knows what she’s doing. She kayaks all over the place when she travels, including plans to kayak downtown Manhattan (the Hudson River) in a couple weeks. After seeing how they handle, it is clear that a two-person sea kayak would be really hard to flip. I’d say two-person canoes are way more precarious.

Off to sail Glacier Bay

I paddle in the front and set the pace

Renee paddles in back and controls the rudder (with foot pedals)

We navigated southwest out of Bartlett Cove and followed the east shore of the Sitakaday Narrows. We approached Point Gustavus, but did not venture beyond into the Icy Strait (which just sounds menacing) where the kayak guide said we’d encounter a confluence of several bodies of water, tides, and other unpredictable things. Plus, it was time to pause for our half-way snack and turn around. I ate a bag of Peanut M&Ms and Renee busted out her GPS notification device to tell her people she was in a boat in the middle of the Sitakaday Narrows in Glacier Bay National Park. Neat-O.

On the way back in, we had better luck seeing wildlife, as a pod of 3 or 4 Harbor Porpoises surfaced near our kayak for a couple minutes. Also, paddling back north into Bartlett Cove was much easier because the tide was rolling in. For the last 45 minutes, we barely needed to dip our oars in the water. We returned to the lodge on schedule at 1PM, docked the kayak and shed our rental clothing.

Done and done

Our Glacier Bay cabin. Sparse outside, but nice and cozy inside.

With a checkout time of 2PM, we packed our bags and killed some time in the lodge before heading to the airport. Renee joined us in the lobby and swapped camping stories with Mom and Dad. We also grabbed a bite to eat. Before long, the shuttle van was ready and we were on the road. Our driver Aaron was losing his mind due to a hectic day, but he dropped us off with plenty of time to spare.

Mom and Dad give Renee the 4-1-1 on Yellowstone

Along the road back to the Gustavus airport

As noted upon our arrival, the Gustavus “airport” is definitely casual. Sometime if you’d like to hear a funny story, ask Mom about the restrooms.

The Air Excursions office, one of only three airline buildings near the runway

Mom, Dad and I — plus an Air Excursions employee who actually helped check us in two days ago — comprised the four passengers on the flight back to Juneau. This time, our pilot was a young woman named Taylor who looked like she might still be gathering college credits, but flew like a seasoned pro.

Cabin view

Cool view of a river delta

Clear-cut valley, with evidence of previous years' harvest areas

Sorry Logan... Pilots with ponytails are more fun

Back in cloudy and overcast Juneau, we were prepared for the transportation conundrums that our less-experienced selves faced a couple days ago. This time, rather than walking blindly toward the bus stop (me) or searching high and low for a taxi (parents), we immediately found the elusive wooden bridge thru the tress that marks the most direct path from Juneau Airport to Nugget Mall, the site of the regular service bus pickup on weekdays.

The secret path to Nugget Mall!

Parents waiting at the bus stop

A 30-minute bus ride later, we arrived steps from the front door of the ‘ol Westmark Baranof. Upon check-in, we were assigned a different room. Bad news is that it didn’t have nearly as cool a view as our front-facing room earlier in the week. Good news is that I got a real bed rather than a roll-away cot. I’ll take that trade, especially since it’s only for one night.

After passing on a Filipino Chicken place, dinner ended up being a delicious salmon meal at the Twisted Fish. Then I found a place selling ice cream sandwiches for a buck. It took four days, but I finally found the best value in the city. With nothing left to do in Alaska’s capital city, we returned to the hotel and retired for the night.

Back in Juneau, where the eagles roam. This one sat on that post for our entire dinner.

Day 7: Glacier Bay

by Matt

Updated: June 1, 2014

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The main event during our stay at Glacier Bay Lodge is today’s eight-hour boat cruise which came as a package deal along with our two-night reservation. We were instructed to board the boat between 7 and 7:30AM at the dock behind the Lodge, so we woke up early and sat down at the restaurant for breakfast at about 6AM.

A bowl of oatmeal and a couple scrambled eggs later, we were ready to set sail. The morning weather was gloomy and overcast, with a slight, spitting rain, but everybody we spoke to said that was of little consequence when it comes to the wildlife we may or may not see during the cruise.

Relief map of Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay Lodge is situated on the south shore of Bartlett Cove near the mouth of Glacier Bay. Upon exiting Bartlett Cove, our boat turned north into the Sitakaday Narrows which is just north of the Icy Strait to the south. The planned route to the far north end of the bay was roughly 60 miles each way.

