Back onboard - Update June 6, 2006
Update – ALASKA! June 5, 2006
Summer 2006 is starting out on a cold and soggy note. We began our first cruise sailing north from Vancouver on the 24th of May; temperatures have been brisk with highs in the mid-50’s! I was forced to make an early visit to the ship’s launderette as I exhausted my supply of thick socks and heavy pants within the first few days! According to my friends in Southeast Alaska winter came late this year and refuses to leave. Normally by June we would see the bright fuchsia blossoms of the fireweed budding out – so far not a trace! However, all is not lost – the lilacs are blooming and the cottonwood trees are lush with bright leaves. The air is filled with the fragrance of yet another Alaskan spring!
So what’s new up here? Other than yet more jewelry stores, progress is taking its time getting to Southeast Alaska.
- Ketchikan is continuing to enhance its city streets; after the completion of the new bi-pass road, Tongass Avenue is being widened. Good news is that now that the heavy machinery is gone from the hillside, the eagles are back in numbers I’ve never seen before. Today I was in a third-floor office along Tongass Avenue and watched as dozens of eagles soared past the windows one after another. I asked the person whose office I was visiting how she was able to get any work done with that kind of acrobatics out the window. I think the binoculars on the window-sill were an indication that even she as a local could not ignore the show!
- Juneau is also investing in its ongoing beautification. Portions of downtown have been made more “pedestrian friendly” with widened sidewalks and round-abouts to slow traffic. For me what is most conspicuous is the amount of new construction across Gastineau Channel on Douglas Island. Huge homes are springing up making the town of Douglas the place to live in the greater Juneau area.
- Skagway looks a like it had a hard winter; many buildings are in need of a fresh coat of paint which is unusual for this notoriously well-groomed little town. I did notice however that the famous, historic Arctic Brotherhood building has been cleaned which probably was a major feat. The building dates back to the Klondike Gold Rush when supposedly only those who had successfully crossed the White Pass or Chilkoot Trails were eligible for membership. The façade is made from small pieces of driftwood donated by Brotherhood members. Over the years the driftwood has darkened with age and dirt from the increasing traffic. Today it is silvery white. The only way I know to clean wood like that is to blast it with a high-tension water hose; however, I can’t imagine them doing that with that fragile, historic mosaic of wood. I guess it will be my mission next week to find out how the building was cleaned! Among the other changes, the health food store “You Say Tomato” has relocated to 21st and Main and now includes a bakery with glazed pumpkin cookies that rival those of the now defunct Mabel Smith’s. If you’ve never had one you must try this local tradition – you can justify the cookie by the calories burned in the walk! (At least I do!)
- Sitka has not yet succumbed to the building of a cruise pier in Silver Bay, so for the time being the town remains its authentic and charming self. The only addition since last season is the opening of the new location of Stereo North. For me the best experience in town is still a walk to the airport for a slice of Alaska’s freshest and finest pie! If you’ve never had “Fruits of the Forest” this is also an Alaskan must – everything in season from rhubarb to berries!
- Yakutat Bay and Hubbard Glacier are alive and well. I am happy to see nothing dramatically different. Because of the colder temperatures spring snow still covers the lower slopes of the mountains and the flanks of the glacier. Once that is melted away I will give you my assessment of the situation.
Speaking of Yakutat Bay; year after year I watch as our pilots disembark the ship at Survey Point to spend the next few days in the town of Yakutat before they once again join us on our southbound cruise. I have often wondered what the town was like; well last week our Tlingit guests were telling us about the bears and moose in town and how much fun it is this year… as I sat listening with yearning, the Captain said, “Next week, Terry, why don’t you go? We will pick you up when we come back from Whittier.” I could not believe it – so, I am going to go! Next week I will disembark on the pilot boat, be taken to town where I will stay two days before re-boarding the ship. I hope to rent a car or catch a ride out to Russell Fjord, to the dump (to watch bears!), and out to one of the many world-famous surfing beaches – no joke! – surfing beaches! You need a very thick dry suit – but wacky surfers from as far as Australia to Alaska to surf! So with the next installment of Terry’s Tips, I’ll let you know what it was like hanging out in Yakutat! Until then, see you around the ship!