I wanted to share with you the top 10 things that I learned while on my Alaskan Cruise:
#1 Even though Vancouver is not in Alaska, it was boarding site. I didn't know Canadians were Asian?! The majority of people that I came in contact with while in Vancouver were Asian. Even the buildings in Vancouver were of Asian Architecture.
#2 Our first port of call was Katchikan. It is known as the "First City" because it's the first major community travelers come to as they journey north. Katchikan is the salmon capital of the world, it has 5 different species of wild Pacific salmon. I thought Katchikan was one of the cutest cities we visited.
This is the Historic Creek Street. This historic boardwalk was a Red Light District during the Gold Rush. Now, it's a quaint place to shop, visit museums and view totem poles.
This Gold nugget was found locally and it costs $23,000.00. How would you like to pan for gold one day and find this massive nugget?
Katchikan is home to the largest collection of totem poles in the world. There are 80 varieties displayed throughout the city and they stand as a reminder of the traditions and values of tribal culture and representation of Alaskan Native art. Most of the totem poles were cut down and burned by early missionaries. They believed the totem poles were worshiped as idols, but that is not true. The natives did not start writing things down until the 1900's. The Tlingit and Haida clans used totem poles to tell stories. The commemorative totem poles were usually the largest, memorial poles celebrate important tribe members and family lineage poles celebrate one family's unique history.
This is Nathan P. Jackson, he is apart of the original Yelch Yedi Tlingit tribe. He designs and sculpts these beautiful totem poles.
#3 While on the ship, I decided to try acupuncture. It hurts in a feel good way, if you know what I mean. Kim, my acupuncturist, is from New Zealand. Kim"s friends were extras for the Lord of the Rings series. How cool is that? They were orcs and elves.
#4 My husband apparently cannot handle motion sickness. My sick stud muffin :(
#6 With in 20 minutes you can see a humpback whale, killer whale, bald eagles, otters and seals.
#7 Our second port of call was Juneau, Alaska's capital.
We ate at an awesome restaurant called Red Dog Saloon and their floors were covered in saw dust.
This guy is an awesome piano player there!
I learned in Juneau that catching a 32lb King Salmon is a big deal.
This is captain Wayne of the Orange Krush, boy was he an animated character.
#8 Our 3rd port of call was Skagway. Skagway only had 2 graduates from their high school this past June. The school had a total of 100 kids from K-12 grade.
The above picture is the Yukon Pass, also known as dead horse trail. The gold miners would load their horses down with heavy loads and use them until they died from being overworked. The miners would leave their dead bodies where they laid and went and bought another work horse.
#9 I also learned that Tim and his uncle Jr. are 2 peas in a pod. They are so much alike.
#10. You can travel all the way to Alaska and you can still find a Walmart and an IGA store.
#11. I had an unlimited supply of hot chocolate on our cruise ship, which was awesome.
#12. Sometimes the Pacific would appear like black silk. It was beautiful!
#13 It never got dark during the summer months. It was more like Twilight than dark and apparently you cannot see the arora borealis unless you are there in the winter months.
#14 Don't tell a waiter from Thailand that you have a gluten sensitivity! "Oh My Gosh" the waiter said. (actually it was a little worse what he said) I think I scared him.
#15 If you would walk 2.8 times around our ship, you have walked a mile.
#16 Glacier Bay is enormous! This next picture is the Margerie Glacier, it moves about 7 feet/day. When the ice would calve, break off into the water, the natives called it White Thunder. It sure did sound like thunder also.
#17 Wild birds are friendly to tourists, or they just wanted my cheetos.
#18 It is hard to feel the boat moving when you are in a hot tub or swimming pool. This is good to know if you get motion sick easily.
#19 College Fjord is named after colleges in New England.
Although, I think they should name one of these glaciers the Mountaineer Glacier.
#20 Our last port of call was Whitier. We boarded a 9 hour train to Denali. The one thing I learned about riding trains is to make sure you hold onto the handles while using the bathroom. If not, you might just tinkle on the back of your pants from sliding off the toilet while in mid-stream.
#21 Mt. McKinley is a tall one! I couldn't see it at first because I thought it was a cloud!
The natives call it Denali, which means the big one. Mt. McKinley is so enormous that it even makes its own weather. We tried to take a plane ride around Mt. McKinley, but it was to cloudy that day :(
#22 There are a lot of dogs in Alaska. I have a lot of respect for the Iditerod dogs. These dogs can run up to 100 miles/day, then sleep in 40 below 0 weather at night. These dogs love to race! When our musher was getting his sled ready, his 70 dogs went crazy. Yes, I said 70! They were clearly excited to go for a run. The Iditerod is held every March and the race covers 1000miles.
#24 Sara Palin is awesome!
Ok, so I might not have met her in person, but I do love her fiestieness.
#25 The Last thing I learned about Alaska was that grizzly bears can and will eat you!
You might have noticed that I learned more than 10 things while on Vacation. I wish I could share with you all my experiences and show you the 1800 pictures that I took, but then I would be blogging a book. One thing is for certain, Alaska is BEAUTIFUL! I am blessed that I was able to visit such a wonderful and wild place. I am also proud that Alaska is a part of OUR United States. So glad that we bought it from the Russians!
