I'm going to Alaska I screamed...cruising and overland trip. Spent first day on board the ship by the pool topping up my tan and eating too much. Some people have cocktails by the pool, I have desserts.
First stop was Ketchikan but it was ffter 2 days on the ship. Ketchikan, the home of Salmon and Alaska's first city. I was the first off the ship...nearly got cabin fever. Went on a trolley tour of the town and to search for bears. Saw only 1 bear far far away. Saw lots of salmon...poor buggers trying to swim upstream to spawn and then knackering themselves out so much that they eventually give up on life. Although it takes up to a week for them to die after spawning and they don't even bother eating as they know their fate. The guide said they just rot from inside out and then die. The carcasses are just left in the streams and they stink!!!!!!! Poor salmon but you are so delicious. Next stop Icy Strait Point.
Icy Strait Point is my favourite stop so far. No shopping and diamond shops for one thing and the town is owned by the Hoonah people. These lovely and clever people built the highest and longest zipline in the world. I had to try it even though it cost £100. Definitely not a good idea to have my camera and phone at the same time while whizzing down the world's highest and longest zip line. There's a lot of screaming and then silence. It's at this point that I hit 60mph and all you hear is the wind, then the screams come back as I slow down. I have no idea how I managed to keep a hold of my phone as I was shaking so much. Highlight of the trip.T hen onto another bear search and we saw one bear very far away and one near a stream as we drove past speedily in our school bus so no amazing photos. There were a hell of a lot of bears on the Russian side of the tectonic plate...not sure why the bears in America are so shy and hidden. Saw some whales too but they were also far away.
Then we stopped at Juneau. I saw so many humpback whales and orcas on this stop. Took a boat out into Auke Bay and was surrounded by whales and even sea lions. Obviously my camera does not do wildlife photos any justice but the odd dark bumps in the sea, sprays and fins are of whales. The very tallest fin I saw belongs to a male Orca and it was 7 feet long. I was too cheap to pay $30 for the bus to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor centre so I saw it from far away.
Skagway was the last stop off on the cruise. Famous for the White Pass Summit Train Ride. Bloody expensive 20 miles ride so I took a minibus to the pass instead and even that cost $40. It was misty and wet and the coldest I have been on the whole trip so far. We crossed in and out of Canada several times going up and down the pass. If we carried on north we could have got to the Yukon...again I didn't see any bears. From what I have heard from other Americans on the ship, the bears get shot a lot for whatever reason. I guess they're hiding from humans. Cruise is coming to an end soon...I'm so glad as I can feel myself getting fat. I have no will power when it comes to food...if you stick it in front of me, I'm going to eat it!
Last stop and the overland trip begins in Seward. The cruise is over and I'm a stone heavier. I enjoyed my first cruise unfortunately I have sea legs I guess as I keep swaying as I walk. Didn't do much in Seward but the journey to Anchorage was fabulous. Great scenic drive and stops at the Alaska Wildlife Centre and Beluga Point. So excited to see Beluga whales for the first time...they look like white dolphins. Same goes for the bears at the wildlife centre...buggers were too far away so photos a bit blurry. Not the bison though...he was right in my face and huge.
From Anchorage I hopped aboard the Alaskan Railroad for the long ride to Fairbanks. It was 12 hours and 30 minutes through winding tracks across to Northern Alaska seeing Mount Denali aka Mount McKinley, Hurricane Gulch, Wassila the birthplace of Sarah Palin, Talkeetna's teeny tiny town with humongous mountain range, Denali National Park and finally to Fairbanks...I was hungry and knackered. Had to do it...Denny's is an institution. I was in a Denny's in 2002...this visit was well over due. The waitresses are exactly as I remembered them...middle aged, annoyed with customers but still loveable...hilarious dinner time. A great journey north with short stops all the way to Fairbanks but with amazing sceneries. Plus I finally saw a moose...unfortunately it was running away from the train so I wasn't quick enough to capture the moment. Back to Anchorage tomorrow. It was a short but amazing flight. The pilot decided to fly over Denali mountain as it was such a beautiful day. Managed to get a couple of decent photos and was able to move around the plane as it was half full. I love Alaska.
