Learning about Salmon and the Silts

We arrived in Icy Strait Point on day 6 of the cruise. This day I started learning about the fishing, silt, the natives and their legends, and the totem pole. So, so much information.

Our excursion tour guide was Chad, who graduated from a university in Arizona in video gaming, and wanted to do something different, so he came to Alaska for the summer. He said he was living in a train's car with a couple other guys (think of Tiny Homes), and he was loving his experience. I think he was falling in love with the area. He said every day he walks the three miles to work because it is just too beautiful to miss.

What we saw along the coast line, and what Chad sees every day when he walks to work. But this is nothing unless if you see it up front and close.

                                           This is one of my favorite photos. Gorgeous.

Chad taught us about the silt. It looks like a beach, but BEWARE, it is not. It is more like quicksand, but not quite because it does not swallow you. What it does, though, is it grabs you and won't let you go. Silt is exposed during low tide, and twice a day there is a high tide. When the tide is high, then you die by drowning.

Looks like a nice beach area where you could go and look for shells, etc. Don't. This is silt.

Chad told one story where a husband and wife were in an RV and started to go across the land since they wanted to get to the other side and they thought this would be faster. The RV got stuck and the wife went out to push the camper. She got caught and he called for help but before help came, the tide came in. Sad ending to a vacation. Chad said this happens -- I believe he said there has been about a dozen deaths due to drowning due to people not understanding the dangers of silt.

During my trip to Alaska, I also learned about salmon. Since I enjoy eating this fish, I wanted to know which type is the best. I found out.

I heard this explanation on how to name the 5 salmons many times, and before I left Alaska, it was embedded in my mind. Take a hand and your fingers can help you name the 5 Alaskan salmons.

Your thumb is used to remember the 1st salmon -- Chum. This salmon is caught in July and August and is also referred to as Dog, since the natives feed this salmon to their dogs. If you do eat this salmon, it is best smoked or dried.

Your index finger is also the finger you use to poke an eye, so the 2nd salmon is named Sockeye or Red salmon. This is considered the best of salmon because of its high quality. Bristol Bay is the Sockeye Capital of the World and you can catch this fish between July and August. This is the salmon that is made into lox.

The middle finger is the largest, so this 3rd finger is named King in salmon language. This salmon is Alaska's state fish and it is the largest, and the least abundant. It is also called Chinook, and is caught between May and July. People like this fish because it is a healthy steak, and it is good either fresh or frozen.

The ring finger represents the 4th salmon, Silver or Coho. This fish is caught between July and November and it keeps its orange-red color. It is also good either fresh or frozen.

The pinky finger is the 5th salmon, Pink. This is the smallest salmon and should be eaten immediately. If frozen, the meat is soft after freezing. (Great to know when you go to the fish market). This fish is caught from late June to mid October and is abundant in Ketchikan's streams. Most of the commercially caught pink salmon is caught for canning.

Interesting, huh?

Now I know that I will only buy King or Sockeye, and when I eat salmon in a restaurant I am going to ask, "What type?" Also, I want to start ordering salmon from Alaska and it will be sent freeze dried to me. Now I know which one to buy.

I also learned that most people who live in Alaska live off the land. People were everywhere fishing while we traveled the roads, and I found out that people fill up their freezers before winter with fish and meats that they have hunted, as well as the berries and the planted vegetables they tended during the summer months. Remember, most food has to be imported so it's best to gather your own. Also, there are few ways out in the winter -- remember -- few roads and most modes of transportation is the ferry or floatplane. I believe it was Chad who said it takes 36 hours to travel by ferry to the closest city for groceries. Plan on stocking up! Cotsco must make a killing in Alaska!

Tomorrow, I will continue with Icy Strait Point and tell about the Alaska Natives.

Are you enjoying this tour of Alaska?

Until then...have a great day...