A naturalist with the National Park Service greeted us and spent roughly 30 minutes giving us an introduction to the park. She spoke in such a soft and solemn manner it was kind of amusing. But she meant well and she knew her stuff, so the passengers were soon armed with a rudimentary knowledge of the kinds of critters we’d be seeing.

Shortly thereafter, the first wildlife of the day made an appearance on a gathering of small, rocky islands in the middle of the bay.

Evidence of the tidal movements ring the islands

Sea lions taking it easy until the next high tide, or until they fall off

Pelagic cormorants (I believe) taking a break on the island as well

When the boat moved away from the small islands, the chorus of sea lions barking fell silent, but new wildlife continued to show up on the water surprisingly close to our ship. The back of the second deck and the top of the third deck offered outdoor viewing areas with the best chance to spot the passing visitors.

A horned puffin floats by

A sea otter checks out the ruckus

About halfway up the bay, we moved to within viewing distance of the shoreline on the starboard side of the boat. Ha, just kidding”¦ the right side of the boat. This afforded us some cool views of the mountainous landscape that used to feature glaciers, unlike deeper in the bay where those similar valleys and inlets are still frozen under ice.

Tidal inlet near Blue Mouse Cove

Two brown bears chase each other on the rocky beach

After a 10-minute stop to watch the bears romp around the shoreline, we continued north to a sheer rock face dubbed “Gloomy Knob” which is a popular hangout among Glacier Bay’s mountain goats, who don’t mind operating on tiny ledges of vertical rock several hundreds of feet above the water. From our distance, the goats just looked like white dots without the aid of binoculars.

Granite tiramisu

Mom sees the goats just fine

Beyond Gloomy Knob, the ship opened up its throttle a bit and made its final push north past Composite Island, Rendu Inlet and Russell Island, eventually reaching Tarr Inlet, which runs the last 10-miles before Margerie Glacier deposits itself into the deepest (unfrozen) point of Glacier Bay.

Surveying the waters heading deeper into Glacier Bay

Entering Tarr Inlet, the waters were filled with chunks of glacial ice and the captain slowed down to a methodical crawl. I’m not sure if a catamaran has an advantage (or not) over a hulled ship in these waters, but there is a bit of a Titanic vibe either way when you hear the ice clunking against the ship.

Larger ice chunks generate their own waves by rocking back and forth

Terminus of the Margerie Glacier

Finally, four miles from the Margerie Glacier, our boat cut the engines and took a break to soak up the view. A giant cruise liner was parked only a quarter mile from the face of the glacier and helped give a sense of scale to the ice shelf — which the park ranger said is roughly the height of a 26-story building. Everybody on the boat stared at the glacier on the off-chance it should calve, but alas, nothing happened.

Very courteous, the glacier did not calve when we turned away for a photo

Eventually, the captain fired up the boat engines, turned around and carefully headed south out of the ice-cubed waters. Meanwhile, we were served a lunch of tasty wrap sandwiches. Along with clam chowder soup from earlier and peanut butter cookies yet to come, the food provided during the cruise was a nice surprise.

Back in open waters, we sailed south along the west side of the bay, where we saw Johns Hopkins Inlet, Lamplugh Glacier and Reid Glacier. Another reason we were on this side of the bay was to deposit two groups of outward-bound teenagers (roughly 15 in each group) who were on our ship in order to hitch a ride to their respective kayaking drop-off points. The catamaran served this purpose nicely, sliding right up to the shore to unload the kids and their piles of colorful gear.

Marooning the kayakers

After we dropped off the second group of kayakers in the middle of nowhere, the boat looked like a ghost town, with maybe 30ish passengers left to roam three decks designed for 150. Of those remaining on the boat, Tom and Ronni, a friendly couple who sat next to us, were willing to chat about everything from fishing to photography. The weather was still overcast, but the constantly-shifting clouds continued to create interesting scenery along the shore.

Smokey clouds scatter the terrain

During our final charge south through the Whidbey Passage, I went back up to the third deck and scanned the waters for whale activity. They were definitely out there. Twice I saw whales breach in the distance, but nothing I could catch with the camera. Despite the whipping wind and some light rain in pockets, it was a good time. I’m now ready to appear on Deadliest Catch.

