15. The Inside Passage of Alaska
In August 2007, I visited the Inside Passage of Alaska. Spending our time on a classic 85 foot wooden boat, we travelled the 375 miles from Ketchikan to Juneau. We were also fortunate to have good weather, warm and sunny, although we did see a little rain mixed in as well. Our interests were to see native totems, wildlife and landscape
The old part of Ketchikan is located alongside a creek, that was swollen with salmon when we were there.
The totems we saw, I believe were mostly Tlingit, but I might be wrong. Could also be Haida or Tshiensien.
When whales are cooperatively feeding, they submerge and create a large "bubble ring" which entraps the herring that they are after. The whales then swim rapidly within the ring to the surface with their mouths wide open.
We also visited the Annan Creek bear observation area and spent several hours observing black bear catching and eating pink salmon. We were able to be quite close to these bears as they gorged themselves on salmon. An occasional fight would break out, but was usually short lived. We were treated with the visit of a "mama" bear and two cubs and enjoyed their antics.
Our next stop was Wrangell Island and the town of Wrangell. No longer a stop for the cruise ships, the town is typical of many other "working" villages, primarily fishing. One interesting feature of the town was the "Petroglyph" beach where a dozen or more ancient petroglyhs can be viewed up close and personal. Wrangel is also known for almandine garnets embedded in a schist outcropping not far from the town.
Whales, that is what we really came here for. The opportunity to see Orca, the killer whale, as well as humpack whales was top on our list, and we were not disappointed. I was however, unable to get a good picture of the Orca, but was successful with the humpback.
We also came across some rocky islands that were the home of sea lions. They were quite noisy, and we could see the large males protecting their harems on the beach. Finally, we were awestruck by the incredible landscape. Rugged, snow capped mountains, volcanic plugs still evident. And the glaciers, magnificent with the blue ice. We visited Tracy Arm and saw two separate glaciers there.
The old part of Ketchikan is located alongside a creek, that was swollen with salmon when we were there.
The totems we saw, I believe were mostly Tlingit, but I might be wrong. Could also be Haida or Tshiensien.
When whales are cooperatively feeding, they submerge and create a large "bubble ring" which entraps the herring that they are after. The whales then swim rapidly within the ring to the surface with their mouths wide open.
We also visited the Annan Creek bear observation area and spent several hours observing black bear catching and eating pink salmon. We were able to be quite close to these bears as they gorged themselves on salmon. An occasional fight would break out, but was usually short lived. We were treated with the visit of a "mama" bear and two cubs and enjoyed their antics.
Our next stop was Wrangell Island and the town of Wrangell. No longer a stop for the cruise ships, the town is typical of many other "working" villages, primarily fishing. One interesting feature of the town was the "Petroglyph" beach where a dozen or more ancient petroglyhs can be viewed up close and personal. Wrangel is also known for almandine garnets embedded in a schist outcropping not far from the town.
Whales, that is what we really came here for. The opportunity to see Orca, the killer whale, as well as humpack whales was top on our list, and we were not disappointed. I was however, unable to get a good picture of the Orca, but was successful with the humpback.
We also came across some rocky islands that were the home of sea lions. They were quite noisy, and we could see the large males protecting their harems on the beach. Finally, we were awestruck by the incredible landscape. Rugged, snow capped mountains, volcanic plugs still evident. And the glaciers, magnificent with the blue ice. We visited Tracy Arm and saw two separate glaciers there.
posted by tony at 1:58 PM
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