Yukon ho! Another 5/21/12 Wonder trip report! - updated 6/26!

[mrp4352]

(Just a warning – many, many pictures ahead!! Aren’t you glad I narrowed it down from the 1,000+ I took on the trip!)

Yukon Ho!!! Today is our first true port – Skagway, AK! This tiny town is nestled in the mountains and is one of only two towns in Alaska that is connected by road to the lower 48.

Our tour – the Yukon Expedition – met at Wavebands at 8am, so after a room service delivered breakfast, we were off! We boarded our bus and met Bethany, our tour guide. She’s a student and only lives here during the summer while she works as a tour guide. Our excursion would take us through Skagway, into BC and then the Yukon Territory.

This building is made of driftwood!

During our drive out to Caribou Crossing, we learned some great facts:

• Skagway is home to the largest international airport in the world – that doesn’t have a control tower. They end up taking in Canadian pilots that get fogged in, which gives them the international status.

• We passed a building that had been a bakery downstairs and a brothel upstairs – it gave a whole new meaning to B&B!

• Often the bus drivers are asked to pick up bikers and move them further down the road (generally away from the bears). Because of this, they call the bike groups “Meals on Wheels” behind their backs!

• The nearest town with a Wal-Mart, McDonald’s and Movie Theater is 110 miles away.

• To travel from Skagway to Haines, AK is 15 minutes by plane, 30 minutes by boat or 8 ½ hours by car.

• We crossed over the border, but because of the lay of the land, the US and Canadian Customs buildings are built 7 miles apart.

• On the way, we crossed over a single cantilever suspension bridge. Basically, it’s only connected on one side. There are frequent small earthquakes in this region, but the bridge withstands them because of its engineering.

• We saw a bear! He was by the side of the road – Bethany said they’re especially attracted to the dandelions. (she claimed it was the dandelion wine effect!)

• The upside-down L shaped metal next to the striped road barricade is a guide for drivers when they can’t see the snow. The end is tipped in yellow – that shows where the shoulder starts, the red shows the width of the shoulder and where it can be dangerous if you’re driving on the snow.

• We passed a mountain that had a huge red section. It has a large concentration of iron ore, and the red is caused by rust.

• We passed by a huge lake (Tutshi – pronounced Too Shy) and the surface was mirror like. Bethany said that was unusual because of the wind that normally is blowing through the area.

• One of the glaciers deposited a load sand creating the smallest desert in the world.

Enough of the fun facts – enjoy the scenery!

Look how tall the snow on the side of the road is!! They had a late season snow just a week or two before – however the weather today is the prettiest weather we would end up having all week! We carried our coats.

While riding along, Bethany told us about the trials of the prospectors and how hard it was to follow the gold rush. Approximately 100,000 tried to make it to the Yukon, but only 30,000 to 40,000 were successful. The Canadian authorities required they bring enough food for a year before being allowed in. Even then, only a tiny percentage of those who even made it to the Yukon found gold.

If you look closely, you can see an abandoned mine in the side of the mountain:

This waterfall marks the official border between the US and Canada.

Further down the road we stopped at the Canadian Border Inspection building for Customs. Because of the roads, the Customs buildings for the US and Canada are actually several miles apart!

 

[mrp4352]

We arrived at Caribou Crossing for lunch.

They provided this neat map – we basically drove up the red line marked “2” to Caribou Crossing (and eventually to Emerald Lake), then back down the 2 until Frasier, where we boarded the train and followed the black line the rest of the way back to Skagway.

We knew we were in a treat when we saw these fake goats on the nearby hill!

This tourist trap, uh, historical re-creation offered a really good barbecue chicken lunch (with baked potato, cole slaw, wonderful yeast rolls and cake donuts). I bought a Yukon Gold Pale Ale to have with mine – a good lite beer.

After lunch we had some time to wander around – I went back to see the sled dogs. A lady who races in the Yukon race each year has a training camp there.

For summer training, they have huge carts on wheels they can load guests into and the dogs pull over a 1 mile track.

The dogs were so happy – it was funny to see how excited they were as they were getting hitched up to run. They jumped straight up – tails flying and couldn’t wait to be let loose. Click to see the video!

And the result of the Girls Only Club being violated!

