A Travellerspoint blog

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Why?

A few thoughts about our pending trip

Our trans Canada road trip has been on the drawing board for at least 3 years. Covid lockdown & travel restrictions meant it was postponed by at least one year, if not two. The format, schedule and even route have been in constant evolution. As Canada has tentatively re-opened its borders to international tourists, many businesses in the sector have either closed permanently or redefined themselves. Train & airline schedules have been changed or cut completely. But most significant of all, post covid, the global car rental market is facing huge supply problems. During the pandemic, companies sold off their car fleets but now cannot restock in sufficient quantity. Our holiday is based on self drive for over 40 days so our trip has been greatly impacted. We can no longer drive across certain states & hire charges have rocketed. But overland trips are what we love to do. Canada by train would just not give us the chance to experience the vastness & complexities of the Canadian nation & its people. Indeed it is due to its size that Canada features on our travel radar:

By landmass, accounting for 6.1% of our planet’s land surface, Canada is the second largest country in the world. However in terms of population ( with circa 38 million people or just 0.5% of the world’s total ) it is way down the ranking. Compare that with China, the world’s third largest country, with a slightly inferior landmass but a colossal 17.7% of the world’s population. Russia, with 11% of landmass wins the gold medal for size. And if Putin realises some of his current geopolitical ambitions, Russia would become even larger. Well of course we’re not particularly keen to venture into Russia at the current time. So looking for a new road adventure we decided to drive across Canada starting in Vancouver in British Columbia & finishing in Halifax in Nova Scotia.

Actually our trip will extend beyond Canada’s borders. At the very start of our holiday & before we pick up any hire car, we will be spending over 2 weeks in Alaska. On SG’s bucket list is the annual spectacle of brown bears gorging themselves on the salmon run before they retreat into their winter hibernation. Our adventures start in Anchorage, not Vancouver. The whole overland journey will last 60 days, visiting two countries, America (Alaska) & Canada and driving through 9 of Canada’s 10 provinces & 1 of its 3 vast territories. By the end of it all, we will still only have seen a small proportion of this magnificent part of the world. And in many places we will surely see more wildlife than humans. The mileage covered will be declared at the end of this diary. Who knows what detours we will have to make!

Posted by sagbucks 11:15 Archived in United Kingdom

In Search of Cooler Climes

Who’d have thought we would leave England to do so

sunny 25 °C

Departure Day Part 1

  • Finally DDay dawns - another glorious sunny morning. The type we have been experiencing for quite a while now, but rarely @ 5 a.m. as we do today. Preparations for our 2 month trip have been complex and time consuming. The last few weeks have been particularly intense.
  • Today we are essentially bidding farewell to the scorching & arid English summer of 2022. Who’d have thought we would be heading for cooler climes, rather than leaving them.
  • By the time we return early October, we will have a new, but not necessarily more competent PM, heating will have been switched on by those who can afford it, our economy is likely to be under even more stress & who knows what manoeuvres Putin will be organising in poor Ukraine. We will probably wish we could have stayed away longer.
  • But on the plus side, & it’s a significant one, we will be able to catch up with family, in particular two members at either end of life’s spectrum: little Immy, our 7 month old granddaughter & SG’s extremely frail mother, who recently celebrated her 92nd birthday.
  • Not sure if it’s an age thing, but long haul travel no longer seems that exciting. Pre flight procedures have become so complex that SG doubts she’ll ever be able to travel alone again.
  • Flight & car hire issues have been delegated to AG. And even he has been challenged. The check-in process has taken him several valuable hours at home; and that’s before we even leave for the airport. At Terminal 5, it is striking how many BA Customer Service staff there are, dressed in new casual outfits, standing around offering advice. Very few now sit behind a desk. No wonder BA wanted to shed those staff on old expensive contracts during the covid pandemic.
  • It is a huge relief to be finally sat on BA 53 destined for Seattle. Here we will hopefully be re-united with our luggage and catch our onward flight to Anchorage.
  • On the subject of luggage, SG feels special commendation is deserved:

23KG is the allowance. 8 weeks the duration of our trip. The climate will be varied, but on the cool side. SG’s Osprey bag weighs in at an incredibly modest 18kg, AG’s check in luggage is marginally heavier @ 20 kg. A round of applause please!

