Alaska - The Last Frontier

Today was May the 18th and I was about to catch a plane to Denver to meet some friends. Driving to the airport, I was mentally calculating how many years I have known these two old friends and what circumstances brought us together. Russ Boersma and I started in the college publishing game with Holt, Rinehart & Winston about the same time, he in December of 1975 and me in February of 1976. David Hall came along in January of 1980. Both of these guys have been a part of a my life for almost three decades and I was excited to join them for the first time since I had retired in 2006. Two of my favorite places are Denver and Kansas City, the hometowns of David and Russ, I think part of the reason that I feel so much at home in these two cities is because they live there.

My plane touched down about noon and David and Russ were waiting to greet me at baggage claim. Our visit was actually determined by Russ' decision to drive to Salt Lake City enroute to our final destination of Seattle. We thought it might be a good opportunity to meet in Denver and join David for lunch and then travel together back to Utah. Russ' wife, Naomi would meet us in Seattle and the four of us (Shirley, my faithful spouse) would board the Golden Princess for our cruise to Alaska and the Inside Passage.

After we left the Denver Airport, we drove to downtown Denver and Larimer Square across the street from the Auraria campus where David and I spent many a day scouring the halls looking for potential business. We stopped at Ted's Montana Grill (yes, Ted Turner is an owner) for lunch and I ordered one of my favorites, buffalo meatloaf. We spent a couple of hours enjoying each others company and afterwards went across the street to the Cry Baby ranch (the short guy is me), a mish mash of interesting cowboy-oriented art and crafts. We had a really nice time reminiscing and discussing the current state of affairs in college publishing. Russ is still active in the business but since David and I have retired, we can afford to take a more jaundiced view of the business. However, we all could agreed that there was a time when college publishing was a great deal more fun and interesting - before the bean counters brought their sharp knives. We really miss those early days.

All good things must end and so our brief reunion had ended and David headed home to Fort Collins while Russ and I drove further to Cheyenne, Wyoming and Warren Air Force Base where we would spend the night before heading to Utah. Russ is a railroad buff and Cheyenne is a mecca for folks interested in railroad history. The construction of the Union Pacific Railroad across Wyoming from 1867 to 1868 opened the state to permanent settlement.

Cheyenne rose from the barren plains in the fall of 1867 and to become a hub for shipping and railroad maintenance. We took time to visit the Cheyenne Depot Museum and gaze in wonder at the Big Boy Steam Engine, built in 1941, Old Number 4004 is the world's largest steam locomotive. This powerful coal-fired engine was designed to pull a 3600-ton train over steep grades without helper engines. Housed at the Union Pacific Main Yard is steam engine No. 844, still in service, recently made a visit to Ogden, Utah and attracted hundreds of fans. It was an interesting visit and I vowed a return trip.

The next morning we left for the journey to my home in Morgan, Utah. We both would stay for another day at my home and then we would all jump back in the car and head to Seattle. The trip to Seattle requires an over night stay and so we chose to drive a fairly long day and reach Pendleton, Oregon. Pendleton is home to the world famous Pendleton Woolen Mills and has been around for a hundred years making blankets and plaid shirts - I think they were more popular when I was younger. I know they were expensive and highly prized. We stayed the night at the luxurious Motel 6 and left early the next day for our final stop in Seattle.

We arrived in Seattle in mid-afternoon and found our hotel, the Marriott Spring Hills Suites near Seatac, and quickly freshened up in anticipation of our dinner at Duke's Chowder House at Lake Union. Without a doubt, Duke's award winning chowder is absolutely the best clam chowder I have ever tasted and sitting here writing about it causes my mouth to water. He also serves variations that include crab and bourbon, crayfish and lobster pernod. My favorite will always remain his delectable clam chowder - don't pass it up if you find yourself in Seattle. Russ agreed, it was the best ever!

The next morning we repacked and headed to the airport to pick-up Naomi who was arriving from Kansas City. After pushing and shoving the luggage into the luggage compartment, we made a quick stop at Trader Joe's, another favorite of ours. Trader Joe's is a grocery store, but much more, it is packed with interesting food stuff from every where in the world. We grabbed a few unique items, a couple of bottles of wine and some snacks for the ship. We were set! It was now time to head to Pier 30 and our home for the next seven days - the Golden Princess.

Saturday, the twenty-third of May, we boarded our ship and checked out our cabins. We had adjoining cabins on Deck 10; cabins 721 and 723 were aft and occasionally we would notice the sea swells in rougher water. Cruising to Alaska means a fairly short season, lots of people and few bargains. The Golden Princess is a typically cruise ship with a capacity of 2,600 passengers and over a thousand crew members. We opted for the inside cabins to save some money and to our surprise, they were both pleasant and roomy. Best of all, the beds were very comfortable. One thing to remember about an inside cabin is that they are completely dark and if you're like me, sleeping is best done in total darkness.

After surveying our accomodations and orienting ourselves to the lay of the ship, we headed toward the first of many buffet lunches on the Lido deck. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the various decks of the Princess, checking out the various activities on board and participating in the mandatory life boat exercise. That evening we would dine in the Canaleto dining room to an outstanding meal and if you're undecided which of two entrees to order - no problem - order them both!

