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Rambling North America

July 2017 - January 2018
A 182-day adventure by Rambling Bears Read more
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  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 11

    Ketchikan, The First Town in Alaska

    August 6, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Arrived in Ketchikan at 7am in the morning and our Airbnb host was at the dock to pick us up which we thought was extremely thoughtful of her. She gave us a running commentary about the history of the town and points of interest all the way to our destination.
    Leaving our bags in Jayne's office as the studio needed to be vacated and cleaned, Jayne dropped us off at the local hotspot for breakfast. We were slowly learning that meal sizes in the US come in two sizes - super-size and massive, so we decided to share a plate of three blueberry pancakes. Big mistake, two pancakes would have been sufficient.
    Breakfast over we hit the streets. The haze was slowly lifting and it promised to be a warm day. Down to the docks to pick up some maps first before we get lost. Ketchikan is a town on the cruise route so luckily their are only 4 berths so at any one time there can only, "only", be four ships in town.
    So our wandering took us down the Main Street, along the docks to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Centre. Crossing over to Creek Street, Jayne called and gave us the all clear to move in. Our little studio is on a pier street. Part of the original town and now heritage listed, the building our studio is part of was a brothel right up to the 1970's when the current owners bought it. It was than their family home where they raised their children. 5 years ago they bought another home and covered their old home into Airbnb appartments. We have an amazing location right on the water and close to everything Ketchikan has to offer. So,moved in we did and once settled we headed out once again. We explored Creek Street, walked the Married Man's Trail to the Salmon Ladder, followed the creek upstream to watch the salmon spawning then onto the Totem Heritage Centre.
    The cruise ships leave late afternoon and Ketchikan chills out. Such a lovely town after the madding crowd has vacated.
    Dinner - chimichangas for two, Ketchikan style.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 12

    Totem Bight State Historical Park

    August 7, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We are certainly blessed with the weather. It has been another amazing day. The locals feel that it is a bit too hot but are happy that after a long wet summer they are finally having sunshine.
    Caught the local silver line bus out to Totem Bight. The numbers on the bus were reasonable and everyone was having a whole bus conversation until we hit the docks and were invaded with cruisers. Packed in like sardines we travelled out of town along the coastline of the island. Could have been a picturesque journey but as we were facing into the the sardine can we were unable to see a thing.
    At the park the wind was blowing in off the water and was quite cold. Jackets would have been a good accessory but we neglected to pack them in. The walk to the totem are was through forrest, beautiful but we needed to hit the sunny areas.
    Dinner was at the New York Cafe just down the road from our studio. We shared a vegetarian mezze plate and it was greatly enjoyed by both of us.
    I am trying to sample a different Alaskan beer each time I partake and I think that I can give the local beers the thumbs up.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 13

    On the move. Ketchikan to Wrangell.

    August 8, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    It was a reasonably early start to the day with check-in at the ferry terminal at 7.15am. This section of our ferry cruise is on the Matanuska.
    As Wrangell is just six hours away we put our luggage on the trolley so that that we did not have to worry about it till we reached Wrangell. We lunched on clam chowder then spent the remainder of the journey in the front observation room.
    Once in Wrangell our host, Barb, at Zimovia BnB picked us up, after delivering another Aussie couple back to the BnB, and whisked us back to our lodgings after a brief orientation tour of major sights. Two others issues, Stevie and Ruth, had been on the ferry with us but we only met when we disembarked. They are also spending the night at Barb's
    The BnB rooms as are on the ground floor of Mike and Barb's home and cute as. The Garnet Room is cute as, with ist's fishy theme and our own sauna room, and a kitchen bench with fridge, toaster, sink and two burner top-plate. Compact but comfy. Breakfast supplies are supplied. Because the weather is continuing to be ideal Ruth and Mike are running away to camp for a few days on a nearby island so we are in charge! Promotion comes quickly.
    Wrangell - love at first sight. A gem of a town reminiscent of an old Australian coastal town. With a population of just 3,000 it nestles between the hills and the coastline. Picture postcard perfect.
    Dinnertime we walked down to the Stikine Inn, perhaps the only viable option of a decent meal in such a small town unless we self catered. Of course there is a burger joint, a fish and chippery and the Not So Famous Pizza joint but I think we will probably pass on those.
    So if you are only going to have one decent restaurant option in town the Stikine Inn definitely fit the bill and will be our dining venue of choice for the next four nights. We will work our way through the menu. Not a lot of vegetarian options but a good range of seafood selections. Tonight - shared calamari with sweet chilli sauce and beetroot, spinach, walnut and feta salad.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 14

    Wrangell

    August 9, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    The summer weather is continuing with bright sunny skies and a pleasant temperature. We are in love with Wrangell. It is a small working town of about 3000 people living in the area. Although they get small cruise ships they said no to the big liners taking over their town and maintained their integrity. It is typical of any small town where everyone knows everyone else in the town. They are friendly and have time to stop and chat and don't mind to stop and chat either.
    We took a slow stroll down the hill and walked the Main Street to see Sylvia at Alaska Vistas but since she was out at the observatory we checked in for the following day and went for coffee and pumpkin and walnut bread at the Stikine Inn. The two girls serving were highly amused with Neil and his antics.
    From there it was a short stroll to the museum. Only small it was a very interesting museum giving the history of the area and the town's growth. Wrangell was the only town in Alaska to be ruled by four nations - the Tlingit, the Russians, the English , and the USA. Wyatt Earp was a temporary Marshall here for 10 days when he and his wife were on their way to the Klondike to seek their fortunes. He declined the offered full time position and many locals feel that Wrangell was to wild for Wyatt. Josie, Wyatt's common law wife, described it as a godless hole. It was bit of a rough old town back in the true frontier days.
    In the afternoon we walked over the hill from where we are staying to walk through the muskeg, which are mossy bogs found in Northern America. I expected the bog to be similar to wetlands but they were not in any way similar. The bogs tend to be acidic and trees grow to a lesser height to elsewhere but it still seemed like Forrest to me and was a great walk communing with nature.
    Dinner at the Stikine Inn. Neil - fish tacos and me chowder and salad.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 15