Departure Day Part 2

  • It may make you feel better to know that queues happen in America too. At Seattle airport it takes us nearly 2.5 hours to transfer from international arrivals to the departure gate of our Alaskan airlines flight to Anchorage. Catching a connecting flight is no longer so straightforward.
  • Alaska may be America’s largest state, but it is by far its most sparsely populated. Moreover Anchorage is by no means a megacity. But with a population of just under 300,000 it accounts for about 40% of Alaska’s total.
  • Still it is an easy 15 minute taxi ride from the airport to our hotel, the Copper Whale Inn in downtown Anchorage.
  • Just one problem. The card machine in our taxi is not functioning and we do not have sufficient dollar funds to pay the fare. The driver has a bigger worry than how much tip we will give him. Fortunately a complete stranger who is also staying at our hotel is prepared to bail us out. It restores faith immensely.
  • We venture out on foot to find a bite to eat. We are not inundated with choice, ending up at a grill/bar called Humpy’s. Hopefully a fish theme is implied. The menu offers the usual burger range which does not appeal, at least to SG. But it does include halibut. We will no doubt have many more halibut meals during our stay in Alaska - the seas here are justifiably famous for the quality of its cold water fish. Halibut fish & chips hits the spot.

How to pack

How to pack

How not to pack

How not to pack

There are queues in America too

There are queues in America too

Posted by sagbucks 02:18 Archived in USA

Getting to Know Anchorage

Superficially a bit bland, but there’s more below the surface

overcast

Sunday 14 August 2022 / Anchorage

  • Jet lag kicks in. Not helped by the fact that our ‘garden’ room actually looks directly onto a main road & traffic lights. Gas guzzling pick up trucks & SUVs ( most Alaskans seem to drive one or the other ) pass by intermittently throughout the night. Revving up when the lights turn green is a noisy affair. We will be making our first request for a room change - our trip has barely started. Only another 59 nights of hotels to go!
  • We are both wide awake by 5 a.m. (again) but not necessarily raring to go. Before breakfast we work out a sightseeing itinerary for the day. This is not the only day we will have at leisure in Anchorage. As we move about Alaska we will return a couple of times with the opportunity to see more of the city. The weather forecast for the following week is very English - grey skies, occasional drizzle, and cool summer temperatures.
  • Today we must imagine the mountain ranges that surround the city. We hope to glimpse them at some stage before we leave Alaska. Given the weather & Sunday closures we decide to take a ride on the city tourist trolley bus which starts its route outside the Log Cabin Tourist Office. There is a standard 1 hour service and a longer deluxe option, that is of course also more expensive. We choose the former and are delighted with our driver & raconteur Steve. His script of historical information, trivial facts & humorous anecdotes make for an interesting hour.
  • Anchorage is frankly a rather bland city. It is also relatively young. Initially settled as a tent city in 1915, it evolved quickly when it was decided to build the Alaska Railroad from Seward to Fairbanks. The powerful earthquake of 1964 destroyed many original buildings - another reason for the paucity of architectural treasures. The trolly bus compensates for this by taking us into the city suburbs, even as far as the airport. This proves to be a fascinating excursion to the Cape Hood Float Plane Base. No tarmac runway here. Just a couple of wide channels of water around which are parked hundreds of float planes - all waiting for action.
  • 75% of Alaskan communities have no road access. It is therefore hardly surprising that float planes are used so extensively. Anchorage International Airport is also a very busy place. In previous decades it used to serve as an important re-fuelling hub for flights between Asia & Europe. But with the superior flight range of modern aircraft, this role is now redundant. Not to worry, Anchorage airport has a new raison d’etre : it is one of the busiest commercial freight hubs in the world. Ranking 4th after Memphis, Hong Kong & Shanghai . It is open for business 24/7 all year round.
  • Back in the city we are driven past a life size bronze statue of Captain James Cook. Donated by BP to the city of Anchorage, it has become ever more controversial since 2020. Local First Nation citizens object to Cook being there & would like to have him removed from his plinth overlooking the waters of Cook Inlet. They have a point. Captain Cook didn’t even set foot physically on Alaskan soil. No, he delegated to senior crew members the shore visit and the resolution of territory issues. Cook was actually on a mission to find a NW passage between Europe & Asia. In this he failed, but he did contribute greatly to charting the coastline of this area. For now he remains standing firm. But for how long?
  • Next on our agenda is the renowned Anchorage Museum where there is a permanent exhibition known as the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Centre on Level 2. It is a truly impressive & interpretive display of more than 600 Alaska Native cultural heritage pieces. Such an excellent way to discover more about the First Nation people who lived and worked the Alaskan land thousands of years prior to European occupation.
  • The museum of Anchorage also accommodates several touring art exhibitions with various themes. You can be sure it will be of a very high standard. We have a light lunch in the museum cafe. AG indulges in his first reindeer sausage. He believes in eating local.
  • And for supper AG has found a great restaurant only a block away from the Copper Whale Inn : Simon & Seaforts. We have a fabulous fish supper in a dining area with panoramic windows overlooking Cook Inlet. We both choose halibut. AG is more adventurous and selects halibut cheeks. Apparently they have a texture similar to crab. Who’d have thought…

