Alaskan Ten Day Tour/Cruise Album
06/26/07 - 07/06/07
ABC Tours, Holland America's Volendam
Clay & Pat Stahl, Michele Heaton, Rose Petrites, Dick Demchak, Susanne Demchak
United States
| 
Alaska
|
| 
British Columbia
| 
Canada
|
Following is a summary of our
10 Day Alaskan Tour/Cruise
with 346 photos. Day-by-day
links are shown on the right,
or you can just scroll down
to view them all.
These pages are best viewed
with Internet Explorer 6 at
1024 x 768 x 32 bit color or
better in full screen mode.
|
|
| 
|
Tuesday 06/26 Van to Newark Airport, Flights to Seattle & Anchorage
We drove to Michele's in Newtown in plenty of time, our van was already there, Dick and Susanne arrived shortly after.
It was an uneventful ride to the Newark Airport with celebratory champagne. We went into one of the bars for a
snack and to pass the time, but they were out of the nacho platter! The young couple next to us wanted nachos
also, and the guy said he knew of a nearby place where they are available. Clay went with him and after a few
inquiries, we finally found a place where they Did have them! We had plenty of time and Pat was
good friends with the girl by the time we got back! Actually the nacho (Not Yo?) place had a much better beer
selection. We and Dick and Susanne all had printed our boarding passes with seat assignments at home, and check-in
went as usual. However, Michele and Rose, who had been signed up for this trip much longer than anyone else but
didn't get web boarding passes, had to sweat it out almost to departure time before being seated! Whew!
| 
| 
|
| Susanne and Dick Near Us
| Rose and Michele Taking Walks
|
|
Our seats weren't together, and the aisle guy said no, but a lady kindly moved for us. The plane left almost on
time and the flight to Seattle was smooth with a so-so complementary lunch, and a couple of so-so un-complementary
wines! The headphones were going to be complementary because the movie may be different than the one in the book!
Big deal, we declined anyway.
| 
| 
|
| Don't Know the Left One, But 14,410 Ft. Mt. Rainier In the Cascades Is On the Right
| A Drink at a Mexican Bar During the Seattle Layover
|
|
There was a 55 minute layover, and although we didn't have to change planes, Rose and Michele got off with us
to stretch, before continuing on to Anchorage. The closest place was Mexican, and we all had a drink to pass the
time. After takeoff to Anchorage, we were surprised to hear that we are to set our watches another hour forward as
we will be on Alaskan time! This will not only set a record for us being the farthest North that we
have ever been, i.e. farther north than Helsinki, Finland, but the farthest West also. We later heard that Alaska
is almost as wide as the "Lower 48", with the western half of the Aleutian Islands being in still another
time zone! We heard about the "Lower 48" many more times on the trip.
| 
| 
|
| Wow! Alaska! Another Smooth Flight
| We're Not That Far North!
| The Bags Really are Coming!
|
|
There was a short bus ride without much comment to our hotel. Even though Anchorage is Alaska's Largest city,
it isn't that large -- only 275,000 people, but with its metropolitan area, it has more than half of Alaska's
population! The triangular setting is gorgeous with mountains on one side and water on the other two. We're on
the 10th floor, looking out on the water over a few buildings, very nice with free wireless internet access.
Dinner was at the Glacier Brewhouse right across the street, where we met Michele and Rose.
| 
| 
|
| A Brewpub Right Across the Street!
| Michele and Rose Joined Us.
| It's 11:29 PM and the Sun is Just Going Down
|
|
We walked out of the Brewpub into bright sunlight, so it couldn't be late, but it was, well after 11 o'clock! There
are only about 4 hours of darkness this time of year and it doesn't get all that dark even then. Of course there
will be only 4 hours of daylight a half year from now! You wouldn't have to worry about playing golf with a late
tee time and running out of daylight before you are finished. They say you can even play at midnight!
| 
| 
|
| A Pretty Good View, but So What, We're Outta' Here Early in the Morning
| Petroleum Companies Have a Presence Here!
|
Wednesday 06/27 Train to Denali Bluffs Hotel
Early next morning, we boarded a bus for a narrated, but brief, ride to Anchorage's Alaskan Railroad train station.
