North to Alaska with Crown Princess

[Colin B]

Tuesday 17th May Skagway:

 

This was to be our second day of driving on the wrong side of the road. I had wanted to see the fabled Yukon Highway and White Pass and originally thought about booking the railway/coach combined tour. However, this was very expensive and the railway had mixed reviews on Trip Advisor so we decided to hire a car and drive to Emerald Lake.

 

We had an early breakfast while the captain parked the ship then headed straight for the Avis depot which is in a motel building barely half a mile from the pier. The pretty African lass behind the counter made quick work of the handover and we found our shiny near-new Corolla and hit the road. Navigation was easy – there is only one road out of town and the traffic was light but I had Murray’s Guide open anyway and ticked off the landmarks as we went.

 

 

The weather was cold with the threat of rain or snow but the Yukon Highway is a good bitumen road and it only took us an hour to reach the Canadian border at the top of the pass. This is a bleak windswept place and for practical and comfort reasons the border post is a few miles further on in a valley. We stopped to take a photo of the border marker and to touch snow for the first time in a long time then carried on. Despite warnings of possible delays at the border there was only one car in front of us and it only took a few minutes for the Canadian immigration officer to stamp our passports and wave us through into Canada. If you do this trip remember to carry your passport.

 

Our first stop was the Yukon Suspension Bridge over the Yukon River and by this time the clouds had lifted giving us a fine but cold day for sightseeing. We walked around the highway side and looked at the dioramas depicting a sawpit and some historical moments then crossed the bridge The landing on the other side has a viewing deck with a replica of a log cabin and cache plus a collection of inukshut but the main attraction for us was the amazing scenery.

 

We did not spend long here as our schedule was tight but it was an interesting half hour. I could not resist taking a picture of a home-made snow plough which appeared to be based on a WW1 military truck.

 

Back on the road we continued through spectacular mountain scenery with Rosemary at the wheel for another stint of “wrong-side” driving. We were held up briefly by roadworks and after a couple of miles along the muddy unsealed section out poor car was no longer shiny. We stopped for photographs at Tutshi Lake and Bove Island, with its signboards describing the early pioneering discoveries of this area; notably the raft journey by Frederick Shwatka and Charles Homan.

 

 

By mid-day we had reached Carcross which is close to Emerald Lake and stopped for lunch at a service station where a friendly waitress served up one of the best hamburgers we had enjoyed for a while with thick, crispy chips. We were thinking about turning around here but she told us we were only five minutes from Emerald Lake so we kept on trucking and, soon enough, there it was. Emerald Lake was definitely one of the prettiest lakes we saw on our holiday.

 

We turned around and headed back at 1pm, travelling non-stop at the speed limit to make sure we caught the ship’s 4.30pm sailing. Near the top of the pass the weather gods turned against us and low cloud swept in, enveloping us in a pea-soup fog. We groped along using foglights to follow the guardrail for a few miles then, luckily, caught up with a small tourist bus pulling out of a lookout. The driver obviously knew the road well and we made better time following him. Unfortunately, he (she, actually) stopped at the border marker and “kindly” offered to let us pass. We did, somewhat reluctantly, but the fog was lifting as we descended, letting us make better time.

 

At around 2pm, near the iron-capped mountains we came across a couple of tourist busses stopped to watch a black bear and a yearling cub grazing by the road. It was to far away for a photo but I turned the car around and as we crept back Rosemary nailed a good shot of Mama bear through the windscreen.

 

 

At 3pm on the outskirts of Skagway we stopped at Jewell Gardens a charming plant nursery and café and spent half an hour walking through their gardens.There was a nice collection of exotic plants and the café looked inviting but we still had to refill and return the car so, reluctantly, pressed on.

 

Back in Skagway I found a servo to refuel the car and things went pear-shaped. The pump had some sort of pre-pay system I could not figure out so I went inside with my Mastercard. The operator was helpful but the technology was playing up and it took almost ten minutes before I could fill up, pay and leave so I sent Rosemary ahead to the ship while I returned the car then ran after her. I made it with quite a few minutes to spare but as luck would have it one of the tour buses was late getting back so departure was delayed for them.

 

Naturally, we did not see much of Skagway itself but the shops did not look that exciting and we had a ball on our drive, seeing some spectacular scenery and wildlife. If you do this drive t is essential to keep a close eye on the clock and make allowances for possible delays like roadworks and bad weather. It also helps if you can share the driving so that everyone gets a chance to enjoy the scenery.

 

Photos:

 

Our trusty Corolla climbing up White Pass

The USA/Canada border marker

Bove Island

Emerald Lake

Jewell Gardens

[Colin B]

Wednesday 18th Ketchikan:

 

The ship docked at around 11am so we were able to watch the Captain demonstrate his reverse-parking skills – pretty neat. This was another chilly morning with drizzling rain on and off so we wore our rain pants and jackets and carried brollies. Our excursion to Totem Bight was not until 2.00 so we had time for a short walk around the town. The shops were the usual collection of souvenir/gift shops and a friendly bar owner let us check our email with his WiFi while we had a drink – nothing urgent.

