Norwegian Jewel 10-Day September 17-27, 2016 Alaska Review

[pnerissa]

Great review. Love your pictures. I am definitely going to find me one of those loungers in the Spinnaker Lounge!!!

 

Those loungers are AWESOME.

[pnerissa]

There's a spot on Mendenhall Loop where the glacier just appears in the distance. Now, I don't recommend anyone doing what I did, but since there was no one behind me and there wasn't a convenient pullover like at some scenic locations (maybe they'll consider adding one in the future), I literally stopped the car in the middle of the road and took a few pictures. I kept one eye on the glacier and the other eye on my rearview mirror and after a couple of minutes I started driving again. It was just one of those captivating views that I had to get a shot of.

 

 

 

Mendenhall Loop by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

We pulled into the parking lot around 1:30 pm. This worked out great for us because the crowds had thinned and I got a parking spot at the top parking area. We stepped out of the car, gathered our packs and started walking across to the first overlook. There, circling above us, was a majestic bald eagle. I quickly panned my camera up and crossed my fingers. I only got a good look at the results a few minutes ago, and I am very happy with the outcome.

 

 

 

Mendenhall Sign by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Bald Eagle in Flight2 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Mendenhall Glacier 2 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

We spoke with a park ranger about obtaining a park pass for the day. We could either do it at the kiosk in the parking lot, or trek up to the Visitor's Center and obtain one. Well, the kiosk was closer, even though now my new goal was the Visitor's Center because I was starving to death and hoping that they would have a power bar or something to eat. I got my park pass and headed to the elevators near the back of the Visitor Center because I didn't think I had the energy to tackle the stairs up to the front.

 

 

 

The view from the Visitor's Center

 

Mendenhall Glacier from VC by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

The visitor's center was packed. As you would imagine, there were displays, exhibits, films and a viewing area. There was also a small gift shop where I inquired as to snacks. The cashier told me that they didn't sell food, but that if I spoke with one of the park rangers, they carried glucose tablets. Wow. I hadn't even thought about that. So I went over to one of the rangers and she gave me a couple of glucose tablets to keep me going. Talk about a life saver!!

 

 

 

 

Reinvigorated, we headed back down to hike to Photo Point. The trail was paved and short and wound itself down to the shoreline for an unobstructed view of Mendenhall. Our time spent here was short and we started back down the trail where I spotted a man taking pictures into the brush alongside of the trail. I eased up and quietly asked what he was taking pictures of. “A porcupine.” he replied quietly.

 

 

Porcupine by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

I switched my camera to manual focus so I could sight in past the leaves and I started taking photos of the porcupine as well. It was so adorable! I dared Melanie to pet it, but she steadfastly refused, ruining any chance that I could have gotten a close-up of the quills embedded in her hand (kidding!) The little guy wandered off and we started up the trail again.

 

 

 

Continued next post...

[pnerissa]

We hadn't walked 100' when we rounded the bend and the park ranger had stopped all foot traffic on the path. Apparently there was a mother bear with three cubs trying to cross the path up ahead. She had crossed with 2 cubs, but the 3rd was too shy to cross by itself, so she crossed back over to retrieve it. I couldn't see through the wall of people, so I dropped to one knee and scooted up to the front of the throng of people so I could shoot underneath their elbows. Awesome plan, right??

 

 

So there I was, knelt down in the grass next to the foot path when momma bear poked her head out of the trees. She carefully surveyed the path, no doubt noting the two stopped groups of pedestrians at either end of the crossing area. After a moment she calmly stepped onto the path and started across, swinging her head to look around. The cub stepped out behind her looking more than a little nervous. I thought she was going to continue across the path, but it seemed like she looked right at me and then started striding right toward me.

 

 

 

Bear path by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Bear cub path by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

Bear w cub by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

I kept shooting photos expecting her to turn into the woods at any moment, but she seemed pretty determined. The ranger started instructing the crowd to move back, but they didn't seem to hear or care, instead leaning in closer. The bear was still coming, now being far too close for my comfort and I attempted to stand up and meld back into the crowd but they had become like an iron wall resisting my efforts. I stepped two steps diagonally backwards into the brush, all the while the ranger was trying to get this knot of people to listen and move back. My heart was in my throat until, finally, perhaps 15-20' from us, momma bear turned into the woods. And stopped.