We had to wait a while for the long McKinley Explorer to back into the station for our 8-hour ride to Denali National
Park.
| 
| 
|
| Our Car, the McKinley Explorer Kenai
| Cottonwood Trees (and Fuzzy Air) Everywhere!
| Rose & Michele With Their "Moose" Marys
|
|
There are very nice cars with two floors, with very roomy and comfortable seats on the upper, with great visibility
and a bar ar the end. The first floor is a nice restaurant and we, Michele and Rose were called early for the optional
breakfast, as good as in any fancy restaurant -- although priced accordingly! Although 8 hours seemed like overkill,
there was plenty to see and with a break for a very nice lunch, the time went pretty fast. Michele and Rose waited
a little longer before they went to lunch, and we had a nice discussion with a couple from "Noo Yawk".
| 
| 
|
| We Were Sitting High With Great Views
| There Were A Few Stops, Wasilla Is The Real Iditerod Start, Talkeetna Is About Halfway
|
|
There are also passenger cars, a regular schedule, so the railroad makes stops on passenger requests, or potential
passengers at a station waving a hand at the slowly moving (about 30 mph) train. The ceremonial start of the Iditerod
is in downtown Anchorage, but the race starts for real just North in Wasilla, our first stop. The temperature in our
car on most of the ride was fine, but there were a few places where it was a little warm, prompting feeble excuses by
our guide to the few that couldn't tolerate it.
| 
| 
|
| The Route is Directly North From Anchorage to Denali National Park With
Awesome Views On Both Sides of the Train
|
| 
| 
|
| 
| 
|
| It is Very Mountainous With Many Nice Lakes and Streams
| This is Called Camping
|
|
Denali was the original name of the mountain meaning "the high one" in the Native Alaskan Athabaskan
language and is still used by the locals. In 1897, the Mountain was officially named Mount McKinley after U.S.
president William McKinley. Even though the park is officially Denali National Park, Indian-rights activists
view the mountain renaming as colonial and disrespectful, and both names are now used. However, virtually all
Alaskans, native or otherwise, call the mountain Denali. Initially, when they said "Denali" to us, we
didn't know whether they were referring to the mountain or the park!
| 
| 
|
| A View of Our Train -- From Our L·o·o·o·ng Train
| "Moose"ing the Train Going Back
| The Only 8-Star Motel That We've Ever Seen!
|
|
Of course, there was a bus waiting for us and we piled aboard as all had been on the same domed railcar and just
had to wait for some bathroom breakers. The Holland America host said that we were going to the Denali Bluffs Hotel!
A many-voiced reply that we are supposed to go to the Danali Grande as stated in out voucher booklet startled her.
She said that the hotel was changed a few days ago, and that they are "all the same". Actually, when we
booked the trip, we were supposed to be in the McKinley Chalets, but we knew of that change before leaving home.
Anyway, they are not all the same and everyone felt that it was a double-downgrade! Later investigation
proved that to be the case.
| 
| 
|
| Holland America Doesn't Only Do Ships!
| Not Much To The Town of Downtown Denali Park, Just Outside of the National Park!
|
|
| 
| 
|
| The Denail Park Train Station
| The Room Was Nice, & We Only Slept There. But the Other 2 Places Appeared Much Nicer
|
|
| 
| 
|
| The View Was Really Great, But The Other Hotel Is Much Higher and
There Would Be Fewer Trees In Front
|
|
We, Michele and Rose had signed up for the late Cabin Nite Dinner Theater, but had a little time to kill before
leaving. There is a shuttle between the three hotels and we all took it to the Denali Park town. We didn't know
what there was, but we could at least have a pre-dinner drink! However, there is only a strip of shops along the main
road with no restaurants nor bars nearby, and we were soon on our way back to the hotel where we shared a bottle of
wine.
