|
Vanderford's
Travels
By
Bill Vanderford
The best cruise option to see more
of Alaska
Traveling Alaska: Third in a three-part series
covering the places and people of the largest state in the U.S.
Simply cruising the Inside Passage to Alaska had
always appeared a bit boring to me until Holland American Lines
introduced me to a new way of seeing our last frontier with a
different twist! Instead of beginning my trip on a huge luxurious
ship all the way from Vancouver or Seattle, I flew directly into
Anchorage for a couple of days of jet lag adjusting and nearby
sightseeing.
Though I arrived late in the evening, the Holland
America folks were there to both greet me and give me a first class
ride to the immaculate downtown Westmark Anchorage Hotel. The
check-in was quick and painless, and I was soon sleeping like a baby
in a huge, comfortable king-sized bed.
After a filling breakfast in the hotel restaurant on
one of my meal vouchers, a comfortable van had us headed south from
Anchorage along the picturesque Turnagain Arm toward Girdwood and
the fabulous Hotel Alyeska. This magnificent property is probably
the top year-round destination in Alaska because of its location and
the spectacular surroundings. Though well known as a premier ski
resort in winter, it is encircled by snow capped mountains and
gorgeous glaciers during summer, and the cable car ride to the top
offers breathtaking vistas.
Following a mouth watering lunch, we hopped back in
the van for a short ride to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
at Portage. This is the one place in Alaska where you can see many
of the animals that roam this huge state in a zoo type atmosphere,
and moreover learn much about their habitat and range.
 Early
next morning, we were transferred a short distance to the Alaskan
Railroad station and boarded the spacious McKinley Explorer train
for the ride north to Denali through a constantly changing
landscape. Exciting conversations were filled with anticipation for
the coming day in Denali National Park.
This was my third time to take the Tundra Wilderness
Tour into the park, but my excitement was as high as the first time.
It was a perfect, warm day with plenty of sunshine, and the animals
were out in numbers. We sighted 22 grizzly bears, caribou, moose,
too many Dall sheep to count, numerous smaller animals, both golden
and bald eagles, and experienced some unforgettable views of Mt.
McKinley.
 The
next morning, I was fly fishing for Arctic grayling with a couple of
family groups in a tiny stream that flowed through the tundra.
Though none of us had any gear, the good folks at Denali Fly Fishing
Guides provided all we needed along with the expertise, and we all
caught a number of these rare fish.
 Before
we boarded the train to continue north to Fairbanks, I had to hike
one last time down into Horseshoe Lake, which is near the Denali
train station. This unbelievable oxbow lake is one of those places
in the world that never leaves your memory because of the purity of
its scenery. It’s quite a hike with all the camera gear, but
certainly worth the time and effort.
It’s a long train ride from Denali to Fairbanks, and
after the first 50 miles, much of the view is quite flat and boring.
Nevertheless, it was good to be back in Fairbanks again ...
especially since we had the opportunity to visit the historic Gold
Dredge No. 8 and the Eldorado Mine to do some successful panning for
gold.
 On
the way out of Fairbanks, we stopped at the always Christmas town of
North Pole, Alaska to get in the mood for the rest of our bus trip
to the Yukon. However, we made an unexpected stop to photograph a
female moose standing in a roadside lake.
Riding in a bus is normally not very thrilling, but
the constant search for wildlife and the fact that this was one part
of Alaska I had never seen made it
 interesting
for me. As we headed out into more wilderness, the surroundings were
changing and I could tell that we were climbing slightly from 400
feet at Fairbanks to the eventual 1,600 feet at Tok. This long trek
was made easier by a stop at Rika’s Roadhouse which was built in
1910 on the banks of the Tanana River. It is a living homestead
museum complete with a barn, live animals, garden, antique farming
tools, and a sod-roofed museum.
To Alaskans, Tok is better known as the “Sled Dog
Capital of Alaska” and was named after a husky pup that was the
mascot of a construction crew during WW II. It is located about 200
miles southeast of Fairbanks at the junction of Glenn Highway and
the Alaska Highway, and is the main overland entry city from Canada.
Just before crossing the border into the Yukon
Territory of Canada on our trip from Tok to Dawson City, we stopped
for about an hour at Chicken, Alaska. This wide spot in the Top of
the World Highway was intended to be named after the Alaskan State
Bird (the Willow Ptarmigan), but none of the locals could spell it,
so an old miner said, “Just name it Chicken ... they’re about the
same!”
Since I didn’t crack any jokes with the very straight
faced Canadian Customs officials, our entry into the Yukon was
painless, and soon we were aboard the local ferryboat crossing the
Yukon River into Dawson City. We immediately boarded the Yukon Queen
for lunch and a familiarization ride up the river to see salmon
traps, a small village, and a steamboat graveyard.