Like standing in a wind tunnel

Only other folks brazen enough to stand outside near the end of the tour

Turning for home, back to Bartlett Bay

Back at the Lodge, I grabbed my stuff and staked out a comfortable seat near a power outlet in the lounge. Tonight, they were throwing a “Season Opening” party for the community and guests were welcome to take part. So for dinner, we just grazed thru the food stations, including the really good stuff like salmon and rib eye (normally about $30 a plate for this stuff on the restaurant menu). Sweet. Thanks Glacier Bay!

Then, as the night before, eventually everything died down, leaving me and my laptop in peace and quiet by about 11PM. I had another fun conversation with the security guard — this time covering topics such as the merits of Filson outerwear and how some local guy started “ToshCo” by purchasing things in bulk from CostCo in Juneau and shipping them to Gustavus. Eventually the party was over and I checked out for the night.

Day 6: Juneau/Glacier Bay

by Matt

Updated: June 1, 2014

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Today we woke with our bags packed and ready to roll for a quick walk to the bus terminal located a few blocks from the hotel. You can tell Juneau is a cruise ship town (where your stuff stays on the boats) because the cracks in the sidewalk pavement make obnoxious clicking noises when rolling luggage is pulled over them. Like driving I-90 across South Dakota.

Fun fact: Juneau is built out of giant Legos!

On the way to the bus station, we picked up some breakfast sandwiches from Subway. I noticed the $5 footlong does not make an appearance in these parts. So for the residents of Juneau, the bad news is that a footlong costs an extra two bucks. Good news is they probably don’t have a $7 footlong jingle burned into their subconscious.

The express bus arrived as expected at 8:15AM and we stepped off at the Juneau airport about 15-20 minutes later. Checking in for our Air Excursions flight was a breeze. No security screening or take-off-your-shoes nonsense. Good stuff. Maybe because the three of us comprised 60 percent of the passenger manifest for our flight? Or because an “air taxi” service such as this can be more relaxed? Anyhow, the friendly gate agent weighed our bags and we chilled in the gate area until it was time to leave.

Flight #307 to Gustavus is on time and cleared for take-off

We walked across the tarmac to board the plane. There was a back door on the left side the aircraft that our two fellow passengers used, but Mom, Dad and I entered using a front door on the right side of the plane above the wing. As the last one in, I lucked out and was seated in the co-pilot seat next to Logan — our pilot from Mississippi with the accent to prove it. I shut the door, Logan fired up the single-prop engine, and minutes later, we took off.

Mom and Dad and the pilot board the Piper Cherokee Six

Our pilot Logan at the wheel

The view to our right with Mendenhall Glacier in the distance

Apparently, the route from Juneau to Gustavus features something of a “short cut” thru a mountain pass that can be navigated if the weather is clear. Logan gave us a heads up on this possibility (as he found previous passengers tend to get nervous when they think he’s about to fly into the face of a mountain), but it turned out some clouds rolled in so we took the safe route around the peaks instead.

Clouds block our daring route thru the pass

On-board GPS device shows our new path to Gustavus

The landing at Gustavus was smooth sailing. Calling the place an airport would be generous… is is an airstrip with a couple offices housed in nearby trailers. We crawled out of the plane and all that separated us from our shuttle bus was a chain link fence. A second plane arrived minutes later with our bags.

Welcome to Gustavus!

Our van driver to Glacier Bay Lodge was a personable, yet low-key guy named Aaron. He pointed out THE town intersection, THE town gas station and THE town liquor store along the way. Like most of the employees at the Lodge, he is a seasonal hire who is just getting started (the Lodge opened up for the summer less than a week ago) and will work until the tourism season ends in September.

Glacier Bay Lodge

Paraphrasing our waitress: “The sweet potato fries here are kind of a big deal”

After checking in to our cabin-style accommodations and eating lunch at the Lodge, we set out for an afternoon hike on the Bartlett River Trail. The trail heads north along an intertidal lagoon, then winds thru a spruce and hemlock forest, and emerges along the Bartlett River estuary. Unlike one dude we saw hiking the trail barefoot, we all opted to wear our shoes.

Photographing the tidal area

Mom and Dad on the Bartlett River trail

Mom pops a shot…

…Dad pops into a shot

Near the end of the trail — once it emerged along the Bartlett River — we started to see some wildlife. First, we saw several different birds, including an eagle. Then, we spotted a black bear in the woods about 20 yards to our right (but he or she was sufficiently obscured by trees and brush to get a good photo, and he wandered off deeper into the woods soon after our encounter). Last, Mom found a river otter (we think) catching fish, taking them to the shore of the river and munching on them.