We had 10 minutes or so in the gift shop, then hopped back on the bus. I know I’ve been teasing about this stop – it is a tourist trap, there is no getting around it. But it was a cool, fun tourist trap, not an “ohmygoodnesswhyonearthdidwestophere” tourist trap. We actually had a very nice hour and a half here!

Bethany drove us to Emerald Lake – it has an almost Caribbean blue-green color.

Bunches of tourists stopped to admire the water!

 

[mrp4352]

On our way back to Frasier, we stopped at little town called Carcross. Originally the town had been named Caribou Crossing, but there were so many towns with that name in Canada, the postal service made them all change! We didn’t have much time there – just enough to help the town economy. Mom bought the girls a wooden train whistle and I got some Rolo ice cream. There is an old train bridge in town they were working on – instead of raising like a draw bridge, it would swivel to allow the boats to pass.

Yea – I don’t think this dock looks like anything I want a part of!

Back on the bus, Bethany let us enjoy the scenery although she did slow down twice after bears were sighted! I got a picture this time!

Beautiful scenery!

Love the ‘no stopping’ sign!

 

[mrp4352]

We were early to the train station, so instead of going into the station to make us wait there, Bethany found a scenic turnout where we could get off. Mom and I were comfy and chose not to – but several others did and they played in the snow bank!

The White Pass and Yukon Territory train is pulled by antique diesel engines.

We boarded our train car and very shortly were on our way. It was amazing how close the cliff sides would get.

The views were beautiful!

We passed the original train bridge which was one of the seven engineering marvels of the world when in use.

More beautiful scenery! (Can you see the train engines in the first picture?)

Doesn’t he look like an old railroader?

Click to view the video:



And more pictures!

George Buchanan was a successful businessman, a coal merchant in Detroit. During the Depression he decided to help boys to get out of town and see Alaska. Every summer from 1923 through the Depression, Mr. Buchanan and 50 or 60 boys journeyed across Canada to Vancouver, sailed up the coast to Skagway, spent several weeks touring Alaska, climbing glaciers, panning for gold. On the rocks below the U.S. Customs Station at Clifton are the words "On to Alaska with Buchanan" which was their motto. (Thank you, Skagway Historical Society!)

I’m very glad we did the bus and train combination. The bus had more spectacular sights, but there’s nothing quite like riding in a train!
Upon arrival in Skagway (and after we had been cleared by customs), Mom and I wandered the town for a little while. Both blocks of it! No, really, Skagway has two main streets and that’s about it.

We walked back to the ship, where we hit the wind tunnel. We had carried our jackets pretty much all day the weather had been so beautiful and still, but that last ¼ mile – we had to put them on and walk leaning into the cold, biting wind.

Isn’t she pretty??

Once home, we grabbed a snack at Pluto’s dog house, dropped our things in the stateroom, made a fairly quick change and headed down to bingo. Just a short 2 game session today - I was one number away on two of my six cards during the first game, but didn’t win… Maybe tomorrow!
After Bingo we strolled to Tritons for the French dinner. It was a little strange – most of the cruise we have had this lovely majestic background music. I had recognized several pieces from the Wilderness Lodge music loop and the Soarin’ queue loop. But for Skagway, in the hallways, the music had been rinky-tink piano – which fit beautifully with the town. However, not so much with the formal French dinner in Tritons…

Our meal was delicious – I had the market salad with goat cheese. Mom and I both had the French Onion Soup. Mom had the duck entrée and I tried the three-cheese lobster macaroni (I liked the lobster in the dish, but not by itself). For dessert, Mom had Baileys and coffee and I enjoyed the Grand Marnier soufflé. After dinner, we stopped at Shutters to pick up some pictures, and then went back to the room to collapse after a very full, fantastic day.

 

[Chilly]

Beautiful photos, jealous you saw bears we didn't see any on our tour that day.

 

[big jack 2002]

We did the same route. We rode the bus up first and took the train down. ONLY, we didn't see the bear. We heard "There's a bear!!" but we didn't get to see it.
The whole trip was so wonderful!! Thanks for sharing your pictures. We only took a little over 500!!
Barbara

 

[Skylarr29]

Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. I'm living vicariously through you since we still have a couple months before we leave.

 

[Linda67]

I am really enjoying your TR
In exactly one year's time we will be doing this cruise

 

[Andrew K]

Thank you for taking the time to post all of that information. It will be really helpfull.

