2012 July 6-20 Alaska Land and Cruise Adventure Review with LOTS of photos!

[WalleyeLJ]

Here are a few shots of the interior of the cabin or the Badly Bent, as well as a couple when we were sheltering from the "brisk" winds...

 

 

 

The lunch room...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Float, float, float your boat (and your passengers if needed!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step up to the fighting deck...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev & I in our Alaska Fishing Camouflage Rain Gear

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev trying to keep Dad warm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capt Joe told us a couple of stories that I would have loved to have had photos of. Skagway is a very small town - less than 6,000. Haines is 16 or so miles away by water - but something like 475 by road (at least you CAN drive there if you really had to and couldn't take the Alaska State Ferries). Juneau is 80+ air miles, a bit further on the water - plus you can't drive to Juneau. Which brings us back to the ferries...

 

 

 

 

 

 

A town as small as Skagway has exactly one grocery/all purpose store, which creates a bit of a monopoly and minimizes options. So, after the summer season but before the winter weather rolls in, a whole bunch of folks in town all get together, rent the biggest U-Haul truck they can get, and pile on the Ferry to travel to Juneau and Ketchikan, or even Washington State to clean out Costco/Sam's Club (I can't remember which). Cows are also hard to come by, so Capt Joe will often split an order and have a half or a whole cow shipped north from the lower 48. On the multiday trip, they all stay in the atrium area on the ferry, where they all sleep/live on the several day trip down and back, right up to pitching tents and sleeping on the atrium or right on the deck. They eat, party and have a grand time, treating it as much as a mini vacation as a necessity.

 

He also said that he'll sometimes make smaller runs on the Badly Bent with a couple of friends. They hunt and fishing their way down and back, using the boat as an open air freezer. He said by the time they get back to Skagway, they'll have 4-6 mountain goats and a dozen or so deer piled up all over the front and sides of the boat, with roughly a ton of halibut between them piled in the main fishing area - with the cabin below stuffed tot he gills with baby formula, wipes and diapers! Now THAT would be a photo!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

While we have not tried it yet, helicopter flights up into the Juneau Ice Field are very popular with many Alaska cruise visitors. Juneau seems to be the most common place to do this, with TEMSECO and other companies flying back and forth between Juneau and the face of Mendenhall Glacier all day long like noisy dragonflies. I asked Capt Joe about the helicopters in Skagway and he said that they go to the same areas as the Juneau flights, just from a different direction. So, if you wondering about a trade of in Juneau to get in a glacier trek or dog sledding experience, Skagway gives you another chance to set that up and do something else in Juneau if you'd like. Here are some shots of the helicopters flying in and around Skagway. As you'll see below, the heliport is right on the waterfront on the left side/Ore Dock side of the harbor.

 

 

 

Leaving Skagway...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming back in!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I noticed and comment to Capt Joe about the fact that there were always at least two, often three, and sometimes four helicopters leaving and arriving at the same time. He explained to us that all the pilots had to sign off on each other's fuel levels before every leg of every trip. We asked why, and he said that a few years back they had a problem with pilots trying to squeeze in extra trips for bonus money, and that several crashed after running out on fuel. He said the locals actually had a spot called "Helicopter Falls" because of how many helicopters splashed down in that particular location trying to get back to Skagway on low fuel. I assumed people must have died but he said that amazingly enough, no one did, although there were a number of injuries, several serous/critical. Since the new system was put in place - no more Helicopter Falls!

 

On second thought, maybe we'll go out of Juneau after all...

 

Just kidding! I thought it was very honest for him to describe the situation, and it obviously was addressed quickly or the whole concept would have had to have been shut down. Anyways, hopefully some of that info will be helpful to folks trying to figure out the best way to get up onto the glaciers...

 

 

 

L.J.

[DizzyDallasDi]

While we have not tried it yet, helicopter flights up into the Juneau Ice Field are very popular with many Alaska cruise visitors. Juneau seems to be the most common place to do this, with TEMSECO and other companies flying back and forth between Juneau and the face of Mendenhall Glacier all day long like noisy dragonflies. I asked Capt Joe about the helicopters in Skagway and he said that they go to the same areas as the Juneau flights, just from a different direction. So, if you wondering about a trade of in Juneau to get in a glacier trek or dog sledding experience, Skagway gives you another chance to set that up and do something else in Juneau if you'd like. Here are some shots of the helicopters flying in and around Skagway. As you'll see below, the heliport is right on the waterfront on the left side/Ore Dock side of the harbor.

