From Sitka we travelled to Juneau (Alaska’s capital city) on a fast 36 knot catamaran that could hold 250 passengers and numerous cars, RV’s and trucks. The journey took only a little over 4 hours.
Our rental car in Juneau was a PT cruiser, a rather strange retro type car, in which we explored the 100 km of roads there.
We had rented an old but comfortable house right on the coast, about 20km North of Juneau city. In the late afternoon we stood on the balcony and admired the passing parade of whales out on the water, most at a distance and visible mainly by the spouts of water when they breathed. However we got very excited when a huge humpback appeared just below the house, within 60 metres of the shoreline before it swam back into deeper water and disappeared.
On our first full day in Juneau we had a great conclusion. A mother black bear and her three cubs were eating grass and dandelions on the side of the road as we drove past, so we stopped and watched them from 4-5 metres away for a quarter of an hour or so. A great photo opportunity but no selfies in the interest of safety.
One day we drove out to the Mendenhall glacier, getting there before the cruise ship crowd arrived. It is visited by huge numbers of people each year because of its proximity to Juneau, but contains a huge amount of ice behind its terminal lake that rather puts the Franz Joseph Glacier in its place. We walked a couple of miles out towards it, stopping close to a powerful waterfall that originates from another glacier.
We ate a lot of seafood in Alaska. In Juneau we dined on halibut and chips and bought fresh salmon to cook at home from Safeway, an American supermarket chain. As we were temporarily living in Juneau we were allowed a Safeway card which throughout the rest of our journey saved us rather a lot of money on our groceries, especially the wine!
It was an early start to catch the ferry to Wrangell. It departed at 5 am and took 12 hours. The weather ended up fine after a drizzly start and there was stacks of room in the various lounges and outside. We were fortunate to see a group of humpback whales cavorting and breaching just alongside the ship as we sailed on. We also saw orcas, seals and the inevitable eagles on our trip as well heli logging.
For a couple of hours the ship moved in a very narrow channel which was less than 100 metres wide between two islands. We marvelled at the skill with which the captain navigated our way through it. But most exciting of all, Margreet and Neil got a text from Dunedin: their 8th grandchild had just been born.
Wrangell
Wrangell was a sleepy little town. Not many cruise ships call here. Here there are more boats than people and the salmon supply is plentiful.
We stayed at a charming B and B in Wrangell. Bald eagles flew overhead as we ate our breakfast in the pretty garden. We were becoming rather hohum to their presence. Neil got badly bitten by a swarm of small insects and had a swollen hand for a few days.
Wrangell is famous for its petroglyphs (ancient rock carvings possibly 7000-8000 years old) on a beach close to town. As we scrambled around the rocks it was difficult to spot them. They are quite worn down from the effects of the sea over the last millennia.
The past came alive for us in the Wrangell museum where the history of the local American Indian Culture and the Gold Rush era was brought to life through fascinating exhibits and multimedia presentations. The adjoining bookshop had a superb collection of books to browse in.
Wrangell was a peaceful interlude. We loved the friendliness of the people and eating the best pizzas sitting outside a little harbour side café.
Ketchikan
In Ketchican we again watched whales close by in the harbour from our apartment and admired the view of the mountains until late in the evening. It was hard to get to sleep and we woke up in the early hours of the morning because of the light. There are only 6 hours of darkness here in June.
In Ketchican friends of Margreet and Neil generously invited us into their home for a really special Alaskan dinner: cured meats and a smoked salmon dip for the entrée, followed by a feast of barbecued salmon, the largest shrimps I had ever seen and sweet corn. Dessert was a wild berry pie. While the men downed a few beers the ladies sipped margaritas .
Margreet was keen to impress her grandson with tales of how she and Neil courageously hurtled along zip lines over the treetops. Meanwhile John and I, scared of heights, took a more pedestrian stroll in the totem park.
We’d had such a good time together but it was time to part our ways. When we flew back to New Zealand via San Francisco our more intrepid sister and brother in law continued their adventures. They were off to Anchorage and then to Kashermak Bay (a remote island off the Homer Spit) for 4 days
Their friend Chris, who hosted them, cooked up delicious meals for them like moose sausage in pasta, moose hot dogs and halibut tacos.
They floated for 7 hours down the Kenai River – included class 3 rapids and ended with a hike on Hidden Trail where they saw two moose.
And then had a fabulous few days sea kayaking and staying in a Yurt which is a canvas tepee like structure. The sea was like glass and they saw lots of otters, a harbour seal, starfish and other jumping fish. Again there were lots of eagles but thankfully no bears. They were sad to leave Anchorage for the trip home .
Alaska had been such an awesome holiday for all of us. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But it did take a lot more planning than going on a cruise where everything is laid on for you. For any other GrownUps who might like to follow in our footsteps John has written a post on how to book Alaskan ferries and accommodation at http://twoandasuitcase.blogspot.co.nz/
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