Emerging from the woods near Bartlett River estuary

River otter catches a fish

Observing the wildlife in peace and quiet

When we had our fill of wildlife, we turned around and headed back two miles on the trail.

Back thru the woods

Upon our return, we ate a tasty roasted chicken dinner at the Lodge. Knowing that tomorrow calls for an early get-up, Mom and Dad retired for the evening and I took care of some blogging in the lounge area. I finished up around 11:30PM, but talked to the security guard for another 30 minutes before shutting it down. Hey, I wasn’t sure if he’d have anybody else to talk to for a couple hours!

Day 5: Juneau

by Matt

Updated: June 1, 2014

3 Comments

Let me warn you in advance there are no live bears, whales or eagles in today’s blog. It is so dull, in fact, that for breakfast, I ate the same thing I had two days ago – delicious salmon hash browns with eggs from the Capital Cafe. Be aware that dinner will be a repeat performance too.

This was just as good the second time

After breakfast, I was feeling a little dizzy, so I headed back up to the room to take a nap while my parents made a run to the post office and brushed up on their Alaskan history at the Alaskan State History Museum. I woke a couple hours later feeling A-OK and rejoined Mom and Dad in downtown Juneau.

Front and Franklin Street is the original center of town circa 1880-81

The Alaskan Brewery Tour was one of the remaining items on our Juneau to-do list. We paid the shuttle driver and were taken 10 minutes north of town to the brewery’s production facility. They didn’t waste any time getting a sample in your hand as you walked thru the door. Best part is all the samples are free. And although they have a sign indicating a six sample limit per person, nobody seems to be counting.

Step right up for free beer!

Six standard beers on tap — the same six I tried in bottles earlier this week

In addition to the free beer, a friendly employee spoke to us about the brewery’s history. Basically, the Alaskan Brewery was born when some cool Juneau residents listened to their friends rave about their home brew in the 80s, and then decided they should open a brewery for the upstanding folks of Juneau who deserved an Alaska brewed and bottled beer.

Photos of the brewery’s history, featuring hip 80s fashion trends

Represent! New Glarus makes the wall of beers from around the country

A couple times each year, the Alaskan Brewery releases a “Pilot Series” beer which is a limited run of something special that may or may not graduate to greater distribution depending on how it fares. It turns out that this morning the brewery released the latest Pilot Series, which is Raspberry Wheat. Apparently, they’ve released this one before and it was quite popular. By sheer luck, I was able to pick up a bottle at the brewery before they ran out (which they did an hour later).

Definitely sounds good. I’ll confirm or deny this later on.

After a couple more samples, we piled into the van that was taking us back to Juneau. On the drive back, the driver made a point to tell us how much everybody in Juneau loves the CostCo. Remember, I warned you about today’s blog!

When you live in a city without roads to the outside world, CostCo is a pretty big deal

More exciting than driving by CostCo, we struck up a conversation with the other couple travelling in our van. Turns out the husband is the graphic designer who created the distinctive “eskimo face” logo for Alaska Airlines, which had been staring at me from airport tarmacs the last few days as I flew to Seattle and Alaska. He created it a long time ago as an employee with the design firm who handled Alaska Airlines as a client, so unfortunately, he does not have a “fly free forever” card from Alaska Air. Oh well.

Alaska Airlines logo creator Vic Warren and his wife

After the brewery tour dropped us off back on Franklin Street, we mulled about town and worked up our appetites for another round of crepes for dinner. Then we gave mom our flyers for a free chunk of “Glacier Blue” at a nearby jewelry store, and she stopped inside to pick out a trio of tiny aquamarine stones for some future project.

Juneau’s army of crossing guards bring you back to middle school

Mom and Dad await their crepes for dinner

Back to the Baranof… its later than the daylight indicates

The only thing left to do was crack open the highly-prized bottle of Alaskan Raspberry Wheat in my backpack. Definitely not a sweet fruit-based beer, but after re-calibrating my expectations, the natural raspberry flavor was equally distinctive and tasty. However, at the end of the day, I’d probably still take a bottle of Belgian Red over this contender. Sorry Alaska, Wisconsin wins this round!