Juneau and Mendenhall Glacier

What is amazing about Alaska is the further north you go, the beauty intensifies. Yesterday, we saw the glacier from the ship, and today we see it in the background. The temperature is cool (64) and dry for being in a rain forest. We were very lucky to not have rainy weather during the trip. There were a few days where it was misty, but we did not encounter what I consider rain or downpours during any time of the trip. As I said, we were lucky -- the week before it rained every day according to those on ship and land.

We docked in Juneau at 8 a.m. and our travel agency gave us an excursion to enjoy for the day (I still need to call and thank them for that).

Juneau is the capital of Alaska and is the 2nd most populous city in the state with approximately 32,000 people. (Fairbanks and its area has about 100,000 people but the city has about the same as Juneau.)

I thank Alan Wu for this picture of downtown Juneau with Mount Juneau in the background.

What is amazing about this capital is there is no way in nor out via land. All products and goods are transported via water because there are no roads nor train tracks. Since there are no roads, people travel via ferry or they have a float plane. Imagine this parked in your driveway!

Talk about being remote, and it's the capital! There is nothing fancy about this capital city; in fact, the tour operator took us by the capital building which he termed "ugly". The governor's mansion is typical of a governor's mansion by being built in federal style. The tour operator also explained that most of the people who live and work in this city are government employees. Of course!

Our destination was Mendenhall Lake and Glacier. The views just keep getting better.

We arrived at the glacier to walk a short distance that opened to this scene. Mendenhall Glacier is in the background and Nugget Falls to the side (shown below).

The glaciers are becoming a favorite view of mine and I anxiously await the Anchorage excursion where we would take a catamaran to get up close and personal.

I find this ice field amazing that it has kept in tact for thousands of years. I understand that the Juneau icefield has been in existence for 3000 years. What is also amazing is that there are 19 notable glaciers (about 140 in all including the large and small ones) and all but one of the glaciers are retracting. The one glacier, Taku, is advancing. Now I understand why the scientists are alarmed.


After our time at the glacier, walking around the perimeter and around the falls (see people above), we headed back to the ship. The tour operator stopped one last time for us to get a photo op of our ship across the bay.

Tomorrow onto Icy Strait Point, where we learn about the Natives and Totem Poles.

Until then...have a great day....

Views of Tracy Arm

Our first day of scenic viewing was our fourth day at sea, and we had the pleasure of seeing Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm.

This map is from the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It shows where we were the day before (Ketchikan) and where we sailed to -- Tracy Arm Fjord. Since a fjord is a narrow inlet surrounded by mountains, you can see that we sailed between the two pieces of forest.Tracy Arm is in the Tongass National Forest, which is the largest in the United States at 17 million acres. Nothing small about Alaska!

The next day we would be heading to Juneau, but this day, we were in for our first glimpse of Alaska's wild beauty.

Within the fjords, there are island everywhere.

Beautiful waterfalls stream from the top of the mountains in the Tongass National Forest.

Our first view of the blue ice. According to Wikipedia, "blue ice occurs when snow falls on the glacier, is compressed, and becomes a part of the glacier. Air bubbles are squeezed out and ice crystals enlarge, making the ice appear blue." We would be seeing much more blue ice in all forms and shapes.




I could not get over the clouds that formed in the mountains. I really could not keep my eyes from these sights.

Sea otters lounge on the broken ice as small ships wade through the ice going closer to the glacier.

I believe this is a picture of Sawyer glacier. Some of them are named, but not many. This is one of them. What looks like tire tracks is sediment on the glacier.

What a glacier looks like. Now you have a really good view of the "tire tracks". Now imagine how big this is -- nearly 23 miles long and 248 miles in area. Also, the closer you get to a glacier the colder it is. One narrator said a glacier is mother nature's air conditioner. How true! But this is only the beginning...

I do hope you enjoy the tour. Tomorrow we are off to Juneau, Alaska's capital.

Until then...have a great day.

Getting to Know the Ship and Ketchikan

After check-in on a cruise ship, the first place you go before you go to your room is the buffet lunch. That is because sometimes the rooms are not ready. There is no need to be concerned about luggage as it is in your stateroom when you are given the all clear to go to your room.

