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

[WalleyeLJ]

What a FANTASTIC trip!!!

First off, I have to apologize to those who started following my attempted "live from" thread I started at the beginning of our trip. I figured I would have the time, energy and internet access to make a decent attempt, but between our schedule, internet connection speed and once on the ship - cost - it just didn't work out after my first few entries. So, for those who started there and decided to check out our post trip, there will be a bit of duplication in the beginning, but I'll put some additional detail and a bunch more photos into this review.

Now...on to the review!

*A quick outline before I dive into the details. My wife Beverly & I spent a week on the Kenai Peninsula, staying in Anchorage on arrival night, then heading to Homer for three days, a day trip to Soldotna on the way to Seward, three days in Seward, then departing on Radiance of the Seas southbound to Vancouver. If you have any questions along the way, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer them!

Ok, here we go!!!

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Day 1 Friday 7/6/12 – headed to Anchorage! No photos worth posting on Day 1. I promise there will be a few later on;) We flew US Airways from Charlotte to Phoenix, then Phoenix to Anchorage. Last year when I started setting this trip up, I thought that would be a good thing. We had $1300 in credit vouchers from a flight bump on last year's cruise out of San Juan (that was STILL a good thing). In addition, last summer US Air had 5 flights a day to Anchorage to choose from, including a couple non-stops from Philadelphia. I figured we'd be able to book a short hop to Philly, then fly straight to Anchorage.

Not this year!

For whatever reason, US Air only has a single flight to Anchorage each day this year.

One flight...

Through Phoenix...

Leaving at 8:05pm...

Arriving in Anchorage at 12:33am...

Sigh:rolleyes:

So, we didn't leave Charlotte for Alaska until 4:35pm - which just seemed like a weird plan:eek:. On the other hand, we got two tickets from Charlotte to Anchorage, and Seattle to Charlotte for a total of $217, so it was a no brainer:D. Before we left, the departure from Phoenix was moved up to 7:50pm - so things were already improving! We were also able to use miles to upgrade the first leg of our trip from Charlotte to Phoenix to first class, so it was a nice way to start the trip. We even had dinner on the flight - Bev had cheese ravioli and I had teriyaki beef. When it came out, it didn't look super appealing - like just short of making me rethink my dislike of the mushrooms in Bev's dish, but it actually turned out pretty tasty. We had a little less than a two hour layover, and then off to Anchorage. Both flights went well, each arriving early (whaoo!) which we needed. Our flight arrived in Anchorage at 11:58pm, so while it was ahead of schedule, it was also 3:58am in North Carolina, so we were a bit weary!

By the time we got bags (quick off the plane), rental car (Avis at the airport - quick and easy), check in to the Embassy Suites in Anchorage (yea free night thanks to points!) and got to bed, it was 2am/6am. The hotel and the room was excellent. A little more earthy/outdoorsy than your average Embassy Suites. Unfortunately we couldn't elect to sleep in late to try and get our feet under us or enjoy the hotel fully as we had to be in Homer mid-afternoon to check in for our first big adventure of the trip. NOT the best way to start a trip to Alaska. At least it's almost time for breakfast!

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Well,

 

As I mentioned, we didn't have a lot of time to enjoy the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown Anchorage, but I did want to post a few photos of the facility. It was super clean, with a friendly staff and great decor.

 

Embassy Suites Anchorage:

 

 

Main Entrance/Lobby Area:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The humpback whale tail fountains were particularly cool! We also had a great breakfast to start the trip - one of the nice advantages of staying at the ES, especially with the cost of dining out in Alaska compared to most places in the lower 48. This is a shot of the satellite seating area outside of the main dining room.

 

 

 

They also had some great Starbuck's coffee (in the breakfast area for free, plus a for purchase Starbuck's for specialty coffees in the ice cream shop) with to go cups, so I filled up and we hit the road to Homer!

 

L.J.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Much anticipated, LJ! And you're on a roll - keep it coming!

[WalleyeLJ]

Upon leaving the hotel, we headed for Wal-Mart to stock up for snacks and water for our week of excursions on the Kenai. While we would have liked to have avoid WM while on vacation, it was cheap and right along our path out of town. After grabbing a case of water, some Pringles, gummy bears & trail mix, we headed south on the Seward Highway along Turnagin Arm. The weather was not fantastic to start out:

 

 

 

 

It got a little better as we travelled along Turnagin Arm:

 

 

 

 

As I was driving along Turnagin Arm, I kept scanning the cliffs along the roadside hoping for a glimpse of some Dall Sheep. Low and behold I spied some just past Beluga Point - two adults and two little ones! Fortunately, it was at a spot where there was a gravel pullout on the inside/northbound side of the road, so with a quick safety check I pulled quickly into the parking area and jumped out to open the back door and grab my camera.