 

 

 

Bear cub by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Bear cub2 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

Naturally, the crowd can't see what I can see because I'm in the edge of the brush. I hear remarks of “she's gone.” “No, no she's not.” I replied. “She's right there.” indicating that she was only a few feet away. The ranger is still trying to get people to move back so she can allow those of us stuck next to the brush to step back. Finally, the cub enters the woods behind mom and she starts moving deeper into cover. Only then did the know of people start to move.

 

 

 

Bear in woods by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

Speaking with someone knowledgeable about bears a bit later, they suspect that since I was wearing a black jacket, kneeling and holding a large lens (that might resemble an eye), that momma bear may have thought I was another bear. When I stood up she most likely realized that I was just another annoying human and she lost interest in smacking me down. It was still one of those epic heart-in-your-heart moments that I will always remember.

 

Also, after doing a bit of research later, I learned that the bears at Mendenhall have a special relationship with the visitors there. The male bears tend to stay away from humans. The female bears have learned this behavior and choose to live and travel near the humans because it lessens the chance of them encountering a male bear who may kill her cubs. Not sure how this will translate for the cubs later on when they become adults and start breeding, but I still found it very interesting.

 

Continued next post...

Edited October 15, 2016 by pnerissa

[dporter]

gorgeous pictures and a wonderful review, thank you for taking the time to share!

[pnerissa]

gorgeous pictures and a wonderful review, thank you for taking the time to share!

 

Thank you and you are very welcome! I enjoy it.

 

And just think... after Juneau there's still Skagway, Hoonah, Sitka, Victoria and Vancouver to review. :eek: Although I didn't almost get eaten by a bear at any of those... :D

[AryMay]

I just found your review today and am loving it! Your photos are outstanding...the soaring eagle especially!

 

I can tell you are a kindred soul...I love to plan, plan, plan when we travel. Just the fact that you knew the tide schedule...I am impressed!

 

I am looking forward to reading more. With one Alaskan cruise under our belt, we are planning a second one for next May. I will especially be interested in reading about what you did at Hoonah and Sitka...both new ports for us on the next cruise.

 

Thanks for taking time to include details and the great photos...I know how much effort that requires.

[deliver42]

What a wonderful review. We're booked on the Jewel for next May, and can't wait.

[pnerissa]

I just found your review today and am loving it! Your photos are outstanding...the soaring eagle especially!

 

I can tell you are a kindred soul...I love to plan, plan, plan when we travel. Just the fact that you knew the tide schedule...I am impressed!

 

I am looking forward to reading more. With one Alaskan cruise under our belt, we are planning a second one for next May. I will especially be interested in reading about what you did at Hoonah and Sitka...both new ports for us on the next cruise.

 

Thanks for taking time to include details and the great photos...I know how much effort that requires.

 

Thank you so much! Yes, I spent months researching the trip. I even found an aurora borealis forecaster, and although there were 3 days that it was favorable for us to see it, the weather was cloudy and on the last day it just didn't appear.

 

I really like how this trip turned out. My main goal was to avoid the super touristy things and do a lot of hiking and exploring on my own. That let me get a sense of the "real" Alaska.

 

Funny note... while we were hiking at Mendenhall, a couple passed us walking quickly on one of the trails and the man was looking at his watch. "How much time do we have? We need to hustle. The bus won't wait for us." he said. I stopped and looked at Melanie, indicating their hurry as they disappeared around the bend, and while I was performing the "Around the world and back snap" (In Living Color reference) I said, "And that's why I rented a car!" I can't imagine being at such a wonderful natural area and being limited on the time that I had to properly explore it.

 

And stay tuned... I explored Hoonah and Sitka too. :)

[pnerissa]

What a wonderful review. We're booked on the Jewel for next May, and can't wait.

 

Thank you! And I'm sure you'll have a wonderful cruise!

[Jason82]

Great review and pictures! Makes me want to go back to Alaska!

[pnerissa]

Great review and pictures! Makes me want to go back to Alaska!

 

I highly recommend it!

