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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 19

    Wildlife Tour - Sitka Style

    August 14, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Quick brekkie then down to the dock through the drizzle to meet up with Paul. There were six of us all together.
    The objective of this tour was to observe the local wildlife and that we did. That the tour took us through stunning scenery, all be it in the rain, was the cream on the top.
    Our 5 hour tour extended to 8 as Paul endeavoured to fulfil our bucket lists of animals to see.My list had three main players - whales, otters and puffins. The weather had blown up two days ago, dispersing the krill schools and thus breaking up the pods as the whales went in search of their dinner. The outcome of this turn in events was that the whale were elusive. We had sightings early in the trip and on our way back - lots of spout, a tail showing before the plunge to the deep and one surfacing almost directly under our boat. There was a zodiac near us at the time, the only other tour group that we saw out that day, and we had thought that they were in danger of the whale surfacing under them. Paul had circled out wider to fine the whale room but as it turned out it was us the that could have gone bottom up.
    The sea otters did not disappoint. The smaller groups were a bit skittish as we approached but the larger groups (or rafts) had safety in numbers and were not put off by us in the least. Cute, cute, cute. They roll themselves in the long strands of kelp that grow up from the seabed and tuck it in under their armpits. Thus anchored they are safe to sleep, scratch, laze around and generally have a relaxing time. They'd stare up at us with looks that clearly stated, "and what do you think you're looking at".
    Although the seas were abating the trip out to St Lazaria Island was across open rolling seas so Paul checked that we were all good to go the distance. Thankfully no-one was threatening seasickness. St Lazaria is an amazing basalt island, summer home to many species of birds. If I was a twitcher I could list them. But unfortunately I can only name a few. The stars of the bird populations were the crested puffins, on the endangered list and only found in the wild in this area of Alaska. I perhaps shouldn't be quoted on that last fact, but they are definitely on the endangered list. Among the other birds we saw were blue necked herons and cormorants.
    Paul supplied a light lunch of smoked salmon dip that he had made, crackers, Brie, cashews and olives. It hit the spot nicely!
    Back on land it was a quick dash to the nearest facilities as we had been eight hours on the water without a loo.
    Another amazing day and another must do in Alaska ticked.
    We met up with Steve and Ruth for dinner down at the The Sitka hotel. Full of locals it had a nice atmosphere.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 19

    The Journey - Wildlife tour.

    August 14, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    This footprint is dedicated to the scenery of the wildlife tour. The scenery around Sitka is like everywhere else we have seen so far in south east Alaska - drop dead stunning. No complaints from me - love it here. In the waters around Sitka there are many small islands that are privately owned with their own little jetties. Though many are holiday homes for southerners some are inhabited by locals who leave their vehicles at the dock in Sitka for when they are in town.
    The day saw us travelling through Bonsai Canal, in and out many islands, close to salmon spawning creeks and out to St Lazaria island. In the distance we witnessed the island on Mitnof Island. It was shrouded in cloud so I was hoping to get e clearer shot on the way back. Well you know the saying, "a bird in the hand......" - missed that one. Saw nothing at all on the way back - the invisible volcano.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 20

    Sitka to Petersburg

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

    A little sleep in this morning. Breakfast at eight, checkout at eleven, store the bags for the duration and off exploring the area with Steve and Ruth.
    First stop the Raptor Centre, then the hatchery which has a small aquarium of rock shelf dwellers. Lunch was at Tokyo - no sushi for me! The meal was ok but definitely tasted better Japanese before.
    The Raptor Centre was interesting.They rescue injured raptors, treat them and, if possible, after bird physio, relaxes a them back into the wild. Of course there are some that can never be and they live out the rest of their lives in relative bird luxury. Those who can't be released are those that have sustained injuries that that prevent them from being able to live back in the wild. Altercations with cars was one of the main causes for this. Highways offer clear spaces to swoop down on prey but a speeding car will always win over a bald eagle. Kily, the Hawke we met in our briefing was imprinted with humans so, although never injured, could never be released into the wild
    Returned to our hotel with plenty of time up our sleeves - luckily as the sailing time of our ferry had been brought forward to suit the tide and we ended up just in time to get our shuttle out to the terminal.
    Tonight is an overnighter so we have a stateroom again and we arrive in Petersburg before sparrow's fart in the wee hours of the morning. Our hostess at the BnB has said that it is the norm and she will be up to greet us and show us to our room. Dedication - we will be there at 4.30am.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 21

