Aug 20, 2012 - Gustavus kayaking and hiking

Monday - Another beautiful day, thankfully, because I was scheduled to be picked up at 8:30 for a full-day kayak tour. I chose Glacier Bay Kayak tours because it is based in Gustavus and run by two locals, Leah and Kara. The full-day tour was reasonably priced at $150.00 and guided by another very knowledgeable local, Heidi. The fee included gumboots and life vests. A couple from Chicago and a grad student moving to Kodiak were also on the tour. I partnered with the latter, Gina, in a tandem kayak. Heidi took us out from the N.P. dock,...

Aug 19, 2012 - Glacier Bay National Park

Sunday -- It was clear and cold last night. The stars were amazing. The cabin didn't warm up as well as our tent does. By 8:00 the sun was luring us outside. We drove the 10 mile road to the beautiful Glacier Bay N.P. Visitor Center and Lodge. From their parking lot we hiked the easy 1.6mi Forest Trail to the beach then walked down the rocky beach to the mouth of the cove. On the way we saw a seal and four blue herons. Walking back through the N.P. Bartlett Cove campground we were impressed with the sandy, level and semi-private tent sites....

Aug 18, 2012 - Juneau to Gustavus

Saturday -- The rain pelted down in short bursts last night but stopped by morning. It was difficult to wake up at 4:30 and pack up wet gear in the dark but it only took us 30 minutes to stuff everything into the car. At the ferry terminal we had plenty of time to change out of our pajamas, eat breakfast and clean up before the 7:00 sailing to Gustavus. The ferry to Gustavus retraces its path up the Lynn Canal towards Haines for a short way before turning west around the Chilkoot Penninsula and into the Icy Passage past Point Adolphus....

Jun 13, 2011 - Hiking and Fresh Salmon Done Our Way

Another early morning to get us out to the NP lodge for a guided hike. We made reindeer sausage, eggs, and bagels for breakfast. Yummy!! Well it was another private activity, since we were the only two people to join the ranger for the guided hike that lasted three hours. She took us out on the beach, and we walked down the coast, learning many things along the way. We were able to see some birds that we don't have back home including a close-up look at Oyster Catchers. They have orange eyes and a long orange beak with black feathers. ...

Jun 12, 2011 - Whale Watching

The sun was up and I was instantly awake, but when I looked at the clock it was only 4:48 AM. I got up anyhow. Sunrise happens before 4:00 this time of the year and sets a little before 11PM. However, it never does get completely dark. We spent the morning reading. There is one church in Gustavus, but no sign out to say when services are, so we ended up not going to church today. After we had some of our smoked salmon and crackers for lunch, we headed out to the Gustavus dock to board our boat - the TAZ - for an afternoon whale watch. In...

Jun 11, 2011 - The Best of Glacier Bay NP

Our day began early, since we had to be at the lodge at 7AM for our day trip into the heart of Glacier Bay. The national park lodge is 10 miles from town. Our boat traveled a total of 150 miles to five different glaciers. We sat in front of several, waiting to see calving. One event was big enough that it moved the boat we were in 1/4 mile away from the glacier face. Along the way we saw 2 grizzlies, 1 black bear, a black wolf, an eagle on a nest, sea lions, sea otters, porpoise, mountain goats including babies, puffins, many eagles and...

Jun 10, 2011 - Kayaking Newbies

Today was a full day of kayaking to Pleasant Island. We chose the Spirit Walker company and their Wilderness Isles trip for this experience based on the recommendation of Aimee where we were staying. She had made the reservations for us ahead of time. We didn't have to drive anywhere since we were picked up at our guest house in the Spirit Walker van. There were two guides and us, so it was a great experience. We had tandem kayaks; Shelli went with Arch and Carol went with me. We were happy to have them with us, since it was our first...

Jun 9, 2011 - Onward and Upward

Our last day in Juneau! With an 11AM flight we didn't need to be too much in a hurry, so we relaxed on the deck with coffee and had a leisurely breakfast mingling with several other guests. We met a couple from France and Lebanon. She used to work at Hopkins in Baltimore and was now living back in Lebanon. There was also a family with one teen girl from down south. Jake decided to take the day off so he and Crystal could hang around with us before we had to leave. He brought out his fly rod and let Arch try his hand at it from the dock. ...

Jun 7, 2008 - Riding along on my pushbike, honey!

Had a nice relaxing day today. Had an around Gustavus town day. Got up. Had breakfast - unbelievable breakfasts by the way! Went for a ride - rode around for a couple of hours. Looked at mountains, flowers and other such things! Came home for a much needed mid morning sleep! Got up and rode downtown to check out art gallery, petrol station etc! Rode opposite direction to dock and saw lots of ravens (that were as big as the seagulls we saw in Seattle! They were huge!) Took lots of cool photos. Watched the rain moving in closer and very...

Jun 6, 2008 - I only fish for the 'Halibut'!

Ok....when we first got to L.A. and we were waiting for the shuttle, we thought the air was cool and we were a little chilly! (We thought we were freezing! What did we know!) When we arrived in Seattle, we thought there was a definite chill in the air - we were wearing our jumpers and a second layer! (Again..what did we know!) When we arrived in Gustavus yesterday and went out on the boat, yes, it was chilly, the wind had a bite to it, but the sun was out, it was a beautiful day with a few clouds around! TODAY....however, it was a quite...

Jun 5, 2008 - Alaska!!!

We woke way too early to get our flight from Seattle up to Juneau! But it was all worth it! We only had an hour at the airport before flying further north on a little six-seater plane to Gustavus. Alaska is absolutely spectacular! I knew it was going to be pretty good but it is breathtakingly beautiful. The flight from Juneau to Gustavus alone was incredible. There are lots of little islands around here (and some big ones!) and combined with the snow peaked mountains and the water – it looked sensational! Gustavus is a quaint little town...