“Chichagof Island has the highest concentration of bears in the world at 1 – 2 bears per square mile. The Alaska Brown Bear can weigh 1,500 lbs. and have a reach of 12 feet. See those scratch marks high up that tree trunk? From a large male no doubt,” our Tlingit guide whispered as we walked quietly along the path. We were walking along a creek on a moss covered trail trying to spot a bear. That observation really didn’t help our nerves. Just moments before, we saw one leaning back against a tree by the stream. She moved into the brush, met up with her cub and was pulling down branches to reach the berries. We were trying to get a closer look. Did we?
Well here we go again, off on another adventure! This one started last fall when we decided a return visit to Alaska was in order. Jackie really wanted to go when bears were most active, which is toward the end of summer when the salmon make their run upstream to breed. That meant we were looking at a mid-August cruise with an extra visit up to Denali. So we spent days comparing the options and plotting the best way to see everything we wanted – within budget, since Alaska is pricey. We settled on a northbound Celebrity cruise from Vancouver to Seward aboard the Millennium, a ship we were familiar with from our 2018 southbound cruise. From there we added excursions and travel to Anchorage, Denali and Talkeetna. It should be fun!
As news of the cruise spread among family members, we were asked by my sister Linda and Norm if they could join us. Sure. Can you add us to the Denali Wildlife Bus Tour? Sure. A bit later we added Norm’s cousin from Australia, Carol, and then my brother Jeff and Vickie jumped into plans for the cruise portion. We were now a happy band of seven headed north. A video of highlights is posted here: Back to Alaska
The packing goal for the trip was to check one bag and have one carryon, with a backpack. With all the possible layers for rain, cold, cruise attire and whatever, we barely got the bags closed. Off we flew to Vancouver via a short hop from Seattle (and by the way, flying is really no fun anymore), arriving almost before we left, time-zone wise. We took the city transit train from the airport to the waterfront, which was very clean and timely and checked into the Pan Pacific hotel at Canada Place, right where the cruise ship loaded. The Queen Elizabeth was docked when we arrived and looked splendid.
Norm, Carol and Linda had arrived a day earlier and we were able to meet them at the lobby bar for afternoon drinks. Lots of catching up and chatter about what was to come, then around the corner we went to have dinner. Rogue was a great spot at one end of the train station where we had local Steamworks beer and delicious food. By the time we walked back to the hotel Jeff and Vickie had arrived and we all took some time to walk around the pier and admire the lively city waterfront and late sunset. Vancouver has lots of cool buildings, rooftop gardens and lots of flower baskets, with rather mild weather, so it made for a delightful evening.
One benefit of staying at the hotel is that your bags are portered to the ship in the morning and you have only to take the elevator down to the ship’s check-in desk. We were onboard well before noon and searching for our “spot” to have drinks and lunch. That spot became a corner table at the Sunset Bar at the stern of the ship, just outside the buffet. It was a beautiful, sunny and warm afternoon of drinks and chatting before sailing away under the Lions Gate Bridge and out of Vancouver harbor.
Alaska cruises are a bit different from Caribbean cruises in that the ports and excursions matter almost more than activities aboard ship. Combined with the time difference (3 and 4 hours) from the east coast, it makes for early mornings and not so late evenings. But the excitement kept us going on day one and Jeff and I found ourselves at the craps table later at night, doing well and coming away ahead of the game.
Northbound found us sleeping through most of the narrow Inside Passage, a scenic cruise past seaside villages, lighthouses and salmon farms, but the next day was a sea day of travel, cold and cloudy. We spotted quite a few humpback whales off the sides of the ship as we headed north. Not too close, but close enough to watch them blow and then pop their tails out before diving. That evening Jackie and I had dinner at a unique specialty dining spot onboard: Le Petit Chef. This was a meal that featured a projected story on our table with an animated tiny chef preparing our food. As we progressed through the courses, the server would add the actual plated food that matched the animation. Quite entertaining!
Our next day was in port at Ketchikan – site of a major salmon run. Jackie and I had an early excursion on a small boat that took us along the coastline looking for whales and wildlife. It was a wonderfully scenic and smooth run along the islands and coastline where we saw harbor seals, a few bald eagles, black-tailed Sitka deer and marbled murrelet, but no bears or whales. Since it was low tide we did see some very colorful starfish tucked into the rocks – both purple and orange, so that was neat.
Back in Ketchikan we walked along Creek Street and the salmon ladders and saw tons of salmon making their way upstream. There were just so many fish they covered the entire stream bottom. At the deepest end of the creek was a harbor seal diving around, no doubt making a meal of them. An impressive display of the migration upstream to spawn. Oh, and Vickie said she saw a bear. Right there along the creek near the salmon ladder. Just a quick glance before he ducked back into the shrubs and before she could alert anyone. I could see the disappointment in Jackie’s face at the news, and of course we couldn’t find the bear.
Our next stop was at Icy Strait Point, or Hoonah, to explore for bears. I love this port for the simplicity and emphasis on the local culture. The main buildings are an old salmon cannery and sit well above the waterline. If I recall correctly, there is about a 15 foot difference between tides. Our excursion was in a van with six others as our local Tlingit driver took us through the Whitestone Logging Camp and surrounding creeks and woodlands in search of Alaska brown bear. That is where this story started, when we were trying to get a second look at a female and cub.
We didn’t spot that pair again, while walking through the brush. But we did continue to drive around the logging roads and paused at the bridge crossings. Our guide told us these bears had some polar bear DNA, which accounts for their larger size and color variations. They are also well fed from their salmon diet, preferring to eat the roe and brains from the females and tossing away the males. Of course all sorts of berries were good to eat, too.