Day 4: Juneau

by Matt

Updated: June 1, 2014

2 Comments

According to my parents, one of the few downsides of Juneau is the frequency with which loud city vehicles pass by the hotel early in the morning. I’ll take their word on this because I am peacefully asleep until a more reasonable morning hour of 8AM-ish.

Dad is torn because the streetsweeper is loud, but has a flair for design

Rather than rushing out to grab food right away, we met my parents’ travel agent Barbara Carpenter, who happened to be cruising (literally) through Juneau today with her husband. Barbara and Jim showed us a nice tiny cafÃƒÂ© run by a friendly old woman who prepared a variety of made-to-order egg dishes. Afterwards, we strolled around the Historic Downtown area to check off some of the standard things the guide books tell you to see in Juneau.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church established in 1894

Alaska State Capitol building built in 1931, became the capitol in 1959

Downtown Juneau bus terminal and police station

By the time we finished walking around under the bright midday sun, it was time to eat again — so we checked out the Twisted Fish restaurant near the water where all the cruise ships dock. We relaxed and chatted with Barbara and Jim until it was time to go, wishing them the best of luck as their boat sailed onward.

Twisted Fish pizza

At 2:45PM, we were picked up by bus for the Gastineau Guiding Photo Safari tour, which includes a water portion followed by a land portion. First, the bus took us to Auke Bay northwest of Juneau. From there we boarded a small boat with our 12 fellow travelers, plus the driver and our tour guide David. If there was any concern about the boat ride being choppy, it was quickly dismissed. Today’s water was about as still as it gets in the Inside Passage.

Sitting by the dock in Auke Bay

Take a picture, I’m on a boat!

I’ve seen choppier water in a fish tank

After the captain kicked the motors up a notch and pointed us south from Auke Bay, we sailed down the west side of Douglas Island toward Young Bay and a large pile of rock in the middle of the bay, dubbed Skull Island. This first stop featured some distant views of cautious seals and sea lions chilling out on the surface of the water.

Skull Island, named for all the human skulls they found there, right?

Skull Island, named for all the human skulls found here, right?

The next few stops on the boat tour were dictated by the captain, who was doing his best Captain Ahab impression in an effort to find us a whale. Using a series of radio communications with other boats in the area, he picked a good spot and dropped the boat into idle. We all started scanning the waterline for activity. Minutes later, we saw the blow spout of a humpback whale feeding near the shore. Humpbacks tend to repeat the blowing process about four times, then they’ll breach, kick up their tail and dive under for 5-10 minutes before re-surfacing.

First humpback spotted

Humpback whale breaching and diving back underwater

We saw another whale, but this one was “lunge feeding,” which is when the whale silently glides under its prey, takes a huge gulp, and then expels the excess water. Since the tail never rises like it does with the usual feeding method, it is less photogenic. All you see is a splash with a nose and mouth cresting quickly above the water.

Tour guide David leads us off the water and into the woods

After the marine portion of our trip, we returned to the dock and boarded another bus which took us to a trailhead near the Mendenhall Glacier. We were given the usual “watch out for bears” disclaimer before starting the hike. Five minutes later, the bears obliged. To the left, a mother black bear and her three cubs were heading in our direction (looking to cross the road to the stream to our right perhaps?). After pausing for a moment to let our group pass, the four bears started forward again and crossed the road about 20-30 feet behind us.

Mother black bear and three cubs

Bears relative distance from group, I was crouched down in front

So that was awesome. We gathered ourselves and continued the hike. David pointed out a couple locations where bears had been digging in the dirt to snack on northern ground cones (which grow on the root system of nearby alder trees). For human appetites, he offered up spruce tips straight from the tree, which are rich with vitamin C — not to mention a key ingredient for the Alaskan Brewery’s special Winter Ale (which unfortunately was not in season). I tried a handful because I don’t want scurvey. They weren’t terrible.

Eventually, we reached Mendenhall Glacier. From the visitor’s center, we saw the glacier’s terminus, but the whole thing extends about 12 miles back up the mountains. There are helicopter tours that will take you back there and drop you off into a pile of snow (or so I imagine), but we were satisfied with our view across Mendenhall Lake in the golden sunset.

Mendenhall Glacier terminus

$Intrigued by the refractive properties of glacial ice (clear, no air, blue tint)$

Intrigued by the refractive properties of glacial ice (clear, no air, blue tint)

Take the picture quickly, this ice is cold!

Hurry! This prop ice is cold!

