Alaska by Land

Our Alaska cruise made the three traditional port stops - Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Our first stop, Skagway, was supposed to be our glacier tour via helicopter culminating in a dog sled ride on a glacier. However, as soon as we woke up that morning, we pretty much knew that it was not going to happen due to the heavy fog (see picture below). We did end up being canceled, so we spent a few hours shopping in the town. The town was very cute - wood sidewalks, the storefronts were coordinated and reminiscent of the early gold rush days of the town. Here is the Disney Wonder from land.

Totem poles became a theme during our entire vacation - they were everywhere and the kids never seemed to tire posing with them.

Beautiful Alaska scenery. This was one block off the main street near the Skagway Museum (a great little place that takes you through the early gold panning years).

This harbor seal was literally right next to the gangplank leading to the ship. The kids were thoroughly entertained by him, watching him eat his salmon.

Juneau was our second port city, and our second attempt at the helicopter/dog sledding (thank you Disney for rescheduling!). We were waiting for our tour time in the theater, and in walks Mickey Mouse! He sat right next to the kids and truly spent 10 minutes with them, despite the other kids in the aisles. He was so focused on us that Joe and I actually became nervous that the excusion was to be canceled yet again and the ship sent Mickey to soften the blow!

Mickey even led the kids to the gangplank for our excursion!

As you have probably guessed, the weather in Juneau cooperated for the helicopter ride! Here is Ethan all suited up for the ride. Both kids loved the helicopter - especially the headphones.

The Disney Wonder via helicopter.

The helicopter ride lasted maybe 15 minutes each way, but the scenery was all gorgeous. We flew over 3 glaciers total, 2 descending glaciers (they are growing smaller) and 1 ascending glacier (it is actually grown larger - about 1 foot per week). Here is our first glimpse of the ascending glacier.

The dog sled camp! There were 170 dogs at this camp, and they were all transported there via helicopter. The dogs will stay on the glacier for about 5 months, and the dog sledding that we participated in helps the dogs learn to carry weight on the sleds. When we were there, the temperature on the glacier was about 50*, but that was considered very warm for the dogs who prefer 0* or below. The drivers live on the glacier for about 10 days at a time before being flown back to Juneau for a 3 day break.

We rode on a 2 mile track, that took about 30 minutes to complete. It was a fantastic 30 minutes! Joe, the kids and I were on one dog sled team while Kim and Brett rode on a second team next to us. Joe "drove" the first 1/2 mile of the track (our dog handler, Jeremiah, actually did the work for us).

My turn!

Olivia actually drove the dog sled! For 1/2 mile she and Joe stood on the back together. For the final 1/2 mile she became brave enough to do it herself (after the initial jolt it is actually a very smooth ride). I am a bit glad that Olivia had to work up her courage a bit, because if she had driven on the first leg of the track, I don't think that any of us would have had turn since she ended up loving it so much!

A passenger view of the dog sledding.

Joe and Olivia waiting to drive the team back to the camp.

The six of us with our drivers. Our driver, Jeremiah (far right), was actually only 17. He WON the junior Iditarod race last year (for drivers under age 18) in 25 hours.

Goodbye dog sledding. Worth every penny. What a fantastic experience!

Juneau was a very busy port stop for us. We actually did not explore the town on foot - only via bus going from one excursion to the next. Olivia really wanted to go gold panning, and had talked about it all cruise long.

Olivia panning for gold in a river. I knew that prior to this excursion, she had no idea what panning for gold was about. I wish I had gotten a picture of her face when she realized that she was not going to find a gold nugget and instead all you are lucky enough to find are tiny gold flakes! I'm not sure that her brain was able to comprehend the process!

Mom and son hoping to make it rich with gold!

Gold! The flakes are there - you just have to look very closely. Once Olivia transfered the flake to her vial, the guide was actually pretty impressed with the amount of flakes (each flake was worth a quarter).

Transferring gold flakes to our keepsake vial.

We ended our Juneau excursions with a yummy salmon bake and marshmallow roast. The salmon in Alaska is the most beautiful color - almost red. So delicious!

Our final port stop, Ketchikan. We had no excursions planned for this town. Instead we put on our walking shoes and toured the city. Of course, we found another totem pole in the town.

Creek Street is a great place to go - literally a boardwalk over a creek lined with local artist shops.

We walked to the Ketchikan fish ladder, but we unfortunately did not see any salmon spawning. We then hiked over to the salmon hatchery and totem pole museum (great authentic totems that were original to the area).

Ahhh, Married Man's Trail leading to Creek Street. We walked this Trail and learned its history. Back in the day there were brothels lining the street. Nice.