Gallivanting Grandma

Tuesday August 27, 2019

Icy Strait Point is a privately owned cruise ship destination outside the small village of Hoonah, Alaska. The Huna Totem Corporation, a group of about 1400 Alaskan Natives, purchased the property in 1996. The site was developed and opened to cruise ships in 2004.

A 1930s cannery was restored and converted into a museum, restaurant, and shops. I read that the cruise ship business accounted for more than half the local economy.

The main town of Hoonah is a short bus ride away from the tourist area. It’s mostly a Tlingit community of  about 800 people. “Hoonah” is the adopted spelling of Xunaa which means “protected from the North wind” in the Tlingit language.

We walked around town and took photos. There were several very interesting totem poles, especially those at the Hoonah Indian Association tribal office:

Where else can you visit the”coolest rope shop in Alaska” and have a free IQ test?!

On our way out of Hoonah, we spotted a bald eagle high in a tree in the center of a residential neighborhood:

Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income for the locals.

We returned to the ship and watched as it left the dock. Another large cruise ship was behind us and moved in to visit Icy Strait Point. We relaxed aboard the Millennium and watched the scenery of Alaska as the ship cruised southbound along the beautiful Inland Passage.

Monday August 26, 2019

The Celebrity Millennium arrived in the tiny town of Skagway, Alaska early in the morning. In the local Tlingit language, skagway literally means ‘beautiful woman’ and refers to the myth of a woman who transformed herself into a rock that blows strong winds into the bay and causes rough seas in the area. Luckily for us, she was quiet today.

Gold was discovered in the Klondike region of Canada’s Yukon Territory in 1896 and Skagway became the gateway for thousands of prospectors who arrived by ship. They climbed the mountains through White Pass and onward into Canada. By 1898, the population of Skagway grew to almost 10,000 people, making it the biggest city in Alaska at that time.

Today, Skagway is a tourist town fueled by an endless supply of cruise ship tourists from April through October. A local tour guide told us there are only about 500 year-round residents who brave the frigid winters.

In 1898, the White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad was put into operation to transport prospectors more easily across the mountains. Unfortunately, the stream of gold seekers began to diminish by the time the railroad was completed and by 1900 the “Gold Rush” was nearly over. However, we were not deterred from taking an excursion on the restored railroad up nearly 3,000 feet to White Pass Summit on a train pulled by a genuine vintage steam engine.

There was a tour guide aboard who provided running commentary throughout the journey. He explained the history of the region and the hardships of the prospectors and railroad construction workers. He also pointed out significant landmarks, natural sights, and wildlife. We also had a lovely young “train guide” in our car named Raven who passed out snacks and drinks. Our wooden passenger car was built in 1909. The seats were comfortable and we were able to go out between cars to take pictures.

At one point, the train stopped and one of the conductors climbed down onto the tracks. She walked to a switching signal box and manually moved the tracks to divert an on-coming diesel tourist train. It was fun to watch:

It was a 3.5 hour – 40 mile – round-trip ride up to the Summit of White Pass: elevation 2,885 feet. The skies cleared as we climbed over the mountains above the tree line and we were treated to spectacular views.

The international border is marked by a replica of the log border station used by the North West Mounted Police during the gold rush. Out front are flags of the United States, Alaska, British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, and Canada.

We returned to Skagway in plenty of time to explore the town. It’s all about shopping, shopping, shopping……

Along the steep rock face of the hill next to where our ship was docked there was interesting graffiti. Someone told us that when the captain of one of the ships is making his last cruise before retiring, crew members enlist a dock crane to write the captain’s name and ship on the rocks. This was just one small part of the wall:

We hurried to return to the ship before “Sail Away” to relax and enjoy a pleasant dinner as the sun set over the mountains.

Sunday August 25, 2019

The ship slowly moved through the beautiful mountainous Gastineau Channel and arrived in Juneau early in the morning. It was another overcast day with clouds hanging between the cliffs. We took a shuttle bus to the cablecar to go up 3800 feet to see the spectacular view from Mt. Roberts.

Juneau, the capital of Alaska, is unique because there are no roads connecting the city with the mainland due to the rugged mountains surrounding the city. The city hugs the coast at the base of the mountains and all people and goods must arrive and depart by ship or air.

The only things at the top end of the cablecar, besides the views, are a gift shop, restaurant, and a small “nature center.” For us, the best part of the climb was watching a young indigenous carver work on a totem pole.

Juneau is located within the Tongass National Forest which is 16 million acres of “one of the last remaining intact temperate rainforests in the world,” according to the Alaska Wilderness League. The region is the ancestral home of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples.

We rode the cablecar back down to the city and walked to the Alaska State Museum.

It was raining when we left the museum so we walked back along the shore toward the ship. The weather reminded me of the popular description of British weather: “If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes. It’ll change….” And it did!

When we reached Tracy’s King Crab Shack, we saw long lines waiting to get into the restaurant. On the street next to the crowds of people there were huge pots of boiling water filled with crabs!

We returned to the ship filled with memories of Juneau.

Saturday August 24, 2019

It was a chilly, windy, and rainy morning on the Millennium. We were 200 miles northwest of Juneau on our way to see Hubbard Glacier.

The shipboard naturalists gave running commentary as we approached the very impressive river of ice off the coast of Yakutat, Alaska.

We began to see small icebergs floating in the blue-green glacial water. A large steel excursion boat came alongside the ship and took on 50 hearty people who wanted to get closer to the glacier.

Because of the weather, the original plan was to spend a short time at the glacier.  However as we got closer, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.

Hubbard Glacier is gigantic and very impressive. The face – where the ice meets the water – is more than six miles across and 400 feet tall. It takes 400 years for ice to travel the length of the glacier, so the ice we were looking at is 400 years old.

The Millennium made many 360 degree turns and we stayed watching the glacier for several hours. I took a gazillion photos!

The excursion boat gives an idea of the relative height of the ice. There’s supposed to be more ice under the water than above it.

Every few minutes we heard ice break off and fall into the bay. The glacier frequently “calves” off icebergs which can be the size of ten-story buildings. First we heard a loud sound, like thunder. Then we looked where we thought the sound was coming from. If we were lucky, we saw the ice fall in a cascade and splash into the water.

After many hours, the ship turned and cruised out to sea and away from the very impressive Hubbard Glacier. What an experience!!

Friday August 23, 2019

I had a good nights sleep at the hotel in Seward.  When we looked out of the window from the lobby, we saw the Celebrity Millennium docked across the harbor. It was a hazy chilly morning.

The breakfast room was crowded so we happily shared a table with a middle-aged couple. The man worked in Alaskan state government and they were on their way to Juneau (the capital of Alaska) for the opening of the new legislative assembly. We had a lively conversation but largely avoided hot political topics.

We were so close to the cruise terminal, we decided to walk to the ship. It was the quickest boarding process ever and we spent the rest of the day exploring the ship and relaxing. Here are a few photos I took of the interior of the Celebrity Millennium before the crowds arrived:

It was foggy and overcast as the ship left the dock about six o’clock and headed south out of Resurrection Bay and into the Gulf of Alaska.