MY VISIT

This trip may have been over two weeks long. Who cares though- it’s Alaska after all. 

I planned to go on a cruise/land tour of Alaska. The port for the cruise was, however, in Vancouver, Canada. After walking out of the airport (which was insanely clean, by the way) at the wonderful, totally not mind-numbing time of 2am, I caught a shuttle that brought me to the hotel I would be staying at for the night (or at least what was left of it). 

Since I got to Vancouver two days in advance (because missing the cruise would be horrible), I leisurely spent the next day checking into the next hotel and wandering around Granville Island Public Market. Ever since Seattle, I have kind of fallen in love with public markets like these. While they are very crowded, it is a great blend of cultures, and of course, delicious food. From poutine (it is Canada after all) to spring rolls (why not) to macarons (earl grey was my favorite) to gelato (I got passion fruit), I can honestly say that everything was amazing. Plus I got some homemade soap, so that was pretty cool. That night for dinner (yay, even more food), I ate at the hotel restaurant, Hendricks. I just got a Caesar salad, but it did have bacon bits, so it was above average. 

On my last day in Vancouver, I visited Stanley Park, which contained the Vancouver Aquarium. They had an amphibian exhibit, which had axolotls (I’ve never seen one in real life before)! One peaceful walk later I arrived at Teahouse in Stanley Park; I ordered the fish and chips, which were very good. To cap off the day, I saw the steam clock in Gastown, which was fun to watch (especially at the hour mark). 

The next day I boarded the ship Sapphire Princess, and basically just walked around and looked out at the ocean as we departed.

A day at sea followed departure day; and a pattern similar to the day before followed. Relax, look out at the open ocean, try some food, and I saw three (probably) porpoises.  

When Monday rolled around, I got off the ship in Ketchikan as early as possible so I wouldn’t miss my excursion, which was a rainforest nature walk in Totem Park. It was actually very interesting and immersive; our tour guide, Cari, was great, and she even picked up a banana slug and licked it! Some other people on the tour did as well, but I did not. I do not regret it. We also got to see the workshop where totem poles were carved and painted, and there were a lot of bald eagles (most of which were young). 

The first day of July, and a visit to the main reason I went to Alaska: Juneau, Alaska’s state capitol. The capitol building (which was different and yet exactly what you would imagine) had a surprising amount of art and history, portraying its scenery and how it became a state. I then took some photos with the liberty bell (it was in front of the capitol building), walked around a bit and visited a few gift shops. 

The ship arrived in (personally my favorite destination), Skagway, Alaska. The town was like one, big mainstreet, and had a really cute vibe. But simply touring the town wasn’t the only reason I got off the boat. I also had a two-part excursion booked; a salmon bake lunch in Liarsville followed by the Yukon Suspension Bridge. The salmon bake was really delicious, and it was obviously fresh (plus it was cooked right in front of your face). An hour bus ride and time change later, we were in Canada, but I’m still counting it as Alaska. The bridge itself looked out onto Mount Logan, the second highest major summit in North America, which was amazing to see! I have to admit that swaying in a bridge sixty-five feet above the white-water rapids of the Tutshi River was kind of scary, but the views distracted me from it. I also got my actual passport stamped, so that was pretty neat!

While we did not leave the ship the day after, the sights of Glacier Bay National Park were no less extraordinary than anything else I saw on the trip. It was oddly bittersweet knowing that the glaciers I observed will one day be gone, and being able to see them is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was like entering another world; I couldn’t even believe I was in the United States. No civilization; just nature. There were also sea otters. So many otters. 

Similar to the day prior, it was a day at sea. I did see a lot more wildlife and glaciers though. The highlight was College Fjord, and I was actually able to watch ice calving (ice bergs falling from glaciers into water), as well as hear it (it was quite loud). As the ship turned around, looking out onto where the ship previously entered seemed almost artificial. It was like a movie set; however, it was unmistakably real. 

Oh how time flies. I disembarked from the ship, and began an entirely new journey. One that focuses on the more inwards part of Alaska. Soon after leaving the port by bus, I arrived at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, with bears, wolves, foxes and more. I’ve never been so close to some of these animals before, so it was a really cool experience! Once we stopped at the first main location of Anchorage, I found out that my hotel room was not yet ready, so I ate lunch at Forty Ninth State Brewing, which was really great! Afterwards, since I was in Anchorage after all, I went on a trolley tour. It was about thirty minutes, and I learned a few pretty interesting things about the city, as well as Alaska in general. For example, 1 in 8 people in Alaska have and fly seaplanes, while only 1 in 22 are technically certified to do so (skills are usually passed down from family member to member). 

On the second day of the land tour, I spent the entire day at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, where I hiked trails, ate both lunch and dinner, and eventually (later that evening), watched the clouds clear in front of Denali. All I can say is that it was about ten times larger than I thought it would be. I mean, just wow. 

I spent the majority of my time the next day on a five hour train ride from Talkeetna to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, and I’m not complaining. The entire top half of the train was just a huge window, so I was able to listen to music and look out at the lovely Alaskan wilderness. At some point it started raining, which only added to the serene feeling. 

Soon after waking up, I quickly got on a bus to the Denali National Park and Preserve. The views of the scenery were absolutely amazing; I was even able to see some Ptarmigan (brown, quail-like birds), which was fun! After waiting in a long line, I hopped on another bus that took me to Denali dog kennels, and I was able to see a demonstration of the dogs pulling a person on a sled, as well as a recent litter of puppies (they were all so cute!). 

For my final destination of my tour of Alaska, I explored Fairbanks. I went on the Riverboat Discovery, which was fun and interesting! We were able to see how the original natives of Alaska lived, like how they dressed and prepared food (specifically catching fish/salmon). I even saw some reindeer (they unfortunately could not fly). That evening I arrived at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge, where I relaxed until the end of the day. 

On my final day in Alaska, I remained in Fairbanks, and passed time before my flight by walking around, eating lunch at Blue Roof Bistro (would recommend), and looking around the Morris Thompson Cultural And Visitors Center. See ya, Alaska!