07-06-2010 Cruising Alaska Ketchikan

Arriving in Ketchikan this morning was dramatic.  The sun rose long before we were awake, but the heavy lined drapes let us sleep longer than we had planned.  By the time I opened them wide to look outside we were very close to our first port.  The mountains around Ketchikan are beautiful, lush and green.  It is, after all, a rain forest, with precipitation over 100 inches a year.  Our plan was to explore the town on our own, avoiding lines and costly excursions.  Ketchikan is a small place, with few roads, and the town is clustered along the waterfront.

Leaving the ship entails a photo opportunity for the cruise photographers, and for some reason on this cruise they seemed to think that huge cartoon animals are cute.  Later, when we looked for our photos, it was hard to see anyone in between the giant salmon and giant fisherman in a brilliant yellow slicker.  We surely didn’t need to buy THAT photo, even though we both looked OK.  Kind of silly, really. 

 

On shore, we walked to the end of the dock, down the gauntlet of people hawking excursions, taxi drivers trying to get fares, and Princess personnel showing the way to the prepaid tours.  It was surprising just how much it felt like any other cruise port in Mexico or the Caribbean.  Still a lot of people around trying to sell you something and get your money. Then, along the main road next to the dock, there are all the Diamond International, Tanzanite International, and all the other jewelry stores found at cruise ports all over the world.  What a racket!  Duty free diamonds.  But wait!  Isn’t Alaska in the US?  Would I have to pay duty anyway?  Mo and I followed my daughter’s advice and avoided the first streets in favor of the smaller back streets and truly local shopkeepers.  The big stores are dominantly owned by the cruise lines, and certainly don’t do much to bring in real money to the locals.

On this day, however, shopping was our second choice to walking.  The town of Saxman was just a nice 3 mile walk along the waterfront and gave us a chance for some quiet and some nice views of the channel. Ketchikan has the largest number of ceremonial totem poles in Alaska.  We walked past cannery row and the Coast Guard station, through thick forests with salmonberry and ferns, punctuated by small waterfalls.   Along the way I met a sweet little very tiny lady with 5 cats and a gorgeous garden filled with flowers.  She had lived in Ketchikan since the early 70’s and was happy to visit with us.  I was surprised at the flowers everywhere, most of the shade and moisture tolerant types due to the heavy rainfall.  The delphiniums, however, were in full bloom, farther along than my own in Rocky Point.  The visitor center at the  totem pole park was nice, and the local staff were helpful and informative.  For a buck, you can buy a map of the poles with the history of each one. We learned that even though they are made of durable cedar, many of the original totem poles have deteriorated and most of them have been redone.   The re-carving is considered an important work and done with great pride by superior tribal craftsmen. The gift shop on the premises is run by the tribe, and there is also a clan house, with traditional dancing and singing performed periodically.  The carving shed is there as well, with a carver working on site.  You can watch him through the windows if you wish, but he only allows visitors inside at his discretion.

After enjoying the totems, for another buck, we caught the local bus back to town and were dropped off right in the center.  Things were a bit more crowded here, so we walked back to the Ketchikan Coffee Company for a cappuccino.  Another great local spot, with art on the walls done by the infamous Ray Troll, famous for his creative wild art, and an Alaska favorite. 

Creek Street is the classic row of one time brothels and bars, now converted to shops and a brothel museum.  Most shops here are locally owned, and the boardwalk area is quite picturesque reflected in the creek. Spending three bucks each to ride the tram up the hill was well worth it, and the Tlingit lodge at the top is lovely, filled with art and informative photos about the local history and tribal economy.  Walking back down to town, via the “Married Man’s Trail” was lovely as well.  We sidetracked a bit, ambled along the creek viewing salmon ladders, checking out the local homes, and visiting a bit with some local residents.

 

Back to the ship for our boarding in plenty of time to find a spot on the upper decks as we left Ketchikan.  Even though it was cloudy, there was no rain and the views were lovely.  A local story of Ketchikan follows: Someone asked a young child, “how long has it been raining?” , and the child replied, “I don’t know, I’m only five”. 

07-05-2010 Cruising to Alaska Day 1 and 2

This cruise wasn’t really planned much in advance.  After all, we did just do a wonderful two week trip through the Panama Canal back in January.  But one day, Mo just said, “How would you like to do the Alaska Inside Passage” and before long we had our cruise tickets and our air miles took care of the transportation to Seattle for another great vacation week. 