The four of us boarded a bus to the Dinner Theater, while Dick and Susanne had dinner at the Grande
Denali, and while they didn't see the rooms, they confirmed that it was a much nicer hotel than ours!
| 
| 
|
| Salad, Salmon (Wild, Natch), Ribs, Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, and Cornbread, all
Served Family Style. Wine & Beer Was Extra of Course!
|
| 
| 
|
| The Young Troupe Put on an Entertaining Show About the Early Days in Alaska -- After They
Finished Serving Us Dinner!
|
|
Again, it didn't seem it, but it was pretty late now, and again still light, but we have to get up early for the
Denali Park tour and we all just retired to our "sub par" rooms.
Thursday 06/28 Denali Park Tour & Bus Back to Anchorage
We are used to having breakfast included, but Pat didn't feel too hungry, so Clay went down to the hotel for a
little something. After being seated and a long wait, the waiter asked if he had a voucher! Thinking that it must
be in the book with all our other stuff, a long walk back to the room, an inquiry at the desk and at the restaurant
brought the fact that it wasn't included and he had to pay. No big deal, but this was another example of ABC Tours
dropping the ball as far as keeping us informed. We boarded a bus that made a stop at the Grande Denali to pick up
others for our Denali tour. Our bus was full, and Dick and Susanne were on another one.
| 
| 
|
| Film at the Wilderness Access Center
| Our Non-Hotel, The Grande Denali
| The (Not-Very) Savage River
|
|
Denali National Park is a protected nearly six million acres of subarctic tundra, wide rivers, deep valleys, massive
glaciers, and snow-creased peaks with completely snow-covered Mount McKinley, the second-most difficult in the world
to climb, and the highest in North America. It is 237 miles north of Anchorage, and this is the farthest north we've
ever been. We met other people that had more extensive land tours, some as long as two weeks, and they went to
the Arctic Circle and some of them even to the North Slope. Wow! The first stop was near the park entrance at the
wilderness center for an orientation film. It was still quite warm, and stayed that way for the entire trip.
| 
| 
|
| Denali National Park, Created in 1917 as Mt. McKinley National Park,
Now Occupying Over 6 Million Acres
| Michele Getting Mt. McK
|
|
| 
| 
|
| In the Mountain's Shadow -- 9 Miles Away
| Mount McKinley, 2nd-Most Difficult In the World To Climb,
Highest In North America
|
|
| 
| 
|
| Savage Cabin -- Used By the Park Road Builders, Nails Are to Keep the
Bears From Knocking the Shutters Open. Bluebells Nearby
|
|
| 
| 
|
| This is Subarctic Tundra, and We Were Asked to Keep Our Eyes Open for Wildlife,
But a Chipmunk(!), and a Very Distant Caribou Will Have to Do!
|
|
The next stop was for a short talk By an Athabaskan. They are the largest group of native Alaskans, numbering about
200,000. The term "Eskimo" is considered somewhat belittling, and since there are many different Native
Alaskan Tribes, those living much farther North that most people would refer to as Eskimos are Inuits. The park
has a lot of vegetation, but most of it is severely stunted, and it sometimes takes 6 years to form a bud and 2
more for it to open!
| 
| 
|
| A Short Athabaskan Talk. He Mentioned the Spear & Snowshoes Made For Him
By His Grandparents, and His Nike Bag, Which Was Not!
|
|
| 
| 
|
| Sod-Roofed Restrooms
| 2 Mugs In the Back Of The Bus
| A Familiar Name on the Denali Busses
|
|
After the Denali tour, we were dropped off back at the Bluffs, and had lunch in the restaurant before being bussed back
to our Anchorage hotel. While the train ride up took 8 hours, it is mainly for sightseeing and the pace was leisurely,
with some stops. The bus will go faster and not make any stops, except hopefully for a restroom break! Not!