 

It all happened so fast that poor Bev didn't quite know what exactly was happening for a couple of seconds! In the end she actually got better video than I was able to get photos, thanks to my trying to shoot a 500mm lens in high winds! While not the best shot, this did make the first non-seagull wildlife (sorry seagulls - you didn't make the wildlife poll either) we saw in Alaska, all of 20 minutes or so into our road trip!

 

 

 

 

 

I'd read about the traffic jams that can happen as people stop to view wildlife on roadways in Alaska. People are killed in traffic accidents each year caused by people stopping suddenly or in bad spots to watch wildlife along this particular stretch of highway, and I can see why. When I whipped into the parking area there was only one other vehicle there. After a minute or so of taking photos, I looked behind me and a dozen cars were pulled over or stopped on the Seward Highway, or were pulling into the parking area! At numerous points along the way, we also saw signs that said it was illegal to have more than 5 vehicles stacked up behind you or you had to pull over - something we'd never seen before, not even on our first trip to Alaska in 2009. Bev decided that it was better if she drove and I sat with cameras at the ready. She said it was so things were easier for me to read the Kenai Peninsula Wildlife Guide, spot wildlife and then take photos, but I think the truth is I scared her more than she'll admit when I stopped for the Dall Sheep!

 

 

As I mentioned previously, we had a bit of a time crunch here on Day 2 as we were supposed to check in with K Bay Air in Homer by 3pm for our bear viewing trip the next day. If there was one thing I'd do differently next time, it would be to NOT create that time pressure on the very first day of the trip. Given the flight schedule we had, it forced us into a short night of sleep. Plus, while the weather wasn't great most for this day, I certainly would have stopped to take more photos and enjoy the trip along the way to Homer if we had the time. So really the only photo stops we took were for wildlife photos. As it was we called and got permission to check in a little late, which was good or we would have had to skip lunch too!

 

More to come...

 

L.J.

[Linda the Book Lover]

All set for the next installment!

[WalleyeLJ]

At the split at Tern Lake we transferred from the Seward Highway to the Sterling Highway. We travelled along Kenai Lake and the upper portions of the Kenai River as we made our way through Cooper Landing towards Soldotna. The unreal blue-grey color of the glacial silt filled waters of the Kenai were a sight to see. Bev was jealous that my Dad & I were going to be floating a portion of the upper river on our fishing trip later in the week.

 

The Kenai Peninsula Wildlife Viewing Trail Guide is a nice, handy guide if you do any driving on the Kenai. It helped break up the trip into smaller segments as we looked for the different spots outlined along our route. It also led to a sidebar trip for 19 miles along Skilak Lake Road. This dusty gravel road (along with a few Mini Cooper sized potholes) was a nice change of pace. It wasn't as scenic as I expected it to be along the road itself, but there was some cool views of the lake itself, and a number of side trips we had to save for another visit.

 

After merging back onto the Sterling Highway, we made our way into Soldotna. Soldotna was bigger, more sprawling & more developed than I expected. Still pressed for time, we stopped at Pizza Boys! (not pictured) for a quick slice and continued on. In one of those funny miscommunications, we were each going to get a slice each, so we ordered two slices. That turned into us each getting two slices apiece, instead of one each. We decided to just go ahead and eat both. The pizza was ok. We talked about it as we continued on, and it dawned on me why is seemed so familiar. I realized that it tasted JUST like the pizza they use to serve back in the day in junior high and high school! As we crossed over the Kenai River, I was really surprised to see NO boats and only a couple of people fishing the river. This was supposed to be prime King salmon fishing time, and it was odd to not see it packed with people fishing. We found out later in the week that the King salmon run hadn't even begun yet, and a lot of people were anxious about it being a bad run this year.

 

We ended up arriving in at the K Bay Air office on the Homer Spit around 3:45pm, but not before Super Bev gave ME a heart attack with a sharp-eyed catch of a moose cow in a roadside drainage ditch near Anchor Point! Fortunately the traffic along this stretch of road was pretty light, so we were able to just pull off on the wide of the road and check out the first moose of the trip.

 

 

Our first look...

 

 

 

 

A better look:

 

 

 

 

Let's get away from the crazy people with those cameras...

 

 

 

 

There were also TONS of these beautiful purple Lupine wildflowers all along the roadsides and meadows

 

 

 

 

[WalleyeLJ]

We went to the address supplied on the trip confirmation documents for K Bay Air and found their office, but it was closed. We were confused as Bev was told when she called to see if we could have some flexibility, they said they would be open until 8pm. Upon closer inspection, there was a sign on the door that said to go to another strip of shops further down the Spit. We headed down the road, found the new location, and got checked in for the bear viewing trip the next day.

