Judi Schulz

Alaska - June 2009 - Regent Seven Seas Mariner

We arrived into Anchorage a few days early. I would recommend then heading out to Denali or Kenai or further afield to get a real sense of the people, the wildlife and the magnitude of the state. We stayed in town for a few nights and visited the Sunday market, visited the Native Heritage Centre, walked the Tony Knowles Trail. We also sampled the many local brews and good strong coffees. We drove to Potters Marsh for bird watching and on to Alyeska resort (a beautiful place to stay). This is a scenic drive with great opportunities for photography and hiking.

We took the Grandview train from Anchorage to Seward – it was a very relaxing and scenic journey. Cruise registration happens onboard so you can go straight to your cabin when you arrive at the port of Seward. It was a beautiful calm evening as we sailed south and we were treated to a magnificent western sunset – at about 11:30 that night. Sunrise was about 3:30 a.m.

Our first stop was Hubbard Glacier – not the glacier it used to be, but still a pretty magnificent sight. From there we sailed on to the scenic harbour town of Sitka. There are many excursions available here; we chose the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest and were treated to many sightings of otters and eagles and even a few grey whales. The town is easy to walk and there are a number of historical sites left from the Russian occupation. At the far end of town is a museum and park on the site where a historic battle between the Russians and Tlingit people took place.

The next morning we sailed into Tracy Arm – a very peaceful spot with waterfalls and ice floes and wildlife.

From there we sailed on to Juneau, the state capital, which has a population of just 31,000 and, unlike other capital cities has no access by road – one must arrive by ship, small plane or on foot. We went on a fantastic photo excursion with just 10 people. We started with a wander through the woods to the Mendenhall Glacier – where we saw a young brown bear having lunch in the tall grass. We then got in a small, fast aluminum boat with a very excited skipper who took us out to the deep water off Admiralty Island and the source of his excitement – 18 sperm whales who had been hanging out and feasting on herring for the past few days. We hung out with them for about an hour taking photos. We also saw sea lions and eagles hanging out on a buoy as we cruised further.

On our fifth day we sailed into Skagway – yet another scenic port town situated in a valley between the sea and the mountains. This was the famous launching point for the gold rush to the Yukon. A big attraction is the Whitepass and Yukon rail route. There are many excursions from here, but I recommend this rail journey and/or hiking the route the miners took to the Yukon. The stories and images of this journey are truly amazing.

The sail away that evening through Lynn Canal was spectacularly scenic – whales and stellar sea lions were spotted by some.

On day six we sailed into Ketchikan around noon for a half day. There are many excursions to do and things to see here as well. We wandered through town and visited the Native Heritage Centre and salmon hatchery which is situated on a natural salmon lock. People were catching nice size salmon from the bridge in the centre of town.
Our final day was at sea – time to visit the spa, relax on a lounge chair and read, attend a lecture, pack- whatever you fancy.

We pulled into the beautiful and sunny port of Vancouver on Canada Day. We said farewell to our crew and unfortunately came to the end of our journey.

Insider Tip:
All the towns have some good quality shops where one can find truly unique and wonderful native art, jewellery and crafts. The locals are very friendly and justifiably proud of their great state. The beers brewed locally are really good as is the coffee – and of course the fish and seafood is amazing.

To experience Alaska for yourself please give me a call or email me. I would be happy to put together the perfect cruise and land package!