Walking the dirt streets and boardwalks of Dawson
City with its high store fronts, bawdy saloons, and frontier
atmosphere gives all visitors a feel of the gold rush days in the
1890s. That period was glorified in stories and poetry by Jack
London and Robert Service whose houses still stand as monuments of
that time.
Walking the old streets, visiting the ancient
riverboats and houses, and sampling the food and nightlife was most
interesting. I also had the opportunity to play the Top of the World
Golf Course, which overlooks the Yukon River and is the most
northern golf course with grass greens.
 The
long trip aboard the bus from Dawson City to the Yukon Capitol of
Whitehorse on the Klondike Highway is broken up by some spectacular
scenery beginning with the Tintina Trench. This geological marvel is
a visible horizontal fault line that creates a huge valley running
from Watson Lake in the Yukon all the way to Alaska.
Whitehorse is on the west bank of the Yukon River and
has been the Capitol of the Yukon since 1953. It is a bustling city
with walking and bike trails that offer splendid views of the river
and surrounding areas.
The morning air was permeated with excitement as we
boarded the bus on the last leg to Skagway. We soon passed through
Miles Canyon and made a photo stop at Emerald Lake, but were only a
short distance from Carcross where we would continue via the famous
White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad (www.wpyr.com).
This relic from the past was built in just 26 months during the 1898
Klondike Gold Rush and is considered one of the greatest engineering
accomplishments in history. Connecting the port of Skagway to
Carcross in the Yukon it traverses 67.5 miles climbing 3,000 feet in
only 20 miles and has grades of 3.9 percent, frightening turns of
16 degrees with sheer dropoffs, two tunnels and narrow bridges.
Views are spectacular, but don’t look down.
About halfway into the train ride, we crossed into
British Columbia and stopped for some famous Gold Miner’s Stew at
Bennett, BC, Canada. Yukon locals warned us that because of the
difference in prices due to taxes and fees, BC means “Bring Cash!”
However, we were only in BC for a short distance before we again
crossed into Alaska at White Pass and down into Skagway.
The Tlingit Indians had called this place Skagua
(Place of the Wind), but gold miners quickly changed it to Skagway
and said it was the “Home of the North Wind.” Once a lawless town
that was built on dreams of miners seeking their fortunes, it is now
a tourist attraction and port to many cruise ships. One of those is
the luxurious, 780-foot Volendam owned and operated by Holland
America Line that would be my home for the next five days.
Prior to departure, I was fortunate enough to catch a
boat over to Haines for the Eagle Preserve Float Adventure. We were
whisked swiftly down a flat but extremely fast river passing an
Indian village and observing many bald eagles along the way. It was
a quick trip with great photography that ended with chocolate chip
cookies and hot chocolate to warm us from the cool and windy
environment.
The next day found us touring the gorgeous fjords,
glaciers, and ice fields of Glacier Bay in the Volendam. Though this
area was still solid ice only 250 years ago it is now liquid. The
raw beauty is impossible to describe with mere words.
Visiting Ketchikan, Alaska always brings back a host
of wonderful memories from my many trips to this unique place.
Though known as “The Salmon Capitol of the World” during better
times, this tiny Tlingit fishing village has been reborn and
continues to survive due to the cruise ships. Adventures that once
revolved around fishing are now more about experiencing the wildlife
and beauty of the area. Therefore, myself and some friends hopped
aboard a DeHaviland Beaver float plane and flew to Prince of Wales
Island to see black bears feeding on salmon. It was a great trip,
but the dark skies and rain didn’t allow perfect photos.
The rest of the voyage into Vancouver, BC, Canada was
a perfect time to lay back and enjoy the ambience, great food, and
fabulous service aboard the immaculate Volendam of Holland America
Lines. This time allowed a winding down period complete with
wonderful conversations among newfound friends about our
unforgettable experiences on a trip of a lifetime!
Alaskan trip information:
• Holland American Lines –
www.hollandamerica.com
• Westmark Anchorage Hotel –
www.westmarkhotels.com/anchorage
• Hotel Alyeska –
www.alyeskaresort.com
• Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center –
www.alaskawildlife.org
• Tundra Wilderness Tour –
http://alaska.org/denali/tundra-wilderness-tours.jsp
• Denali Fly Fishing Guides –
www.denaliflyfishing.com
• Gold Dredge No. 8 –
www.golddredgeno8.com
Bill Vanderford has won numerous awards for his
writing and photography, and has been inducted into the National
Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as a Legendary Guide. He is a member
of SATW, NATJA, OWAA, SEOPA and GOWA.
He can be reached at 770-289-1543,
JFish51@aol.com or visit:
www.fishinglanier.com.
|
