Alaska: The Last Frontier

         On July 23 my mom and I boarded a flight from Seattle and flew 3 hours and 43 minutes to Anchorage, Alaska's largest city.  What were we doing there, you may be asking? Well, let me start at the beginning. Like all good trips, this one started at the computer. My mom is a travel agent, so she's always booking trips for people, and as you've probably guessed from our lifestyle, she loves to travel.  She'd been wanting to travel to Alaska for some time, and since we were in the northwestern area of the United States this summer, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to catch a flight up to Alaska.  So my mom booked a 7-night Princess cruise for her and I, and before we knew it our departure date had arrived!  As I said earlier, we flew out of Seattle into Anchorage and spent the night in a hotel there the night before our cruise.  We also got to meet up with some friends who are spending the summer workcamping up in Alaska, and it was so good to see them after having been apart for a whole year. 

The views flying out of Seattle...

And the views flying into Alaska!

So glad we got to see our sweet friends!

Shopping at Target!

        The next morning we walked around Anchorage a little, checking out local shops and the free museum in the former Federal Building (definitely worth a stop, it tells about the natural aspects of Alaska and the many animals you can find in this remote frontier).  Then we took a shuttle to Whittier, where we boarded our ship, the Grand Princess! 

There were these two pictures in the museum contrasting the same bear from when she'd come out of hibernation for a summer of feasting, and then when she was getting ready to go back into hibernation the next winter. It just shows how much weight they put on in those summer months!

Alaska topographical map

There are many different types of salmon to be found in Alaska, but we actually got to see sockeye salmon (pictured above) in a creek in Juneau later on in our cruise! 

We also saw some of these dainty little blossoms in our last port of call, Ketchikan!

What a great little museum in the middle of downtown Anchorage!

The shuttle ride from Anchorage to Whittier was beautiful, with mountains every mile; and the sun even peeked out!

Our ship awaits!

Welcome aboard the Grand Princess!

Whittier, Alaska is home to only about 265 residents, the majority of whom live in the single housing building pictured below. 

The central piazza of our ship. 

The pools stayed mostly empty on this cruise due to the cooler weather, which was quite different from the Caribbean cruises I've been on before. 

The Greek-themed artwork around the ship was so up my alley. 👀❤

And of course, the buffet. The food on this cruise was delicious. 

 I got dessert at every meal--even breakfast. 😉

        The next day was spent at sea, with a scenic glacier cruising in the afternoon.  We kept busy that morning with an assortment of activities, from Zumba class and game shows to fun quizzes. Around 2 o'clock that afternoon, we went up to the front of the ship to enjoy the scenic cruising to Hubbard Glacier.  It was very cold and windy up front, so we were all bundled in our hats and coats. The glacier was so beautiful and worth the cold however; the blue-white tint to this huge ice mass was gorgeous, and the loud boom that echoed across the water whenever the glacier calved (calving is the process where pieces of ice break off from the glacier and plunge into the ocean) was amazing to experience.  

Breakfast in the Horizon Court! I love a good donut. 😉

My mom's breakfast plate (I didn't take a photo of mine). 

Zumba class! 

The view from the bow of the ship

Hubbard Glacier is in the central background of this photo. Did you know that this famous glacier is named after one of the men who founded National Geographic?  

Dinner in the main dining room. The food was so fancy!

This British bread and butter pudding was yummyyyy. 

My first champagne tower (that I can remember). They set up alllll of these champagne glasses in a tower and then poured bottles of champagne starting at the top, and letting it fountain down into the lower glasses. It was pretty to watch, and I'm impressed by the patience of the people who built it. 

The  live entertainment on the ship included popular TV game shows like Deal or No Deal and the Voice (keep reading to see what I mean!) 

        Day 3 of the cruise (I know it's passing so quickly!) we also spent on the ship, but today we spent nearly all of our day up on deck, enjoying the ship's passage through Glacier Bay National Park! We found a couple of secluded lounge chairs on the back of the ship, where we were protected from the wind and cold; bundled up in blankets, and sat back to enjoy the scenery passing by.  Park rangers actually came onboard our ship for the day to answer questions, talk with cruise ship passengers, and give commentary on the bay and its glaciers as we sailed.  We actually met a super sweet ranger who had worked at Yellowstone the same year as we did! 