We selected an ocean view room for this trip because we knew the daylight was long and the scenery unrivaled. Since I have also stayed in a room with no windows, I was anxious to see if there was much difference in the size of the room. No. The lay-out was the same -- a sofa, a table/bureau of sort, and 2 twin beds. If we were a couple, the beds could have been put together for a queen size bed. But we had a window, and really, it was a nice size window. The beds were okay, but not that good -- I always felt that I was going to roll off; my traveling companion thought her bed was extremely lumpy. But, later on I did settle into the bed and was able to have a decent night sleep.

After unpacking, we went to a mandatory safety drill. This is something that you must do, whether if this is your first cruise or your 100th. You gotta go.

The rest of the evening we had dinner -- I had salmon, and yes a baked potato. I finally got one! -- and went to the first entertainment show onboard. We walked around later and found it was quite small.

The next day we were at sea so we became more familiar with the ship, and I realized it really was small. There were some activities, but not as many as to my liking. Some people love the small ships with few activities. I found that I like the larger ships with tons of activities to choose from. But, we ate, and talked, and got to know some people onboard. Everyone was friendly, and everyone has a story to tell. Most people had made this trip before. People do love Alaska...

Our first port was Ketchikan, Alaska. I have always wanted to see a lumberjack show, so that is exactly what we did. How much fun!


We continue to see the mountains as we cruise past Vancouver Island to enter Ketchikan the following morning. It is exactly what I thought an Alaska town would look like.

To the right is a a good view of what you see when you pull into port -- the 1st Alaska City, the Salmon Capital of the World.

Below is what the town looks like -- it is just about that small, too. Remember there are about 750,000 people in the entire state of Alaska. Ketchikan has about 8000 people and there are about 14,000 people in the entire area. Ketchikan is also the fist city into the inside passage.

We walked through town to get to the lumberjack show. Now, you have to understand that it was really only a few blocks away. The day was nice, a little mist in the air but the temperature was about 65 and it was a nice stroll past storefronts, restaurants and bars.

My purpose to come to Alaska was to see the glaciers, and to see the land. That was about to happen tomorrow, but today, was the lumberjacks.

There were four guys who chopped woods, climbed poles and rolled logs in water. All the guys were college-aged and I believe most said they were from Alaska and attending school and worked the shows in the summer. The girl narrator was from Tennessee and had attended college.

In this competition, there were two sides -- the Canadian and the United States. In the bleachers, we were assigned to encourage one side or the other. My area was the Canadian side, so there were lots of yipping and yelling when they won the challenge and boos to the U.S. side when they won.

You knew how many challenges they won by the number of flags that they put on their table. Directly below, the Canadians were winning by having four flags.

There was the log sawing, the log rolling and the pole climbing as major events, but there were more as they threw axes at the dart board, and the blue team (U.S.)'s bearded guy (the guy without a hat) far below chiseled a stool and gave it to a child in the audience.

Scaling the pole in competition.














It was a fun show with lots of whooping and hollering, clapping and cheering for the given team. I was glad I went.

Back on board the ship, I saw a small something near the coast as we sailed away from Ketchikan. I wondered what it was so I zoomed my camera and took a picture. Looks like a small fishing post not too far from town on the banks of the peninsula.




That night we had dinner and watched the entertainment, ready for a day of scenic cruising the next day. I wondered what I would see.

I leave you with an Alaskan sunset (around 11 p.m.) until Monday.

Have a great weekend...

Seattle and Getting Settled on the Ship

There are tons of things to see and do in Seattle -- from the Aquarium to Pier 66 to the International District to Chinatown to Pioneer Square. Of course, the most famous are the Space Needle and Pike's Market. If you plan to visit this city plan a day at each famous place so you can savor the aroma and feel of this vibrant city. Then, there are the boat rides we could have taken to San Juan Island, Puget Sound, Mercer Island, and Lake Washington.