Tour complete, we returned to downtown Juneau. In an inspired move, we capped off the day with a meal of fresh Alaskan King Crab at the most highly-recommended crab shack in town (literally… Tracy’s Crab Shack is a mere, shed-sized building which sits near the cruise boat ports for high foot-traffic). After dinner, we returned to the hotel with full stomachs and SDHC cards and called it a day.

Fresh Alaskan King Crab is great, but the New England Patriots still suck

Day 3: Juneau

by Matt

Updated: May 31, 2014

3 Comments

Today we woke up to fantastic sunny, crisp and clear Alaska weather — the kind that makes you want to throw open the windows the second you roll out of bed. Our plan was a hike up Mt. Roberts (the one right behind the city overlooking the port). But before that, we decided to fuel up with a delicious breakfast at the hotel’s cafÃƒÂ©. In my continuing effort to eat local-sounding foods whenever possible, I can report the Salmon Hash was delicious.

The Juneau Empire's weather forecast for this week looks spectacular

The Mt. Roberts trailhead is about 10 blocks north and uphill from the Westmark Baranof Hotel — not to be confused with the Mt. Roberts tramway, which is located to the south (by the cruise ships) and is the lazy-man’s method of getting to the top.

Sunshine lights up the trees near the trailhead (stairs in distance)

The Mt. Roberts trail is a solid two-mile hike up 1800 feet to the wildlife center and the tram drop-off. We encountered a few other hikers along the way, and although some guy in the hotel elevator told us there was a bear sighting in the vicinity, the most threatening wildlife I saw was a chipmunk. At the bottom of the trail, there were some rough patches, and near the top of the trail, some sections still had snow and ice on the ground, but nothing impassable.

Capturing the great scenery along the trail

Mom on a mission

A quick break at the midway point

Onward and upward

Mt. Roberts offers some great views of Juneau and the city’s port area. A resident told us she hikes up the trail everyday to train for an annual race they run up the trail each fall. The trail continues beyond the tram station for several miles to higher peaks such as Gastineau Peak (3800 ft) and Observation Peak (4k-something feet), but the views from Mt. Roberts are great because it looms so close to Juneau.

Looking down Mt. Roberts on Juneau's port area

Lazy bums can take the Mt. Roberts tram to the top

A friendly (sort of) face greets you at the Mt. Roberts Nature Center

Click, click, click

In addition to the great views of the city from Mt. Roberts, there is also a large population of bald eagles patrolling the area. Some hawks show up from time to time, but the eagles steal the show.

Cruising at 1800 feet

I'm two feet short of bald eagle status, more of a Canadian Goose

Beyond the Mt. Roberts visitor center, ten more minutes of hiking brought us to a couple of great observation points which marked our highest elevation of the day.

Mom, Dad and myself on Mt. Roberts

View of Juneau from above, with tram station partially hidden by trees

Mountainous Inside Passage landscape looking northwest from Juneau

For lunch, we decided to eat at the Timberline Bar & Grill in the complex at the top of the tramway. When you buy at least $10 of food or merchandise at the top of the mountain, they will waive the $10 fee to purchase a one-way down ticket. So that was a no-brainer. We were seated shortly after noon, but after about 45 minutes, it became apparent they forgot about us. We tracked down somebody to take our order, but after another 45 minutes, it became apparent they forgot about us again. LOL. Lucky for them, the view from our table was pretty sweet, we were still hungry, and we still wanted that $30 receipt to go down the tram! Finally, our discounted lunch arrived but the Halibut sandwich tasted 100 percent great.

The wait for lunch was comical, but...

...the weather and view from our table were allright

After lunch, we strolled through the gift shop, and then boarded the tram with the rest of the cruise boat folk. With four cruise boats in port, it was pretty busy and they packed us into the cable car pretty tight (even asking passengers to take off your backpacks).

Taking the tram down Mt. Roberts

Upon our return to sea level, we spent the remainder of the afternoon strolling through town. Mom and Dad stopped by Juneau’s Rainbow Foods health food store (not to be confused with the Rainbow Foods giant grocery store chain) and picked up some fruit for an evening snack. We all kicked back at the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the day, soaking up the evening’s beautiful weather until the sun finally decided to set a little before 10PM.

Late afternoon view of Mt. Roberts from our hotel window (looking north)

Sunny weather and melting snow feeds a waterfall down the face of Mt. Roberts