    Petersburg

    August 16, 2017 ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    Early to bed early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy and wise........ perhaps not. Anyways we arrived just before 4.30am and dragged our sorry selves a short distance to our BnB. As promised Sammy had gotten up and was sitting in her dressing gown in the kitchen awaiting our arrival. It was straight into our room and straight back to bed. Paying for the night before was a a sensible option (despite hoping the minimise costs), otherwise we would have been able to leave our bags, but, be wandering the town in the dark and the wet with nothing to do for the next 5 hours at least. That had not been an enticing idea. Up again at 8 we headed into the kitchen for a leisurely breakfast and chinwag with other guests and Sammy and Leroy, our hosts. Leroy is 81 and Sammy probably no a lot younger - a fair innings to be running a BnB.
    The Waterfront BnB as its name suggests is right on the waterfront behind the ferry jetty. Our room, at the front to the house, overlooks the water. The tides are amazing here. At low tide the rocks and weed extend almost out to the ferry jetty. The rock shelf must drop just past that point as the ferries seem to be able to come in on any tide but need to reverse out when the tide is low.
    The rain today was pretty consistent but with wet weather great donned and brollies up we headed into town.
    Petersburg is the town that fish built, a town of roughly 3,000 that swells to 5,500 during the salmon season. Itinerant workers come from all over the lower states to work in the town's 3 canneries. Of course to have fish enough to keep the canneries in business there is also a huge fishing fleet. Like Wrangell, Petersburg has said no to the larger cruise ships so the small town has retained its integrity as a working town. It certainly smells fishy wherever you walk once you enter the downtown area.
    Walked back into town in the evening for dinner at the Mexican shack.Yes, literally a small shack roughly built. No vegetarian options as such but the owner was happy to make vegetarian chimichangas for us and it was delicious.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 22

    Another rainy day in Petersburg

    August 17, 2017 ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    The set time for breakfast is 8am. This morning we had one other guest us, Judy. Leroy joined us at the table and we had a funny conversation with him, politically incorrect perhaps but entertaining none the less. Leroy's terminologies are very outdated for our modern times, when it is best to err on the side of caution when speaking about peoples of different races. But nothing he said was said with malice and we certainly did not take any offence. And at 81 perhaps you should be able to speak your mind without others taking the moral high ground. Leroy is very tall and tends to walk with a lumbering limp. He could possibly have had polio when he was younger. When I envisage an Alaskan old timer, or sourdough, I think a similar image to that of Leroy would come to mind. A big man with a three day growth, jeans hitched with braces and a checked flannel shirt. His speech is a rumbly, relatively slow drawl.
    Well today it was pouring. I chose Petersburg so that we could do some hiking along the narrows and through the forests but this weather is best suited for ducks and bears so I chose a book from the small library in the lounge and we spent the morning in, just relaxing. And if relaxing it has to be our room or the lounge are nice places to be, looking out over the water watching the comings and goings of the Petersburg water traffic.
    We headed into town in the afternoon for another wander and to try the Salty Pantry. So glad we were told about this little gem - good vegetarian options but lousy coffee. It closes at 4.30pm so we had lunner (lunch/dinner).
    One of the older locals has an impressive collection of old fish can labels which a Norwegian company have copied and used the design to make bins for somewhere in Norway. The local
    I have not been able to take many photos over the last two days due to the inclement weather. Hopefully I will have better luck tomorrow.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 23

    A Break in the Weather

    August 18, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today is our last day in Petersburg and thankfully the rain has let up at least temporarily. So after breakfast we hit the streets, hopefully to see as much as possible while the weather lasts.
    Of course by the time we entered downtown it was time for coffee and cake. Once refuelled we were off again and the rain was still behaving itself.
    We headed up the hill out of town to a look out that I had read gave good views back to town and of Frederick Sound. Well ...... that was before the trees grew. Nowadays it would be a lovely peaceful place in the sun, should it be sunny. But no views. So with no stunning vistas of the town or sound to be had we walked down to Sandy Beach and walked along the pebbles for a while.
    Returning to the downtown area, we visited the local museum, just a small museum with references to their Tlingit and Norwegian heritage. The short film, "The Town that Fish Built" or words to that effect was excellent. Love learning about the histories of the areas we visit. On exiting the museum, the brollies were back in action as surprise, surprise, the rain was back.
    Lunner once again at Salty Pantry    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 24

    Petersburg to Juneau

    August 19, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    We arrived in Petersburg to light showers, it drizzled for most of the time that we were there and we left with light showers so if nothing else the weather was consistent.
    Back on my favourite ferry to date, the Matanuska. It is another over nighter so it was time to sit back, relax and enjoy the changing scenery, What a relaxing way to travel. I am very much enjoying the Marine Highway and the Alaskan ferry system. It was a good choice for us. It was a shame about the weather in Petersburg as I had hoped that we would do a bit of forest hiking but you don't get to choose the weather and thems the breaks.Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 25

    A Feather Bed and Mendenhall Glacier.