Mo has been to Alaska but I haven’t.  She drove the highway many years ago and camped in her Scout among the mosquitoes. We still plan to make a MoHo trip there before long, but in the mean time a cruise is my perfect introduction to the state.  Cruising can be addictive.  As the days passed and the time to leave got closer, I found myself fantasizing about the slow slide of the sea, and the way a cruise slows my own internal pace.  I watched the weather, seeing temperatures in the high 50’s and rain for most of the trip, and I didn’t care.  I was going to Alaska, and I was going to relax, and watch the sea and the sky and the mountains, and get waited on for a whole week.  Ahhhh.

We left early Sunday morning from Medford, and found to our delight that Alaska Airlines still serves complimentary wine on their flights to Seattle.  So what if it was only 6 in the morning, we mixed it with orange juice and thought it was a great start to a fourth of July day. I couldn’t see passing up that sweet little freebie, especially when we had to pay surcharges for all sorts of things, including our luggage.  By the time we reached Seattle, the dark northwest clouds had descended, but it really didn’t feel too terribly cold.  We had a light breakfast in the airport while we tried to entertain ourselves until the ship shuttles were functioning.  By 11 we were on a bus to the Magnolia District and by noon we were actually on the ship.  It was the slickest, quickest, cleanest embarkation we have experienced on any cruise so far.  Impressive!  Especially so after our last experience with Celebrity, such a great cruise line, and yet they didn’t even come close to the efficiency we experienced with the Princess staff.

Once on board, even though staterooms aren’t usually ready so early on the day of embarkation, ours was ready and waiting.  We unloaded our carry-on’s and headed up one deck up to the Lido for the welcome buffet.  This is the first time we have taken a room on an upper deck, and ours is in the middle, right at the central elevators. It’s also our first time with a balcony room, and I love it!  Even if it’s too cold to just sit out there all the time, the view is open and wonderful, and we can leave the door open at night for fresh air.

I think comparisons are inevitable since we cruised so recently.  Our last cruise before the Panama Canal was with  Princess as well, and I found myself trying to remember just how different the Crown Princess was from our current ship, the Sapphire Princess. I also find myself continually comparing this ship with the Celebrity Constellation.  It is really surprising to me that two ships in basically the same class (Crown Princess and Sapphire Princess) can be as different as they are. Last night and today, we have been exploring.  Much like the Crown Princess, and very much unlike the Constellation, there are many areas on this ship are disconnected to other areas.  There are three sets of elevators, but they all don’t go to the same floors, and sometimes you have to change floors to continue to the aft or forward portion of a deck.  It makes for a lot of walking and climbing, a good thing for us, but not necessarily for everyone.

This trip, for the first time, we chose second seating dinner at 8.  Last night we went to the early show at 7 and then to dinner at the International Dining room.  The theater was large, but not especially lovely and the show was just ok, with a few dance numbers and an OK comedian. Thinking this schedule would work for the rest of the cruise, we were a bit daunted to find out that this ship doesn’t have an early show and the only way we can go to both dinner and a show is to do the late show at 10:15 pm.  Maybe not!  I am a morning person, my kids all know this about me, and know that trying to call me after 8pm at night will result in a pretty stupid conversation.  I also know that if I call them at 5am when I am all bright-eyed, they might not be so chipper either.  Except for Melody of course, who is chipper on the radio at an ungodly hour.  But I digress.

Our dinner was adequate but certainly not memorable, and the dining room a bit boring.  However, we did have our table for two ready for us without a hitch.  The fabulous two story dining room with the incredible elegant food that we enjoyed on the Constellation came with a price.  We had to fight for our table for two after some glitches, and when we did finally get one, it was right next to the work station.  Entertaining, but definitely noisy.  I guess there are trade-offs, no matter what.  I do miss those wonderful dinners with all the flatware and elegance.  Here, we both decided that we could miss dinner in the dining room without feeling as though we were missing something, and plan to do so tomorrow night so we can see the show without staying up till midnight!

Our only goal for this first sea day was to refuse to rush around anywhere, and to do everything in a leisurely way.  My goal was to find the fine line between leisurely and lazy. 

The morning began with a brisk walk on the top deck jogging track, small enough that it takes ten laps to get in a mile, but certainly nice enough.  The skies were clear and blue and it was windy!  Then down to breakfast, which by the time we got there, was very crowded.  We found a table outside the main part of the cafe, and especially enjoyed the really good watermelon.  ‘People-watching’ has been fascinating on this trip as well.  The crowd is completely different from any cruise I have experienced, with lots of cultural diversity, an even mix of age groups, many young people, and lots of families.  The pools and ping pong tables seem to be kept pretty busy with this bunch.  Midmorning we explored the ship some more, found the Alaska cruise companion book with maps, and settled into the cafe area on the fifth deck for cappuccinos.  A late lunch in the Savoy Dining room was delightful, with a traditional English Pub offering of fish and chips and Bass beer.  An afternoon of cards in our room punctuated by whale sightings, and somehow it was time to prepare for the formal night dinner. 

