{"id":517,"date":"2016-07-17T04:39:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-17T04:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/17\/trespassing-in-tracy-arm-inlet-and-juneau-alaska\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T04:59:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T04:59:35","slug":"trespassing-in-tracy-arm-inlet-and-juneau-alaska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochellesroost.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/17\/trespassing-in-tracy-arm-inlet-and-juneau-alaska\/","title":{"rendered":"Trespassing in Tracy Arm Inlet and Juneau, Alaska"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\nMonday,
\nJuly 4, 2016: <\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nTracy Arm Inlet and Juneau, Alaska:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span><\/span><\/b>We put our
\nclocks back one hour before we went to bed last night as we would be arriving
\nin Alaskan waters and crossing a time zone line at 2. 00 am. We also set our
\nalarms for an early start as we were told to arrive in the Crow\u2019s Nest<\/i>\u2014the highest Observation Deck on the ship\u2014at the crack
\nof dawn to spy whales. Not to be daunted by the hour, we were at our stations
\nas planned at 6. 30 am to bag good seats.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nWhale-Watching
\nat Dawn in Frederick Sound:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>At
\n6.30, there were not a lot of folks in situ<\/i>,
\nbut as the half hour passed, the place got packed with cruise passengers and
\nthe Crow\u2019s Nest<\/i> became full. We had
\narmed ourselves with hot chocolate and small pastries from the Caf\u00e9 attached to
\nthe adjoining library and feeling quite content at that hour of the day, we
\ntrained our sights and our binoculars at the horizon and hoped to see whales.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>The
\nsecret to whale watching is abundant patience. We were in Frederick Sound<\/b> at this time\u2014a fertile feeding ground for whales
\nwho eat for 22 hours of the day\u2014who knew? Since they find rich food in these
\nwaters, there is good chance of spying them. Rick, our Cruise Director, told us
\nwhat to look for\u2014a head of mist rising above the water is a clue as the mist is
\nleft by spouting water issuing from the whale\u2019s blowholes. Even while waiting,
\nwe had views of the mountains and the little islands that dot the Sound\u2014so
\nthere was a lot of visual interest.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>About
\ntwenty minutes later, we started to see the mist and within ten minutes, we
\nwere fully into whale-occupied territory. The spouting water was frequent and
\nvery often we saw the turns of the great mammals in the water. On at least two
\nor three occasions, I saw their tails stick out of the water and then plunge
\nswiftly back in. They were not too distant and in a couple of cases, we actually
\nsaw their backs glide through the shallow waters. It was a very rewarding sight
\nand worth getting up early to spy. With humpback whales spotted, we are left
\nwith four of the other sea creature to see as part of the Big Five! (The others
\nare Orca\u2014or Killer\u2014whales, sea lions, Dahl\u2019s porpoises and otters). <\/span><\/div>\n
\nBreakfast
\nin the Lido:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>It
\nwas time to go in search of breakfast for cruising through Tracy Arm would
\ncontinue for about four hours. We made our way to the Lido and since I spied
\nthe Full English Breakfast offered with the kind of tenderloin English bacon I
\nlike and the fat sausages that the English call Bangers, I decided to have one
\nof those\u2014both the bacon and the sausage were very tasty indeed. We also go
\nfreshly squeezed orange juice as the decaff coffee on board is not the best at
\nall. With breakfast accomplished, it was time to go out in search of a few ship
\nboard activities that would keep us happily occupied until we disembarked.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nCulinary
\nDemonstration featuring Baked Alaska:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Llew
\npreferred to get back to our stateroom for a nap as he suddenly felt sleepy
\nwhile I headed off to meet Alex who was demonstrating the making of Baked
\nAlaska, the famous dessert that everybody loves but rarely makes at home. The
\nchef happened to be Suraj who was originally from Goa. He took forever to whip
\nup the egg whites (which made me wonder why he had not simply used a mixer as
\nall of us would do at home!). The finished dessert was browned with a blow
\ntorch. The entire operation took about 20 minutes after which I headed off
\nelsewhere.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nDiscovering
\nthe Klondike Gold Rush:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>I