 

 

 

 

They are very serious about the weight balance in the little planes they use, as we found out the next day when Bev & I ended up flying in separate planes. After check in we walked around Homer for a bit, checking out the shops and the small boat harbor. HAL's Amsterdam was actually in port and left while we were checking out the small boat harbor. We ended up seeing the Amsterdam several times the following week on our cruise portion of the trip.

 

 

As we headed to grab dinner right on the Spit, we stopped by the fish cleaning station and saw a number of happy anglers with fresh caught halibut!

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was off to dinner at the Harbor Grill.

 

 

 

 

Bev had fish & chips, and I had a cheeseburger and fries, and we both had salad. Dinner was fine - decent food, but nothing spectacular. The table next to us, however, had a much more exciting dining memory. If you don't like gross food stories, please skip ahead...

One of the women had ordered halibut. As she cut into the fish, she found a worm - still alive! They asked for the manager who apologized but said "well, at least you know if was fresh". Yeah, well... Not surprisingly, she elected for a burger as her replacement meal. Just further reinforcement that as a non-fish eating fisherman, I'm not missing much!

L.J.

[knukruzer]

love it so far, beautiful lupines!!! looking forward to the "bear facts & photos" of flying in to have lunch with a big griz! thanks LJ & Bev

[WalleyeLJ]

love it so far, beautiful lupines!!! looking forward to the "bear facts & photos" of flying in to have lunch with a big griz! thanks LJ & Bev

 

Thanks knu - I'm working my way there!!! :D

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

We saw several eagles on light poles and towers and flying around the Spit, and as we headed off the Spit back into Homer proper on the mainland we stopped to check out the sea otters who we floating and feeding off the breakwater wall on the west side of the Spit.

 

 

A pair of Bald Eagles sitting above the "Fishing Hole"on the Homer Spit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Otter as night falls on Homer

 

 

 

 

 

 

While they were really pretty far offshore, we countered it as viewing. So, to recap our first full day in Alaska, we've already seen Dall Sheep, Moose, Bald Eagles and Sea Otters - nice!!!

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

As we wrapped up our evening we headed back to the Rangeview B&B, our home for the next three nights. In this case, B&D would be a better description. Unlike a regular B&B, at the Rangeview, instead of breakfast it's a bed and dessert! While there were bagels and fresh melon for the morning, the evening treat was AWESOME! Chocolate covered strawberries greeted us the first night, followed by homemade rhubarb crisps and chocolate chip cookies. The accommodations were great as well. Unlike a traditional B&B, instead of a room within the home, we actually had our own little apartment adjacent to the main home, with a private deck & entrance.

 

 

Our Welcome Moose - The Beginning of a Theme...

 

 

 

A couple sunny day views of the Rangeview B&B

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a look at our views of Kachemak Bay and the Kenai Mountains beyond...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[sue402001]

Love your review & pictures. I can't wait to read about day 3!

[T-Rox!]

Finally catching up with you. We we not even close to as lucky as you on flights. Our flight was delayed, delayed, then cancelled. We thought we were going to miss the entire cruise, but finally transferred airlines and got the last flight out of Jackson (we were at the airport at 8:00 AM and didn't get a flight out until 7:45 PM. Connecting thru Dallas and then on to Seattle (where we "slept" at the airport waiting for the first flight out at 5:10 AM. Not only did we not ever make it to our B&B in Anchorage, but we couldn't even get to the train in time to make it to Whittier, so we had to hire a driver ... We made it with 7 minutes to spare.:eek: After that nightmare, the trip was awesome! At least until the problems started on the flight home:mad:

 

Loving your review and photos. Thanks for doing this.

T-Rox

[WalleyeLJ]

Love your review & pictures. I can't wait to read about day 3!

Sue - here you go!

Day 3 - flying to Katmai National Park to see coastal Brown bears! Flights are determined by the tides, so we were scheduled for an 8am departure for our bear watching adventure. We got up early, loaded up the photo gear, and headed down to the Boardwalk Bakery on the Spit to grab breakfast and get some box lunches for the trip.

They had TERRIFIC breakfast burritos. We also got ham and cheese sandwiches on ciabatta bread, chips and fresh baked cookies. Bev had chocolate chip, and I had a Snickerdoodle!

Then is was off to the Homer airport. We were told to be there at 8am sharp - not 7:45am, not 8:15am. So we arrived a few minutes early and parked down the end of the airport road. The reason for the exactness is that the gate to the K Bay hanger is always locked, so they have to come out and let people in. We pulled in right at 8am, grabbed our gear, and headed into the hanger. After a quick briefing and outfitting with some snazzy hip waders (photos later!), we headed out to the planes. We knew the planes sat 5 plus the pilot, with a 250# per person weight limit. I was around 270 when I booked, and got their ok for that. What we didn't expect was to get split up. Bev ended up in the lead plane with the owner of K Bay Air, Michael, and I ended up in the second plane, with Aex, who was to be our guide for the day as well. She had 5 people in her plane, but we only had 3 in ours. Granted we were three big guys, but with two open seats, I was surprised that we couldn't fly together.