 

That's interesting about the Skagway and Juneau helicopter trips going to the same area. I took a ship sponsored helicopter excursion with TEMSCO out of Skagway and we landed on Meade Glacier. I have no idea if Meade is nearby, related to or a part of Mendenhall, but it was a totally awesome experience. This is the fashionable footwear TEMSCO gives you to walk around on the glacier. :D

 

[WalleyeLJ]

That's interesting about the Skagway and Juneau helicopter trips going to the same area. I took a ship sponsored helicopter excursion with TEMSCO out of Skagway and we landed on Meade Glacier. I have no idea if Meade is nearby, related to or a part of Mendenhall, but it was a totally awesome experience. This is the fashionable footwear TEMSCO gives you to walk around on the glacier. :D

 

 

Most excellent! - I assume the bottom is crampon or spiked/cleated?

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

For those of you who are fans of The Proposal, and remember the part of the movie where she's so worried about her cell phone call that the eagle comes and snatches the family's little puppy, I've got more Skagway story. We were talking about living with wildlife in the area, including eagles. Capt Joe was talking about how there was a local spot for visitors to camp park their RVs, and that a couple who was visiting for a bit of an extended period of time had a tiny dog with them. Well, at one end of the area there was a nesting pair of eagles that made their home there. While they usually were outside with their dog, they sometimes let it out on its own. Some folks warned them that it wasn't safe to do with the eagles so close, but they did it anyway - likely thinking it was a an urban(rural) legend. Well, one day, the little dog was outside, and down swooped one of the eagles and plucked up the dog, who unlike the puppy in The Proposal, did not make it home safely.

 

One last thing we confirmed was that high school sports - and education itself, was a big deal in much of Alaska. While Skagway was too small to field a football team, they did have basketball and volleyball teams, and just like in Juneau, they travelled (flew mostly) all over the state in order to play other schools. Capt Joe also said that education was very important to the community. He said each teacher taught a whole grade (all the subjects), and that they had to have a Masters Degree at a minimum, and that within 3-5 years they were required to get their PhD. In exchange they were paid in excess of $100,000 a year. In addition, scholarships were set up for all children in town to be able to go to college after completing high school. Even with the extra cost of living in Alaska, that shows a strong commitment to the education of future generations rarely seen elsewhere.

 

Our full day of fishing over, we headed back to the harbor to make our way back onto Radiance. A long 6 minute run later, we were docked. We grabbed a few photos with Capt Joe and the Badly Bent before we headed ashore. We had a great time with Capt Joe, who worked hard all day to find us fish. Not just in terms of navigating the boats, but constantly trying new depths, lures and rigs. Weather was out of his control, but other than that it was a terrific day on the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three shots that were too widespread to stitch together as a panoramic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

I took this shot as we left the Small Boat Harbor area. It looks like riding your bike to work on the docks is more popular than driving (or ALOT of folks were going to hold up the security line getting back on the ship)!

 

 

 

 

 

A view down Railroad Dock towards Radiance - as you can see, for those going on the White Pass Railroad, the train is right there. It was the same setup when we were on the other side at Ore Dock in 2009, which is nice considering they are the biggest tourism game in town by far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we still had a few hours in Skagway before heading out, we were beat, some once back on the ship, we didn't leave. Here are a couple of shots of the MDR menu that night:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ate around 6pm, went to the early show at 7:45pm, and then tried our luck at the $3 blackjack table (big gamblers we are eh?). 90 minutes later we were...

 

 

$2 ahead...

 

So we tipped our dealer all our winnings, and headed to bed. Next stop, Icy Straight Point! Who knows what we'll find there...

 

 

 

L.J.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Most excellent! - I assume the bottom is crampon or spiked/cleated?

 

L.J.

 

That's right, the bottoms had some sort of anti-slip thingies (technically speaking :)) on them and they worked very well. I remember thinking someone should make tires with those thingies on them. :D

[Linda the Book Lover]

Long day at work and feeling like the kitchen is a "dark place not to be entered". Oh to be on a cruise right about now. Just reading the menu makes me faint:D

[LEtue]

I just keep coming back to this thread over and over again because I can't get enough!

