Alaska and the Yukon - Vancouver, To Whitehorse, Yukon

Wednesday, July 9

Vancouver, BC to Whitehorse, Yukon

Our luggage had to be ready to be picked up by 8:00 AM so even though our flight didn’t leave until 11:15 AM, we were up early.  The bellman picked up our luggage right on time, and soon it was time to go down and claim our luggage and check-in for our flight.  We were flying Air North to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, and  check-in and security went smoothly.  We left right on time and we had an easy two hour flight to Whitehorse.  Amazingly we were served a  complimentary lunch and beverages on the plane, which seems to be pretty unusual these days particularly for a short flight.  Val hates to fly, but she did really well and she was able to take her mind off the flight with an interesting conversation with a helicopter pilot who sat beside her.

When we arrived in Whitehorse we were met by our Holland America Journey Host, Anita, who gave us directions on claiming and tagging our luggage.  It all was very easy.  We were given room keys at the airport so when we arrived at the hotel we just went straight to our room and our luggage was delivered shortly after that.

We arrive in Whitehorse.

Whitehorse has a population of about 27,000 and is the capitol of the Yukon Territory.  The Yukon has a total population of only 34,000 so you can see that Whitehorse is by far the largest city. 

We had a free evening in Whitehorse so after cleaning up and settling in we set out to explore the area.  The hotel is in the center of town so we walked around, explored, browsed in some shops, bought some water and cinnamon rolls for our breakfast tomorrow.  After a while we looked for a place to eat dinner and just down the street from the hotel was a place called Klondike Rib and Salmon that looked good so we decided to go there. It was a popular place and we had about a forty-five minute wait, but the time went by quickly as we met another couple from our tour and passed the time chatting with them.  The wait was worth it as we had a very good dinner. Val and I both had fish and chips made with fresh halibut which were very tasty.

Val at the Klondike Rib and Salmon.

After dinner we had tickets to the Frantic Follies, which was a show that recreated entertainment from the gold rush days.  The show was pretty good and well done, but not really our cup of tea.  After the show it was off to bed as we had an excursion to a wildlife preserve in the morning.

Alaska and the Yukon - Vancouver, BC

Tuesday, July 8

Vancouver, BC

Today was a day of leisure in Vancouver so we slept in before setting out to explore the City.  Today was the first official day of the land segment of our Holland America Land/Cruise Tour, but since most people on the tour were arriving in Vancouver today we were already here and had the day to spend on our own. The desk person told us the Holland America representative was already here so before we left the hotel we checked-in with her and got our instructions for tomorrow.  After that we got our car and were off to see the sites of Vancouver.

The first thing we wanted to see was Stanley Park so we drove across town through quite a bit of traffic, but without too much problem and got there around 10:00.  It was a beautiful, sunny day and there were many people out enjoying it.  Our first stop was a display of totem poles from different tribes of the "First Nations" people.  In Canada they call their indigenous people First Nations.  After that we explored other points of interest around the park.  

North Vancouver and the Lions Gate Bridge

Brockton Point and Lighthouse.

The Vancouver Skyline

 

The Lions Gate Bridge

After seeing everything we wanted to see we left the Stanley Park and took the Lions Gate Bridge to North Vancouver and the Grouse Mountain Tram which takes you to the top of Grouse Mountain.  The views of Vancouver and the Strait of Georgia were beautiful and you could see a long way as it was pretty clear although a little hazy.  We had a good lunch sitting outside with a wonderful view and then wandered around a bit before taking the tram back down.

Crossing the Lions Gate Bridge.

Our ride to the top arrives.

Great views from the tram.

Val enjoying lunch and the view

It was a beautiful clear day. That's Mount Baker in Washington way in the background.

 

If you were brave enough, you could paraglide down and enjoy the breathtaking views.

Our next and final stop was Granville Island and we had a terrible time getting to it.  Finding it wasn’t a problem as we drove over it several times on the Granville Bridge , but it was just difficult getting down underneath the bridge on the right street to get to it.  Finally just as we were about to give up we stumbled on the entrance and finally got on the island.  Granville Island has interesting areas with many restaurants, shops and other things to do.  We wanted to visit Granville Island Public Market which sells everything from fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, meat to jewelry and crafts.  We wandered around for quite a while and wished we hadn’t eaten such a big lunch as everything looked really good.  We bought some fruits and bread for dinner and pastries for breakfast tomorrow and then called it a day and headed back to the airport.

The Burrard Bridge from Granville Island.

The Granville Bridge from Granville Island.

 

The vendors take great pride in their products

and spend a lot of time perfecting their displays.

After making our usual wrong turn we got back to the airport and our hotel, and left the car in long-term parking where it will sit until we return to Vancouver on our cruise.  It felt good to get back to the hotel and relax, it had been a fun, but tiring day.  We were reminded of why we usually don’t travel in summer. There were people everywhere, it was very crowded especially with families with kids.  Everyone including us was enjoying themselves, but it got pretty wearing fighting the crowds.