 

[Luv2Diz]

Stunning photos! I continue to enjoy your TR.

 

[mrp4352]

Hi!!!

Thanks everyone who's reading along!! It's fun sharing the trip with y'all!

I hope to start working on the next update tonight - so hopefully by Saturday I'll have Juneau up for you!

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

Loving your TR! The photos are awesome. I especially found the train from Seattle to Vancouver interesting, as we're booked on the June 10th cruise out of Vancouver next year, but plan on flying into Seattle to spend a day there first and then taking the train to Vancouver.

 

[mrp4352]

Sorry this didn't go up yesterday as hoped - but here you go!

Friday, May 25, 2012

We woke to Juneau outside our verandah. We enjoyed a lazy morning on the ship, starting with breakfast at Parrot Cay and coffee at the Outlook Bar.

Do you see the two men in the middle of the picture? They were climbing up and over to clean the white walls on top of the mirrored windows directly under the flags!

A 360 view of Juneau from deck 10 – you can tell we were in a good mood that morning!



At 12:15, we met our tour group in Wavebands to head out on the Enchanted Glacier Flightseeing and Taku Lodge excursion.

We were shuttled over to our floatplanes, then had a quick walk to the airline offices and pier. Along the way, we passed this tide marker – note how low the tide was at this point (approx. 3 ½ feet).

We were pleasantly surprised at how easy the weight balancing process was. The young lady from the airline split everyone into five groups starting with the largest group (so they could stay together). She did a little mixing and matching back and forth, and then had everyone turn in their ticket stub where they had written their weight. Evidently she did well – she didn’t make anyone change groups when she came back. Our group was the Moose Group!

Gratuitous beauty shot of the Wonder from the dock while waiting for our plane assignment.

Look! A Jungle Cruise boat!

There they are – all five floatplanes lined up and waiting for us – ours is the bright orange one with the tail on the left edge of the picture and the nose facing right!

We boarded our Otter floatplane.

I ended up in the very back – which actually worked out well – I didn’t have the wings in my shots except at the very top where I think they added some interest. Notice the yellow lifejackets for each seat and yes – we did get the emergency spiel before taking off. However it was part of the recording we listened to, rather than being given by the pilot.

What an incredible flight! The whole thing was so smooth. You didn’t feel the power of a jet engine take-off or when we touched back down again. Here we go!!



The description of the flight from the Taku Lodge website:
En route you will soar over lush wilderness of the Tongass National Forest until your first glimpse of five distinctly different majestic glaciers making up the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Icefield. Glide over the deep crevasses and azure blue meltwater pools of the Norris, Hole-In-The-Wall, East and West Twin Glaciers, plus the famous five mile wide Taku Glacier. Of the 36 named glaciers comprising the Juneau Icefield the Taku Glacier is the only glacier that is actually advancing, not retreating - one of only a few in the world. Make sure to bring your camera to capture the magical memories this trip is sure to provide.

- continued!

 

[mrp4352]

So – sit back and enjoy the ride with us!

Look! It’s another float plane!

Here’s a quick video showing the propeller movement.

Upon arrival at the lodge, we had 30 minutes to wander and enjoy the view. Mom got a beer (an Alaskan amber) and I had the Russian tea (a citrusy, apple cidery, hot tea).

Suddenly, “Bear!” rang out! Two young men from the lodge grabbed 6 foot long sticks and stayed between us and the bear. We called them the Bear Bouncers! Over the course of our two hour visit, we had 4-5 different bear sightings.

Click the video!

 

[mrp4352]

I visited for a few minutes with the young man who worked the grill. He was born in Southlake! (about two cities over from where I live) He’s worked food and beverage for the train the last several years, then switched over to Taku Lodge a year or so ago. He and his girlfriend live all summer at the lodge in a log cabin out back.

I went in for more tea and overheard a conversation between the lodge manager and one of the guests. The guest is second or third in line for DCL entertainment. Part of his job is travelling and finding new ports of call and new excursions. By accident, Mom and I ended up seated with him and his wife at lunch. However, he did not offer any information about himself and we (being well behaved) did not ask. He did, though, ask us how we were enjoying the cruise and what we had done. So, after the cruise, I Google’d him – turns out it was Tom Wolber, Sr. VP for Disney Cruise Line!