Sunday is a sea day, so we do what you're supposed to do on a sea day - sleep in; leisurely breakfast; relax on deck with a good book; check out the fitness center (remember, I said "check it out"); grab lunch a the Lido; people watch; walk through the casino; catch a lecture on the port of Juneau; take a nap; get ready for dinner; eat another calorie-ladened meal and finally take our seats in the Princess Theatre for the evening's performance.

It's noon on Monday and we arrive at the port of Juneau, the capital of Alaska. This time of the year, I'm sure there are almost as many cruise line passengers walking around the streets of downtown Juneau as there are full time residents. Juneau is home to about thirty thousand people and though most of the gold has been mined, there is lots of gold to made from the tourist traffic. The main attraction of the day was a short bus ride to the twelve mile long Mendenhall Glacier and then a leisurely walk around the area surrounding this magnificent glacier. The picture doesn't really do it justice - you've simply got to see it to really appreciate the magnitude of this glacier. Oh, and yes, we did stop by to see if Governor Palin was home - pretty nice digs if you ask me - I don't think I would have resigned to move back to Wasilla!

We returned to the ship later that afternoon and that evening the Golden Princess set sail through the Gastineau Channel. The channel is becoming increasingly unnavigable with the increase in silt build up. If current trends continue, it is possible the channel may be entirely blocked and filled with dry land.

Our next stop, Skagway, is a brief 89.3 nautical miles from Juneau and the Golden Princess traversed the Lynn Channel and arrived at five thirty in the morning. Skagway was a major gateway for thousands of would be prospectors in hopes of striking it rich in the gold fields of the Yukon. By the turn of the century Skagway was Alaska's largest town and remnants of those heady days still remain.

We left ship after enjoying a hearty breakfast and walked the short distance to the center of the city. The White Pass and Yukon Railway is the primary tourist attraction in town, built in 1898 during the height of the goldrush, the 110 mile WP&YR Railroad was completed with the driving of the golden spike on July 29, 1900 in Carcross Yukon connecting the deep water port of Skagway Alaska to Whitehorse Yukon and beyond to northwest Canada and interior Alaska. It carries almost a half million tourists during the summer months and is the most popular shore excursion in Alaska. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating - it was cold and overcast - so we opted out of the expensive trip. Perhaps next visit - we'll see.

The next day we were to sail through the Tracy Arm a fjord near Juneau. The Tracy Arm area covers 653,179 acres (2,643.32 km2) and consists of two deep and narrow fjords: Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. Both fjords are over 30 miles (48 km) long and one-fifth of their area is covered in ice. During the most recent glaciated period, this fjord filled with active glaciers. We entered Saginaw Channel, a very tight section of the Tracy Arm. There were numerous ice floes in the channel and I noticed another ship, though much smaller attempting to navigate the narrow channel. It soon became apparent that we were not going to be able to navigate the entire channel and so the Captain turned back - so much for the Tracy Arm.

The Golden Princess followed the Clarence Strait toward our next port, Ketchikan. We passed by Guard Island and entered the Tongass Narrows where the town of Ketchikan lies. We docked early in the morning and quickly left the ship for the short walk into town. This was to be a very brief visit, so we wanted to take advantage of our time on shore. Ketchikan is famous for its Totem Poles and we were able to visit an area where a native Alaskan was busy carving.

The ship left Ketchikan around noon, not enough time spent in this beautiful salmon-rich community.

We enjoyed another day at sea aboard the Golden Princess with a schedule stop in Victoria at seven o'clock Friday evening. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative and the Captain determined that the strong winds would not permit safe passage to the port. Since we were only scheduled to spend about four hours in Victoria, I guess we didn't miss much.

However, we did have the opportunity while aboard ship to attend several lectures from acclaimed naturalist, Michael Modzelewski. Michael lived alone on an island in the inside passage for a couple of years and essentially learned how to survive as a minimalist. His book, Inside Passage, is a treasure trove of life among the native Alaskans, animal life and the flora and fauna of the Alaskan coast. We enjoyed listening to Michael's adventures and we also had the pleasure of listening to Libby Riddles, the first female to win the 1985 Itidarod Sled Dog Race.

Well, time does seem to fly (or is it sail) when you're having so much fun, but it's time to leave the Golden Princess and take with us a week full of awesome memories, great times, interesting venues, fantastic company and way too much food. We packed up our bags early on Saturday morning, May 30th and walked down the gang plank for the final time and headed toward the nearby parking area. We drove east out of Seattle and head to our overnight visit with our wonderful hosts, Warren and Kathleen Abraham in Thompson Falls, Montana.

It was a fairly long day as we made our way east on highway 90, passing through Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and finally arriving in Thompson Falls later in the afternoon. The trip to Seattle through the tri-cities of Richland, Kennewick and Pasco with their agricultural base and the beautiful wine country that surrounds the area was much more scenic, but Moses Lake does boast a very beautiful lake.

Warren and Kathleen have lived in Thompson Falls for the past three years after building a truly magnificent log home on nine acres surrounded by gorgeous pine crested mountains and a river that runs right through the property a few yards from the house. I really envy their life style and Warren even has a golf course within ten minutes of his place - we played the next day and I wasn't really on my game - the long drive I'll bet!

We enjoyed their company for two days and then headed south back to Morgan . Russ and Naomi would stay another day and then head east to their home in Kansas City. They were great traveling companions having tolerated me for many a long day. They are truly the best of friends and we enjoy their company immensely.

What a trip!