Captain James Cook Surveying the Scene and Cook Inlet

Captain James Cook Surveying the Scene and Cook Inlet

Copper Whale Inn - But Beware the Busy Road Junction

Copper Whale Inn - But Beware the Busy Road Junction

Amazingly Dahlias are Still in Bloom

Amazingly Dahlias are Still in Bloom

Such Uninspiring Road Names

Such Uninspiring Road Names

Anchorage Airport has World’s Largest Seaplane Hub

Anchorage Airport has World’s Largest Seaplane Hub

Seal Intestines Provide a Waterproof Material

Seal Intestines Provide a Waterproof Material

Traditional Inuit Fishing

Traditional Inuit Fishing

AG May be Tempted

AG May be Tempted

Posted by sagbucks 02:23 Archived in USA

Breakfast on the Alaska Railroad

Excursion to Seward

overcast

Monday August 15 2020 / Seward, Alaska

  • AG always says the second night of jet lag is the worst. And despite our room change, it is. The cardinal rule is one day per hour of time difference. Anchorage is 9 hours behind London, so we have a few more nights of disturbed sleep to endure.
  • This morning we are catching the 7 a.m. train to Seward, a beautiful coastal town S of Anchorage. It is named after William Seward, the US Secretary of State who was responsible for the purchase of the Alaska state from Russia in 1867.
  • We had been looking forward to our railroad trip until the owner of our hotel mentioned that amongst tourists in Alaska, the rail journeys & cruises were proving to be an ideal petrie dish for Covid. The nearby ‘covid’ hotel for tourists testing positive is apparently full.
  • Nowadays Seward is renowned for its fishing industry, scenery and its deep & ice free port. This is why it also serves as a hub for cruise ships. Alaskan tourism is big business. The Alaska Railroad is very definitely a tourist affair. It runs a daily service during the summer season until mid September. The station is a crowded place at the 6 a.m. check in time. More queuing…
  • But this was not always the case. The Alaska Railroad was built between 1915 - 23 for more serious reasons: By this time it was obvious that Alaska was a state rich in resources such as coal, minerals, timber, fur & gold. Transportation links into the interior were required to move the goods down to the coast. The US government therefore authorised the building of a rail link between Seward & Fairbanks. Stretching a total distance of 470 miles & traversing some of the most challenging terrain to lay track, it is justifiably world famous. In 1984 superdome windows were introduced in some of the carriages and it became the tourist attraction it is today. Intending only to do this journey once in our lifetime, we have treated ourselves to the gold star class. This promises bigger seats, domed glass windows & an open air private viewing platform. Lastly, but very importantly, we are also served a hot breakfast & copious cups of tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
  • The journey time is 4 hours. Not because of the distance ( 120 miles for this section ) but due to the inclines of the track in certain places and the fact that this is a tourist train travelling at a comfortable speed for photo clicking. Sadly the weather for this most scenic of routes is not good. Grey, cool & damp with very low lying cloud. For much of our journey it is as if we are viewing scenery through a monochromatic lens. We will just have to imagine the height & scope of the Alaskan wilderness we are travelling through.
  • At Seward many of our fellow passengers are destined for the cruise ship which towers above the small boat marina. Whilst our luggage is transferred to our accommodation ( 360 Harbor Hotel ) we seek out a light ( fish ) lunch in a cafe very much frequented by locals. It’s buzzing and serving remarkably good food. Their Halibut & shrimp ceviche, crab cakes and battered halibut chunks are delicious.
  • With an afternoon to spare & fighting the urge for a long afternoon nap, we head out on foot to explore the town. We see a couple of bald eagles up in a tree overlooking the harbor. Further on along the promenade there is a group of local fishermen keen to catch the salmon as they head upstream to lay eggs. It’s that time of year. We observe the scene for a good 30 mins. We see neither jumping salmon nor fishermen catching. But it is obvious that fish are caught here in the Seward area big time. We walk through the fish market adjacent to our hotel. The catch of the day is being skilfully filleted and packed up in cooler boxes. We see a 100 lb halibut being divided up. It is worth over a thousand dollars. Some of the fish belongs to clients who have paid for chartered fishing trips - sport fishing is another important element of the tourist industry here.
  • Jet lag really hits hard & early this evening. So after another fish supper ( but not so memorable) we head for bed.