The bus made a stop almost as soon as we started -- at the Grizzly Bear Campgrounds. Maybe this will be the only bear
we will see!
| 
| 
|
| We Just Got Rolling, and a Stop Already!
| The Road and Railroad Cross a Few Times
| Stunted Spruce (Bottle Brush) Trees
|
|
The Bus ride back took only about 4½ hours, and we arrived in plenty of time for dinner. Actually, we had a
pool on when we would get back, and even though the bus driver just drove without comment, there was still plenty
of things to see, although by this time we are jaded, and take the great scenery for granted. The ride did include
a bathroom break at Trapper Creek, a gas station and general store. There was little traffic until we got near
Anchorage, and the bus was equipped with a speed monitor which beeped occasionally to force the driver to take his
foot off the accelerator! Since he had to maintain a safe speed, we had many vehicles pass us, and he had to slow down
even more to let a double trailer or two cut back in.
| 
| 
|
| The Sustina River
| The Road Back Parallels the Railroad We Took Up, and There Are Still Other Great Vistas
|
|
Right across the street from the hotel next to the Glacier Brewhouse that we ate in two nights ago was the upscale Orso
(Bear), and is run by the company that owns the brewpub, and has their beers on tap in addition to an excellent
Wine Spectator Award wine list.
| 
| 
|
| Anchorage Is On The Other Side of These Mountains
| Our Hotel the 1st Day & This Evening
| Dinner At Orso -- "Bear" in Italian!
|
|
Michele arrived at our room with the wine that was shipped by Rose's daughter for us -- 12 bottles, 3 bottles each
for the wine drinkers Clay, Pat, Michele, and Dick. Holland America allows Champagne and wine to be brought on board
with a $15 corkage fee if brought to the dining room. We drank some of it in our rooms, "Taking the edge
off", as Dick likes to say, and some at dinner. Our wine steward charged us only once (needless to say, he
got a good tip!), and we also paid the fee on the one night we went to the Pinnacles Dining room, the only surcharged
fancy restaurant on the Volendam.
Friday 06/29 Native Alaskan Heritage Center, Bus to Seward, Board Volendam
Our morning was spent at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, in Northeast Anchorage. Exhibits, films (one on
Denali!), and performances are shown in the main building, while some of the different Native American villages
are created around the nearby lake. It was interesting and entertaining, but the 3 or so hours spent there seemed
a little overkill. There must be some other interesting things to do in Anchorage, but we'll never know.
| 
|
| Our Morning Was Spent at the Elaborate Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage
|
|
| 
| 
|
| Alaska Native Heritage Center
| Alaska Native American High School Students Demonstrating Games and Traditional Dances
|
|
| 
| 
| 
|
| A Few of the Village Sites Representative of the 11 Distinct
Alaskan Native American Cultures
|
|
| 
| 
|
|
| Could Have Worn Shorts More Often
| Fuzz From the Cottonwood Trees All Over
|
|
We were driven back to the Holland America Hospitality Center where no one seemed to know that we (20 or so people)
had to be taken the 130 miles to board the Volendam at Seward! The representatives seemed sympathetic and said that
they could have a bus that we could board at 1 PM. It is after noon now, and we wanted to get some lunch. Finally
after some more haggling and "counter-productive comments" from some of the others, they agreed to have a
bus ready for us at 1:30. We were near our hotel, and the Glacier Brewhouse was suggested as a potential place for
lunch. However, the two of us went a few blocks in the other direction to Ginger, a very nice upscale Asian restaurant,
and with a request for speedy service, were back in plenty of time for the bus to the ship.
| 
| 
|
| Shorts For The Ship
| Alaska, Canada, United States On Building Top
| An "Articulated" Bus, Long with an Extra Set of Wheels, & Joint
|
|
The bus took off somewhat promptly, and went directly into the Anchorage Airport to pick up more people. They just
kept piling on and at that time we thought it was a regular 40 or so seat bus, but later found that it was an
"articulated coach" with a substantially increased capacity. The bus must have been scheduled to pick up
these people (why not us?), so this was just another place where ABC tours and Holland America were not communicating.
| 
| 
|
| The Ride From Anchorage to Seward Has Some Very Nice Views Also
|
|
We headed West out of Anchorage along the Turnagain arm of the Cooks Inlet of the Pacific Ocean. Then it was South
on the Seward Highway with a stop at an overlook with restrooms, and signs narrating the story of the early gold
rush sites. All in all, it was about a 3 hour ride and, as any road trip in Alaska, an attraction in itself. There are
a lot of road repair crews and some delays all over the highways that we used, as the repair season is short.
