The first day at sea was a chance to explore the ship and book the
shore excursions which are a must on a trip of this kind. Then it was
time to visit the pursor's desk and change some money and have
my cruise card registered. It would permit me to charge any
expenses on board and pay by credit card at the end of the
cruise.
Cabins were spacious and comfortable and the lounge even more so. As I
approached it the music changed to rythmic piano playing reminiscent of
Charlie Kunz. I would, I decided, take a seat and give the player my
support. On seeing the empty piano stool I realised the piano was
being played automatically. I am not one to dismiss the wonders of the
electronic revolution; sitting in an armchair with my back to
the piano I could not tell the difference but remembered not
to applaud at the end of the piece.
Few trips are as scenic as the Inside Passage - trees from the shore
rise up on steep mountainous slopes for mile after mile on either
side of the ship. The islands here provide shelter from the
open sea making the water smooth for the duration of the
voyage. My test for a calm sea is whether a pencil will
balance on its end on the table. It remained as vertical as a
rocket ready for launching.
A day at sea gives time to prepare for the Captain's Welcome Aboard
Cocktail Party (the beauty salon offers all kinds of treatment ranging
from massage to hairdressing and facials). It was one of the
two formal evenings. Dress is black tie or lounge suit. Rum
punches, wine and non-alcoholic drinks were served with canapes.
Our first port of call was Juneau. In 1880 Joe Juneau and Dick Harris
discovered gold in a stream. A tented city quickly appeared and the
town grew as supporting services for the gold diggers arrived
and set up in business. It is now the capital of Alaska but is
accessible only by air and sea. The fine looking roads
terminate outside the city. We were booked on the Juneau Wild
Life Excursion. This was one of twenty excursions offered.
So confident are the tour operators of the abundance of wild life that
they guaranteed we would see at least three species of wild life or
else we would receive a $40 cash refund. On board the high
speed catamaran we had the good fortune to see a hunchback
whale feeding its baby. The baby was vigorous and jumped out
of the water every few minutes in Each time they leapt out of
the water to breath they consumed energy equivalent to eight
pounds of fat. Whereas this seemed a good way of slimming it is not
significant when you weigh fifty tons. Sealions could be seen huddled on a
marker buoy in the middle of the channel and bald eagles were
viewed off Sentinel island.
The Red Dog Saloon is a noted stop for the tourist. It has moved from
its original position in the Goldrush days but still retains a
frontier like atmosphere. A moose's head mounted on the wall
surveys the tourists and a stuffed grizzly bares its fangs
from a safe distance. You are entertained to the lively sound
of a honky tonk piano and guitar. Drinks and food are
reasonably priced and many of our party stayed there; arriving
back at the ship after dinner.
We arrived in Skagway early the next morning. 100 years ago it was the
scene of a momentous gold rush. 20,000 goldseekers passed on their
way to the White Pass and the Chilkoot trails. Many perished
but today the tourist can view the historic trail from the
comfort of the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. Rising through
the most rugged terrain, up to nearly 3000 feet, this route
was hacked out of rock to become the supply line for the Yukon
gold fields. The tourists who went on this excursion described the
awesome scenery ranging from panoramic views to shear rock face; glacial
valleys and sky blue lakes.
I was full of admiration for one couple who declared they were going
on the 15 mile Klondike Bicycle Tour. Then I discovered that a van
took them to the top of the pass and they simply cycled
downhill as they passed waterfalls, glaciers and the coastal
mountains on the way back to Skagway. As the brochure noted "the
participants must be comfortable using handbrakes".
We chose the Skagway Glacier Explorer Helicopter tour, a two hour trip
which would ferry us high over the glacier. We were fitted out with
special boots to grip the ice and life jackets over thick
sweaters. A headset enabled us to communicate with the pilot
for a commentary as we floated over the glacier remarkable for
the jagged ice fields where the ice had been crunched together
under enormous pressures. We moved onto a smoother area for
landing with instructions to watch where we were walking
because here were crevasses to be avoided. The biggest danger was to take
a step back without looking when taking a photograph. A feature of
the glacier is the blue ice. Our Guide was a mine of
information:
" The ice is blue because the oxygen is squeezed out."
