Thread: Off to Alaska

(Or maybe the gorilla was a forumite you met up with. )

Originally Posted by rsser

Cool.

What are the birds? Sea eagles?

I think they are Bald Eagles Ern.

Yeah, Bald Eagles, Ern. Commentary to follow.

Great pics!

This is one place in my top 10 list of places I want to go to.

Thanx for the photo's John, we've something to look forward to next year looks as though you're having a great time up there in Alaska.

Cheers

Thanks or the compliments on the photos guys n gal, they don't do justice to the real thing. Sorry for the lack of reply, but the wifi connection at the Howard Johnson hotel we're staying in is giving me some grief. seem that I can access any other site EXCEPT WWF . I'm sitting in Doolins Irish Pub sinking a few pints of Molsons and typing out this post. If I can get the wifi problems sorted I'll post more pics, otherwise I guess I' just have to come down to the pub .

Hard life GJ but someone's gotta deliver the regional economic stimulus.

So what's Molsons like?

PS, an acquaintance went to Alaska for glacier skiing.

It was a 10 day bracket; roll up in the morning to see if conditions were right.

Day 9 they were, the lucky bustard went out in a chopper. It settled on a ridge, the guide had to step out on a runner overhanging some awful drop to get the skis off. They were off. Down some awesomely steep slopes to the bottom for a pick up and ride back up again. The glacier was 20 miles wide btw.

Still no wifi connection to the forum at the hotel so I'm back at the pub downing more Molsons', not a bad drop BTW Ern.

A bit of info on the pics posted so far:
Post #28
1st. Photo. A series of statues honoring Bob Hope's contribution to entertaining troops during America's various "conflicts"
2nd. Photo. USS Midway, permemantly moored at San Diego.
3rd. Photo. My new avatar, suits the "Grumpy" part of my user name.
4th. Photo. Me and the missus in front of the ship before take off.
5th. Photo. The Space Needle at Seattle.
6th. Photo. View of our cruise ship from the Space Needle.
7th. Photo. A couple of the islands off Sitka, our first port of call in Alaska. I get the feeling that this place is just about permenantly shrouded in mist and cloud, when it's not snowing.
8th. Photo. View of our cruise ship from the dock at Sitka. We were anchored in the bay and had to tender to shore.
9th. & 10th. Photos. Our second stop was at Hubbard Glacier, absolutely awesome. These photos do not do justice to the raw beauty of the place, it was probably the highlight of the cruise.

Post 30:
1st. Photo. Skagway, 2nd port of call and the start of the commercial bit of the tour. Too many jewelry shops and tourist traps for my liking, beautiful scenery though.
2nd & 3rd. Photos. Taken from the White Pass train. We took the train up the White Pass to just over the Canadian border, and the bus back to Skagway. I'd definately recommend this trip to anyone who gets the chance to do it.
4th. Photo. Juneau.
5th. Photo. A glacier out of Juneau, the name escapes me ATM (the Molson must be kicking in)
6th. Photo. The cruise ship anchored at Icy Strait Point, another chance to catch a tender to port.
7th. Photo. A wild Brown bear we saw on a nature tour we took while we were at Icy Strait Point. We saw plenty of black tailed deer as well but they were too quick for me to photograph.
8th. Photo. A shot of another cruise shop in Tracy Arm, we were lucky to be on one of the first cruises of the spring/summer season and therefore the ports of call and shore excursions were not crowded. In fact there were onlt 8 people in our carriage on the White Pass train. We were not able to travel too far in to Tract Arm as the icebergs were too big and there was a danger that we could be trapped by the ice.
9th.Photo. Some bald eagles shot from the deck of the Aleutian Ballad, more about this later.

Don't believe it. The bear was a work experience student suited up for the tourists. He prob just threw a salmon back saying 'Eeyew, this ain't no chicken nugget'.

Great shots GJ. Your making us green.

Hope the missus has got her sea legs.

Originally Posted by rsser

Don't believe it. The bear was a work experience student suited up for the tourists. He prob just threw a salmon back saying 'Eeyew, this ain't no chicken nugget'.

Great shots GJ. Your making us green.

Hope the missus has got her sea legs.

Back in the pub, again, hopefully they never get the wifi problem sorted in the hotel, the waitresses here wear the shortest mini skirts and have the nicest legs I've ever seen .

Actually, Ern my first thought was that they had a caged bear hidden behind some bushes and it was conveniently released when the tourists approached . We've been on dry land, Vancouver, since last Friday. Vancouver is a cross between the grid like layout of Melbourne, the harbour views of Sydney and the excitement of Adelaide. I've come to the conclusion that "most livable city" is a euphemism for boring. Within a two hour drive however, Vancouver has some of the most outstanding scenery I've ever seen outside Doolin's Pub.

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Photo's 1,2 & 3. Never ask the girls in Alaska if they've got crabs, coz they'll show ya . Photo's taken on board the Aleutian Ballad, which was featured on the 2nd. season of "world's Deadliest Catch" as the fishing boat that took a giant wave and rolled over.
Photo 4. Some leftover waste from the lumberjack show.
Photo 5. The unique cuisine of Ketchikan.
Photo 6 & 10. Butchart Gardens.
Photo 7,8,9. Maybe it should be called "Burlchart Gardens" Lombardy Poplar burls, there's never a chainsaw around when you need one .

Still in the pub, so some more photos.

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Photo 1. The ultimate motor home complete with trailer containing 4WD and boat. Eat you heart out .
Photos 2, 3, 4. Hells Gate.
Photo 5. Typical of the scenery you'll see.
Photo 6. A real wild bear on the road to Whistler. The missus shat herself when I got out of the car to take the photo.
Photo 7.One of the Baluga whales at the Vancouver aquarium.
Photos 8 & 9. It's not that easy to get photo's of dolphins leaping out of the water.

Great pics GJ.

More pics.

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Pics 1 & 2. The Capilano suspension bridge.
Pics 3 & 4. Some more burls, Hemlock or Redwood I don't remember which . I'm pretty sure they're Hemlock.
Pics 5, 6 & 7. They they sure like their glass skyscrapers in Vancouver.

What about those finely turned legs in the bar??