 

I just booked cabin 7592 for a cruise in 2014 and thought I remember you mentioning that was your cabin. Did you post pictures or it and how did you like it?

[PAHORNER]

OMG, I have had the most wonderful morning reading about your trip, unfortunately the real world is awaiting me and I have to stop on page 9, but I'll be back this afternoon. The pictures, the pictures, the pictures, what can you say, I gasped, sighed and even cried, so beautiful, bear pixs, BABY MOOSE, Homer at night, they are lovely. I can't wait to get back to this. Big thanks!!!

[knukruzer]

LJ - we be missing our pic a day...... :eek: :D ;)

[PAHORNER]

Came back and finished my reading, LOVED IT. The Skagway fishing pictures were a delight, sooooo jealous, My husband and I fished with Dockside Charters early 2010, entirely too early to catch any fish but well worth it for the wildlife and stories from the captain. We have a two week trip planned for May 2013, have totally enjoyed your review.

Edited September 30, 2012 by PAHORNER

[WalleyeLJ]

Sorry all - getting harder to stay focused and on task! I will try and do better closing out the last three days of the trip! Today's port of call is Icy Straight Point, located mid Icy Straight about a mile from the small mostly native town of Hoonah. This is our only tender port on this cruise, and our goal was to get on the first boat of the day - as usual! Our quarry for the day is the Alaskan Halibut, and we're going with Tok River Outfitters. Capt Chris agreed to pick us up for the day after I failed to notice that our original set up with Ear Mountain Charters ended up booked on the wrong day - when we were in Skagway. Ear Mountain was booked up on our actual day, but fortunately I figured it out several months in advance, so they were kind enough to transfer our deposit to Capt Chris and we were set.

 

Our weather for the day was comfortable but overcast to start, with the usual chance of rain. We made the first tender of the day and made our way through the visitor welcome center at ISP, through one of the gift shops, and headed outside, through the parking lot and past the Native Heritage Center, and outside the compound to the external parking area. A few minutes after I called Chris to let him know we were ashore, he pulled up in his minivan, and Bev, Dad & I piled in for the short run to the boat harbor in Hoonah.

 

We stopped by Chris' shop so he could pick up a few things, we met his dog, then walked across the street and down the ramp onto the docks to board the "Icy Lady". Onboard we met his wife (whose name we forgot!), and we headed out in search of some Halibut - preferably a couple bigger than the five 5-10 pounders we caught between four of us the last time we were there (hint hint - foreshadowing...) As we got underway, we saw some of the fishing processing places and fishing boats.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heading out to find the fish...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heading in - hopefully WITH some fish!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wind in our face - we headed NW out towards Icy Straight itself - but not before a lone Humpback put on quite a show!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Long day at work and feeling like the kitchen is a "dark place not to be entered". Oh to be on a cruise right about now. Just reading the menu makes me faint:D

 

LOLOL - I often feel that way on weeknights when I start rummaging through the pantry trying to figure out what to make:).

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

I just keep coming back to this thread over and over again because I can't get enough!

 

I just booked cabin 7592 for a cruise in 2014 and thought I remember you mentioning that was your cabin. Did you post pictures or it and how did you like it?

 

Ultimately we settled in (aka made a mess of the cabin) quickly, so I didn't get any good shots of the cabin itself. I've showed some shots of the balcony and will have some more later on. You do look right down on the top of the lifeboat covers, but it really doesn't affect the views out and away from the ship, so unless you really want to stare down stright at the water, it's not an issue, especially in Alaska. The extra space and the forward view were great. Having only had inside cabins before, it was nice having the extra room too - a little more space to spread out. The blackout drapes did a really nice job keeping out the Alaskan summer light when we needed it to:).

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

LJ - we be missing our pic a day...... :eek: :D ;)

 

Knu,

 

I'm trying to get back on the horse! Look at it this way - it's like an endless tub of popcorn at the movies that never runs out!!!:D:D:D

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Came back and finished my reading, LOVED IT. The Skagway fishing pictures were a delight, sooooo jealous, My husband and I fished with Dockside Charters early 2010, entirely too early to catch any fish but well worth it for the wildlife and stories from the captain. We have a two week trip planned for May 2013, have totally enjoyed your review.

