Bachelors, Part 2

Was looking for something else on my bookshelf yesterday, and found THIS magazine! I believe we picked it up in 1990. (Still exists, according to web search!)

If You Are from Kansas...

This cruise ship question regarding balconies: “Are balconies worth the money?”

Answer 1 (posted by “jayhawk,” which was a giveaway!):
They are if you use them. Some people are never on the balcony and they should do a window cabin. We have coffee delivered in the morning and sit out, have drinks in the evening, leave the door open at night (cruise lines discourage this) and usually meet other couples on board and have at least one party in the cabin. In addition while wife is getting ready for dinner, etc., I sit out there and have a drink and watch the ocean go by. If you are from Kansas, that is a wonderful experience.

Since "we" are from Kansas, "we" are going for it! :)

Additional answers: Many say they are hooked on balcony cabins and would never consider anything else. Others say it depends on location (several said “only for Alaska”), preference and price.

Where There's a Walmart, There's a Way

In honor of Sam Walton's birthday (today), this question from a bulletin board.

Does anyone know if there is a shuttle between cruise ships and the Walmart in Ketchikan? The same for Juneau.

Answer 1: There is a city bus that does go to the Walmart store in Ketchikan. The bus does a complete loop of the city. There is also a crew bus that goes to the Walmart store in Ketchikan, but I think it is for crew only. As I recall the store was quite a ways from the cruise docks.

Answer 2: (From Ketchikan Visitors’ Bureau) Walmart has their own van service which is free to cruise ship guests and crew. It is a white passenger van that says Walmart on it. They pick up across from the cruise ship dock near the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center.

Answer 3: In Ketchikan, The BLUE bus does a Walmart stop. It picks up across the street from the Eagle Totem on the dock. The [Walmart] van is very tough to get TO Walmart from the cruise dock. It is overloaded with ship crew, who don't think twice about stacking up extra people in seats. I have always had no trouble getting this van back to the ship, as the shoppers seem more spaced out.

In Juneau the Walmart Van was for crew only- last year. There is a city bus stop there. Bus pick up is on Franklin, down and across the street from the Red Dog at the bus shelter.

Wow - I never considered Walmart for one of our "shore excursions!"

Tip of the Day

According to one source:

For every 100 single ladies in Alaska, there are 114 bachelors, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.


But before you pack your bags and head to Alaska, ladies, keep in mind that a high percentage of those single men are employed by the fishing, oil and construction industries and have some of the world's most dangerous jobs.[Not to mention being gone from home for weeks at a time.]

A Store for US!

Just found this store in Skagway:

NORTH TO ALASKA

Alaskan gifts for the entire

family from

3rd generation Alaskan family

634 Broadway

P.O. Box 124

Skagway, AK 99840

(phone) 907-983-3070 or toll free 888-595-4556

http://www.northtoalaskagifts.com/

History of Juneau

The area of modern-day Juneau was originally a fishing ground for Tlingit Indians. However, a Sitka engineer offered rewards for natives who brought samples of gold. The Tlingits supplied this, and the engineer dispatched Richard Harris and Joe Juneau to discover its source. In 1880, Juneau began as a gold rush boom town. The mining era lasted until around 1920.

Juneau was established as Alaska 's capital in 1906 when the government was transferred from Sitka. Today, federal, state and local government employs one out of every two Juneau workers. Tourism is the largest private employer and continues to grow. Commercial fishing and mining continue to play a role in Juneau 's economy.


Juneau City Hotel, 1893

It Takes a Village...Of Cooks and Dishwashers!

Though the example is for another cruise line, here is a sample of what it takes to prepare cruise ship meals:

Great food starts with a shopping list. A shopping list to service 3080 passengers and almost 1200 crew (on the Emerald Princess) is a little intimidating to the average shopper. Between 110-115 tons of food is delivered to the ship and loaded on the turn around day.

There are eight food preparation stations onboard each with their own team of experts:

• Fish Preparation
• Meat Preparation
• Cold Kitchen (Salads, Specialty Creations)
• Soups, Pastas and Vegetables
• Bakery
• Pastry Shop
• Fruit and Cheese Pantry
• Coffee Pantry

Average amounts of food prepared daily:

• Fish - 1500 pounds
• Poultry - 1800 pounds
• Beef - 2100 pounds
• Veal - 400 pounds
• Lamb - 460 pounds
• Pork - 1000 pounds
• Salads - 1600 pounds
• Sandwiches - 1500 each day
• Pasta - 500 pounds
• Vegetables - 2500 pounds
• Potatoes - 2000 pounds
• Soups - 550 gallons
• Pastries - 6000 each day
• Cakes - 300 each day
• Fresh Fruits - 7000 each day
• Coffee - 470 gallons

We were told that the Emerald Princess serves an average of 20,000 meals a day! Let us not forget that those meals produce about 70,000 dishes and 21,500 glasses to be washed daily as well! That takes a crew of 52 working around the clock.

