Alaska Cruise on the Baranof Dream

I had promised my granddaughter, Aspen, a trip after she finished the eighth grade. In January of this year, I began looking for a place to take her. After much searching, I called Adventure Life to see if they did Alaskan trips. I had taken three trips with Adventure Life and felt good about traveling with them. I was excited to learn that they did Alaskan Dream Cruises, which are with small ships. My youngest son had gotten a travel bonus at work and I convinced him to go with us. Finally, after anticipating for five months, my oldest son, Cord, drove us to Austin on Friday, June 21st, to catch our flight to Seattle. We eased through security at the airport although I was randomly picked to have the palms of my hands scanned. Our flight left at 6:34 and we landed in Seattle at 8:36. We were in a different time zone, two hours earlier than central time. We waited about 20 minutes for a shuttle to take us to our room at Sleep Inn. We were very hungry so we walked across the way to an Ihops beside the hotel. We got to bed about 11:30 and got up at 3 AM in order to catch the shuttle to the airport. Our flight to Sitka was to leave at 6:15. The plane departed on time and it was two hours to Juneau. We stayed on the plane as some people got off and others got on. The flight from Juneau to Sitka took about 22 minutes. An Alaskan Cruise representative drove us to totem Square where we would spend the night. We drove over the O'Connell Bridge which connects the town of Sitka on Baranof Island to the airport. Before 1971, when the bridge was completed, the commute was achieved by a ferry service. Now, we were three hours earlier than our time at home in the Hill Country. I immediately fell in love with Sitka. Sitka, formerly known as New Archangel under Russian rule is situated on the west side of Baranof Island. It is a quaint and beautiful seaside community, considered by many to be the most beautiful seaside town in southeast Alaska and I would not disagree. On the east, I saw majestic snow-capped mountains. Looking around, I saw stately spruce trees and fishing boats. I could tell this town was immersed in history and culture. Kitka was home to the Tlingit Indians long before the Russians or Americans ever trod here. We walked to Victoria's Hotel and Restaurant as we were very hungry and not many restaurants were open. It was very crowded so we walked round a little and later came back there to eat. With our appetites satiated, we shopped some. It was misting a little off and on. Aspen found a cane for me to get for Cord in a most wondrous fur store. The furs were splendid and I found sea otter fur to be he softest that I have ever touched and also very expensive. We then walked back to the hotel and checked in. Later, we walked up the beautiful stone steps to Castle Hill. This is the historical site of Tlingit and Russian forts. In 1867, the Russian flag was lowered and the American flag raised, marking the transfer of Alaska to the U.S. It is now a National Historic Landmark and there are no buildings there today. Toward evening, we went back to the hotel and ate there. I had a hamburger on a potato bun and it was one of the best I have ever eaten. Knowing we had a full day ahead of us , we retired early. Tomorrow, we would tour some of the sites with our guide and board our ship, the Baranof Dream.