"Yes, if you fall into a crevasse you become wedged in and as your
body heat melts the walls you sink lower."
Over the mountains there was a sense of unreality as we looked at one
side of a feature and then floated around to the other side like a
bee encircling a flower. Moments later we were hovering a few
feet over a very narrow ridge with sheer drops of thousands of
feet on each side - too narrow for even a mountain goat.
Passengers not taking the excursions would find the towns suitable for
walking. Alternatively there was a full range of activities on
board. Bingo; entertainers in the bar or wine tasting in the
Lounge. The fully equipped gymnasium was open from 7 am to 8
pm. Enthusiasts were to be seen exercising before breakfast
even if they had been at the Disco until 3 oclock in the
morning.
Haines is a short trip from Skagway. It is one of the prettier towns
and one with a road connection to the Alaska highway. It is next to
the coastal mountain range and lies on a wooded peninsula.
Here we were to go on the Bald Eagle Preserve Float trip
through the Chilcat valley. We were kitted out with boots and
life jackets and seated eight to an inflated raft. "Where
is the outboard engine?" I asked. In fact the water is
too shallow and we were guided down the swiftly flowing river using oars.
The shallowness of the river causes the salmon to be
visible to the eagles, which are present in large
numbers. Soon there was one at the water's edge.
Personally I think "bald" is an uncomplimentary
description of such a splendid bird. The white feathers over its head and
neck give it a majestic appearance. They stand out in
contrast to the black feathers over the wings and body.
Every so often the raft would ground on the pebbles and our guide
became very energetic; heaving us off onto deeper water as we jumped up
and down on the raft to release it. We passed under an eagle
sitting 10 metres above us on a branch. The raft was anything
but still and rotated here and there giving us a 360 degree
view of the magnificent scenery.
Our evenings were often spent at the theatre, the song and dance
revues were as practiced and polished as I have seen anywhere. The
acoustics also were excellent, you could hear every word in any part
of the theatre.
The Hubbard Glacier was the event in the afternoon of the next day. We
ventured slowly up to the ice blue glacier. Around us were
miniature icebergs caused by the ice breaking off the end of
the glacier as it slid down over the rock. Some were large
enough to float a human being. The glacier is six miles wide
and 75 miles long. It glows with this pure mellow blue which
is characteristic of the light reflected from compressed ice.
The deck was crowded with people looking for the photo opportunity.
The scene had its own particular kind of beauty not seen elsewhere on this
cruise, or any other in my experience.
Dinner was an occasion for international cuisine at its best. There
are alternatives for the health conscious guest included in the
"Shipshape" selections and a vegetarian menu. My
neighbour debated whether to choose the Crab Claws with
Cocktail Sauce or Smoked Trout as an appetizer and a
vegetarian chose Buffalo Mossarella Antipasto. For my soup course I had
the Black Bean soup and our vegetarian friend the Chilled
Vichyssoise. I was particularly fond of the Blue Cheese
Dressing for the Waldorf Yogurt Salad and my neighbour
liked the Romaine with Cucumber and Tomato.
My choice for entree was the Poached Alaskan King Salmon as an
alternative to the Sirloin Steak, my neighbour the Caribbean Lobster with
Citrus Sauce, while our vegetarian plumped for the Stir-Fried
Chinese Vegetables with Tofu. The wide range of deserts made a
choice difficult. I noticed that the Charlotte Royal au
Cointreau and Key Lime Pie Swan Chantilly were popular. I
opted for the Orange Sherbert as suitably slimming.
Kechitan was our last stop before returning home. We went on the
Mountain Lake Canoe Adventure for two and a half hours. It was not an
excursion for the keen canoeist but is well suited for the first
timer.
These cruises can be taken in association with a tour of the Rocky
Mountains but for us that would be another time. |