Alaska Attire

Quote from a travel blog:

On NCL, our Alaska cruise included a Klondike Night when flannel shirts and jeans were appropriate and encouraged attire.

This Day in History

On this day in 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground, spilling some 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska, creating the largest oil spill in U.S. history.










[We sailed across Prince William sound about 18 months later, and they were still talking about it.]

Alaska Fact of the Day - 3/23

Texas has 254 counties.

Alaska, which is more than twice as large, has none!

Looking Back, Part 2

Here is another set of photos from 1990.
These I would call "Classic Alaska" or "Icons of Alaska."













Dog Mushing. This is Mary Shields, the first woman to finish the Iditarod in 1974. (She retired from competition and now does demos for tourists.)





Mt. McKinley, highest mountain in North America.













The Alaska Pipeline














Iconic Alaska - mountains everywhere, no cars or people

Norwegian Pearl Part 2

Now a bit about our stateroom.

Our Stateroom:
204 square feet w/ balcony, tv, hair dryer, coffee maker, fridge, safe, lower twin beds w/ pull-down berth for 3rd person. The TV in the room has an NCL channel, Fox News, CNN and only a couple other channels. No FOX, NBC or ABC. But who needs to watch TV when you are on vacation...amidst fjords and glaciers?!

All photos below were taken in "our" stateroom category (balcony room) on the Pearl.

Juneau Video

In keeping with the Juneau theme, below is a link to a Juneau tourism website.

Click on the "Video" tab in the upper left corner to view a short video.

http://www.traveljuneau.com/

Caribou Fun Facts

Did you know ...

... that Alaska has almost twice as many caribou as people?

Alaska's human population numbers around 600,000, while there are over one million caribou in the state. And the government doesn't even pay them to live here!

Featuring Juneau

As I am traveling (in Atlanta) today and tomorrow, I will just post a few interesting facts about our first port of call, Juneau.

Population: 31,193

Location: Located on the mainland of Southeast Alaska, opposite Douglas Island, Juneau was built at the heart of the Inside Passage along the Gastineau Channel. It lies 900 air miles northwest of Seattle and 577 air miles southeast of Anchorage.

Few cities in the U.S. are as beautiful as Juneau. Not only is Juneau the capital of Alaska, residents claim it is the most scenic capital in the country and it is often referred to as a 'little San Francisco.'

Overhead are the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Roberts and Mt. Juneau, which provide just a small part of the superb hiking in the area.

The State Capitol, built in 1929-31 as the territorial Federal Building, houses the legislative chamber and the governor's office, as well as offices for the hundreds of staff members who arrive in Juneau each session. Free 30-minute tours of the building are offered every half hour daily during summer.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, possibly the most photographed structure in Juneau, was built in 1894 and has the distinction of being the oldest church built in the Inside Passage. The octagon-shaped building has exhibits of Russian icons, original vestments and religious relics. Services are held on Sunday and visitors are welcome to attend. The congregation stands throughout the service, which can last 2 hours or longer.

Juneau is known as the 'Gateway to the Glaciers.' Among 42 glaciers within a 1,500-square-mile radius, Mendenhall Glacier is perhaps Alaska's most famous drive-in glacier. The ice floe is 13 miles from the city center at the end of Glacier Spur Road. The glacier flows 12 miles from its source, the Juneau Icefield and has a 1.5-mile face. On a sunny day it is beautiful with blue skies and snow-capped mountains in the background.

Alaska Trivia du Jour

Alaska Trivia:
The state's record snowfall in a single season was recorded at Thompson Pass north of Valdez in 1952-53 at 974.5 inches.

So I guess I shouldn't complain about the 75 inches I shoveled here this year!

Norwegian Pearl Ship Facts

Today's info is general information regarding the Pearl.

• Built in 2006
• 2,394 guests, 1,197 cabins
• 1154 crew members
  
• 12 restaurants/dining venues
• 15 passenger decks
• 965 feet long (3 football fields)
• 93,502 tons

Pearl Features include: a four-lane bowling alley, rock climbing wall, spa, casino, fitness center, theater

Useful feature: the Restaurant Reservation and Management System helps passengers determine which restaurants are busiest and the wait times. This system consists of flat-screen TVs placed in high-traffic areas around the ships and shows each restaurant's availability status. Indicator bars reflect when each restaurant is "full", "short wait", "filling up", or "empty". Screens also show an estimated wait time in each restaurant and the different table sizes available. If you are craving a certain type of food and the restaurant is full, the hostess will give you a wait time and issue a pager that works all over the ship.