A lot of damage is caused by studded tires, as ADOT does not permit the use of salt because it attracts animals.
Surprisingly to us, vegetables grow very well in the short Summer because the sunlit days are 20 hours long!
| 
| 
|
| Canyon Creek Bridge, Early Gold Strike Site
| This is Snow in the Valley "Below" Us
| Finally, We Reach the Cruise Terminal
|
|
The early evening boarding was uneventful and even though the literature states the "Champagne & Wine are
Allowed", we were still a little leery. In our case, we each had two in the suitcases and one in the carry-on.
Dick brought his in a separate carrier, and nobody had a problem.
| 
| 
|
| Our First Time on Holland America
| The Aft Pool, Not Much Activity On This Cruise!
| Medium Size Ship, Not Fancy, Here the Atrium
|
|
Our cabin is the starboard-most and aft-most on the Verandah deck. It is a little larger than the others, as it is a
handicap room, and especially has a larger bathroom with the biggest grab-bar that we have ever seen. Since we were a
late sign-up because no Verandah was originally available, this was assigned at the last minute. Being on the corner
of the deck, our balcony is larger also, and we can look out aft and have a little port side view around the back also.
| 
| 
|
| Our Handicapped(!) Room, A Little Larger
| Pat On the Verandah, Cool Right Now
| A Glacier From Our Verandah, Right After Sailing
|
|
Dick also has a Verandah room at the other end of the ship, and although it is not a large ship with 1432 passengers,
it is still a good walk between them. We attended the mandatory life boat drill, nothing new except maybe a few more
photographers flitting around. We hosted the first wine get-together just before dinner. There was a free champagne
art party, probably to generate interest in the auctions to follow on later days, but only Clay attended, and it gave
him an extra ship familiarization tour of the ship. Susanne was not feeling well, and missed the first dinner, which
was very good, and bodes well for the remainder of the cruise. Usually the first night's show isn't much with only
a sampling of the entertainment and ship personnel giving short sales talks. We had a drink while listening to a
group called "Crossover" in the Oceans Lounge where we spent quite a bit of time during the cruise before
calling it a night
Saturday 06/30 Viewing the Hubbard Glacier
Today is a day at sea, although we will cruise near the Hubbard Glacier later. This is one of only two times that we
had breakfast in the dining room as we are usually time-constrained with a shore excursion, and we went to the buffet
all the other days. In the morning, we took the typical galley tour, although there seemed to be a little more
activity than on some of the others we've seen. The chef from Pinnacles, the surcharged gourmet restaurant,
hosted a cooking demonstration, preparing "Quenelles of Buffalo Mozzarella with Roasted Baby Beets and Fresh
Herb Salad" and "Pacific Northwest-Style Rockfish with Chardonnay Reduction", whew! The cruise
director acted as straight man and provided some humorous comment, and there were samples of the first preparation.
| 
| 
|
| The Galley Tour, Short and Sweet
| A Well-Attended Cooking Demonstration
| Dining Room Piano With a Phantom Pianist
|
|
After a nice lunch with Michele and Rose, we gathered in our room for a Glacier/Wine party, ordering a couple of
cheese trays from room service, and waiting for the glacier to appear. Long before that happened, we started to see
"icebergs" that got more numerous as we went on.
| 
| 
|
| Icebergs(!), We Must Be Getting Close. Actually, We See These For a Good Portion of
an Hour Before We Get Close to the Glacier
|
| 
| 
|
| Blue Is the Only Color Reflected (In the Ones Without All the Crud)
|
|
| 
| 
|
| Mountain Near the Glacier
| Making Good Use Of the Time While Waiting for the Glacier
|
|
Finally, the ship got close to the glacier, maneuvering so both sides get a good view, and we don't have to leave
our room. There was some calving, as was evidenced by all the chunks of ice that we saw for miles, and we did see
some small pieces breaking off, maybe the lower quarter of the wall, but virtually impossible to get on a digital
camera, so you'll have to take our word for it!
