The half -way point on a pair of Alaska cruises
Due to really poor Internet connections on the ship, I gave up on posting while at sea the past week. Dad and I arrived back in Seattle early this morning, took the Quick Shuttle bus to Vancouver, and he’s about half-way back to Kelowna right now, while I’m at...
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Off on another Adventure – a cruise to Alaska
I’m just about to head down to the airport to board my flight to Vancouver, where I’ll board a cruise ship bound for Alaska. I checked in an hour ago so I could get a window seat for what promises to be a spectacular flight, and took this photo...
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Summer must be here
For many Northern residents, the best judge of when Summer has arrived is the amount of work that needs to be done. For most of us, Summer is a very busy time – not only work-busy, but play-busy. I’m lucky that I can often combine the two. Yesterday I...
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Blogging North
Ever since I started this blog I’ve been looking for a good directory of other Northern blogs, with no luck. I found a few directories that claimed to have just Alaska or Yukon blogs, but they’ve all been infiltrated by pretenders. Persistence pays, though, (okay, it can also give...
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Cruising Alaska – Caveat Emptor
The Internet makes researching travel substantially easier than ever before, but you’d never know it from some people’s experiences. A comment from a very experienced Alaska cruiser who arrived home yesterday from another trip North sums it up nicely: …some highlights for future visitors – be well prepared in...
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Our wild neighbours – and some dumb ones…
It was another excellent day of watching our wild neighbours yesterday. Although bears were again our focus, we found none. What we did find was Dall sheep, mountain goats, and some snow geese and Greater white-fronted geese that we only have a chance to see for a few days...
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Virus Warning!
Luckily, I’m immune to this one due to prior installation of the recommended antidote: —————– There is a dangerous virus being passed electronically, orally and by hand. This virus is called Worm-Overload-Recreational-Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from any of your colleagues, your boss or anyone else via any...
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Just Plane Nuts
Aviation is an important part of life for Northern residents, because it’s either too far to drive anywhere, or there are no roads. But for a large percentage of Northerners, aircraft are much more than a necessity. That was proven again tonight when word spread that the world’s largest...
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Alaska Fishing – Beware the Salmon Sharks!
I’m sure that you’ve all heard about the incredible fishing in Alaska. Some of the really good spots get extremely crowded, though, resulting in what’s known as “combat fishing.” A day of fishing then turns into a ballet of sorts, with anglers coordinating their line tosses to avoid tangles...
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First Cruise Ship of 2006 in Skagway
The cruise ship season starts today in Skagway – it’ll be another month before the harbor will look like the May 2005 picture below, though. I’m watching the Norwegian Wind arrive as I write this, on the WP&YR webcam. It’s not a very attractive morning in Skagway – 44...
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