[cincicruisers]

Great photos and review. Following

[nathanariz]

And stay tuned... I explored Hoonah and Sitka too. :)

 

Enjoying your review, we're taking this one next year so very interested in what you have to say about the rest of the stops. W went to Yellowstone this summer and saw some bears BUT NOT THAT CLOSE!

[pnerissa]

I'm knee-deep in finishing up my class project, but I figured I'd at least try to finish up the Juneau adventure for everyone. It might be a couple of weeks before I can update after this one, so just hang tight.

 

 

So, fueled by adrenaline after the close encounter with the bear, we then chose to take the beach trail over to Nugget Falls near the face of Mendenhall Glacier. Our luck held out with a Bald Eagle perched in a tree next to the trail. The sun was high and the angle wasn't great for the shot, but I was still very happy to see one so close.

 

 

 

Cairn2 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

The beach near the falls was crowded, as expected, but with a bit of patience I managed to get some shots with fewer people in them. I was so focused on getting pictures that it took me a minute to realize that my jacket was getting pretty wet from the spray from the falls. Oops! I moved back and switched over to the waterproof camera.

 

 

 

Nugget Falls4 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

We took a few more minutes at the falls and then started back toward the Visitor Center on the actual Nugget Falls trail. It was an easy walk through the thick trees and scrub. There were plenty of moss-covered rocks to admire, but no more bears. While we were hiking back, a couple passed us walking quickly on one of the trails and the man was looking at his watch. "How much time do we have? We need to hustle. The bus won't wait for us." he said. I stopped and looked at Melanie, indicating their hurry as they disappeared around the bend, and while I was performing the "Around the world and back snap" (In Living Color reference) I said, "And that's why I rented a car!"

 

 

 

Alaska 434 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

After a leisurely walk we arrived back at the Visitor Center and proceeded to the car. I had wanted to hike another trail, but it was late in the afternoon now and I wasn't confident that we would have time to complete the trail in time to do the rest of the things I had planned, so we loaded up and turned onto the road out of the park. I don't think we'd driven 100' when, surprise!, the bears were back. The ranger had pedestrian traffic stopped, but was still waving vehicles through. I drove distrubingly slow that we could snap a couple more pictures of mom and the cubs. I guess she just wanted to see us off... LOL.

 

Bears by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Bear by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

So, the next goal was to find a gas station so we could refill the tank before dropping off the car at the rental place. This was fairly easy since our agent circled all of the important things on our map. We found the gas station and then drove back to the rental office to drop off the car. As planned, our next destination, The Hanger, was right across the street from the rental place. We headed over to have a nice relaxing dinner before heading back to the ship.

 

 

 

Juneau 580 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

The Hanger has a great view of the harbor, the ships and the float planes. I can't quite remember what I ordered for dinner (have we figured out that I'm not into food p*rn yet?) so no pics of our meal. I remember that it was good... I seemed more fixated on taking pics of the float planes landing and taking off right next to the restaurant. We eventually finished up our dinner and started heading back to the ship.

 

 

It was a long, long day and we had another one to get ready for tomorrow in Skagway.

[pizzalady1]

I am loving your pictorial review. It is fun looking at the pics of things I would have liked to do but can no longer do!

[easyboy]

Consistently nice photos of nature's beauty.

[Pocomo]

Yes, beautifully produced review, looking forward to more great photos!

[pnerissa]

Thanks for the kudos everyone. I'll try to slip in another installment while I'm working on my project, after all, I'll need to take a break at some point! :D

[pnerissa]

I did it! I completed my class project and graduated from the Florida Master Naturalist Program.

 

Now I can get back to the business of finishing my review!

 

Next stop! Skagway!! (shortly. I've got to sit down and write it and fish out photos.)

 

Bev

[pizzalady1]

I did it! I completed my class project and graduated from the Florida Master Naturalist Program.

 

Now I can get back to the business of finishing my review!

 

Next stop! Skagway!! (shortly. I've got to sit down and write it and fish out photos.)

 

Bev

 

Congratulations--we are proud of you!

[pattyj 1204]

Congratulations on your graduation. Your photos remind me so much of our 2 Alaskan cruises, You took some gorgeous photos and I'm enjoying looking at them. Thanks for sharing with all of us. I'm betting you would like to go back to Alaska and take a land tour, going where you want, when you want. I know I would.

