Doug and Joyce had the opportunity of traveling on a Southbound Alaska Cruise June 4-13 with a group of 38 people from the Salt Lake/Ogden area arranged by a travel agency in Centerville for Calvin Stephen’s LDS Church History/Scriptures Tours. We had a wonderful time spending relaxing time together, seeing the breathtaking sights and landscape of Alaska, and being with the Stephen’s group (We had five lectures and sat by five of the couples every evening).
We flew to Anchorage, spent the night there, and then bussed with our group traveling through the 2-1/2 mile tunnel to Whittier (constructed during WWII for supply delivery) where we boarded our cruise ship. On the way there, we stopped at a game refuge park to see animals indigenous to Alaska and also at the Alaska Temple. Departing from Whittier, we sailed along 67 miles of spectacular scenery in the Lynn Canal, and saw the 16 Glaciers that comprise College Fjord in Prince William Sound. We then got a sense of Russia in Sitka, a taste of the Gold Rush in Juneau and Skagway, a strong native presence in Ketchikan (a town built on stilts) and rain forests and spent a whole day in Glacier Bay before ending our cruise in Vancouver, at which time we were bussed to Seattle where we flew home.
Some of our memorable shore excursion experiences:
- Sitka - taking a semi-submersible sea life discovery excursion (observing the rich giant kelp forests and lush eelgrass beds that are home to numerous plant and animal species) and attending a Russian dance performance,
- Juneau - taking a 5-mile float trip down Mendenhall Glacier River (putting in at Mendenhall Glacier Lake that consisted of milky water and floating ice chunks) and humpback whale search (capturing a playful humpback whale and baby breaching out of the water several times),
- Skagway - experiencing the White Pass scenic Railway ride to the summit
- Ketchikan - visiting a Saxman Living Native Village (observing a world famous totem pole carver and a pristine rain forest sanctuary).
We flew to Anchorage, spent the night there, and then bussed with our group traveling through the 2-1/2 mile tunnel to Whittier (constructed during WWII for supply delivery) where we boarded our cruise ship. On the way there, we stopped at a game refuge park to see animals indigenous to Alaska and also at the Alaska Temple. Departing from Whittier, we sailed along 67 miles of spectacular scenery in the Lynn Canal, and saw the 16 Glaciers that comprise College Fjord in Prince William Sound. We then got a sense of Russia in Sitka, a taste of the Gold Rush in Juneau and Skagway, a strong native presence in Ketchikan (a town built on stilts) and rain forests and spent a whole day in Glacier Bay before ending our cruise in Vancouver, at which time we were bussed to Seattle where we flew home.
Some of our memorable shore excursion experiences:
- Sitka - taking a semi-submersible sea life discovery excursion (observing the rich giant kelp forests and lush eelgrass beds that are home to numerous plant and animal species) and attending a Russian dance performance,
- Juneau - taking a 5-mile float trip down Mendenhall Glacier River (putting in at Mendenhall Glacier Lake that consisted of milky water and floating ice chunks) and humpback whale search (capturing a playful humpback whale and baby breaching out of the water several times),
- Skagway - experiencing the White Pass scenic Railway ride to the summit
- Ketchikan - visiting a Saxman Living Native Village (observing a world famous totem pole carver and a pristine rain forest sanctuary).
Dad standing by Pharoah, which was a decoration in the ship's auditorium.
Joyce standing by the ship docked in Juneau.
Doug and Joyce dressed up for a 5-mile float trip on The Mendenhall River (we never even got splashed). Behind us is The Mendenhall Glacier, located just outside Juneau is 12 miles long and 1.5 miles wide extending from the Junea Ice Field to The Mendenhall Lake.
White Pass & Yukon Railroad - Built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, this narrow gauge railroad is an international historic civil engineery landmark.
Joyce standing in front of the railroad car in which we traveled to the White Pass Summit.
Doug standing in front of a Saxton Village clan house with totem poles in Ketchikan.
Joyce feeding Caribou after walking through the rain forest in Ketchikan.
We saw big, beautiful rhododendrums in full bloom.
1 comment:
People should read this.
Post a Comment