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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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Alaska
- Hot and Cold by Mavis Morley 22 June - Woke up early to leaden sky and drizzle. We walked to the famous Pike Place Market. Saw huge fish, fruit, vegetable and flower stalls. Bought take-away salads for lunch. Afternoon 4 1/2 hour coach trip around Seattle. I was struck by the number of parks and trees. Our driver/guide was the owner of the tour bus and gave us lots of information but in a really entertaining way. He said coffee was very important to Seattle so a stop at a cafe for a powerful shot of caffeine was included. Still very tired after flight the previous day, so had an early night. 23 June - Still heavy dark sky and drizzle. Went down to waterfront for Cruise the Locks tour. Bus to Union Lake then along the Washington Ship Canal through Government Lock to the Puget Sound and thus passing from fresh to salt water. Evidently locks are quite a novelty and there was a large crowd gathered on the canal side to watch the proceedings. Adjacent to the lock was a salmon ladder and a glass-sided viewing room for people to observe the salmon who had indeed started their journeys from the sea up rivers to the place of their birth. There they would spawn and then die. Saw a harbour seal which was relaxing on top of a buoy. Had excellent fish and chips at a restaurant by the waterfront. We noted that bus rides are free within a designated zone. On our way back to the hotel we passed the terminus of the monorail so we took a return journey. It was interesting but very short indeed. Met our tour group who had just arrived. We were booked on a Tauck Tour of Alaska. Tauck. a company based in Westport, Conneticut, run high quality almost all inclusive holidays and we had been very impressed by one we had taken in Hawaii a few years ago. 24 June - We started our day with breakfast at the revolving restaurant atop the Space Needle. We enjoyed wonderful changing views of Seattle but by the second time around I was starting to feel a little dizzy! Flew to Fairbanks, Alaska. Had lunch on plane. Once we were away from Seattle the sky was clear nearly all the way so we enjoyed vistas of islands, endless mountains and glaciers. Had short drive around town and then went to see the Trans-Alaska pipeline, which brings oil from Prudhoe Bay all the way to Valdez. My impression of Fairbanks was of a flat, dreary town with uninspiring modem buildings and many closed-down shops and businesses. There still remained just a few old buildings. Our hotel, which was the largest in Fairbanks, comprised a collection of buildings but refurbishment had obviously recently taken place. The temperature was 85°F and there was no air conditioning. Alaska caters for cold weather, not hot, and many hotels are only open for a short period each year. 25
June -
Visited the Museum at the University of Alaska. This was small and covered
a variety of subjects. The most interesting items for me were stories
of families on some of the islands who were forced to leave their homes
after the Japanese attack and anticipated major invasion in WW2. During
the Cold War, some families were not supposed to visit each other as some
were in part of the Then on to see Gold Dredge No. 8 and the surrounding old gold camp buildings. A gold dredge could be described as a floating gold recovery factory. Soil blasted by hose from the surrounding land was scooped up by a bucket chain, processed inside the dredge and the spoil spat out at the other end. We enjoyed an excellent hot buffet lunch in an attractive log building. After lunch on to the Eldorado Gold Camp. Toured site on small train, stopping for demonstrations of gold mining and panning. Then it was our turn to pan for gold. Though this was a tourist attraction it was informative, good fim and quite exciting to find a few specks of gold. Most of the gold I think was the money pouring into the tills in the gift shop. One could buy necklaces and bracelets with a bezel attached to hold your own panned gold. One of these would probably be quite a talking point back home, but I didn't find enough gold to fill one! Evening visit to Alaskaland for salmon bake. Barbecued salmon, halibut, ribs, beans, salad, dessert and cold drinks. After our meal we walked around and saw many attractive old buildings and a restored sternwheeler. Palace Theatre show which was a very loosely based historical presentation. 26
June - Paddle
steamer trip on Chena and Nenana rivers. Stopped at sled dog kennels run