[pnerissa]

Congratulations--we are proud of you!

 

Congratulations on your graduation. Your photos remind me so much of our 2 Alaskan cruises, You took some gorgeous photos and I'm enjoying looking at them. Thanks for sharing with all of us. I'm betting you would like to go back to Alaska and take a land tour, going where you want, when you want. I know I would.

 

Thank you all. I'm so happy that I was able to accomplish my goal, and yes, I would absolutely return to Alaska for another trip. One day...

 

And on the slight chance that you are interested in learning about Southern Flying Squirrels, my 10 minute class project video is on my YouTube Channel here:

. It's more info than you ever wanted to know about Flying Squirrels.

 

So... on to the beautiful destination of Skagway!

 

By now, you can probably tell that ship life and food came second to my destinations. Most of the time, after spending all day exploring, I'd make it to dinner half-starved and then eat almost everything on my plate before thinking to myself, “Maybe I should've taken a picture of that.” Ah well. Most of it was just “okay” anyway. I had much better food in the ports, which is a much better way to experience the local flavor.

 

 

We arrived in Skagway and made our way off the ship and were in luck to catch the first bus into town, which was a reoccuring theme throughout our trip since our ship was always at the farthest berth from town. Regardless, we stepped off of the bus in downtown Skagway, seemingly devoid of throngs of tourists at this early hour, and we headed forth in search of a coffee shop for my caffiene dependent friend.

 

 

We happened across Glacial Smoothies & Expresso which was open for breakfast and had a decidedly local feel to it. Melanie got a coffee since she was running about a quart low, and I settled in for a few minutes with a hot chocolate and a bacon & egg biscuit. Then it was back out into town to get our bearings before our hike.

 

 

Now, one of the most notable things to me about Skagway (aside from the trains) was that when you stand in the center of town, you can look up and see mountains and glaciers in almost every direction. This is remarkable to me, especially coming from Florida where our highest point is 345' above sea level. It's an amazing view.

 

 

 

Downtown by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

We headed toward Slate street, and no sooner that we reached the corner, a lady on a bicyle stopped to chat with us because she thought we might be lost. I told her, that in fact, we were on our way to Yakutania Point, our first hiking trail of the day. She seemed genuinely delighted that we were getting out into nature to see Alaska, since so many people ride the train and, while the scenery is amazing, they don't really get to get out into it and explore. She shared with us that she was a driver for one of the local bus tour companies and she suggested that if we got a chance, we should try one of the local bus tours up into the Klondike. We thanked her for the suggestion and then continued down Slate street and around past the airport to the start of Yakutania Trail.

 

 

 

But first I had to find a trash can for my now empty cup of hot chocolate. There wasn't a single trash can anywhere to be found. Probably due to bears. And that's when I decided to visit the Skagway Police Department and ask if I could throw my cup away. They were very friendly and accommodating ,and with that done, we were back on our way to go hiking.

 

 

 

Skagway PD by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

We arrived at the bridge over the Skagway River and the entrance to the Yakutania Point Trails, and there, sitting on the railing of the bridge was a juvenile Bald Eagle looking out over the river. After snapping a few pictures we crossed the river and started down a very well maintained trail that took us to the point in no time at all where we clambered out onto the rocky outcroppings to take more photos.

 

 

 

Juvenile Bald Eagle by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Skagway River by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Yakutania Point Trailhead by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Trail by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Continued next post...

[pnerissa]

It was chilly and windy, an indication that all of the weather reports were correct: later that evening was forecasted to have a heavy storm front move into the area bringing strong gale force winds and rough seas in the open ocean. Our excursion operator for Hoonah had already been in touch with us to tell us that our trip may be cancelled, but we were all holding out hope that the storm would magically move away.

 

 

 

Yakutania Point by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

Storm Clouds1 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

We turned from the point and headed back to a branch in the trail that would take us to Smuggler's Cove. Almost immediately I found a little friend in the form of a Red Squirrel. We don't have those in Florida either, and I was tickled pink that he posed for me and let me take pictures of him while he was eating some kind of a pine nut. He didn't even seem put-off by the bear bells I was wearing.