The Pearl's floating medical center has 2 doctors and 3 nurses on staff and is not free of charge.

Useful resources (in addition to NCL website):

Photo tour of ship

http://www.shipparade.com/cruise%20reviews/NCL%20Norwegian%20Cruise%20Line/Norwegian%20Pearl/Norwegian%20Pearl.htm

Deck-by-deck tour on CNBC

http://www.cnbc.com/id/29661561/Deck_by_Deck_Tour

Quote of the Day 3/15

On the topic of Alaska style:
" If you have on a clean shirt and your hands are clean at the same time, then you're dressed up! "

Alaska Temperature and Daylight

Here is a handy chart showing the average temperature in southeast Alaska (by month) as well as the average daylight hours. We will not be there during the warmest time - but should be have pretty long days, arriving only a week after the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.

Our daytime highs should be in the low 60s.

Alaska Map and distances

Alaska is a BIG place, and our trip will be contained in the southeast panhandle.

• First stop - Juneau (930 miles from Seattle)
• Second stop - Skagway (990 miles from Seattle)
• Third stop - Glacier Bay (1000 miles from Seattle)
• Fourth stop - Ketchikan (645 miles from Seattle)
• Fifth stop - Victoria (70 miles from Seattle)

Q&A - Drinking Water

From the NCL Questions and Answers User Forum...


Question:
I have read where it is not safe to drink tap water on cruise ships. So wanted to know if bottled water is provided free to the passengers or if they are available for purchase.

Answer 1:
No bottled water is not free. The ship uses the same type of commercial filtration system that is used to produce bottled water. So it's, in effect, bottled water on tap, and perfectly safe. Beside plastic bottles are environmentally unfriendly.

Coffee, tea, and water are free at the basic restaurants as is juice with breakfast. We bring a half pound of Starbucks coffee for the room.

Answer 2:
Nothing is free...I kept refilling a plastic bottle from the tap in the bathroom and it was great. I am picky about drinking water, and it worked fine for me. they also give you ice each day in a bucket which is in your room. I didn't discover this until the last day.

Answer 3:
I've drunk the tap water on both the Pearl and Star and it's fine. So are the ice cubes. Bottled water is available for purchase.

Video of the Week

I have run across a few excellent videos from state and local tourism agencies. Here is the first, a general video on the Inside Passage.

State Tourism video, Inside Passage:

http://www.travelalaska.com/Gallery/VideoPlayer.aspx?s=l&v=InsidePassage

Answers to Quiz #1

Thank you for all of your responses. (Tongue in cheek!)
Here are the correct answers:

1. Oil in the Trans-Alaska pipeline travels at around 5.5 mph, and flows the entire 800 miles in about 6 days.

2. Alaska state mineral is, of course, GOLD!

3. Alaska state sport is....Dog Mushing. (Makes sense once you see it!)

4. Alaska state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan. The willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) changes color from light brown in summer to snow white in winter for effective camouflage from predators. (The ones we saw were brown, as it was summer.)

5. Alaska contains 17 of the country's highest 20 peaks!

Of course this list is led by Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America at 20, 320 feet.

However, AK takes numbers 1-16 on the list as well as #18. The only entrants from the lower 48 are California's Mt. Whitney (highest peak in the Continental U.S.) at #17, then two Colorado peaks (Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive) coming in at 19 and 20.

Alaska Quiz #1

Answers will be posted later - unless you Google them yourself!

1. The Trans-Alaska pipeline transports oil from Prudhoe Bay to Prince William Sound. How long does it take oil to travel the 800-mile journey?

a. 2 months
b. 4 weeks
c. 6 days
d. 8 hours

2. The state mineral is ___________. (Easy)

3. The state sport is ___________. (Sort of hard, sort of easy)

4. The state bird is ____________. (Hard unless you Google it. However, I saw one in Denali.)

5. Of the 20 highest peaks in the U.S., ___________ are in Alaska.

Alaska Reminiscing, Part 1 - Wildlife

Here is part 1 of a few photos I plan to share from my 1990 experience.

First, wildlife.