\nwas keen to find out a bit of history about the Klondike Gold Rush and when
\nCruise Director Nick made a presentation on it, I went off to listen to what he
\nhad to say. Sadly, he was nearing the end of it and I too suddenly felt very
\nsleepy. It was time to return to my stateroom for a nap. About 20 minutes
\nlater, feeling very refreshed, we went off to Lido Deck to participate in the
\nGreat American BBQ being held to celebrate July the Fourth\u2014as, of course, it
\nwas American Independence Day. With breakfast sitting quite heavy in my tummy,
\nit was time to think about more food.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe
\nGreat American BBQ on Deck:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Long
\nlines of other passengers, all determined to fuel up before disembarking and
\nspending the day at Juneau, did not think so. With plates heaped with corn
\nbread, bread rolls, the ubiquitous coleslaw and potato salads, baked potatoes
\nwith sour cream and chives and bacon, BBq-ed spare ribs, chicken, steak and
\nlovely well-seasoned peppery salmon, they were heading to their pool side
\nseats. Llew and I followed suit and found blueberry cobbler and red, white and
\nblue cupcakes also offered for dessert. I could only take a very small sample
\nsize helping of a few things before it was time to head off to the Reception
\nDesk to make arrangements to get off the ship for we had arrived at Juneau and
\nthe cruise terminus and its accompanying buildings could be easily spied across
\nthe narrow inlet of water.  <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nArrival
\nat Juneau, Alaska\u2019s Capital:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nOur first day getting
\noff the cruise liner saw most passengers wanting to race off and explore. And
\nalthough tiny with the feel of a one-time prosperous frontier town, Juneau
\noffered a whole lot to see and do. But, as it is also popular with cruising
\ncompanies and offers only a limited number of berths for disembarkation, our
\nship was anchored a few meters off shore. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nAn
\nExperience of Tendering:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>As
\na result of our location, we needed to be \u2018tendered\u2019 ashore. This is the
\nprocess by which passengers board small boats that then ferry them to the pier
\nwhere they can disembark and begin exploration. It is not an easy task to get
\nover 2000 passengers off a huge cruise liner and on to small boats\u2014the
\nallusions to the evacuation of the Titanic<\/i>
\nare inevitable. Fortunately for us, Christine, the Cruise Director, had offered
\nto get us swiftly off the boat if we came to see her as soon as we were ready
\nto get off.  <\/span>We took her up on her offer
\nand were ferried over to land on the very first boat that moved away from the Nieuw Amsterdam<\/i> to get us to Juneau. It
\ntook no more than ten minutes and was a very smooth operation as we joined
\nabout fifty passengers on board to make the crossing past another HAL boat in
\nthe water\u2014the Westerdam<\/i>.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nExploring
\nFranklin Street:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>One
\nof the benefits of attending a number of the shipboard presentations the
\nprevious day, was becoming aware of the free \u2018gifts\u2019 offered by many of the
\njewelry stores that line the streets of Juneau. Most gifts take the form of
\ncharms which can be hung from a bracelet\u2014and are, therefore, a sought-after
\nperk. It also allows passengers to walk the length of Franklin Street, the busy
\nshopping artery that leads to the bus terminus and to the Mount Roberts\u2019
\nTramway which passengers can ride to get way up high on a towering mountain
\nthat overlooks the city and provides bird-eye views. We did not think spending
\nthe $35 per head that it costs to get to the top was worthwhile. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nInstead we marched into
\nthe souvenir shops to find a T-shirt for my brother, postcards and magnets\u2014our
\nusual fund of souvenirs\u2014and to move on. It was interesting to note that almost
\nall the jewelry stores are manned by Indians from India who make Juneau their
\nhome for just 3-4 months of the year (the summer cruise season) and then push
\noff to the Caribbean Islands for the rest of the year. We entered into
\nconversation with one of them who used to live not far away from my home town
\nin Bombay. Their wares take the form of precious jewelry and semi-precious
\nstones set into jewelry and once they provide you with the free charm, they
\nturn their attention to other customers as soon as they sense that we are not
\nthe in the market to purchase.  <\/span>  <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nOff
\nto the Mendenhall Glacier:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Our