 

 

 

Skagway Squirrel by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

I found the trail to Smuggler's Cove visually and technically interesting. I took my time picking my way across the more rugged section at the beginning because I wanted to pace myself for the bigger hike to come after this one: Lower Dewey Lake. This was the warm-up hike and a gauge of how well Melanie would do on something more strenuous. Like me, Melanie had been recovering from a surgery earlier in the year and wasn't quite as far along in her recovery as I was. Plus I had been training with stairs at work because I wanted to be able to hike if I was going all the way to Alaska.

 

 

 

Trail to Smugglers Cove by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

But back to visually interesting. A sea of verdant green moss covered the forest floor, rocks, and fallen trees. It looked almost prehistoric. To the left we could catch glimpses of Lynn Canal, the deepest Fjord in North America at over 2,000' deep. Unlike much of Florida, the forest understory was not choked with bushes and scrub and it was easy to look ahead, and after a bit of hiking we finally emerged at Smuggler's Cove... Which was far less impressive than the name implies.

 

 

 

Mossy Landscape by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Smugglers Cove by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

After an extensive stay of probably 3 minutes (which was probably 3 minutes too long), we had seen all we'd come to see and then had to decide rather to hike the road back to town or the trail. The trail won because at least along the trail there were things to look at. Finally we returned to town and stopped at the railroad station to look around and contemplate our next more.

 

 

To be continued...

[easyboy]

I did it! I completed my class project and graduated from the Florida Master Naturalist Program.

Now I can get back to the business of finishing my review!

 

Next stop! Skagway!! (shortly. I've got to sit down and write it and fish out photos.)

 

Bev

Congratulations Bev. Another feather in your cap.

[pnerissa]

and... she's back!

 

Had to take a side adventure to go snorkel with manatees, but now I can get back to my review and Skagway!

 

By the time we reached town and the train displays, the rest of the passengers had discovered the town, making it very difficult to take unobstructed pictures of the train. I think the most annoying thing was a couple of people camped out on the end of the train with a selfie stick that thought the folks back home needed to see a pic of them on the end of a train making every possible expression known to man.

 

 

 

WhitePassYR by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

Finally I was able to snap a couple of photos and Melanie asked where our next stop was. I pointed up the mountain looming above town. I guess she'd had her fill of hiking and begged out. Not to be dissuaded, I made sure my bear bells were jingling and I started down the short path parallel to the train tracks before crossing them to the trail head.

 

 

 

Alaska 147 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

Now, upon doing my research prior to the Lower Dewey Lake trail system, reviewers had said that the first 350 feet was a “bit” steep, but that it then leveled out to a pleasant walking trail around the lake. Okay. Let me take just a minute to talk about perspective. 350 ft is the equivalent to 119 yards, .07 miles, 106.6 meters or .10 kilometers, all of which, in fact, are not very far if you hike regularly, which is a favorite activity of mine. Mind you, I was still recovering from a surgery and anemia, but was doing well.

 

 

 

Lower Dewey Trail Bridge by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

That being said, I had decided that I would just take my time getting through the “bit” steep section. Back to perspective. If you've ever hiked Mt. Pinnacle near Little Rock, Arkansas, one could unequivocally say that it is steep, achieving a 1,000 ft of elevation in .75 miles. It is my opinion that Lower Dewey Lake comes in at a close second with a 500 ft elevation gain in 0.9 miles, the majority of that occuring in that “short” 350 ft. section. Unfortunately, to prove my theory, I would have to return with measuring equipment to verify my statement, so I will just own it like fact and continue on. It's steep. Really, really steep.

 

 

 

Lower Dewey Lake Trail by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Lower Dewey Lake Trail4 by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

 

Nevertheless, I startd up the trail. The very beginning isn't too bad, more of a warmup as it meanders over a little creek and starts up the winding trail that begins to switchback up the mountain. The views looking down over the town were very rewarding, making it look like a miniature town. I took ample opportunity to rest as often as necessary and take photos all the way up to the top of the trail. Noticeably absent from the thick forest was any sound of birds or squirrels scurrying about, more evidence that the forecasted storm was still bearing down on us.

 

 

Skagway Town by Beverly Hill, on Flickr

 

 

Continued next post...