 

Totem Bight Tour:

 

Our driver was a young – looking student called Jonathan and during our walk he gave us a good rundown on the significance of totem poles and First Nations customs and traditions in general. I noticed that in Canada they commonly refer to the original inhabitants as "First Nations People" and while I normally despise political correctness I like this term as it is much more respectful than "natives" or "Indians". The poles displayed are a mixture of old ones and reproductions carved to traditional designs by modern Tlingit and Haida carvers using traditional tools like knives and the “elbow axe.” One pole was square and tapered evenly to the top and this was all done by hand and eye using an elbow axe – like an adze but with a blade of horn or stone only an inch or so wide. Some amazing craftsmanship in that.

 

Contrary to popular belief, totems were never used as objects of worship but as a way of identifying clans and marking great occasions or events. Sadly, early settlers and their priests often regarded them as pagan objects and many were destroyed as missionaries tried to convert the locals to Christianity.

 

There is a full-sized replica of a tribal longhouse, built in the traditional manner complete with guardian totems and ceremonial entrance carved through the main totem pole.

The grounds were also impressive and Jonathan showed us several edible plants and we saw an enormous banana slug

 

Inside the gift shop was an impressive collection of antique firearms including an early Gatling gun. On the way back Jonathan told us a couple of Tlingit legends about how Raven stole the sun and the man who married a bear.

 

Lumberjack Show:

 

It was still drizzling when we arrived at the Lumberjack “village” for the show and the gift shop thoughtfully displayed cheap and simple ponchos. The show was an hour-long demonstration of traditional timber working skills by two "competing" pairs of lumberjacks with the crowd split as supporters for Team America and Team Canada. There were some impressive displays of log chopping, chainsaw races, two-man and solo sawing and a fair bit of fake (I hope) antagonism between the teams. A highlight was an axe throwing competition using double-bladed axes.

 

Back on board we had an early dinner at the Horizon Court Buffet. A very talented trio of musicians, piano, cello and violin were playing in the atrium so we sat and listened to them for a while. Their rendition of “Don’t cry for me, Argentina” with the cello and violin harmonising and the pianist providing rhythm was brilliant.

 

Photos:

 

Ketchikan Harbour from the ship

Totem Bight longhouse

A wry comment on the weather

Log rolling at Lumberjack show

Sunset leaving Ketchikan

[Colin B]

Thursday 19th June Sea Day:

 

The weather was fine but cold again. The sea was a bit rough and the ship was moving slowly so the roll was quite noticeable. Walking around is a bit like having had a couple too many drinks – the deck is not always where your foot expects it to be and on the stairs a hand on the rail is a good idea.

 

We had breakfast at the Horizon Court then started packing our bags which were to be collected tonight for disembarkation in the morning. Michael Modzelewski gave another entertaining talk about the First Nations people and their various customs. Later at lunch in the Horizon Court we were treated to the sight of a Japanese diner busily flossing his teeth at the table. He even chatted to his fellow diners with the floss dangling from his mouth.(?):confused:

 

That evening was the second formal night and, again , it was a good evening with a different but equally engaging group of diners sharing our table. The dress code was definitely not enforced to any strict degree but no-one seemed to mind this.

 

After dinner that we headed to the Princess Theatre for a new show “Magic to Do.” This was another song and dance show with some magic tricks thrown in. Unfortunately the theatre was full when we arrived so we stood at the back and still saw everything quite well. So far as shows go it was entertaining enough and slickly produced but, like the previous one, lacked any real WoW!! factor. On the other hand, we were happy to stay the distance so it certainly kept our attention.

 

 

Friday June 20th – Disembarkation:

 

This was managed very smoothly and efficiently. We had been given colour coded tags for our main baggage and these denoted our meeting place and time of disembarkation. For us it was the Traveller’s Bar on level 7. Our main bags had already disappeared at some time during the night and there was a safe area watched over by a crew member where we could leave our carry-on bags until departure time.

 

We got up at 6.30 to give the room a final tidy-up and pack our remaining loose items and toiletries, parked our carry-on bags then headed to the Horizon Court for breakfast. There are several ways of settling the shipboard account but we had authorised them to debit our travel card which was the simplest way. I had noticed quite a long queue of people waiting to pay up the previous day so was glad we missed that treat. At disembarkation time we simply picked up our hand baggage, scanned our cards for the last time and walked down the gangway to the terminal building.

 

There was no customs check or passport stamping involved, just a slow shuffle along the cattle race. I guess that as we had been checked by U.S. customs on boarding and screened every time we reboarded the ship that was good enough for the Canadians. Our heavy bags were waiting for us and we collected them then joined the line for taxis. The terminal staff marshalled the taxis into the pickup area, bags were slung into the back, passengers into the car and away again - all very quick and efficient. We were back at the Times Square Hotel by 10.30AM.

 

Photo: Last sunset on board