Alaska Cruise

Alaska Cruise

August 19 to 26, 2001

· To get to the cruise ship, we decided to take the scenic train. It was rather nice, giving you a view that you couldn't get from either boat or car. Some of the canyons we rode through were quite dramatic. And we finally saw some non-zoo wildlife here - some moose and moose calves.

· The cruise itself featured primarily older people, a very large majority of whom were American. It went from Seward down to Vancouver, with stops at Sitka, Juneau, and Ketchikan, on a 7-day itinerary.

· Highlights of the cruise itself include

· Yukatat Bay proved itself well-named, as very high winds through that passage caused widespread seasickness, or "Yuch-attacks." Ginette was in bed through the whole thing. Mme Lefebvre did pretty well, but ultimately decided to skip dinner. Jean was somewhat green, but did manage to get up. Cathy won the "iron stomach" award, making it through 2¼ courses of supper before giving up. The amazing swells were something to watch, though - really neat.

· On-board art auctions were rather interesting, as they included some information about more modem artists that we didn't really know that much about. We came home with two new seriolithographs (much to the suspicion of the customs agent).

· They do quite an excellent job with the food, especially considering the number of passengers (1200) involved. For example, at the meal pictured we had (between the four of us) pate, caviar, Alaskan delicacies (king crab, scallops, scampis, salmon), escargot, lobster tail, beef Wellington, and baked Alaska.

Drink of the Day

Pacific Blue, $3.75

Vodka, Crème de Banane, Blue Curaçao, pineapple juice and coconut cream.

· The bars are fabulous. Our favourite was the Crow's Nest, at the very top of the ship, with a fabulous view all around. That's where we saw a huge pod of minke whales, as well as a single orca. (On a different day, we saw dolphins.) They often had live music, and always had great service. But each bar had its own personality - piano bar, Explorer Lounge with live musicians, Java Cafe, and so on.

· The live entertainment was pretty decent. Especially good was the comedian/ventriloquist Patrick Murray, and the banjo player was much better than I would have expected. (Who knew you could play the Godfather Theme and excerpts from Fiddler on the Roof on the banjo?)

· We also partook of the movies (Enemy at the Gates), the outdoor deck, the indoor pool and hot tub, and the gym and fitness classes. What we didn't like as much were the somewhat hokey games and activities they came up with (no obligation to join in), the very poor library, and we didn't even bother with the casino

Sitka

August 22, 2001

In Sitka we went on a sea kayaking tour. It was unusually sunny in Sitka that day. We sa some very large star fish, jelly fish, and some jumping salmon, but no land animals other than bald eagles. We also saw a spetacular 'inactive' volcanoe.

Ketchikan

August 24, 2001

Ketchikan was our favourite village.

Pictured below is Creek Street, a historic street with neat shops and museums. But the whole town looked rather channing, with higher quality stores than many of the other towns. Ginette bought a beautiful soapstone sculpture there.

(It should be noted that Alaska is a great place for shopping for native art and for jewelry. We bought a little bit of each.)

Also in Ketchikan was the Salmon Hatchery and Eagle Rehabilitation Center. We had a tour of it, and that was very interesting. We learned a little bit about bald eagles and quite a bit about the different types of Pacific salmon. The creeks there are just black with salmon that time of year. It's amazing.

Salmon

Chinook salmon (kings or blackmouth salmon). These are the largest salmon as adults. Fry have fairly large, uniform parr marks, and adults have black gums. Chinook salmon often live from 5 to 7 years, and the biggest ones weigh over 90 pounds. They are important to subsistence fisherman, commercial trollers, and sport fisherman. In Alaska, chinook salmon are common from the Yukon River to Ketchikan. In the past, they were also common from British Columbia down to California; but the species was treated poorly by the people there, and many stocks are now extinct.

Coho salmon (silvers). Coho salmon also have big parr marks, and adults usually weigh about 5 to 15 pounds. Most coho salmon only live 3 years. Adult coho salmon can be distinguished from chinook salmon by white gums. They are commonly found south of Norton Sound. Coho salmon are important to many subsistence, commercial, and sport fisherman.

Sockeye salmon (reds). Sockeye salmon fry have irregular parr marks. Adults often weigh 5 to 10 pounds and take on a red body color as they mature in freshwater. Fry almost always live in a lake
for I to 2 years, and the adults spawn in watersheds that contain lakes. Sockeye salmon live to be 3 to 5 years old, and they are commonly found from Bristol Bay to Ketchikan. Sockeye salmon are the most valuable fish to the commercial fishery, and they are mostly caught by gillnetters. They are also important for subsistence, personal use, and sport fisherman.

Chum salmon (dogs). Chum salmon fry have smaller, irregular parr marks. The fry become smolts, loose their parr marks, and migrate to the ocean within a few weeks of absorbing the yolk sac. Chum salmon are sometimes called dogs because the male's jaw become very doggy looking as they mature. The snout changes shape and sharp teeth are exposed and they also take on a calico coloration. Chum salmon usually live 3 to 5 years and may weigh from 8 to 15 pounds. They are common throughout Alaska and are important to net fisherman and to subsistence fisherman.

Pink salmon (humpies). Pink salmon fry have no parr marks. They hatch as little silvery smolts, and they can migrate into the ocean with little or no freshwater rearing. Pink salmon are called "humpies" because the males take on a distinctive humpback appearance as they mature to spawn. They always mature at 2-years old, and they usually weigh near 3 pounds. They are most valued by net fisherman and subsistence fisherman.

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