 

PAHORNER - I appreciate you're taking the time to read through all this. We had a great time in Skagway - and more fish tales yet to come. We went in late May 2009 our first time and had a great time. Are you crusing two weeks or one week on land, one week crusing?

 

L.J.

[PAHORNER]

We are doing a a cruise/tour with Holland with the cruise the second week. So excited to be spending three days in Denali. We have been taking a few notes from your review. Thinking of the Marv& Harv whale watch in Juneau as we didn't see anything in 2010 except for the puff of water after the fact. Loved your first bear watch, but a bit too scary for me.

[WalleyeLJ]

ISP is a great place to see whales, but we weren't sure if we'd be as lucky the second time around. Well, it took about 2 minutes after we cleared the harbor to see our first (and only) whale. As we motored towards Radiance, we spotted a whale just offshore, right near not only a small boat - but several kayakers out on the first tour of the day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A shot of the kayakers as we got closer to both them and the whale...

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of shots of the tenders shuttling folks on and off Radiance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got one more view of the whale before we passed by Radiance, and it was the first time we saw one lunge feeding! We were pretty far away, and I didn't get a good shot of it - but it was still amazing to see. However, it must have only been 25 yards or so from the kayakers, so that must have been the thrill/fright of the trip for those folks! Two stays in ISP, and two times whales right in view off the ship and shore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next shot shows a bit of the residual effects of timber harvesting in the recent past, plus - SUNSHINE - a sign of better weather to come!.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up - halibut time - hopefully!!!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

We are doing a a cruise/tour with Holland with the cruise the second week. So excited to be spending three days in Denali. We have been taking a few notes from your review. Thinking of the Marv& Harv whale watch in Juneau as we didn't see anything in 2010 except for the puff of water after the fact. Loved your first bear watch, but a bit too scary for me.

 

We had a great time with our two and a half days in Denali in 2009. Moose, bears, fox, caribou, Dall sheep, snowshoe hares and lynx!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm really glad we did the Katmai bear trip, but I really like dthe one to Wolverine Creek - better weather and fishing bears - with a shorter flight on a bigger plane!

 

 

L.J.

[sue402001]

I'm really glad we did the Katmai bear trip, but I really liked the one to Wolverine Creek - better weather and fishing bears - with a shorter flight on a bigger plane!

L.J.

 

Does this mean that there are more bear pictures to come? :D

I've missed your posts LJ, glad you are back to it.

[DizzyDallasDi]

So glad to see you're back, L.J. I wonder if those kayakers had the presence of mind to grab a camera and focus on the whale. :)

[WalleyeLJ]

Does this mean that there are more bear pictures to come? :D

I've missed your posts LJ, glad you are back to it.

 

LOL - sorry Sue - no great bear photos in 2009, and we are done with bears for this trip. I do have some pretty cool eagle shots coming up in Ketchikan...:cool:

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

So glad to see you're back, L.J. I wonder if those kayakers had the presence of mind to grab a camera and focus on the whale. :)

 

I hope so - for their sake!

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

The "Icy Lady" was a VERY cool boat. The hull was built as a trawler. The first owner had the wheelhouse torn out and the wide comfortable cabin built special for extended stays onboard. The was a full living room, full kitchen, and then several bunks forward. The only down side was that her top speed was 8 knots - much slower than the rest of the fishing and whale watching boats in ISP. But - she was SUPER comfortable to fish out of with that wide beam and big open back deck.

 

Our bait for the day was a combo of brightly colored Hoochie rigs (artificial lures that look like colorful little squid), outfitted with chunks of cod as an attractant. Once outfitted on our short stout rods (complete with 20 oz drop sinker weights), it was a short 320 feet down to the bottom.

 

 

 

The bait rigging box

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of Hoochies!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev was the first one Chris set up, and off to the bottom she went. Next up was my Dad. Here he is talking smack about how many fish he's going to catch...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev, however, caught the first fish of the day. Her bait was on the bottom for about 10 seconds when she hooked up this little guy. Even though she caught the most fish when we were here in 2009, she didn't catch a single Halibut, so this was her first one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the time Bevy's fish was up on top, Dad was down on the bottom. 10 seconds later, Dad hooks up and brings up his first Alaskan Halibut!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I know it, I'm taking photos and videos and Bev and Dad already had 2 fish apiece! Time to put down the camera and get fishing!

 

 

 

L.J.