Sunday morning we ate breakfast at Victorias and checked out of our hotel. Mary Watson, our scientific guide for the cruise, gathered people from our hotel and we walked to the Alaskan Dream hospitality room a few blocks away in the Sitka convention and visitors' bureau. We then toured as a group to the Russian Bishop's House and St. Michael's Cathedral. We also visited the Sheldon Jackson Museum. The Russian Bishop's House was very impressive. We arrived at the Cathedral after services there. The lady who told us about the Cathedral said they had just had a special three hour service and the people stand for the services. There was so much to see in the museum that I could only take a quick glimpse. It would take half a day to really see everything in it. About noon, we boarded a boat for a Sea Otter and Wildlife Cruise. We were served sandwiches after we boarded. Aspen, Cody and I went to the top deck so we could see good. There were binoculars on the seats for everyone. We saw three brown bears, two seals and several sea otter and many bald eagles. There were so many spectacular mountains and islands. One island which was shrouded in fog looked like Skull Island in the movie, "King Kong". We were on the boat fours hours and eventually rendezvoused with the Baranof Dream in Fish Bay. What a fabulous day we already had experienced and now, we were to begin our adventure aboard ship. As we boarded, Suzanne, was showing people to their cabins. There were only 44 passengers and 20 crew members. We were unexpectedly upgraded to cabins with windows. Cody was in cabin 201 and Aspen and I in 202. We were happy with this serendipity and put our luggage on the twin bed. We were going to sleep on the double bed by the window. We soon found this bed to be so comfortable and the sleeping so good with the window open as we glided over the water. We were served hors d'oeuvres at 5:30 and then dinner at 7:30.This was the first of many wonderful meals on the ship. I feasted on salmon, roasted tomato salad and wild berry sorbet. We could have our choice of anything on the menu or all of it. Tomorrow, we are going to Glacier Bay. That night, Aspen and I opened our window and I don't think I have ever slept so good. The clean, fresh air coming off the water was refreshing. The ship gently rocked us to sleep, but only after we watched a heaven sent sunset. We knew we were in for an exciting and wonderful adventure. One night, we laid across the bed and basked in the bright orange full moon over the water.

I awoke at 5 and got up shortly before 6. I walked to the lounge which was about six steps for our cabin door. There was fruit on the bar and coffee and hot tea always available. I drank a cup of hot tea with local fireweed honey. I sat in the lounge and watched the mountain and islands glide by. After eating a breakfast of buttermilk pancakes and bacon and some cinnamon French toast, we found ourselves docked at Glacier Park to pick up a couple of forest rangers. Howard, our Tlingit cultural guide, ate with us. Being a retired teacher, I am always interested in the schools where I visit. He told us that basketball was very big there and most teams had to travel by ferry and stay several days. These trips cost several thousands of dollars.He also told us that in P.E. the kids would be dropped off in the wilderness for four days with nothing but the clothes on their backs. I don't know if this was for the seniors or exactly who, but I think it may be a good idea as there are some very remote places in Alaska and being able to survive on a daily basis would be a must. We picked up Park Ranger Andrea and William,at Bartlett Cove. William spoke the Tlingit language and told us about the two clans, Eagle and Raven. We learned that it is a matrilineal culture. Andrea told us about the many birds on the South Marble Islands. We saw Kitiwiks in cracks on the sides of cliffs and some cormorants. Aspen wanted to see puffins and we did see several swimming in the water. There are Tufted Puffins and Horned puffins. they are not very good at flying, but excel at diving. We saw a Black Oyster Catcher on the pebbled beach. We saw many other types of birds and hundreds of sea lions sunbathing on the rocks. As we got closer to the glacier, it started to get cold and windy on deck where most of us viewed the wildlife with binoculars provided by the cruise line. Each passenger was also provided with rain and wind proof pants and jackets and water proof boots. The twenty member crew was so nice and helpful in every way. We met so many nice people on the cruise. Glacier Bay is 3.3 million acres. Moose arrived there in the 60s. A popular saying is- ''When the tide is out, the table is set''. The animals come out to eat at low tide.We were told about the calving of glaciers. Calve comes from ''to drop''. We learned that 95 per cent of glaciers are retreating. Margerie Glacier is one of the most active glaciers for calving. There is a rifle-like crack and a loud roar when this happens and it creates a turbulence. Our ship at another glacier was rocked pretty hard from large waves when there occurred a large calving. Margerie Glacier is a 21 mile long tide water glacier and is part of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. (a tidewater glacier is defined as a glacier which generate sufficient snow to