\nmain aim while in Juneau was to make the trip a few miles out of town to the
\nMendenhall Glacier which is the closest we will get to a glacier on this trip
\nas we have not booked any of the pricey helicopter or floatplane rides that
\nactually put cruise passengers on the glaciers themselves. Using Lonely Planet<\/i> and Trip Advisor,<\/i> I had discovered that the least expensive way to get
\nto Mendenhall is by Juneau\u2019s public transport bus that costs a mere $2 per
\npassenger per trip. However, this bus does not get all the way to the glacier
\nand passengers are required to walk the last one and a half mile of road
\nleading to the venue. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe second alternative
\nis to take one of two \u2018shuttle\u2019 bus services run by private operators from the
\nbus terminus. One is called the Glacier Shuttle (aka the White Bus\u2014which is the
\none we took), the other is called the Glacier Express (aka the Blue Bus). Both
\ncost the same amount ($15 per person one way which makes it a pricey $30 round
\ntrip for a journey that lasts no more than 20 minutes each way). Still, it
\ntakes passengers to the very entrance of the little state park\u2014so all said, it
\nis the best bet.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>We
\nentered the Juneau Visitor Information Center for maps and advice and were
\ndirected to the bus ticket counters from where we purchased our bus tickets to
\nthe glacier and headed a few meters ahead to the bus stop to board the bus.
\nThis stretch of the city was simply crawling with cruise passengers and there
\nwas a bit of chaos all around as folks tried to find their private tour
\noperators, the public bus stops and the tram terminus for the cable car ride up
\nthe mountain. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nBus
\nRide to Mendenhall Glacier:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>All
\nprivate bus operators are supposed to give a running commentary to the glacier
\nand back. Ours, a young girl with little interest in her job except to see that
\npassengers boarded the bus in a queue, said absolutely nothing except to warn
\nus about bears and not getting too close to them. Once at the stop, we were
\npretty much on our way as we followed the throngs to the venue. The twenty
\nminute bus journey is uninteresting but for the meadows filled with wild
\nflowers that follow you throughout and the vistas of the mountains all around.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nExploring
\nMendenhall Glacier:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n <\/span>           <\/span>Juneau sits at the bottom of what is
\nknown as the Juneau Icefield and one of the features of the icefield is the
\nMendenhall Glacier. It has been in steady recession over the past century and as
\nglobal warming has melted much of it, what is left behind are icy waterways
\nfilled with glacial water. You hike about ten minutes and arrive at the very
\nnice but very crowded Visitors\u2019 Center that offer maps, rest rooms and
\nsouvenirs. And then you have two options: you can walk about five minutes and
\narrive at a viewing point that offers good photo ops against the backdrop of
\nthe glacier (which is what we did first) or you can hike to Nuffy Falls which
\nwe did later\u2014or you can do both. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe glacier is not as
\nimpressive as the many we have seen in other parts of the world on our travels
\n(the Columbia Icefield in the Canadian Rockies is vast and amazing and you can
\neasily walk all over it; the Fox Glacier in New Zealand near Haas was
\nincredible in its size and the fact that you can easily hike over it without
\nspending a small fortune on helicopters or floatplanes). Still, the lovely bright
\nblue that we spied at Mendenhall\u2019s base (caused by moraine or debris that has
\naccumulated over centuries) was a first-time sight for us and it was lovely.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Once
\nwe took our pictures, however, it was time to decide whether or not take the
\nmile-long hike to Nuffy Falls\u2014a 45 minute round trip. Since we had time on our
\nhands, we went\u2014not really knowing what to expect. It turned out to be the most
\nfun part of our day. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nHiking
\nto Nuffy Falls:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>The
\nhikers\u2019 path to Nuffy Falls is very well marked and very well-traveled. There
\nwere scores of other walkers for company\u2014of different sizes and ages\u2014and they
\nall coped well. Along the way, you pass by an abundance of wild flowers: large
\nwhite daisies, purple hollyhock lookalikes, loads of unripe berry bushes. The
\nair is cool and bracing but after a while you will find that you do not need a
\nparka even though you are in close proximity to a glacier (a fleece is enough).
