Alaska Trip - Day 8

After the seven day cruise we got off the ship for a few days in land. Most of the first day was taken up by a train ride to Denali National Park, which contains Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America.

Turnigate Arm is filled with mud because the rivers which fill it contain Glaciers which deposit glacier silt

Dead trees from the 1964 earthquake

Working on the train

Moose from the train

Glacier

Tunnel

Wild Dall Sheep

Wild Dall Sheep

Beaver Pond

Alaska Trip - Day 7 (College Fjord)

The day after Glacier Bay we had another at sea day. In the afternoon we went to College Fjord. There we saw even more glaciers, which we thought were better than the ones at Glacier Bay. We also saw a lot of wildlife, which you can see at the bottom.

Whale

Seals

Sea Otter

Eagle

Alaska Trip - Day 6 (Glacier Bay)

On the sixth day we were at sea, but we were cruising through what is called Glacier Bay.There many glaciers come down into the water, melting into them and sending out pieces of ice.We arrived in the morning and spent a few hours there.

Margerie Glacier

Margerie Glacier right after calving (a large piece of ice falling into the water)

A small boat in Glacier Bay

Grand Pacific Glacier. It is black because it is covered in dirt

Two ice caves at the foot of the glacier

Leaving Glacier Bay

Alaska Trip - Day 5 (Skagway)

The next day we stopped at Skagway, Alaska. It was one of the boom towns in the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century. It still retains much of the gold rush feel, mostly as a tourist attraction, but there are still a lot of things to see. We started by driving over the mountain range into the Yukon Territory, Canada, on the same route that the gold miners would have taken. There was lots of good views on the way, and when we got into Canada we saw blue skies for the first time in Alaska.

Skagway

Yukon

Welcome (back) to Alaska

On our return to Skagway we went to Dyea, a few miles away around the bays. It was a gold rush boom town the size of Skagway, but when the miners left the town completely died. The town isn't there any more, all that is left is a few pieces of wood.

All that is left of Dyea, a false front intended to make a building look bigger

View from Dyea

From Dyea towards the mountains

From Dyea

Wildflower

Waterfall

On our return from Dyea we had a little time in Skagway itself before we had to leave. We went to the Gold Rush Visitor's Center, the cemetery where Frank Reed and Soapy Smith, who had a famous shootout, were buried, and went to a few buildings.

Skagway

Skagway visitor's center

What Canada required the miners to bring over the mountains so they wouldn't starve

Gold mining pan

The shop of Soapy Smith, a con man who ruled Skagway until he was killed in a shootout

Smith's grave

Alaska Trip - Day 4 (Juneau)

The next day we went to Juneau, the capital of Alaska. It was a unique capital, for although one of the smallest population wise, it has very large city limits, enclosing many glaciers, an ice field, and even touching the Canadian border. It is also the only capital not connected to the interstate system. We started out out day by going to Mendenhall Glacier. We took a trail out to the edge of the glacier, and although it was not easy, it was very fun.

Trees in the rainforest

Moss

As we worked our way around large lake the terrain changed significantly. The ground uncovered recently by the glacier was not forested, but instead was bear rock

Stephen climbing a ridge

Crossing a stream fed by melted snow

Mendenhall Glacier

Unfortunately, when one of our computers crashed we lost some photos from this day. We also saw an amazing ice cave, which was beautify with the blue ice walls. After hiking back to our car we went back to the ship for a late lunch. Then Rachel, my father and I went out again, first to a tour of a salmon hatchery, and then we drove down the one road in the area before going back to the ship. 

Alaska Trip - Day 3 (Ketchikan)

This was our first port day, at Ketchikan, AK. It is a city of about 14,000 people, and its main industry is tourism and salmon fishing, calling itself the salmon capital of the world. It was very rainy, as is usual in coastal Alaska. We started off at the Totem Pole Park, which is to preserve the history of the Indians of the area. We then went hiking to a waterfall in the frigid rainforest, and finished off by quickly walking around the town.

Creek Street in town.

Indian Clanhouse

Totem Pole

Rapids

River running through the rainforest

Alaska Trip - Day 2

The first real day of the cruise was an at sea day. We didn't stop at a port this day on the way to Alaska. However, during the entire cruise there were always beautiful mountain views. Often they were covered in clouds, but they were great none the less.

Alaska Trip - Day 1

Flying over Canada

We began out trip to Alaska on Monday by flying into Vancouver Canada through Phoenix Arizona. We went through customs, and then boarded the cruise ship on which we traveled, the Coral Princess.

Alaska Trip

 

Earlier this month we went on a two week trip to Alaska. Sorry that we haven't been able to post any thing yet, the computer with our pictures on it crashed, which greatly delayed us. But check back, as we are planning to start posting soon!