Lunch was incredible grilled salmon, baked beans, cole slaw, warm stewed apples and berries, sourdough bread and herbed biscuits. I could have made a meal on the biscuits and baked beans alone!

While we were eating, the manager came out and told us the story of the lodge and the family who built it. Afterwards, we had about 45 minutes to wander and enjoy. Mom and I opted out of the nature walk, instead we enjoyed the scenery (and shopped a little in their gift shop).

All too soon, it was time to board our planes and head back to Juneau.

There she is! The Wonder is in view! (In the second picture, that’s the Wonder on the right.)

This shows almost all of Juneau.

Juneau City Hall

The Juneau Harley Davidson shop (for my uncle Mike!)

Remember earlier when I showed you the tide monitor? Well, tide is much higher now:

 

[mrp4352]

Back on board, it was time for bingo, so we headed straight to Wavebands. Sadly, we didn’t win, although I did get to stand once! We went back to the stateroom to change for the evening, then headed to the Walt Disney Theater for Toy Story: the Musical. What a delightful show! The young lady who played Sid had all the mannerisms perfectly and the bass who was Buzz was fantastic! The show blends multimedia with live action and puppetry perfectly.

After the show, Mom went out on deck 4 to wait while I went to the restroom. Suddenly, Cap’n Jack was walking along the deck – carrying a shuffleboard stick. He came up to Mom, kissed her hand and presented her the stick, proclaiming that she was now in charge! Then he kicked the door opening button on the wall and proceeded into the ship.

When we met up again, we went down to Cadillac Lounge. Ick… our piano player is not working this evening and the new guy is trying to sing and play piano… So, we walked next door to Diversions. Ick… The strange duo that is normally in the Promenade Lounge was in there… So, we forced our way through the atrium (filled with pirate partiers) and made it to the Promenade Lounge. Where we sat and tried to stay out of the way of the hyper kids and tired parents.

Shortly before dinner, I went to Shutters to pick up another picture from Endicott Arm, then we wandered on deck for a few moments before dinner at Animator’s Palette. Tonight is the Taste of Alaska menu. Mom had the Alaskan king crab and I had the cheese and carrot soufflé for our appetizers.

For salads, Mom had the garden with ranch (exciting, I know!) and I had the asparagus spears. Before dinner we walked past a porthole and had a view into the prep area – you can see Mom’s salad! It’s the third one from the front on the right!

Mom played it safe with baked chicken, but I had the elk tenderloin with a berry sauce. Yummy!!! For dessert – Mom had sticky pudding and I had the pear and hazelnut tart. It was a lovely meal and a good end to a fantastic day!

 

[jenf22]

Wow! Beautiful pictures! I can't wait to go.

I hope this isn't too much to ask, but would it be possible to get a high resolution copy of the picture of the Wonder with the mountain behind it? I want to print an 11x14 to have the characters sign while we're on our cruise. Thanks so much. And thanks for your great trip report!

 

[Chilly]

I wasn't a fan of the promenade lounge duo either.

 

[Linda67]

Wow, another great day
I have been thinking of doing the same excursion in Juneau
What time did you finish your tour?
Would you have had time to take a walk around Juneau as well?
TIA

 

[mrp4352]

Wow! Beautiful pictures! I can't wait to go.

I hope this isn't too much to ask, but would it be possible to get a high resolution copy of the picture of the Wonder with the mountain behind it? I want to print an 11x14 to have the characters sign while we're on our cruise. Thanks so much. And thanks for your great trip report!

I would be happy to! If you don't mind, click through the image and get me the photobucket number so I can make sure I get you the right picture of the Wonder with the mountain behind it. I might have taken a couple over the course of the trip!

Wow, another great day
I have been thinking of doing the same excursion in Juneau
What time did you finish your tour?
Would you have had time to take a walk around Juneau as well?
TIA

We finished about an hour, hour and a half before on board time. We could have walked around Juneau a little bit before reboarding (But you have to allow time for the 5-10 minute shuttle ride back to the ship). Also, we could have wandered for an hour or so before the excursion. However, if you can get the earlier time for the excursion, that would probably be better if you want to wander Juneau.

I will tell you that hands down, Mom and I both feel that the Taku Lodge excursion was the absolute best money we spent the whole trip! Better than the extra for the verandah that we used the heck out of and better than the waterfront upgrade at the Fairmont. I know it gave us sticker shock - but it was worth every penny!