flow out from the mountains to the sea) William told us about the Tlingit natives and said they had only an oral language until the 1960s. Some younger Tlingit people are working to keep their ancestral language alive. On Marble Island, we saw a brown bear and several mountain goats. There was one very young goat. I am always amazed at their agility as they can climb almost straight up steep mountain sides. We also saw hundreds of Stellar sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks. Stellar sea lions are much larger than harbor seals and have articulated flippers that bend so they can climb. They also have extended ear folds which seals do not have. We saw puffins here also. What a wondrous place! We also saw two orcas swimming gracefully in the water. This was one day we all wore our rain gear provided by the cruise line. It really felt like we were in Alaska. Most days the temperature hovered at 70 degrees. Perfect!! For lunch, I ate a crab cake and veggie burger which was quite different from any I had ever eaten. I had black beans and corn in it. For dessert, I had apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Mary , our scientific guide, was very knowledgeable, especially about salmon. She welcomed questions from everyone. Our trip to Glacier Bay was a round trip of 120 miles . As I readied for bed that night, I wondered if the first day was this exceptional, how could it get better? There were four other young people on the cruise so Aspen enjoyed playing cards and games with them when we were just sailing. They started eating together also. For dinner that evening, I ate Red snapper and pear salad with bread pudding and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Of course, we never missed the hors d'ouevres served every afternoon. Adventure Life should post a warning with this cruise that you might gain several pounds. Ha, but so worth it. We docked at Bartlett Cove at 7:45 where Andrea and William left us. Aspen, Cody and I walked the Forest Trail several times. We were back on the ship by 9:45. Tomorrow, we go to Mendenhall glacier and Juneau.

After yet another peaceful night of sleep, I got up at 6:15 and ate a hearty breakfast of baked eggs(a new dish to me) and bacon and cranberry juice. We had docked at Juneau and got on bus #281 from the Gray Line bus company. Ben, our driver, took us to Mendenhall Glacier. There were many buses there as several large cruise ships had docked in Juneau. This was the only time we encountered so many other travelers. It looked like an Asian invasion as hundreds of Asians got off their buses and started walking toward the glacier. Our small group was early enough that we got to experience this wondrous sight without too large a crowd. We walked by the Mendenhall Glacier visitor Center. This glacier is in the Tongass National Forest and is 12 miles long from its origin on the Juneau ice field to it's terminus at Mendenhall Lake. Here, there is a spectacular waterfall. The noise made by the rushing water makes you very aware of the force of nature's water. We stood close to the edge of the lake and could feel the cool spray from the rushing water. Some of our group went on a whale watching tour and one mother and her daughter did a dog sled tour. The three of us ate at ''the Hanger on the Wharf'' downtown. I ate fried halibut for the first time and we all three gave it a thumbs up. The three of us strolled through downtown and did a little shopping. Several huge cruise ships were docked there and I was very thankful that I was on a small cruise ship. Those large ships are floating cities. We rode the Mt. Roberts Tram, owned and operated by the Tlingit natives. It was very crowded. Once we got to the top, we had a stupendous view of the city which was 18oo feet below. At the top, we saw the Juneau Raptor Center bald eagle display. After we rode the tram down, I was craving a cappuccino so we stopped in a small coffee shop. Aspen and I split a chocolate and hazelnut gelato. At one store, we watched two guys making fudge and Aspen made a couple of purchases there. We met the rest of our group at the bus at 3:45. Boarding the ship, we then headed to Orca Point Lodge on Colt Island. The chefs had prepared a king crab dinner for us. We had shrimp cocktail and shrimp dip and salmon jerky. The lodge had a gift shop and I bought a bar of soap that was made from glacier silt. I tried it when I got home and my face felt as soft as a baby's. Pam and Dave are the caretakers at the lodge and have been there many years. It is very remote and must travel by boat to get to town. Pam shared some very interesting anecdotes with us; one about getting away from a bear. After dinner, the chef filleted a king salmon out on the deck for us to observe. He was quite handy with a knife. The huge salmon was taken to our ship's chef to prepare for us. The lodge has a touch tank to see Alaska's marine invertebrates up close and the young people strolled on the beach looking for starfish etc. Afterwards, someone built a bonfire and Howard regaled us with a native Tlingit story. He also played his drum and we all danced. Everyone was back on the ship by 11 and the ship headed for Tracy Arm. We were told this was a magical place and it did not take long for us to see it's allure. Soon, I was lulled to sleep by the roll of the ship .

I got up at 6:30 and went to the lounge where Lamech, our fabulous baker, had put out eight different kinds of doughnuts. I ate a coconut and half a maple and bacon(very different) one. For breakfast, I tried the lox and bagel (salmon , cream cheese and capers), but I am not overly fond of salmon for breakfast. As backup, in case I did not like the lox and bagel, I ordered a buttermilk pancake with Sitka Spruce syrup and bacon. We were divided into groups to go in the dib( outboard-driven inflatable pontoon vessel) so we could get closer to the glacier and wildlife. Sixteen of us suited up in our Wellies and rain gear as it was quite cold. Once, we had our like jackets on, we looked like were were from another planet. Tracy Arm, one of the lesser know, has a very unique beauty. It is crammed into a space averaging just a mile wide. This glacial fjord is 32 miles long with mountain walls rising up 4000 feet. Hundreds of seals were lying on the floating chunks of ice. The faces of the baby seals elicited many oohs and ahhs. The ice that had broken off from the glacier was a beautiful blue hue. We saw Sawyer Glacier and well as several waterfalls. I felt like my mouth was constantly open as I was mesmerized by the sights and sounds. Here is some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. There are no words to describe the blue color of that ice We saw a small calving off South Sawyer Glacier which was quite a treat to see. After yet another delicious lunch, Aspen napped and I laid own when the boat started to violently rock. As I opened the door to my cabin, I was thrown across the hallway. a huge calving of Sawyer Glacier sent waves our way. Things started crashing in the bar and kitchen and the crew were desperately trying to hold the glass ware in the galley and bottles in the bar area from falling. Amazingly enough, only one bottle of wine was broken in the lounge. For dinner, we had baked potato soup(the best) fennel salad and Rocky Road cheese cake(oh my goodness!)We docked at Hobart Bay and a group of us went for a short hike. This would be the only night we were docked and not sailing. The bugs were very bad there, but we sprayed ourselves good with bug spray. We saw a Blue Heron. I have to say, I missed sleeping while sailing and it was not quite as cool.

I don't know how much more joy I can stand, but am willing to try. After a breakfast of an egg and cheese omelet, bacon and cranberry juice, we began our day. When we went back to our cabin after breakfast, we found a red tag to wear around our neck that had three different activities and times for us to do them. The passengers were divided into groups in order to make this happen. We three were in the red group. Actually, Aspen went with a few others at 6 AM to kayak. It was raining lightly at that time and I opted out. Our first adventure was on the Zegos(outboard driven run-abouts). We three agreed those would be great to have on our lake back home. Aspen and Nora were on one Zego with Aspen driving. Cody and I rode together with Cody driving so I could take pictures. Our Zego was very slow as were most, but one had 20 hp whereas ours had 9.9. It was still fun to zip around the small islands and look for wildlife. After an hour of that, we took RTVs (rough-terrain vehicles) and rode through the temperate rain forest for an hour and a half. We saw bear scat, Western Hemlock trees and Sitka Spruce trees. The Alder trees were very prominent. Macy and Suzanne were our guides with the RTVs. This was a day that the crew got to get out and do the activities with us. Suzanne told us about her experiences helping with sled dogs and the Iditarod. Hank went with us on the Zegos. We had a special treat for lunch about 11:45 We had B-B-Q ribs(I told the chef they were as good, if not better, than any I had ever eaten and I am from Texas, home of the BBQ.) He said he had cooked 30 pounds and this was the first time he had ever run out. There was also slaw, potato salad and another salad, bean soup, veggies and halibut. At 1:30, it was time for the Red group to kayak. There were two people in each kayak. I sat in front of ours and Cody in the back. At first, everyone went off and left us as we could not get our kayak to go anywhere. Jess said our rudder was messed up and once he fixed it, we did just fine except for the fact that Cody kept shifting his weight from side to side and rocked the kayak. Amy also went on the kayaks with us. We saw two black bears and an eagle's nest. When we got back to the ship, there was a black bear about one hundred yards from the ship. He stayed in sight for almost an hour, just grazing very nonchalantly. The water was pristine. Seems we spent a lot of time eating. It was cookie time at 3 and though I usually don't eat cookies, Lamech's butterscotch cookies were too good to resist. We left Hobart Bay at 6:30 and were on our way to Petersburg. On the way, we saw a lighthouse and the ship stayed in one place for a long time so we could watch for whales. There was something other worldly about that evening. We saw whales all around the ship although most did not breach and we all were on deck hoping to see that magnificent fluke. The sounds they made gave me cold chills. Whale watching had been on my bucket list and here I was straining my eyes through binoculars trying to see them. I took about 30 pictures and got mostly dorsal fins and water, but I did mange to get one picture of a whale's fluke.We also saw a couple of porpoises swimming back and forth beneath the ship. Someone on deck would yell,''one o'clock'' or ''10 o'clock'' and all would strain to see. We continued on to Petersburg.

We docked at Petersburg, a Norwegian settlement, the next morning at about 8 AM. We walked the short distance to the Sons of Norway Hall. There was a replica of a Viking boat out front and a deck with a large statue of a fisherman. There were hundreds of plaques on the fence giving names and dates of fishermen and women who had lost their lives at sea. They all had an original saying on them.Inside the hall, we enjoyed a muggah(sp?). This was when a fisherman went out to fish early in the morning and would come in after a few hours to have cookies and coffee. Then, they go back out to fish. Some ladies had baked three different traditional Norwegian cookies for us to eat and served coffee. Then, we went outside on the deck where we were entertained by four boys and four girls dressed in native costume to do traditional folk dances for us. After their performance, we all made a big circle and danced. We all got on a yellow school bus and rode to a bog where we took a short walk. The moss in some places goes down 30 feet. It felt like walking on a waterbed. Cody and Aspen walked the short distance back to town with a few others, but my knee was bothering me so I rode back. We drove by a school and I was astonished that their baseball diamond was gravel! We also got a glimpse of a black tailed deer on the way to the bog. Back on the ship, it was cookie time. Today, we had white chocolate and macadamia cookies. Our stop the next day was to be Kake. For dinner that night, I had chicken cobb salad and tomato bisque soup. There was time to play games and cards and visit in the lounge. Jess, a very good artist, had different things for the young people(or anyone) to make. One night, we made a bracelet of white cedar and another night, Aspen made a small drum and drew Tlingit figures on it. There were many interesting books in the lounge for anyone to read. Mary gave a talk that evening about salmon and the hatchery we would see the next day. One of the sayings in that area is, ''Fishing is not a matter of life and death-it's more serious than that''. We learned about chum, red or sockeye, silver or coho, pink or Humpies, king or Chinook. We also learned there are no Omega 3's in farm raised salmon. That night, after most had gone to their cabins for the night, Mary read ,''The Strangest Story Ever Told'', which was set in Thomas Bay. We could listen through the speaker in our cabins.

We docked early in Kake this morning at 8. This is a traditional Tlingit Indian village. After another hearty breakfast(guess you can see a pattern here), a Tlingit elder from Kake gave us a brief overview of Kake and it's history. Our driver, Ellie, took us to a totem carver, Mike Jackson, where he gave us a demonstration on totem carving. Then, we walked a short way to see the world's tallest totem pole. It is in dire need of painting and the elders are contemplating what to do with it. Then, we were driven to a salmon hatchery which was not being worked at the time. We were given a tour and told how it works, which was very enlightening. Now, I understand why salmon is so expensive in grocery stores here. There was a children's fishing derby going on at the time and one little girl about 5 was proudly carrying her fish around. We went to the community center for a performance by the Keex' Kwaan Tlingit dances. They were dressed in full regalia. We were told there were usually about 30 dancers, but due to the fishing derby there were only a dozen or so that morning. It was much fun and one young man named Drew was very outgoing and kept us entertained. We ate lunch on the ship and then Aspen, Cody and I walked to a general store which was very small and , I think, their only grocery store. They buy from Costco and break up the packages. The items were very expensive. Back at the ship, I visited with a young deck hand, Seth, who was from Kake, but now lives in Sitka. He told me people could hunt anywhere except they could not shoot across a road or on a road. His dad was almost killed when someone shot at an animal on the road close to him. The hunter was fined a very hefty amount. Seth's mother at one time had a home business called ''So Soft Creations'' with items made from sea otter fur. This is the softest fur I have ever touched, but is very expensive. We sailed from Kake about 3 PM and as were were leaving, we could see rain moving in on the town of Kake. We had perfect weather the whole trip with just a small shower or two. Okay, cookies today were chocolate chip cinnamon. I never eat cookies at home! Lamech is the best baker. Tonight was the Captain's dinner as it was our last night on the ship. I had gone up to the bridge several times which was encouraged and met Captain Stu Vincent. He was very nice about answering my questions. He told me our entire round trip was about 800 miles. He sat at the table with Cody and me. We had baked potato soup(my favorite of many tasty soups), seared salmon, potatoes and broccoli and our choice of about ten different desserts. Lamech outdid himself that night. I chose creme brulee which I had once before. Howard sang for us dressed in his native regalia. Then, we watched a slideshow that he had put together of our trip. We saw him every day with his trusty camera snapping pictures. We were all given a copy of the CD the next morning which was just another nice thing they did for us and topped off a most wondrous cruise. Jess was a very good artist and he sketched a picture of Aspen from a photo of her and gave it to her. The ship made its way slowly back to Sitka. We went through a very narrow strait, aptly named Peril Strait.

I bemoaned that I would not be sleeping on the ship tonight as the bed was so comfortable and having the window open made sleep come so easily. For my last breakfast on the ship, I ate scrambled eggs and bacon and banana French toast with syrup and slivered almonds. That was simply scrumptious. Our ship docked in Sitka at 8 AM and we disembarked at 8:30 after saying our goodbyes to the new friends we had made. Some of the people had an immediate flight, but there were several of us who were not leaving until 6:30 that evening. We were driven back to the hospitality room in Sitka where we left our luggage. A young woman who works for the cruise line stayed there with our luggage all day. We were to be picked up at 4:30 there and taken to the airport. We three walked to the Raptor Center where injured birds are nursed back to health and then released. However, some are never able to make it in the wild so they are permanent residents. Inside is one such bird, a tiny owl named Tootsie . Aspen wanted to take her home with her. We walked back to town and stopped at the Highliner Coffee for a drink. We did a little last minute shopping. Cody and I ate pizza for lunch and Aspen had a shrimp salad. We stopped by the city library and spent some time. They had some books they were giving away so I took one to have something to read on our way home. We went back to the hospitality room at 2:30 and stayed there until we were promptly picked up with the others at 4:30. At the airport , I went through security wearing a knee brace(which I knew I should have taken off). Of course, I set off the alarm and was patted down. It is a small airport and was very crowded as the flight was full. We saw a man in handcuffs be escorted onto the plane. We flew to Anchorage and then had a six hour flight to Chicago. We arrived there the next day. The seats were very uncomfortable and we had a 5 hour layover in Chicago which turned into a six hour layover and 5 gate changes. We got to Austin after a two and half hour very pleasant flight. Cord picked us up and we were home by 7 PM. I encourage any and everyone to take this cruise. Awesome!!!