Alaska

By Ann Jenkins, guest writer
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I HAVE JUST COMPLETED my second trip to Alaska. I traveled with the same friend who had accompanied me on an earlier trip in 1993. The following is an overview of our two-week journey to this popular leisure destination. Our itinerary included a cruise north on the Inside Passage, a plane and bus trip to Prudhoe Bay, and a visit to Denali National Park.

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We sailed out of Vancouver on the ms Volendam. At breakfast on our first morning at sea, we saw two orcas outside our window cavorting in the waves. It was a little more excitement than simply a cup of coffee! When the ship docked in Ketchikan, we selected a sightseeing tour which provided magnificent scenery in a place called Misty Fjords. We observed a bald eagles nest and a brown bear with her cub.

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During the stopover in Juneau, Alaska’s capitol, we decided to go on a whale watch. And did we ever get in a passel of whales! Also, dolphins and Stellar seals seemed to be having fun - icy water and all. After docking in Skagway we rode the restored cars of the original railroad, The White Pass and Yukon Company. Within 20 miles the rails rose to an elevation of 2,865 feet. It is a civil engineering feat that ranks with the Eiffel Tower and the Panama Canal.

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When the ship left Skagway, the next two days were devoted to cruising. At Glacier Bay we saw a lot of marine life. Up close were two whales breaching at the same time - in perfect rhythm and fairly near each other. Was this perhaps courtship in nature? Again, there were dolphins, and this time several otters seemed to be performing. For a cruise ship, our captain was perfect. If there was something interesting on shore, the captain would turn the ship in place so that passengers on both sides of the vessel could get a view while he would explain what was going on over the speaker system.

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Upon arriving in Anchorage, I learned the bad news: the Arctic Ocean was still frozen. I had not planned to join the Polar Bear Club, but had planned to wade in the icy water. We were constantly urged to dress in layers, carry rain gear, and not get dehydrated. The next day we had time for a leisurely breakfast and a bit of shopping before going to the airport to board the plane for Dead Horse.

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Dead Horse is the airport for the oil company at Prudhoe Bay. This is about as far north as you can go and still be in the U.S. We were located 200 miles above the Arctic Circle, but still 1400 miles from the North Pole. Our hotel was not fancy, but it had warm floors, hot water, and fairly good food served in a communal cafeteria used by tourists and oil company workers. Dead Horse boasts of having a herd of 38 musk ox. The wool yarn made from their undercoat is the finest, lightest, and most expensive sold.

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We left the Land of the Midnight Sun and traveled south heading toward Fairbanks on the Dalton Highway, or as our driver called it, the 'Haul Road.' The speed limit was 55 mph on the two-lane road made from some black material dredged from creek beds and compacted. As we rode along, we saw nothing but open tundra. There were no houses off in the distance; no old telephone lines; no old roads. Open space was everywhere - with an occasional bear, a few herds of moose or caribou, AND the pipeline.

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We arrived in Coldfoot for an overnight stay and then continued to head south toward Fairbanks. Soon we again crossed the Arctic Circle. We were up early the next morning and ready for the train trip to Denali Park. After lunch we took a bus ride into the Park. As we traveled the one road for vehicles, we saw magnificent scenery with long vistas across, up, and down. We were greeted by lots of bears, lots of birds - including the Willow Ptarmigan - Alaska’s state bird, a nest of two fluffy grey owlets with great green eyes blinking solemnly at us, a tiny ground squirrel the size of my fist, and a herd of Dall sheep. One very large male bear decided to walk for a while on the highway, and the bus inched along behind. After all, we were in his territory! My last chance to meet my secondary goal of the Alaska trip was a no go. Weather was preventing planes and helicopters from landing on any of the Park glaciers. I was pleased that my primary goal of seeing whales had already been accomplished!

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The trip back to Anchorage was by train. For several miles the tracks skirted the southeast edge of Denali Park and gave us a view of the twin peaks of Mt. McKinley on a clear day. Beautiful!

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So, do I recommend Alaska as a leisure destination? Yes! When? That depends on what you want to see. If you are interested in anything which involves travel by helicopters or small planes, mid-summer is probably best when there are not so many misty mornings. If you want to see Prudhoe Bay, definitely early spring when there are fewer mosquitos and other pests. I am glad I traveled to Alaska for a second time. Will I go again? Well . . . perhaps!

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– Ann Jenkins, a frequent leisure traveler, makes her home in north Alabama. The photo above was taken at Portage Glacier.