Dressing up is always fun, but this time it was also incredibly entertaining to see everyone else in their finery.  Japanese women, young and old, were wearing special traditional lovely silk embroidered gowns.  Indian men wore colorful pashminas over their tuxedos, and some women were in saris.  It was fascinating. The captain greeted everyone and introduced his crew, and champagne flowed freely.  Dinner was filet mignon, and again, adequate but forgettable.  

It is 10:30 now, Mo is sleeping while I write, and the sun has finally dipped below the horizon. Tomorrow we will see Ketchikan, arriving early in the morning and returning to the ship by 3:30.  Alaska at last,  traditional Alaska with totems and Creek Street.  As I watch the shadows of the wild coastal mountains coming closer  in the twilight, I am filled with excitement about what is waiting ahead.

06-21-2010 The Oregon Coast (The Rest of the Story)

As sometimes happens, I wrote many pages full of eloquent descriptions and exquisite details about the next few days that we spent on the Oregon coast, only to lose it all in the publish/review/draft/publish process.  After a big sigh, I just gave up and continued on to the next adventure. The problem with that plan, however, is that the next few days on the coast were filled with incredible kayaking experiences.  Now, instead of all the details (which I write for myself as much as anyone) this post will merely try to remember the best parts, the highlights of the rest of the week.

 

When we explored Pacific City, we saw the Little Nestucca River and Nestucca Bay, and made plans to return the next day for a kayak adventure.  On the Little Nestucca River, we put in at a boat launch east of Highway 101, about 3 miles upriver from the bay.  It was a bit exciting to put in on a new river, something unknown, and I was especially tickled to have five bars with 3G coverage on my iPhone.  I could zoom in on the Google Maps and see our route as we cruised down the river.  Fabulous. 

The river flowed through the Nestucca Bay Wildlife Refuge and into the bay.  We chose our paddling time well, with the current and tide taking us down and the tide turning and again taking us back upstream, with only a little bit of effort required the last mile or so as we returned.  Nestucca Bay was beautiful, with a long peninsula protecting it from the open ocean.  Our route took us to the mouth of the bay, to the surf, and to a small beach almost completely empty of people.  Across the river, a group of horsemen gathered on the beach, and some crabbers trolled the waters, but it was quiet and clean, and beautiful.  A perfect kayak adventure for us.

The day after that we returned to a park that we found on the Salmon River, near the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology south of the little community of Neskowin.  We were surrounded on three sides by reserves, conservation centers, Nature Conservancy preserves, and beautiful wildlands.  Even in the misty overcast, it was an amazing experience.  On this day I discovered a completely different relationship with rain, I loved it. 

We kayaked downriver, not a long way, to the breakers, and found a tiny tidal island where we docked and cleaned out our boats.  The island slowly disappeared with the rising tide as we stood there, and we pushed off again and headed upstream. Once again, we were very nearly alone on a gorgeous beach on the Oregon coast on a summer day.  Not many places where this kind of beauty can be found in the midst of solitude.  It was perfect.

We moved our camp to Beachside State Park for a couple of days, spent some time in Florence, in the old town part of the city, enjoying cappuccino and shopping, and had another great seafood meal at a different Mo’s. Mo and Abby and I had a wonderful time walking the beach and I took way too many photos of the gorgeous Solstice sunset on the 21st.

When we left the coast on Wednesday to head back home, the skies were really gray and dreary, but sunshine and hot summer temperatures waited for us as we traveled inland.

I wish I hadn’t lost what I wrote, but hopefully the photos will remind me of the very best parts. 

 

06-18-2010 Exploring Pacific City and Lincoln City Day 2

 Such a leisurely morning!  We slept in till 9am, something that never happens at home, and then had a simple cereal breakfast.  The weather was sunny and cool, with no fog or rain.  Pacific City was north of us, and we wanted to explore it after reading about what a delightful, quiet beach getaway town it was.

Once there, we discovered Cape Kiwanda, with its gorgeous beach, and the home of Haystack Rock.  Another big attraction there is the fact that you can drive and park down on the beach, and there is a single huge sand dune mountain for climbing and sand sledding.  There were many people enjoying the sunny day, but it still didn’t seem too crowded. There were also a lot of dogs enjoying the beach as well.  It’s nice to have a place where your dog can be on the beach.  So many times when we would go to the beaches in California we couldn’t take Abby. We had a great time walking again, and this time the winds were really blowing, but it was still not terribly cold.  This beach is famous  for it’s dory launching site, and after watching some dory landings, we read the commemorative plaque about the history of the dories on the Oregon Coast. 