We had dinner with everyone, it was the first of the two formal nights, and Susanne was starting to feel better. After
dinner, we headed to the theater for the show, and were handed flutes as the Captain's Champagne Toast was
just finishing up. We thought we would miss that completely. The show was "Gold", with recent pop hit
singers and dancers, a typical cruise ship presentation.
Sunday 07/01, Icy Strait Point
Monday 07/02, Skagway
Tuesday 07/03, Juneau
Wednesday 07/04, Ketchikan
Thursday 07/05 At Sea
We had breakfast in the buffet. There was a little motion for a couple of hours in the morning as we are a little
farther out to sea. We tried to get boarding passes for the flight home over the internet, but were unsuccessful as
it was probably too early.
Not wanting to repeat the previous day's wine fiasco, we bought the house wine at a bar (this time for $19) and took
it to the buffet for lunch.
| 
| 
|
| Cellar Master Running the Wine Tasting
| Ceiling in the Main Dining Room
| Our Table At the Tasting
|
|
We went to the typical ship wine tasting with Michele, Rose and Dick hosted by the "Cellarmaster". There
was a Caliterra Sauvignon Blanc, a Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, a Ravenswood Shiraz/Grenache/Mouvedre, and a Chianti.
He mentioned the usual tasting techniques, with a few humorous comments, including one where he made fun of himself
by terming his talks "just so much bullshit!" There was another lady at our table which left two unoccupied
seats and, at the end of the tasting, the servers left us the whites from one of them. Big whoops!
| 
| 
|
| Today is Pretty Warm and Calm Again
| In the Elevators, Somebody is Busy at 12:01 AM
| This is Canadian Scenery
|
|
| 
| 
|
| Still Great Views At Sea All Day, This is Probably Vancouver Island
|
|
Pat tried getting boarding passes, but couldn't even though it was within the 24 hours. At the airport the next day,
they said that it had to be within 12 hours! We had one last wine party in our room with Michele and Dick.
Pat called Air Canada, got seat assignments, and probably got a confirmation!
| 
| 
|
| Guest Messing With the Sun Shade
| Asst. Waiter, Wine Steward, Head Waiter
| Everyone, Including the Maitre d'
|
|
After dinner, we went to the Oceans Bar for one last set with the Crossover group
Friday 07/06 Vancouver, Bus to Airport, Flights to Toronto & Newark, Van to Michele's, Drive Home
| 
| 
|
| Noticed This While Disembarking
| Vancouver Harbor, West Vancouver On Right
| Stanley Park, 1000 Acres Adjacent to Vancouver
|
|
| 
| 
|
| We Did Canadian Customs Here. The Airport is South On the Other Side of Town
| This Will Be the Vancouver Convention Center
|
|
We arrived in Vancouver about a half hour early. They say you can wait in your room before disembarking, but the room
stewards want you out so they can get the room ready for the next cruise, and we went to the Oceans Lounge to wait.
We were there only about a half hour, picked up our luggage, went through an easy customs, but then waited in line
about an hour for the bus.
| 
| 
|
| Air Canada is Big In Vancouver
| Toronto, Almost Home. Interesting Art in the Terminal,
Boxes On the Right Are Floating!
|
|
We had about a 45 minute ride from the cruise terminal through downtown Vancouver to the airport on the other side.
The driver pointed out the sights, and was very humorous, making fun of his Canadian accent. There was
confusion in the airport, with us bypassing the kiosks and going directly to a person. One said that we had to
go back to the kiosks, an adjacent one said to get in her line! This was another place where we needed some
guidance from a tour representative. Security seemed a little more intense with a guy even taking Clay's little
notebook and flipping through the pages.
We had lunch with a local beer and Canadian wine! The plane was a half-hour late leaving, and there was no meal
on board, so we guessed correctly. We had a couple of the small bottles of wine, a French white and red. It was a
smooth flight and we had to schlep our bags and do U.S. customs in Toronto!
In Toronto, we again had something to eat and waited an extra hour as the plane was late arriving from Chicago. It
was only a little over an hour flight to Newark, our limo was waiting and we had a smooth ride to Michele's and Rose's,
and then home. It was a great trip, except for the lack of assistance from ABC tours at the transportation points.