\nAbout 20 minutes later, you arrive at the Falls and they are truly a
\nspectacular sight. This is because this is the closest I have ever got to a
\nwaterfall\u2014you are literally within a couple of feet of the tumbling water and
\ncan reach out and touch it. Needless to say, the water was ice cold. The blue
\nbase of the glacier is only a few feet away\u2014so there are lots of good photo
\nops. But the place is constantly mobbed and that takes away some of the sense
\nof being secluded in a pristine wilderness. Still, it was a fully worthwhile
\nhike and easily recommended.    <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nReturn
\nto Juneau and the Ship:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>We
\nfollowed passengers on the reverse journey to try to find the bus stop that
\ntook us back to Juneau. By this time, it was about 4.30 and the early tourist
\nexcitement had calmed down in the city. We spent about hour or so looking into
\na few more shops and landmark establishments such as the Red Dog Saloon<\/i> that was once a prospector\u2019s favorite haunt before
\nwe decided to get back to the ship. Once again, we were tendered across in a
\nlittle boat and checked back into our ship.<\/span><\/div>\n
\nEvening
\non Board:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>For
\nsome reason\u2014and probably because we had done two really good hikes in bracing
\nmountain air\u2014both Llew and I were hungry. But since we had 8.00 pm reservations
\nat Canaletto<\/i>, the specialty Italian
\nrestaurant on board, we decided to try just a little of the Alaskan food being
\noffered in the Lido. I tried the Alaskan Seafood Chowder which was delicious
\nand the Gold Diggers\u2019s Chilli\u2014both of which were great\u2014together with the
\nAlaskan beers on sale. Alaska has some nice brewing companies that use mountain
\nglacial waters to brew their liquors and I was keen to taste a couple while on
\nthe trip. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nTime
\nto Dress for Dinner at Canaletto<\/i>:<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>Back
\nin our staterooms, we had enough time to dress for dinner and make our way
\nupstairs again. I had tried to get a later dinner slot but all were taken. The
\nconcept at Canaletto<\/i> is that of
\nsharing and after ordering drinks (Chianti for Llew, a margarita for me), we
\nlooked at the menu. We decided to share two of the small plates (veal and sage
\npolpettino which were meat balls in a delectable sauce\u2014we got four which made
\nit perfect for sharing) and the Vermouth Clams that were served in a very tasty
\nbroth dotted with chorizo sausage. Our appetizers were superb but not
\nsurprisingly, we already felt full. Still, we soldiered on towards pasta and
\ndecided to order two for sharing and to forgo a taste of the Large plates as we
\nsimply would have no room. We chose the Shrimp Papardelle which came with three
\ntiger shrimp in a lemon infused cream sauce\u2014very rich and very good, but we
\ncould only eat a little as we also had the special of the day\u2014the lasagna made
\nwith chicken, beef and veal. It was also really good, but with just a few bites
\nof the two really splendid dishes, we had had enough. It was time to order the
\nlightest of desserts and we got the gelato\u2014pistachio for Llew, gianduja
\n(chocolate hazelnut) for me\u2014both of which were splendid. We both felt really
\nbad that our capacity is so small as neither of us did justice to the truly
\ndelicious offerings put before us. <\/span><\/div>\n
\nEvening
\nat the Piano Bar:<\/i><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\n            <\/span>I
\nwould have preferred to call it a day at that point, but Llew was keen to get
\nto the Piano Bar to listen to Jimmy Maddox belt out a few numbers as it was
\nElvis Night and the baby boomers were there in full force. We had a lovely one
\nhour listening to a truly talented man who combines the skills of a pianist,
\nsinger, story teller and entertainer quite effortlessly into a one man show. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\nAs our ship slowly
\npulled out of Juneau, Jimmy regaled us with stories about The King as well as
\nsing-along numbers that had our feet tapping, heads shaking and lips moving. A
\ntruly lovely end to a very eventful day. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

Until tomorrow\u2026                 <\/span>  <\/span>    <\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monday, July 4, 2016: Tracy Arm Inlet and Juneau, Alaska:             We put our clocks back one hour before we went to bed last night as we would be arriving in Alaskan waters and crossing a time zone line at 2. 00 am. We also set our alarms for an early start as we were… <\/p>\n

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