1. Grizzly, in Denali National Park. Taken with a long lens, from INSIDE a bus!






2. Caribou, also in Denali. We saw many herds.







3. Seals on pieces of ice. Taken from a ferry in Prince William Sound.





4. Bird Rookery and waterfall, also in Prince William Sound

Oldie but Goodie

From my 1990 scrapbook:

Famous Alaskans

Okay, here is a list compiled from various sources. I am prejudiced towards people I have heard of, so take it with a grain of salt!

1. Jewel, singer and songwriter

Shortly after she was born in May of 1974, Jewel's parents moved to Homer, Alaska, settling on an 800-acre homestead. After graduating from a performing arts college, she moved to San Diego and began a successful career in pop music.

2. Jack London, novelist

Writer and adventurer, Jack London spent the winter of 1897 in the Yukon and from that experience wrote the books, "Call of the Wild" and "White Fang."

3. Walter Hickel, former governor
Born in Kansas in 1919, he was the first Alaskan to serve in the US cabinet. He left the governorship in 1969 to become secretary of the interior.

4. Sydney Laurence, painter
Sydney Mortimer Laurence (1865-1940) was the foremost painter of the Alaskan landscape and his work is well known to Alaskans. As one of Alaska's most widely beloved historical painters, he was the first professionally trained artist to make Alaska his home.

5. Libby Riddles, first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race (1985)

6. Susan Butcher, four-time winner of the Iditarod

The only woman to win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race three consecutive years---placing first in 1986, 1987, and 1988 (and also winning in 1990). In 1988, a T-shirt appeared in Alaska which read, "Alaska: Where Men are Men and Women Win the Iditarod!" (NOTE: I bought one of those shirts in 1990!)

7. Tommy Moe, Olympic skier

Alpine skier Tommy Moe won the gold medal in downhill skiing and the silver medal in the super-G event at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. He was the first U.S. man to win two Alpine Olympic medals in one year.

8. Hilary Lindh, Olympic skier

Born in Juneau, Hilary Lindh is a five-time U.S. National Champion and the 1992 Olympic silver medalist in downhill skiing.

9. Curt Schilling, baseball player

Born in Anchorage; the star pitcher played on four World Series teams and was World Series MVP in 2001.

10. Scott Gomez, hockey player
Scott Gomez of Anchorage was the National Hockey League's rookie of the year in 2000. His team, the New Jersey Devils, won the Stanley Cup. He currently plays for the Montreal Canadiens.

11. Carlos Boozer, basketball player

Grew up in Juneau. Member of 2008 Gold Medal Olympic basketball team and 2-time NBA all-star.

12. Tom Bodett, author and spokesperson

The voice of Motel 6's "We'll leave the light on for you" commercials, Bodett lived for a time in Homer.

Quote of the Day - March 9

Frequently Asked Question regarding Ketchican: Do people live here year-round?

Answer: Yes.
Or, as Dave Kiffer, director of historic Ketchikan, Inc., puts it: "There are wetter places on earth, but hardly anyone chooses to live there."

Name a famous Alaskan...not named Sarah

Really...can you actually NAME a famous person with association to Alaska (who has not run for vice president)?

Alaska mosquito guide

Deet is your friend, mosquitos are not.

You might be...

You might be an Alaskan if...

Quote of the Day - March 8

"Up close, bears smell like very large, very wet dogs."

When I mentioned this to Rekha, she said she hoped we wouldn't be close enough to smell one!

The two types of bears found in southeast Alaska are the Grizzly bear and the black bear.


The grizzly is generally brown, ranging in color from chocolate to blond. Grizzlies can weigh 1,000 lbs. or more and have a muscular hump at the shoulders.










The black bear is generally black in color - but can vary to cinnamon brown. They are less than half the size of grizzlies, averaging 200 lbs.

Quote of the Day

ALASKA CLIMATE
On a brief visit to Juneau in 1935, humorist Will Rogers was asked why he was buying two raincoats. "If I were staying longer, I'd buy three," Rogers replied.

Our Itinerary

OUR OFFICIAL SCHEDULE:
Sun. Jun 27...................... 4:00 p.m........ Depart Seattle
Mon. Jun 28.......................................... At Sea
Tue. Jun 29.... 2:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m........ Juneau, AK
Wed. Jun 30... 7:00 a.m. - 8:15 p.m......... Skagway, AK
Thu. Jul 1.......................................... Cruise Glacier Bay
Fri. Jul 2......... 6:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m......... Ketchikan, AK
Sat. Jul 3........ 6:00 p.m. - 11:59 p.m....... Victoria, BC
Sun. Jul 4....... 8:00 a.m.......................... Arrive Seattle

Gem du jour - Pearl