Pictured here is one of the boats used for excursions from the waterfront restaurant area/boat excursion area in Seattle. Since most of the nights we ate near here we noticed the rides were about an hour in length and nearly always packed.




Seattle is also known for Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon, and a ton of tech start-ups. People are out and about, walking the city streets with a coffee in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in another. Many wore their Sonic jerseys, so I also got the feel this is a sports town, like my Chicago and its Bears. And yes, the homeless were visible.

We had one more day in this city, and we decided to walk the streets and head to Pioneer Square. I thought it would be bustling with things to do and shops to poke around in and cafes to sit and watch the people while sipping coffee or tea. I was wrong.

Pioneer Square does have an underground area that we did not go into. We did not feel that comfortable in the area as we walked further and further onto its streets. There were few shops to poke into and fewer sidewalk cafes to sit and have a cup of coffee. We did find a cafe to have breakfast, but mostly we walked and walked seeing little but cement sidewalks under drab buildings. After exploring the area for a bit, we decided to head the other way, back to the hotel area and the shops that we passed near Pike's Market. Once again, we were in the midst of a bustling venue of outdoor cafes, chocolate shops, and places to poke our heads into to see the different merchandise.

That night we ate at Ivar's and we both had King Crab Legs. OMG -- go here if you go to Seattle, you will not be disappointed. Prices ranged from $18 for the clams and chips to $60 for the surf 'n turf with Maine lobster tail, the service was impeccable and the food was superb (but still no baked potato). This time I asked the waiter why was there no baked potatoes? There just isn't. I guess I would have to wait for my baked potato.This restaurant could easily become a favorite of mine.

It was an early night because we had to pack our belongings and get ready to go to the cruise ship in the morning. We planned on getting up and having breakfast at the hotel, then off on our adventure. I had no idea what beauty was in store for me to enjoy!

Our ship, Holland America's Maasdam, would be our home for the next 14 days.






Tomorrow will be Ketchikan and the lumberjack show. We will also get to know the ship a bit.

Until then...have a great day...

Seattle's Space Needle and Chihuly Glass Garden

Every city has an icon that it is known by -- Chicago has its John Hancock building, Los Angeles has its "Hollywood" sign, New York has many but the first that comes to my mind is the Empire State Building...and Seattle has its Space Needle.

This aircraft warning beacon stands 605 feet in the air, and I went 520 feet to its observation deck. What a view! It also has 25 lightning rods on its roof to withstand lightning strikes.

It was built for the 1962 World's Fair, and the builders started building in 1961 -- 400 days later it was completed. Today, some 54 years later, people from all around the world come to see this engineering marvel.

Besides standing 605 feet in the air, its foundation is 30 feet deep and it is anchored to the foundation with 72 bolts that are 30 feet in length.

You can walk 848 steps from the bottom to the top of the observation deck or take the elevator, which travels at 10 mph during regular wind and 5 mph during high winds. It takes 43 seconds to go from the bottom to the top.

The views were incredible.

 

Different views of Seattle reaching into the Pacific Ocean.







In the same compound as the Space Needle is Chihuly Glass Garden. OMG -- what talent, what beauty, what vision this man had/has. This is the work of Dale Chihuly, born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, and displayed throughout the world.

Since I am getting into stain and fused glass, not the blown glass he does, I have an appreciation for this art and understand the time and dedication one has to practice it. The following is some of his pieces displayed in Seattle.

All you see here is blown glass in a myriad of colors.










We walked through the displayed rooms, room after room with my mouth agape in wonder, awing that this work existed and completed during my lifetime. It takes a lifetime to master glass, and look at its beauty and form.



His work continued outside and hung from ceilings leading us from one wing to another.



Needless to say, we spent the day in this compound, enjoying the view from the observation deck at the Space Needle, and then wondered among the blown glass for hours enjoying a cup of coffee and simply taking in the colorful pieces.









