29 June 2004
Dear
Classmates and Alaska Cruise-mates:
With
my fellow I-1’ers, Sam
Weiss and Al Armstrong
orchestrating our Alaska cruise, I am pleased to contribute as our informal
Alaskan tour guide. As the only native
born, “real“ Alaskan
in the class, I called Juneau
home for my first 51 years. I can offer my knowledge, experience, and many
adventures with family in Southeast (SE) Alaska to any and all that are interested. I honestly never thought I’d be returning
“home” on a cruise ship, but I am really looking forward to the trip! Plus, I get another chance to see my mother,
now 93, and youngest brother Pat and his family in Juneau.
I
was with my mother for two weeks last Christmas, and when I told her I was
coming to see her this summer on a Celebrity cruise, she said ”Oh no!” – a
typical Alaskan response as cruise ships are either a blessing or a curse
depending whether you’re in the tourist business or just trying to live a
normal life in a small town (more about that later)
As
background, my mother has lived in Juneau since 1936. My dad, who died in 1982, came to
Juneau in 1935 as a HS teacher from Wisconsin. The teaching
position was one of the few jobs available when he finished college during the
Depression. He was influenced by the tales
of adventure in the north told by his father who explored for gold in the
Klondike Gold Rush and NW Alaska 1898-1903.
We
are going to have a fantastic adventure in terms of getting to see an amazing part
of our nation and experiencing the unique way of life of those living in this
land of water, mountains, and glaciers. Called
“Alaska’s Panhandle”, the narrow strip of seaboard on the west side of the
rugged coastal mountains is a vast maze of over 1000+ islands –the world’s
largest archipelago. Very
green, peaceful, and with very few people. The expanse of the wilderness and the
richness of the marine environment are stunning. After 100’s of trips there by sea and air, I
am still impressed by the natural beauty – there is truly nothing like it in
the rest of the world! There are a few
other glacial fjords I wish we had time to see, but I guarantee that the
Hubbard glacier will be impressive – “awesome” fits perfectly. (For my Texan friends, I will try to avoid
the many other superlatives that are common in describing things in
Alaska).
In terms of information and advice, the
following may be helpful to augment what Sam and I suggested you look at in the
trip web page, and what the Celebrity folks have said:
The
major variable we have to work with is the weather. Even July comes with no
promises that it will be nice the whole trip so it is essential to be prepared
for both cool and wet days. It won’t be
as extreme as “4 seasons”, but 45-50 for cool and 70-80 for hot are possible. It will be unusual if we don’t encounter a
day or two of light rain, or the misty “socked-in” low cloudy type days. It never rains heavily, and most folks just
go about their business and ignore the occasional sprinkle – which is what we should
plan on doing. This means something to
keep you dry and comfortable for walking around the ship and the towns, and
also footwear that will keep your feet dry if it rains. Layering is the best approach to the
temperature, especially on the excursions that change altitude or are on the
local waters. Coastal Alaska has been warming over recent decades, but a wind
breaker is handy to have for most outings.
I recommend some type of backpack to carry things like cameras,
binoculars, sun tan lotion, bug dope, sunglasses, and extra clothes (or a place
to put them when removed).
Alaska is extremely casual in dress almost everywhere. As
an aside, someone once said that there’s a bar and a church on every block in
Alaska, and both open all day and night. That’s almost true in SE, as you will see –
remember all the towns we visit have no highway connection to anyplace
else! Nights, by the way, are pretty
short in July. It still will be daylight at 10-11pm.
For
sightseeing and excursions, I would suggest most reservation choices;
especially for those with flights, kayaking, etc. be
made while we are on the ship when you can get at least an estimate on the
local weather. There’s some risk in
waiting too long as the number of options are limited often by space,
especially if there are 4-6 other cruise ships in the harbor with us. Really,
Juneau has had 7 ships in port at the same time – that’s
10-12,000 tourists, which exceeds the local population in the main part of town. I’d rate Sitka as the best chance for salmon
and halibut fishing success, and give Juneau the top rating for flying (and
landing on) the glaciers. In
Juneau, which I know best, seeing the Mendenhall glacier
and the Hatchery are recommended, and the tram to the timberline on
Mt. Roberts above Juneau is dramatic on a nice day. There is a shuttle bus that takes you
directly to/from the glacier for $5.00 and you can spend as much time there as
you wish and catch the next bus back to town.
The State Museum is excellent. Of course, a stop at the famous Red Dog Saloon (not associated with Al
Armstrong) near the ship piers is colorful and fun. Try the Alaskan Brewery amber beer brewed in
Juneau. It’s my
favorite. The local roasted coffee is
Heritage – no Starbucks yet. Every stop
has a salmon bake option – usually pretty good, but one’s probably enough if
you think you need a break from the ship‘s food. You’ll find a great variety of good
restaurants in each port – something for all tastes. There are too many excursion offerings for me
to comment on them individually – some are pricey, but can be an adventure of a
lifetime.
All
three of our city stops, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sitka, have most of the local
sights and places of interest (like museums, totem parks, Russian churches art
features, etc.) within walking distance, and you can get guide maps from the
reference web sites or find them locally.
For example, in Sitka
you can do almost everything from the Totem Park, St. Michael’s Cathedral, to the
Sheldon Jackson
Museum and the Raptor Center easily on foot with time to shop and have a coffee or snack. I first became familiar with these and many
other SE towns and villages as a HS basketball team member. We flew in a 12 passenger Grumman Goose
seaplane to play the other HS teams - that was the only way we could have any
competition!
Be
warned that you will have to run the gauntlet of tourist traps selling all
manner of junk (beware of the Made in China curios) as you get off the ship. Mingled among the storefronts, however, are
many very fine shops with wonderful Alaskan native and local artist’s work The coastal NW Native art (in SE that’s
mainly Thlingit and some northern Haida
and Tsimshian peoples work- they are the best of all
the NW carvers) is truly of a world class cultural character and well worth appreciating
and collecting. You will also see a
broad representation of the arctic native peoples’ art, ivory and whale borne
carving in particular, that is quite spectacular although not indigenous to the
part of Alaska we visit. The current work done by native artists follows
traditional lines but is very creative and dramatic. You will also see the work
of some very talented local artists featuring Alaskan themes in many
media. Many of the local artists are
family friends as my family was active in the arts community In Juneau. Alaskans tend to be arts oriented, probably a
result of the great natural beauty of the land, and the fact that often they
don’t have many of the distractions of the modern world to occupy their time.
I
intend to bring some reference material, maps, and some family photos to
share. I would encourage some advance
reading for those so inclined. One great
source, although a little tedious, is Michener’s Alaska. Chapters 6,
7, 8 and 10 relate to the history of what we will visit. Much has been accomplished since statehood
(1959), but the brief early history (that’s a pretty short time in most cases)
still influences most activities. The
mining, timber and fishing industries have all weakened, and it has been a
struggle to replace them with something else – fortunately the oil still flows
and the tourists keep coming!
I
don’t know what the Infinity has to offer about understanding Alaska. I’ll be
happy to answer any questions before and during the trip, and promise not to
bore you with too many stories as we pass some of my favorite mountains,
hunting islands, and fishing spots. My
email is jimcarolynh@earthlink.net
.
See
you in Vancouver,
Jim
Harmon