    The Journey

    August 10, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I could just say that today day was all about the bears but that would not be entirely true. There was nothing about today that was not totally enjoyable.
    I had planned and booked this tour in December last year so it was way up there on our wish list of what to do in Alaska.
    Another stunner of a day so we were off to a flying start. We had a full boat with Neil an,d I Steve Ruth, a family of four ( two grandparents, a lad and mum), three older Americans, three photographers who were heading up to a cabin in the Tongass National Forrest for five days, two guides, Denny and Robert and Sylvia, the head chief and our jet boat driver.
    The journey up there and back was stunning, pristine untouched wilds. Sylvia stopped at various places where she or one of her guides would give us history/nature facts about the area we were travelling through. They were very knowledgeable about the area. It was interesting and often entertaining.
    Our nature spotting along the way - deer, harbour seals and a whale. I was too slow to get a photo of the whale but we saw several spouts and his tale as he went down and out of our sight.
    The trip was roughly one and a half hours each way.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 15

    Tongass National Forrest

    August 10, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Once we arrived at the mouth of Anan Creek Sylvia beached the jet boat and we commenced our walk through the forest to the observatory. The Tongass National Forest is temperate rainforest. Through the trees we could see the estuary of the creek. It was low tide and a juvenile brown was catching salmon in the shallow waters. The area is stunning and the colours in the forest so lush. The hills in the area are granite and there is not a lot of ground so as fallen trees rot they become nursery logs for the germination and growth of new trees.Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 15

    A Bear Affair

    August 10, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    This is an amazing experience, one that I would highly recommend to anyone who is thinking of coming this way. The season for the excursion is a short one as it is only available while the salmon are running (Mid June to mid August). The observatory is placed above the rapids. There are decks looking downstream towards the estuary and upstream. There is also a hide built directly above the rapids. Once at the observatory you book yourself a time for the hide where there are only 6 people at any given time and you have 1/2 an hour. There was an abundance of black bears at the rapids and two juvenile browns who only ventured a little ways up the creek. The browns are king but a juvenile is lower down the pecking order to black adults. Amongst the browns we were fortunate to observe adults, juveniles and new season cubs. One of the younger juveniles had only been cast out by mum in the last few days and was now on his own to fend for himself. He had tried to argue the injustice with his mum but she had firmly clipped him across the mouth and sent him on his way. He was a miserable young chap. He had obviously watched mum demonstrate the art of salmon catching but the skill left him wanting. After many unsuccessful attempts he resorted to eating the rotting carcasses of the rejected meat.Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 16

    Last day in Wrangell

    August 11, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Our final day in Wrangell and I think we may have seen the last of the beautiful sunny weather. South East Alaska has now had nine sunny days straight so we have been lucky to experience it. Today is still warm but there is now a nip to the air and the clouds are building up. Today we had a quieter day and our rambles have taken us along the byways east of the township.
    Dinner at the Stikine Inn once again (there really aren't too many other options for a decent meal since burgers and pizza are not usually in our culinary vocab). Tonight we had a rerun of last nights octopus and hot potato salad - not shabby at all.
    We will be sad to leave Wrangell tomorrow. It is a beautiful town - small and super friendly. Half of the fun of being here has been talking to the locals. Town life is relatively slow, all the locals know each other and they are only too happy to stop and have a chat with you.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 17

    Wrangell to Sitka

    August 12, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Ruth dropped us off at the ferry where we met up with Steve and Ruth once again. They are heading to Sitka as well. Once again we are on the Matanuska this time with a stateroom as we have an overnighter arriving in Sitka early, very early in the morning. We have a two bunk room this time - less room than the four bunker of course but more than adequate for our needs. The cafe on this ferry has a better range of food to the Malaspina - the serving area is along one side so appears larger and the choice is greater. Not that the vegetarian options are abundant but they are adequate. We had a longer than expected stopover in Petersburg due to mechanical problems do our arrival time in Sitka has been put back two hours - oh what a shame. We get to sleep two hours longer! From the dock in Petersburg we were able to see the BnB where we will be staying when we return in a few day time. We will be doing a bit of back tracking as I had to foot the towns in around the ferry timetable.Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 18

    Lazy Sunday in Sitka.

    August 13, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Arrived around 7am. Steve and Ruth have hired a car for their stay here so they gave us a lift from the Terminal into town. Time for breakfast. It's Sunday, no cruise ships will be in town and the pickings are slim! Had thought that we might have to resort to maccas but they were closed for renovations. Subway then? Desperation sets in when it is early in the morning and the stomach is growling. However, next time ignore the growling tummy and give Subway a wide berth. Edible is was, but, barely.
    The Sitka Super 8 had our room available when we arrived so we were able to move in early.
    It's drizzling today but not too heavy to explore the down town area.
    Late lunch/early dinner at the Bayview Bar.    Read more

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