Looking Cheerful @ 6 a.m.

Looking Cheerful @ 6 a.m.

River Deep, Mountain High, Glacier Wide

River Deep, Mountain High, Glacier Wide

Glacier Scenery in the Background

Glacier Scenery in the Background

What a Beautiful Curve

What a Beautiful Curve

Alaskan Lake Scenery

Alaskan Lake Scenery

Serious Fishing Tackle

Serious Fishing Tackle

Filleting Fish at the Cleaning Station

Filleting Fish at the Cleaning Station

Seward Marina

Seward Marina

My Man in Alaska

My Man in Alaska

How Big is Your Halibut?

How Big is Your Halibut?

Posted by sagbucks 05:17 Archived in USA

Rain is Stopping Play

Perhaps August is not the best month to visit Alaska?

rain

Tuesday 16 August 2022 / Seward

  • We are scheduled to do a 7 hour small boat cruise today. A trip that takes us deeper into the Kenai Fjords National Park as far as the Holgate and / or Aialik Glacier which are both tidewater glaciers ‘flowing’ directly into the sea. Sadly we are informed that this excursion has been cancelled for today and the following 2 days due to bad weather out at sea. Instead we are transferred onto a boat that will not venture into Resurrection Bay where the seas are forecast to be very rough. The vessels used for day excursions do not benefit from the weight, size or stabilisers of larger boats.
  • The low cloud and rain mean that visibility is poor. Whilst SG succumbs to sea sickness and tries to sleep it off, AG gets very wet standing on deck. He hopes to spot any wildlife highlighted by the captain from her bridge. Sadly there is not a lot going on. Or at least if it is, it can’t be seen. Even the humpback whales decide not to come out to play. All very disappointing. The trip is meant to offer fantastic scenery & wildlife sightings. It is billed as a highlight for photographers.
  • Once back on dry land ( well actually it’s also pretty wet by now) we must find something to pass the unexpected time we now have on our hands. We opt to follow the 2 lakes trail. This leads to the point reached by the tsunamis that hit Seward in the wake of the 1964 earthquake. The wood trail is lovely and the lakes picturesque. But it is also very damp. Like England used to be. It makes you realise that water shortage is a very localised issue. Alaska has water in abundance.
  • Our hotel bedroom becomes a laundry and we raise the heating high so we have a chance of drying our kit. None of our labelled waterproof clothing is truly waterproof. And frankly what is the point of water resistance if it is only temporary?
  • A bad day is however made better by a delicious meal at a restaurant called ‘The Cookery’. It’s a taxi ride from downtown Seward but worth the effort. And yes we eat halibut again. SG hopes it is a superfood. It will help compensate for the nutritionally poor breakfasts we are eating.

The Route We Should Have Taken

The Route We Should Have Taken

With Weather Like This, It Might be Better to Stay at Home

With Weather Like This, It Might be Better to Stay at Home

Putting Our Waterproof Clothing to the Test

Putting Our Waterproof Clothing to the Test

Posted by sagbucks 22:04 Archived in USA

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