Sandy and Mike enjoyed a two-week trip to Alaska in June. We flew up to Fairbanks where we learned about the Alaskan gold rush (about 50 years after California's) and went out to visit the big oil pipeline (Prudhoe Bay to Valdez). Boarding the private Holland America cars attached to an Alaska Railroad train, we next headed south to Denali National Park where we spent two days chasing grizzy bears, caribou, moose, bald eagles, etc. Then it was back on the train, and a night in Anchorage before we boarded our Holland America cruise ship in the port of Seward nearby. (About half the population of Alaska lives in Anchorage, but it was just a typical medium-big city -- nothing especially unique.)
The Ryndam carries about 1200 passengers -- not too big, not too small -- and was ideal for an Alaska cruise. Our first "big" attraction was Glacier Bay, where we saw LOTS of glaciers, including one that was "calving." The first actual port was Haines, which is an old-style Alaskan town that was the inspiration for the TV show Northern Lights. In Juneau (the only state capital that has no roads going to it -- you must arrive by sea or air), we took the tram to the mountain top, visited the Mendenhall Glacier, and then boarded a helicopter for a trip over, and landing on, some of the glaciers in the area (there are dozens). Ketchikan was our last port stop, the most tourist-oriented of the places we stopped, and perhaps mainly famous for its red light district which operated until the 1950s as Alaska became a state. Off the ship in Vancouver, and a direct flight home. A great time, and very well executed by Holland America.
Fairbanks:
Denali National Park:
Glacier Bay:
Haines:
Juneau:
Ketchikan:
