Going on a Alaska Cruise...

[Lee4847]

Two years and counting Motorhome trip

I've lived here in Alaska for 34 winters now and know of no other place I'd rather live. If you really want to get to know the state that can only be done in a motor home for months at a time. Enjoy your cruise, it will be great!

Corks

Is that enough time??
We are planing on taking our motor home your direction. We are thinking of at least a six month trip. We will be spending most all summer in Alaska and then coming down the left coast winding our way back to Ohio. But by then it will be winter back here and We may just stay south until Ohio gets warm again!

Lee

[steve-norrell]

. . . . then on to Anchorage for 3 days; over to Valdez for a couple of days, up to Delta Junction and back over to Fairbanks . . . . .

I hope you rode the state ferry from Whittier to Valdez . . . if not, you should get back up here and make that trip. The route is completely within Prince William Sound so unless the weather is really, really bad, a smooth sailing is almost guaranteed.

The drive from Anchorage to Valdez can be quite spectacular if you catch sunny weather - - plenty of mountains and glaciers. But it doesn't really compare with the Whittier-to-Valdez ferry ride.

Regards, Steve

[radhak]

Yes, we could have done with some more days in Anchorage, but gotta cut corners some where.

Our earlier cruises were shorter affairs, locally. Looking forward to the complete change in scene - where summers are colder than the winters we see!

Have marked whale-watching, glacier walking and 'flight-seeing' as some of the stuff we might end up doing.

[cabinetman]

Have marked whale-watching, glacier walking and 'flight-seeing' as some of the stuff we might end up doing.

Don't forget your camera. With pictures, we can vicariously enjoy your vacation.

.

[LCHIEN]

Yes, we could have done with some more days in Anchorage, but gotta cut corners some where.

Our earlier cruises were shorter affairs, locally. Looking forward to the complete change in scene - where summers are colder than the winters we see!

Have marked whale-watching, glacier walking and 'flight-seeing' as some of the stuff we might end up doing.

Some of my favorites
Juneau Mendenhall Glacier helicopter ride to glacier - expensive but very neat
Skagway - White Pass-Yukon train ride very nice scenery and a plus if you like older trains. Great crossing of a wooden railway bridge.
Glacier closeups in Glacier Bay
Shopping arts crafts jewelry in Ketchikan, and walking along the creek (no need to take a tour here)

[Warren]

I just finished my 67th winter in Alaska. There is really only one way to see the State intimately, plane. The road system is predominately north-south and, while picturesque, is a very narrow corridor of the state.

A cruise is certainly the best way to enjoy the panhandle and gulf towns.

Right now it is 70+ degrees on my deck under a partly cloudy sky. You will probably run into everything from low 40's to 80+. There will be rain in Southeastern. Maybe a lot, maybe a little. I have seen a week in Juneau with no clouds and lower 80 temps. I figure the people on the tour boats probably thought Juneau was a great place to live after 2 days and a night.

You'll find down-town Anchorage loaded with shops dedicated to the tourist. Some of the shops can be pricey with quality stuff and others offer the usual schlocky, Chinese made wares. Look for "made in Alaska."

The fine art museum is most likely with-in walking distance from your hotel and worth a visit. There's also a law enforcement museum in the same area.

If you are into aviation there is Lake Hood and Lake Spenard. The lakes are joined by a canal and make-up the largest float plane base in the world. There is also an aviation museum located in the area. Sufficient bikini clad ladies will be found at the Lake Spenard beach to fill an SD card.

The park dedicated to the '64 earth-quake is interesting but time and weather make the destruction nearly invisible.

If you are into photography . . . please use your lens hoods. As a photographer I cringe when I see tourists shooting once in a life-time photos without using the hood. The pictures will be flat, no snap and the colors less than you remember when viewing them later. The problem is more acute when on the water.

PM me if you have specific questions. I was born here and I don't believe that there is a nook or cranny of the state that I haven't been to except Little Diomede Island. A few years in the Air National Guard as a load-master and friends who are small plane pilots allowed me to get into some pretty remote areas.

Hope the trip and cruise is full of sunshine and smooth seas.

[cabinetman]

I just finished my 67th winter in Alaska. There is really only one way to see the State intimately, plane. The road system is predominately north-south and, while picturesque, is a very narrow corridor of the state.

A cruise is certainly the best way to enjoy the panhandle and gulf towns.

Your post is certainly a "view from the top". Very comprehensive. Ever think of becoming a tour guide?

.

[Warren]

I've done a bit of that. Mostly groups of Russian miners on holiday. I'd take them to a couple of gold mine operations to see American technology and then it was off to the topless joints and bar-b-que joints. Tourist wrangling can be fun but, its hard work. Especially when one or two of them get into a dust-up with locals.

I had to get two footballers out of jail, charges taken care of and back to Russia. The miners were easier. Main problem was that they all came to the US believing that any woman wearing black hose was a prostitute. That created some trying times.

Now I spend most of my time traveling the state taking photos of wildlife. I do find a bit of time to push lumber through the old BT3000 making yard art. As I get older I like less interaction with humans and more solitary time.

My wife says I am anti-social. I prefer to think of myself as asocial, I can interact with others . . . I just prefer to avoid it where possible.

[jbrain]

Some of my favorites
Juneau Mendenhall Glacier helicopter ride to glacier - expensive but very neat
Skagway - White Pass-Yukon train ride very nice scenery and a plus if you like older trains. Great crossing of a wooden railway bridge.
Glacier closeups in Glacier Bay
Shopping arts crafts jewelry in Ketchikan, and walking along the creek (no need to take a tour here)

I agree. The Mendenhall helicopter ride was lots of fun. Very interesting seeing the guides dropping rocks and debris down in to the cracks.

We've also done the White Pass train. Really enjoyed that one. Ketchikan is fun too. We liked the Funicular tram type vehicle that took us up the side of the hill by the shops.

[LCHIEN]

IN Sitka there's three things to do: Go fishing. See the town's somewhat unique (for the US) Russian heritage. Or, go on wildlife tours - see the Raptor center where they care for wounded eagles and other birds - was pretty cool. You probably have time to do two of the three.

[cabinetman]

It's exciting to take a vacation. The last one we took we made a list of suggestions from friends for things to do, and places to see. It turned out to be a real itinerary. Somewhat like you get on a cruise when the entertainment director has an agenda. We didn't get to check off everything on the list. We were lucky to get to half of it. But in the end, the mere enjoyment of a new place to visit that afforded us the relaxation to do as we felt.

If you try to get to all of these great suggestions, you may miss the proverbial boat.

.

[radhak]

Good suggestions. We've already reserved the White Pass Train, and plan on the flight-seeing and city tours too. I realized the impossibility of 'covering all' when my list of things to do has grown into many pages - let alone fitting them into a vacation, but we're sure we'll enjoy this!

The ports we'll visit are Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. While at Anchorage we'll drive down the Turnagain Arm, to Seward/Exit Glacier, and pass thru parts of the Chugach National Park.

Great tip about the hood, Warren! I'll make sure I don't forget it. The one question I've been waffling about is : do I need an long zoom instead of my 70-300mm? I was thinking of borrowing a 50-500mm, but will I miss the extra 200mm? On the wide side I have the 17-50mm 2.8, hope that suffices. I was planning to take a tripod, but have now changed it to just a monopod.

[cabinetman]

Great tip about the hood, Warren! I'll make sure I don't forget it. The one question I've been waffling about is : do I need an long zoom instead of my 70-300mm? I was thinking of borrowing a 50-500mm, but will I miss the extra 200mm? On the wide side I have the 17-50mm 2.8, hope that suffices. I was planning to take a tripod, but have now changed it to just a monopod.

What camera are you using?

.

[radhak]

What camera are you using?

.

Oops! I use the Nikon D90, with the 17-50mm, the 35mm prime and the 70-300mm lenses.

[Warren]

You've got sufficient coverage with those two lenses. There will always be shots missed because you don't have the right length. If you have access to a 1.7 tele-extender I take it along. Other wise, live with what you have. I doubt you'd want to carry the 50-500 around much. It's a heavy piece of glass. If you can get the spouse to be your pack mule, take all the lenses you have. Otherwise, take what you are willing to pack around on your shoulder and enjoy the trip.

Don't forget that a folded coat on a rock, tree limb, or what have you will provide good steady support and often times a perspective you never thought of. Too many shooters take everything while standing. Get low!

A garbage bag stuffed in your bag or pocket along with a three clothes pins will be useful in the rain. People tend to not shoot in the rain. Soft rain, not a driving storm, makes for subdued colors and moody scenics. I love working in a soft rain with subdued light. The bag is also good for kneeling or sitting on when the ground is wet.

I shot the D90 for a couple of years and really liked it. Make sure the software is up to date and don't be afraid to use 1600+ iso if needed. It has a good frame rate for moving subjects. Major makers of cameras are always improving the way the camera computer handles noise, compression and such.

I keep my cameras set on "auto" when moving about so that I can "grab" a shot. If the subject sits still I switch to manual and set up for the shot I want. "Auto" and "Program" settings are surprisingly accurate and will, 95% of the time, capture a decent shot. The important thing is to get "the shot" when dealing with fleeting scenes. Shot first and then worry about settings and framing.

I shoot mostly wildlife and am usually concerned with shutter speed when shooting. Aperture is more of a concern shooting landscapes and seascapes. If you're driving down the highway near "Potter Marsh" and you see a F150, gray with a guy in a cowboy hat sitting behind a large piece of glass, stop and I'll give you 5 or 10 minutes of what to see and shoot on the drive.

By the way, June and early July are the best times to visit in the summer. The rainy season usually begins around the middle of July. I say usually as we can have rain off and on all summer sometimes. So farm, this season, we are having a decent summer. Lots of sun and clear skies.