Editor's note: This column originally ran on Nov. 16, 2007.
Now for my Alaska experience. Where to start? I guess Anchorage would do, since that was the real start to my wonderful cruise journey through Alaska.
We met our cruise representatives at the Anchorage Hilton and boarded our motor coach for the 2-1/2 hour ride to Seward, where our ship was docked.
We drove along the scenic Seward Highway, which runs along Cook Inlet, a National Forest Scenic Byway. We were fortunate to have a very informative driver who gave us details of the areas points of interest, from the purple fire weed along the road to the Dall sheep that sit half way up the very steep hillsides.
She explained that the mudflats, which extend into the inlet at low tide, look very inviting, but are like quicksand, and of Turnagain Arm with its incredible bore tides that are the second highest in North America.
Once in Seward, on the south-central part of the Kenai Peninsula, we did not see much because we went directly to the ship. What we did see was a bustling quaint little harbor town with boutique shops and art galleries.
Directly across from the ship was the beginning (or the end) of the Alaska Railroad, which stretches 470 miles to Fairbanks.
The scenery of Mount Marathon along Resurrection Bay upon departure was breathtaking.
This was just the beginning of one incredible site after another. The hanging glaciers with their reflections of the blue-gray sky looked as though they just stopped and were suspended in air.
Day two was a day of cruising. Mid-morning we listened to an informative enrichment lecture on glaciers by Alaska destination specialist. By midday we cruised into Yukatat Bay to Hubbard Glacier, Alaska's longest tidewater glacier. It is 76 miles from Mount Logan to Disenchantment Bay at the Head of Yukatat Bay and ends with a 6-mile-wide face at the waters edge. We watched while it calved icebergs from its edge. It felt surreal.
The next stop was Juneau. We decided on a city tour, with a trip to Mendenhall Glacier, a tongue of ice stretching 12 miles from the Juneau Ice Field to Mendenhall Lake. We were much closer to this glacier than the other. We could see the ice caves at the water's edge. We witnessed salmon spawning and, although we did not see them, others further downstream watched a mother bear and her cubs swooping up salmon.
We were fortunate to have beautiful weather to this point, and our next morning was not much different. We awoke and opened the drapes to our veranda and were surprised to see the mountainside so close I felt I could touch it.
Our ship was docked in Skagway and the pier ran along the mountain. There were many shore excursions offered, from dog sledding and mountain climbing to the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. The latter was our choice.
The railroad, built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush, took us along narrow tracks through tunnels, along cliff-hanging turns and over bridges to White Pass Summit. The narrator pointed out historical sights, glaciers and mountain ranges along the way.
The next stop was Sitka, a quiet little town with a Russian influence. We chose to walk around the town and visit the many museums, churches and Totem Square. It was such a beautiful day that we walked up to the Sitka National Historical Park.
Then it was on to Ketchikan, a bustling town with as many as five ships in port. We embarked on a city and wildlife tour. We viewed bears trying to scoop up salmon at the local hatchery. They were quite entertaining.
Our tour guide took us off-the-beaten path, where we could view many eagles, both in their enormous nests and flying high above the trees. We visited Saxman Village where we found Totem Park and watched the natives carving out totem poles.
On the last day, we cruised the inside passage. A beautiful, calm day to sit back and watch Mother Nature go by. It was a wonderful end to an incredible journey that we will never forget.
Patty Toppa is a travel consultant with Gadabout Travel. She can be reached at patty@cruisetraveltours.com or www.cruisetraveltours.com.