    August 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌫 10 °C

    We arrived is Juneau around mid-day. Unlike outside most Australian transport hubs and for that matter most other places to which we have travelled there rarely are taxis or buses waiting at ferry terminals in Alaska. There are courtesy phones available at the terminals for acquiring transport either public or hotel shuttles but I didn't seem to have a lot of luck using the one here in Juneau. It kept telling me I was making a long distance phone call and that that was not allowed. On to my mobile and a quick call to our hotel and a shuttle was on its way. Once the shuttle arrived it was quickly full and we were to wait until the driver returned. Our hotel's company had two hotels near each other and it appeared that tonight they were going to be full. While waiting we chatted to a delightful young local and eventually we were on our way to Grandma's Feather Bed.
    Grandma's Feather Bed, yes, that was the name of the hotel I had chosen. And why had I made that choice. Well two reasons - one because it is out of town not too far from the both the ferry terminal and Mendenhall Glacier and the other reason? The name of course. Who could not resist sleeping at Grandma's Feather Bed.
    The room was very comfy if not a tad unusual. The shower recess was a glassed enclosure opening directly into the room. No body secrets between Neil and I and just as well. The shower hid nothing! It was also a fancy spa shower that came sans instructions. Neil and I both ended up having a luke warm shower due to not knowing how to operate it!
    Once settled we called a taxi and headed for Mendenhall Glacier. This glacier is perhaps one of the more readily accessible glaciers and hence was being visited by the masses. That, however, in no way diminished the magnitude, majesty or beauty of the glacier. Of course the rain although absent for a brief period while we were first wandering the tracks around the glacier returned and we beat a hasty retreat before we were drenched.
    For dinner we walked in the rain to a nearby restaurant/sports bar. On our return I decided that I knew a short cut! The return journey was a lot longer than it should have been and the rain got heavier!    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 26

    Juneau to Skagway

    August 21, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Our stay in Juneau for the time being was just a brief one. Today we returned to the ferry terminal early in the morning to reboard the Malaspina bound for Skagway.
    We reunited with Ruth and Steve for our final leg together. The ferry time had been rescheduled to an earlier time. Ruth and Steve were lucky that the ferry crew were having difficulty loading a few vehicles as they were unawares of the time change and arrived in the nick of time.
    We arrived late afternoon in Skagway, a cute little town in the Klondike National Park. A cute little town dwarfed by the huge cruise ships. This will be another town that will be good at the end of the day when the masses have returned to their ships for dinner. Mile Zero is our BnB just a short walk from downtown. Well I think anywhere in Skagway would be a short walk from downtown. She just isn't that big.
    Neil hurt his bad leg this afternoon getting the luggage down from the trolley and seems to have torn or strained his adductor longus, the muscle that stretches from the knee up the inside of the thigh to the groin and across to the hip. He doesn't seem to be able to win a trick at the moment.
    Dinner was Thai, near to Ruth and Steve's hotel.    Read more

  • Rambling BearsRambling North America
    Day 27

    Skagway

    August 22, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Skagway owes its fame to the Yukon gold rush days. When the gold fever was at its pitch every man and his dog who had been bitten by the bug would catch the steamships from Seattle to Skagway to then try and cross up over the mountains through either the Chilkoot Trail or White Pass enduring horrific conditions. The story is an amazing one and Skagway like all other gold rush towns through Alaska, California and Australia was a rough old place back in the day. It was a lawless frontier town ruled by the villainous Soapy Smith who was eventually killed in a gunfight by the town hero, Frank Reid.
    Now Skagway thrives during the tourist season, busy when the cruise ships are in town and virtually shuts down during the winter. A handful of diehard locals remain to keep the home fires burning, the seasonal workers go back home or to another seasonal job in warmer climes.
    The main street buildings have been renovated and restored to their former glory but repurposed. There is not such a need for brothels, saloons and mining equipment stores nowadays.
    Today we explored the creek behind the town where there are thousands of hump salmon spawning (haven't seen enough spawning salmon lol), crossed the river to hike to Yukutania Point, back through the town to the other end to see the gold rush cemetery and Reid Falls. We had had a relatively dry day today but leaving the falls the showers were back.
    Making our way up through the town with our dining options. Tonight the four of us dined at Olivia's Bistro in the Historic Skagway Inn. They have a beautiful garden at the side of the Inn where they grow a lot of their herbs and veggies.    Read more

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