Chilling in our lounge chairs.

I didn't pack enough reading material for this trip so I had to buy a book in Anchorage. 

So grateful the fog lifted!

"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." Revelation 4:11

Staying warm with some coffee!

        The next day we were in Skagway, a town with a fascinating history beginning in the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s.  The story of the Klondike Gold Rush begins with a small group of people finding gold in the Canadian Yukon near the Klondike River in 1896. Word spread around the area and local men began panning the gold.  In 1897, two ships docked in Seattle and San Fransisco, carrying gold-rich men from Alaska.  The United States at the time was in a financial depression, so when these newcomers started going around town buying things with gold, that attracted some attention. When the locals found out where the men had gotten that gold, it sparked a frenzy, and tens of thousands of men headed for the Klondike to make their fortune. The men arrived in the town of Dyea on the shores of Alaska, and from there they took the Chilkoot Trail, an old trading route used by local native tribes, to the town of Dawson City.  It took prospectors about a year to get over the mountainous pass, and there was also the added difficulty of having to carry a ton--yes, 2000 pounds worth-- of supplies with them, taking trip after trip up and down the pass to move the massive load a little at a time. For those who preferred a longer, less steep route to Dawson City, the White Pass Trail out of Skagway beckoned.  The White Pass wasn't as well-used as the Chilkoot Trail, but people claimed it was quicker and easier.  A Gold Rush 'stampeder' who tried both the trails commented, "Whichever way you go, you will wish you had gone the other."  Yet another added, "There ain't no choice. One's hell. The other's damnation." After the Gold Rush fizzled out in 1899, the building of the railroad into Skagway ensured that this pop-up Gold Rush town continued as a permanent settlement. 

Downtwon Skagway has an assortment of historic Gold Rush-era buildings

The wind at the docks in Skagway was whipping!

My mom and I had an excursion booked to take a bus tour up the scenic White Pass highway, parallel to the White Pass that Klondike Gold Rushers traveled. Our tour guide was phenomenal, and though it was too foggy to see the views as we got higher and we finally turned around, we still got to see some pretty waterfalls like Bridal Veil Falls in the picture above. 

This little cascade of glacier water was clean enough to drink from, so we did! I've never drunk from a waterfall before, so this was a new experience for me, and the water was cold and refreshing. 

See what I mean by foggy? 

WE SAW A BEAR!! He was right on the other side of the guardrail, and we got to watch him for a few minutes which was such a treat. 

Overlook of Skagway

The Gold Rush Cemetery is the final resting place for many of Skagway's famous Gold Rush figures, including the notorious con man Jefferson 'Soapy' Smith (more on that later). 

Jefferson 'Soapy' Smith got his start in Colorado with a clever swindle involving bars of soap. He set up a stand on the street and claimed that the bars of soap he sold each hid a dollar bill of various value inside their wrappers--some a $1 bill, some a $20, and some even a $100.  Two of Soapy's sidekicks 'bought' soap and--miraculously!-- found high-value bills inside their soap bars. Excited, the unsuspecting townspeople began to purchase their own soap bars, but when they opened them they found them empty. When they looked around, they realized Soapy and his friends had disappeared with their money.  Later, when the Klondike Gold Rush began, Soapy Smith headed up to Skagway to swindle the Gold Rush stampeders out of their money by pulling stunts like a fake telegraph business. Soapy continued his swindling unencumbered for some time, and gained admiration in the Skagway community; even riding in the place of honor in the town's 1898 Fourth of July parade! But his tricks had to come to an end eventually, and four days after Soapy's triumphant ride in the Fourth of July parade, a large group of Skagway's men gathered at the wharf to discuss how to deal with the slippery con man. Soapy tried to barge into the meeting with his rifle slung over his shoulder, but was stopped by four men guarding the meeting at the docks.  Soapy and one of the guards, Frank H. Reid, began to argue, and gunfire ensued. Both Soapy Smith and Frank H. Reid were killed in the scuffle. 