by Susan Butcher, a winner of the Iditorod sled race. Learned about Drove to the Mt McKinley lodge hotel at Denali. Large wooden chalets each with 10 units comprising sitting room, bathroom and bedroom overlooking mountains and river. Buildings linked by covered boardwalk. 27 June - Departed at 6.30am for an eight-hour drive through Denali National Park. We were the last bus to leave; I am glad I wasn't on the first. We each had a lunch box and were given strict instructions that the food must only be eaten on the coach. Saw 2 grizzlies, caribou, dall sheep a family of ptarmigan and a hairy marmot. Beautiful open vistas with just a short glimpse of Denali (aka Mt McKinley). Cabin night dinner on the hotel site. Sat at large wooden tables to share ribs, salmon, potatoes, barbecued beans and cherry pie. Proceedings accompanied by much raucous singing and shouting! 28 June - Awoke to a very misty morning. Was concerned as our flightseeing was "weather permitting". Drove to Lake Lucille. Lunch overlooking this very pretty lake. We were advised to eat something light and easily digested! Prior to the flight we had been asked for our weights and had been allocated groups. When our names were called, our bush pilots eyed us carefully up and down before allocating our seats. Our group flew in 3 Cessnas, 3 Beavers and an Otter. I was told it was my responsibility to open the door in case of an emergency landing! During our 2 1/2 hour flight we all had earphones and microphones so we could communicate. My ears started to pop and I asked how high we were flying - 6000ft; I hadn't realised it would be so high. Saw many huge glaciers and mountains of Prince William Sound. Overflew our next hotel the Aleskya Prince at Girdwood. Landed at Anchorage Airport on a man-made canal and lake. Drove along Turnagain Arm to the hotel whose setting reminded me of Austria. 29 June - Early start again. Took the Wildlife Express sightseeing train to Seward. 2 1/2 hour boat trip in Kenai Fjord. Lunch onboard the boat. We saw seals, puffins, a variety of seabirds and a small humpback whale. 30 June - Flew from Anchorage to Whitehorse, Yukon Territories. Drove to Frasier to catch the Yukon and White Pass Railroad to Skagway. This was built to take prospectors to the gold fields. Met by vintage stretched limos driven by ladies in old-fashioned floral dresses with straw hats and gloves. Had a short tour of Skagway. Lots of old restored buildings and boardwalks. We enjoyed walking around the little town in the evening, looking at the shops and cruise liners. 1 July - Took water taxi through the Lynn Canal (actually a fjord) to Haines. Drove to Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve for a ratting trip. All had to wear lifejackets and wellington boots. Saw lots of Bald Eagles really close up. At the end of the raft trip we all enjoyed a picnic lunch. Starter motor refused to work on water taxi. Had to wait 2 hours for another boat back to Skagway. Boarded Holland America cruise ship MS Veendam. Rush to change for the Captain's Cocktail Party, followed by dinner and a show. The MS Veendam is a 55,000 tonne liner of the Holland America Line. I have only previously cruised on a smaller ship but found this very attractive. There were so many bars, restaurants and seating areas that it did not seem as though there were 1200 passengers. 2 July - We sat out on deck while cruising Glacier Bay. Saw huge glaciers, one of which was calving and the sea was full of small icebergs which increased in size as the morning went on. We had two Park Rangers on board who provided a very interesting commentary. 3 July - Sailed into Ketchikan. Attractive small town. Surprised to find shops selling diamonds, emeralds and expensive watches. Visited Totem Bight to see a collection of totem poles and learned the stories of what each represented. 4 July - Cruising along the Inside Passage to Vancouver. Very relaxing, moving slowly along between islands and the mainland. All interspersed by much eating. Conscience eased slightly by long walk around Promenade Deck and exercise class. 5 July - Arrived in Vancouver. Boarded coach for journey to Seattle. It was a bright sunny day in Seattle with beautiful views of the Cascade Mountains and stunning sight of snow-covered Mt. Rainier, none of which had been visible at the start of our holiday At the end
of our journey we had covered 4,400 miles from and back to Seattle. We
had learned much of the history, geography, geology, flora, fauna and
most importantly the way of life of the inhabitants of Alaska. We had
been blessed with exceptionally fine weather which made all those endless
ranges of mountains and glaciers so beautiful, but the overriding impression
was THAT IT HAD ALL BEEN SUCH FUN. |