After our walk, we explored the Nestucca Bay Wildlife Refuge and looked for other camping and kayaking possibilities.  North of Pacific Beach we hunted down some small county campgrounds we found on the internet.  They are cheap, quiet, and off the beaten track, but not something we would choose.  Woods Campground in Pacific City isn’t much more than a parking lot, and the Wehalin Island Campground was barren and open, with less than a dozen sites.  It seemed to be filled with long term campers in vans and tents and wasn’t really very inviting.  It was also surrounded by a tidal flat, that might be lovely when the tide was up, but was rather yukky at low tide. These campgrounds are operated by Tillamook County, and for us would be a wide spot in the road to use for emergencies only.

Back to Lincoln City to find Mo’s Chowder House for supper.  Of course, we would want to eat at Mo’s!  After supper we checked out the flag shop, of which there are several, and bought a wonderful flower whirligig for our campsite.  We also put up the chili pepper lights around our awning and hung the wind chimes.  Ahh, camping at it’s finest.  I did my share of tent camping and ground sleeping, but these days all the little delights of motorhome camping are great.  I guess it really isn’t camping, though, but it is wonderful.  A couple pulled in next to us this evening in their big Class A, and when I complimented him on his parking skills (these sites are small!) he laughed and we talked about how this really isn’t camping, but it really is fun. Now, the photo on the left may be a bit strange, but I found myself laughing as I realized that it’s hard to live without a “junk drawer”.  Even in a motorhome.  Doesn’t everyone have one?

Another campfire after our spaghetti supper ended another perfect day at the coast.

06-17-2010 Off to the Oregon Coast Day 1

We left for the coast this morning at 9:15.  What an amazing morning it was at Rocky Point, with the sun shining brilliantly and the temperatures warming up at last.  A bit ironic to be heading for the cool coast when we have been waiting through such a long cold spring for some summer weather.  Still, it was exciting to get the MoHo back on the road again.  Diamond Lake Junction is just little over an hour north on 97 but there is a great little restaurant there that has probably the best breakfast in the world.  From the outside you wouldn’t have a clue, with a big sign that says EAT.  It looks like any dumpy little roadside greasy spoon.  I do think that breakfast there is the best I ever found, and this morning we made it before the 11am breakfast cutoff time.  Mo and I shared something called the “Bigfoot”; chicken fried steak, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits.  Even with two people eating, we couldn’t finish the entire thing and took some with us in a box for a later snack.  Something about that meal takes me back to a simpler time, like macaroni and cheese or fancy fruit jello salads.  I love the new style of eating, with fresh food, lots of veggie choices, and ethnic seasonings and styles.  Still, there is something of the  south in me that melts for chicken fried steak, childhood food, southern food.  Reading Laurie’s blog (Semi-True Tales of our Life on the Road) this year about their travels and eating adventures in the south made me want to go there just for the food!

We traveled to the coast via HWY 97, over Willamette Pass on HWY 58, I-5 to Corvallis to HWY 99 north into Dallas, turning west on HWY 22 to HWY 101 to Lincoln City. 

There are just a few routes across the mountains, and then a few from I-5 leading west to the ocean, so choosing is just a matter of preference.  We were settled into camp by 5, after eight hours driving that included our  nice breakfast break.

Our destination this time is a State Park right in the middle of Lincoln City adjacent to Devils Lake: Devils Lake State Park.  Since it was high summer at the coast, we were smart enough to make reservations and we had a full hookup site, even with cable.  The campground there is nice, but the sites aren’t very private, and there were LOTS of kids around, riding bikes, making lots of noise.  The highway is close as well, and traffic is loud, but tempered a bit by the sound of the ocean, just beyond the highway west of us.

After settling in, we explored the campground, found the delightful boardwalk through the wetlands that led to the highway, crossed the road and found the beach.  A two mile walk along beautiful clean sands was  perfect for us and for Abby, where she could be off leash after we left the state park boundary. 

So many of Oregon’s beaches are gorgeous, but short, punctuated by cliffs and rocks and it is sometimes hard to walk any distance without being stopped by them.  This beach is long and clear, and you can walk for miles in either direction. 

Home to our campsite for the evening campfire.  The skies are clear and the winds are mild and temperate.  Wonderful end to our first day.