Anchorage, AK

Because any previous Alaskan cruise we have taken ended at Seward, we take advantage of the cruise ship docking in Anchorage and book two shore excursions.  Our morning tour is the “Anchorage Flight-Seeing Safari” and our afternoon tour is the “Portage Glacier Cruise & Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center”.

 

We climb aboard a floatplane for our 30 minute Flight-Seeing Safari.  The floatplane taxis off from the water and soars into the air.  Unfortunately, there is a forest fire burning. We can't see the fire ... only the smoke that is making the air a hazy blue.  As a result, distant visibility is reduced.  We fly as far as Turnagain Arm (no wildlife sightings) and back to Anchorage.  The next time, I would take a longer flight because 30 minutes (15 minutes out and 15 minutes back) just gets us into the good scenery and we have to turn around and go back to Anchorage.   

         

Flight-Seeing Tour

In the afternoon, our tour bus takes us down the scenic Seward Highway.  In about an hour, we arrive at the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC).  Here we see wounded birds and animals (like the bear that tangled with a porcupine and became malnourished because he couldn't eat or an orphaned bear cub).  After the rehabilitation is complete, the animal/bird is returned to the wild (if possible).  While here, the animals are free to roam within the large tracts of land (an electric fence defines the boundaries).  We spend most of our time watching a couple of grizzly bears (one cub and one adult).  They saunter by us - literally a few feet away.  Two sets of fence keep us out of their reach (the interior fence is the electric fence). 

         

Bears at the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center

A short drive from the AWCC is Portage Glacier Cruises.  We board a boat for a one hour scenic cruise to/from Portage Glacier.  Over the years, this glacier has been receding.  The glacier used to be visible from the road.  Now the only way to see it is by boat. Along the way, we see lots of seasonal waterfalls.  When we arrive at Portage Glacier, the Captain keeps the boat floating within a quarter of a mile from it.  It looks so much closer than that. 

            

For more information on AWCC or Portage Glacier Cruises, visit the following websites:

Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center
Portage Glacier Cruises

Scenic Cruising - Tracy Arm, AK

Tracy Arm is located about 45 miles south of Juneau, Alaska.  It is a narrow fjord around 30 miles long.  The cruise ship slowly moves through the ice-studded water.  Imagine - some ice pieces could be as large as a three-story building!  Why do I keep thinking about the Titanic?

Seattle, Washington

The Space Needle is 605' high and was completed in 1962 for the World's Fair.   It is an iconic landmark that any visitor to Seattle should see ... but there is another location that’s an even better place!