On the other hand, these Cessna 206 planes were TINY inside. When they say that they seat 5 plus the pilot, they mean five tiny clowns that could fit in a shoebox. While I'm not a fan of flying, it wasn't the flight that stressed me so as much as the tiny cramped quarters. I was wedged in there pretty good, and few minutes into the flight it felt like I was developing a leg cramp. If I had, there would have been no way to stretch it out, so I sat there terrified for most of the trip that I was going to seize up at any moment. So in-between panic attacks, I tried to focus on taking photos.

Here we go - ready for takeoff!

Looking down on the Homer Spit...

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Finally catching up with you. We we not even close to as lucky as you on flights. Our flight was delayed, delayed, then cancelled. We thought we were going to miss the entire cruise, but finally transferred airlines and got the last flight out of Jackson (we were at the airport at 8:00 AM and didn't get a flight out until 7:45 PM. Connecting thru Dallas and then on to Seattle (where we "slept" at the airport waiting for the first flight out at 5:10 AM. Not only did we not ever make it to our B&B in Anchorage, but we couldn't even get to the train in time to make it to Whittier, so we had to hire a driver ... We made it with 7 minutes to spare.:eek: After that nightmare, the trip was awesome! At least until the problems started on the flight home:mad:

 

Loving your review and photos. Thanks for doing this. T-Rox

 

EEP!! T-Rox!!! I think the stress would have killed me before I made it to the ship. I'm glad that the cruise part went much better than airline travel part. That's the important part!

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Despite my constant fear of dying in midair of screaming leg cramp pain, I kept checking out the views between the clouds of Kachemak Bay and the Kenai Mountains as we headed SW towards Katmai.

 

 

There goes Bevy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As pretty as it was, I wasn't prepared for how exotic and lush the approach flight along the Katmai cost was going to be...

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

I hope folks will indugle me, but I've got a bunch of photos of the Katmai coastal area before we get to the bears. If you think it looks good in photos, they don't do it justice, particularly since the windows on the plane had a lot of dings and scratches which made it hard to take clean, clear photos. Even then it wouldn't compare...

 

 

The Katmai Coast - Verdant Green Plains, Glaciers and milky ribbons of glacial rivers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you look at the smallest of the little islands in the lower right of the photo below, our tiny plane would have easily fit on it, to try and help give a sense of perspective as to exactly how huge the glacier was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

Katmai Cost continued...

 

After checking out the glacier, our flightseeing took on a specific purpose as our pilot turned and banked, checking the land below for bears:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally - some clam digging bears - from the air!!! They aren't very big in the photo, but look in the lower right, and you'll see two bears looking for clams. The little ant-like marks are their tracks as they've searched the beach for clams.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L.J.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Yippee!! LJ is posting the long awaited pictures and review of his trip. :D

 

Since I couldn't vote for each category in your poll, I didn't vote. I want it ALL. :D

[Watson's aunt]

OHHHHH my what unbelievable photo's They took my breath away. what kind of camera nand lens did you use. You had a perfect day. I think I was on the Amsterdam when you arrived in Homer. What was this tour?

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

Mary

[WalleyeLJ]

Yippee!! LJ is posting the long awaited pictures and review of his trip. :D

 

Since I couldn't vote for each category in your poll, I didn't vote. I want it ALL. :D

 

DD DI - but you CAN vote for all of them - it's multiple choice just for that reason:D!!!

 

L.J.

[WalleyeLJ]

OHHHHH my what unbelievable photo's They took my breath away. what kind of camera nand lens did you use. You had a perfect day. I think I was on the Amsterdam when you arrived in Homer. What was this tour?

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

Mary

 

 

Hey Mary,

 

I used three cameras for the Katmai bear trip - an Olympus Stylsu 6020 waterproof point & shoot, a Canon 50D with an f/4 17-40mm lens, and most of the upcoming bear photos were taken with a Canon 7D with a Sigma 150-500mm lens. The tour was through K Bay Air in Homer. We did the land portion of our pre cruise trip ourselves, so I booked it directly.

 

L.J.

[Liz315]

Thank you so much for doing this wonderful trip review, I am enjoying it so much. Your photos are terrific.

[WalleyeLJ]

Thank you so much for doing this wonderful trip review, I am enjoying it so much. Your photos are terrific.

 

Thanks Liz!

 

I'm toast for now (lots of posting today:)), but I'll be back with the bears themselves tomorrow night!

 

L.J.

[Sandi3667]

Thanks for posting - I'll be awaiting the next installment.

 

One plus about being in separate planes - you can each get photos of the other's plane in such an incredible setting.