The green line in the middle of this photo is a water pipeline that transfers clean water from the top of the mountain to the lower elevations. 

This topographical display shows the Chilkoot Trail and White Pass Trail routes from above. 

A reconstruction of the parlor of the Moore family, who founded Skagway. 

That afternoon on the ship, we had some very special guests--two sled dog puppies! They were sooo cute. Dogsledding is Alaska's state sport, and they have an annual dogsledding race called the Iditarod that you may have heard of or watched before. 

Since our cruise was during the summer, there were only a few hours of dark every day, so one unique Alaskan thing we did was watch a late-night sunset at 10 pm!

        Day 5 was spent in Juneau, Alaska's state capitol.  We took the city bus to Mendenhall Glacier and explored a little around there; then walked around downtown and saw some totem poles, a seaplane taking off, and the 'Welcome to Juneau' sign. 

Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States; comprising about 17 million acres. 

We walked part of the way to the glacier, and it was a nice walk. We had the opportunity to chat with some fellow travelers from the cruise ship who had also decided to take the city bus (rather than an excursion with a tour company), and the time passed smoothly. 

This little plaque at Mendenhall Glacier is a tribute to Romeo, the friendly black wolf who lived here in the early 2000s and was beloved by both humans and their pet dogs.

Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls!

Nugget Falls was powerful.

A man got on the city bus as we were riding from Mendenhall Glaicer to downtown Juneau; and he had this adorable Chihuahua in a little carrying bag. 

Totem poles, a big part of native Alaskan tribes' culture, tell a story with the strange carvings. 

You can only get into Juneau, Alaska's capitol city, via boat or plane due to the city being surrounded by glaciers. 

That night we enjoyed local Alaskan songs performed by Skagway resident Steve Hites. 

The onboard band was also very talented. 

The adorable macaroon in my dessert at dinner. 

This dessert gave me sci-fi vibes.

        Day 6, we docked in Ketchikan!  We didn't get off the ship until after lunch, and we spent the afternoon watching salmon jump up a waterfall, cheering on our team at the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, and window shopping downtown. 

The entertainment staff wore flannels (like an Alaska Lumberjack theme), and the flannel I brought just happened to match.  They said they were going to put me to work! 😂

Creek Street, the former red light district of Ketchikan, is such a unique destination.  The creek runs right through this little area (well-named, huh?) and the colorful houses built above the water are home to local shops. 

The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is one of the most popular activities in Ketchikan, and while it was pretty touristy, we had a good time and actually started getting into it. 😂 

Forget-me-nots, Alaska's state flower

We went to a museum in the Tongass National Forest Visitors Center (remember me saying how huge this national forest was?)  and they had some neat displays on the lifestyle of Alaskan tribes.

An art piece in the museum, depicting the salmon swimming upstream. 

There are two teams in the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show: Canada's Dawson Creek Logging Camp, and America's Spruce Row Logging Camp.  We were on team USA (the men in blue shirts) and our team won!! 

The two teams competed in events like the log roll (pictured above), tree climb (who could scale a vertical tree trunk and get back to the ground the fastest), chain saw cutting, and more!

The famous TV show "The Voice"--but on a cruise! This was such a fun show, and the way it worked was there were two nights of open auditions where guests could try out in hopes of getting voted through by the audience to the big finale show pictured above at the end of the cruise. Only six people made it to the finale, and the girl who won was so talented and sweet, she totally deserved it. 

Enjoying another night of music and entertainment around the ship!

        Our last day was spent at sea, sailing down to Vancouver, British Columbia; where the ship would dock the next morning and we would all disembark.  It seemed like this cruise went so fast, and I had mixed emotions about going back home.  This trip was awesome, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it!  If you're interested in booking a trip to Alaska as well, contact my mom at 336-755-0257 www.sparksworldtravel.com to plan your own adventure to this amazing 49th state!