That night we ate at Elliot's Oyster House and I had salmon (again, no baked potatoes were served). It was good, the atmosphere was ideal as we sat outside next to the water and the service average. I would go back if there weren't so many more restaurants to try in Seattle.




Tomorrow is the last day in Seattle, and then all aboard the ship.

Until then...have a great day.

Seattle

I have never been to the Pacific Northwest, and it was different from what I have ever experienced before. I really can not put my finger on how it is different from the other parts of the United States I have visited or the other countries I have visited. It is just different. There are huge pine trees and houses built in the mountains, which I have seen before, but there is a difference here.

We landed at the Seattle/Tacoma airport after flying all day. We went through three time changes to arrive around 3 p.m. That evening we had a nice dinner and planned our course of action for the next day after we settled in at the hotel and into our room.

Seattle is a cosmopolitan city of about 700,000 people and has a bit less than 4 million people in the area. It is graced with mountains to the east (Mt. Rainier being the highest in Washington state) and the Pacific Ocean to the west. North of Seattle is Canada and the state of Oregon is further south beyond the state of Washington.

As we ate from the hotel restaurant, the first thing I noticed happening outside was the homeless people walking the streets. The second thing I noticed was so many people carrying bouquets of flowers. Where were the flowers coming from? They were beautiful.



We decided to spend our first day in Seattle at Pike's Market. What a treat! And we learned where the flowers came from.

Pike's Market is a huge farmers market with fish that is thrown between the iced fish and the handler, fantastic fruits, beautiful flowers, and tons of restaurants and shops. Want a spice or a certain tea? Here is the place to find it.

Pike's Market is located a few blocks from where we were staying and adjacent to the water. Above pictures the opening, and of course a tourist mecca.

 A view of the Pacific Ocean next to Pike's Market is pictured above..

To the far left is a skyline of the city from Pike's Market.

I got a thumbs up from this live mannequin on the street in front of the farmers market when I put a dollar in his hat!

If you look real close you can see the fish midair as it is being thrown from one handler to the other. There are specific times the fish are thrown, and it is cool to see as the two handlers sometimes throw the fish back and forth. I believe in order for the fish to be thrown, someone on the other side has to request a fish (to buy).


Besides being able to shop for clothing, souvenirs, catch a fish and chips for lunch, you could also buy beautiful vegetables and fruit here. This market was in back of the indoor area (where the fish was being tossed) and surrounded with cafes and eateries.

We had breakfast at Three Girls Bakery within the market, and OMG, I had the best hot cocoa in my life. They served sandwiches, and of course donuts and bakery items, but since I did not have breakfast, I ordered an egg sandwich with the hot cocoa. I would go back over and over. It is nothing special to look at -- a corner with a counter, but the girls made the sandwiches in front of you, and the bread was scrumptious.

Of course, I had to go to Starbucks while I was in Seattle. This is not the original Starbucks -- it was originally a few blocks away at 2000 Western Ave. in 1971, then it moved to inside Pike's Market, but this Starbucks is known as the original. It's at 1st and Pike's adjacent to the Farmers Market.

I had been told before I went to Seattle to get a cup of the "special reserve" that is only served at this spot. I did. Usually, I get heartburn when I drink regular coffee, but to my surprise, it was great, and I did not have heartburn. Maybe it's all in my head! Oh, and I bought a bag of "special reserve" beans.

Whether this is the original Starbucks or not, it was fun going there and watching the people.

That evening we ate at Anthony's Pier 66. Upstairs. It was pricey and I was not that impressed. I had swordfish. I asked for a baked potato, but they said they had none. I paid about $60 for a 6 ounce piece of swordfish, and a scoop of rice (white) and seasonal vegetables. The service was average to below average and the table was in a corner without a view. I don't mind spending money for a good meal, but really??? My traveling companion was not impressed either. Also, while we were there and waiting many people sat down, looked at the menu and left. Maybe we should have also.

Tomorrow, another adventure in Seattle -- the Needle and Chihuly Glass Garden.

Until then...have a great day...