As we checked out more creek crossings the young lady next to me said “bear” and we stopped to quietly slip out of the van and take a look. Yep, there were two walking along the creek bank not noticing us. The youngster moved out to the streambed where he looked back at us looking at him and decided that was a bit too much and turned to disappear into the brush. But we all had a good look.
We saw at least one or two more and while searching the roads we heard lots of stories about life among the bears and the precautions the local children are all taught.
Back aboard ship we heard from the rest of the group about their adventure with side-by-sides and travels around some of the same woods we did, but unfortunately they did not spot bears.
After a delicious dinner we sat out at our spot at the Sunset Bar to enjoy the sail away and share stories of the day. The food and service aboard ship was really just wonderful and the drink selection was perfect. Jackie was happy to get her Woodford Reserve bourbon with ginger ale in a TALL glass, as was I. Dinner in the main dining room was white tablecloths and rather elegant and with one exception (first formal night) we were able to get the dining times we wanted. A few nights we opted for the buffet, which had some really good food. Lunch had a delicious charcuterie presentation of meats and cheeses, displays of desserts were amazing and the ice cream selection was a bonus (especially the After Eight mint chocolate).
Juneau was our next port of call and the weather continued to be sunny and rather mild. Jackie and I planned to head to the Mendenhall Glacier and others were headed to whale watching and exploring town. On our previous visit it was easy to catch a bus to the visitors center so we had no problem finding the City Bus this time and riding out to Mendenhall. EXCEPT that the bus stopped short of the visitors center – by a mile and a half. It seems the National Park Service limits visitation to the glacier and only issues a certain number of permits for transportation to and from. Taxis, shuttles. buses and private coaches must have valid permits to drop off or pick up visitors and by the end of the season they have mostly used up their quota. And the city bus doesn’t stop there anyway.
Aw heck, it can’t be that bad, eh? Well it was getting to be a nice warm day, we had our layers of long sleeves and raincoats and backpack with cameras, binoculars and, well, it was a darn long mile and a half trek. We did have some nice views on the approach and Jackie enjoyed the visitors center, but I just had to hike the mile further in to see Nugget Creek Falls and then back around to get better views from the Photo Point. Ah, but that walk back to the bus stop … As we got about halfway I noticed a van stop, turn and drop off two folks just ahead. Looked like a taxi to me, so I waved frantically – the van waited and I breathlessly asked if he was headed back to town. While agreeing to take us back, two other hikers ran up and asked to split the fare so it was a much faster and easier return trip back. Thank goodness.
In town, Jeff and Vickie had a crab feast at Tracy’s Crab Shack, we had good eats at the Alaskan Brewery and we met up with Norm, Linda and Carol at the Red Dog Saloon for Alaska Duck Fart shots. It’s a locally famous layered shot of Kahlua, Baileys and Canadian whiskey. Norm met up with a work colleague who was on another cruise – what luck! We really wanted to ride the tram to the top of Mt. Roberts, but we just ran out of energy. We did all spend time on the aft deck searching the mountainsides for Dall sheep – spotting several. And we left port later at night, so it was magical watching the other ships set sail.
Skagway was our next stop and another sunny day. At this port we had a midday helicopter flight to a glacier planned so it was wonderful to see clear weather. Jackie and I made our way to the TEMSCO heliport, sat through the safety video, put on the ice boots and lifejacket belt and got ready to fly. Front seat for Jackie, ready to assist the pilot I guess! There were four of us plus pilot in the chopper and we each had a good view and headphones to communicate. The flight up and over the water, through the mountain passes and landing down on the glacial ice was thrilling.
Once out and on the ice the helicopters took the previous tour back and we were left with a couple of guides to explain the glaciers (and tell us why there was so much rubble). It was a chilly 40 degrees and windy, but totally amazing. Cracks in the ice were a beautiful shade of blue, with stones suspended within. Rivulets became small streams that carved through the ice or disappeared down deep holes. We were invited to lean down for a taste of the water – I leaned over and just scooped up a mouthful – cold and crisp. We walked around the glacier for nearly an hour and it was just incredible, a bit like a moonscape – and cold.
The last trip to Alaska and the Hubbard Glacier was a rainy, windy visit with lots of sea ice, so we really didn’t get good views of the seven mile long icy front face. This time it was much different. We were able to get very close to the glacier as the ship then spun to share the view with all sides of the ship. We saw and heard several calving moments (when the ice splits off) and I spotted a harbor seal on a chunk of sea ice as we cruised into the bay. A great look at the blue ice and the ragged chunks of glacial rock and ice. Very cool.
That night was “pack up” time and we all spent time stuffing everything back into our bags and preparing for what came the next day. Jeff and I had cashed in our winnings at the casino the night before, but had to try our luck one more time at the craps table. Mistake – minor loss on that last night. We paid a last visit to the martini bar, grabbed some eats at the buffet and had drinks at “our spot” at the stern, although the weather was turning colder and wetter. The next morning was our disembarkation in Seward where each of us had different plans. Jeff and Vickie were going to catch a midday bus to Anchorage and then fly back home to South Carolina. Norm, Linda and Carol were to catch a bus to Anchorage early to rent a car and then drive to Denali. Jackie and I were set with a 4 hour cruise around the Kenai Fjords from Seward before catching a late bus to Anchorage to spend the night. We would then start our land portion of the trip, catching the Wilderness Train to Denali and meeting up with Norm, Linda and Carol.
So for that portion of the trip I will start a second blog, Part Two. For now I will try to gather some of the many photos and post this segment. Stay tuned for more of our return trip to Alaska (and maybe soon some YouTube video – but my GoPro Studio has been glitchy lately). Thanks for joining us on the adventure.
Adventures with Doug and Jackie 
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