Tomorrow morning we catch our flight to Whitehorse in the Yukon where our tour will really begin, we are really looking forward to it!!

Alaska and the Yukon - The Trip North

Saturday, July 5

Atascadero to Redding, CA

We got up early this morning and were on the road by 8:00.  This had to be one of the easiest drives we have ever had up Interstate 5 as there was little traffic and almost no trucks.  I guess traveling on the middle day of a three day weekend is a good thing.  Our destination for the night was Redding, CA and we were there just after 3:00.  Val had noticed there was a casino in town and since we had time to kill and we can never resist a chance to gamble, we decided to check it out.  It is called the Win River Casino and is not too large, but its biggest feature for us was that it is smoke free.  I went through my allotted gambling money pretty fast, but Val actually had some luck, but in the end she left empty handed too.  We did have a good time and by the time we finished it was time for dinner.  Val had asked the front desk person at the hotel to recommend a Mexican restaurant and she suggested Casa Ramos so we decided to try it out.  It was a large restaurant and very busy; we thought the food was OK, but not great.  After dinner it was back to the hotel, tomorrow we have another long drive to Vancouver, WA.

Sunday, July 6

Redding to Vancouver, WA

We had another long drive today so we were up early again and after a quick breakfast at the hotel, we were on the road just after 8:00.  It was apparent right off that there was a lot more trucks on the road than yesterday so it didn’t look like today’s drive was going to be as easy as yesterday’s.  Traffic was still not too bad until we got into Oregon where it got heavier and heavier.  It was the last day of a three day holiday weekend so everyone was headed home.  As we drove up through the Willamette Valley on I-5 in Oregon we had several lengthy traffic delays because of accidents and general slowing just because of the number of cars on the road.  Even with the delay we were in our room before 5:00 not too bad.

We were staying in Vancouver, Washington tonight at a Homewood Suites that is right across the street from the Columbia River so after the 102 degree F temperature we had in Redding yesterday we were looking forward to cooling off a bit.  Unfortunately when we arrived we found we would only be cooling off just a bit as it was in the 90’s and felt very hot.  After getting settled and relaxing a bit we decided to walk over to the Columbia River and walk along the river and explore the area.  Our walk didn’t last too long as it was just too hot.  We thought about eating at one of the several inviting looking restaurants along the River Walk, but we had had a late lunch and weren’t really that hungry.  We ended up stopping at a deli across from the hotel and just getting a couple of sandwiches to bring back with us.

The River Walk along the Columbia River.  That's the bridge from Portland to Vancouver, WA in the background.

Tomorrow should be an easier day as we have a shorter drive time and hopefully the traffic will be lighter.  We will be crossing the border into Canada and staying in Vancouver, BC as we are nearing the start of our Alaska / Yukon tour.

Monday, July 7

Vancouver, WA to Vancouver, BC

We got our wish for cooler weather this morning as we woke up to overcast skies.  As much as I like sunshine and blue skies, it was nice to get away from the heat.  After a good breakfast at the hotel we were on the road around 9:00.  I have to say that the Homewood Suites was a nice place to stay.  Our room was a real suite with a bedroom, living room and a full kitchen, the grounds were very nice with great amenities and the service was excellent.  We drove up through Washington with moderately light traffic and overcast skies.  The drive was beautiful through forests and rivers; I had forgotten how nice the drive on I-5 was through Oregon and particularly Washington.  North of Seattle we stopped for an excellent lunch at Boondockers in the town of Marysville.  Val had worked with the owner in a restaurant forty years ago when she was a waitress and he was a busboy while going to Cal Poly.  Through Facebook they reconnected and have kept in touch, but have not seen each other in all those years.

Soon we were at the Canadian border where we had to wait about a half an hour to get through customs and then we were on way into Vancouver BC.  We were staying at the Fairmont Hotel at the airport that turned out to be built over the International Terminal.  We chose this hotel because this is where our tour starts and we have reservations provided by Holland America tomorrow night.  The hotel is quite nice and the room is roomy with a nice view of the airport and the Strait of Georgia.  After settling in and getting cleaned up we decided to walk around the terminal just to see what was there and see what our dinner options were.  There were a lot of shops and places to eat besides all the airline check-in desks so our walk took a while.  After going back to the room and relaxing for a while we went back to the terminal to eat and then called it a night.

Tomorrow will be a free day for us and we plan on exploring Vancouver a bit before we start our official Holland America tour on Wednesday.

Alaska and the Yukon - The Journey Begins

Tomorrow we leave on our next adventure, a cruise and land tour of Alaska and the Yukon.  Normally we plan and book our cruises pretty far in advance, but even though this was booked six months ago, it is different in several ways.  First of all, it was an impulse decision.  Just after New Years I received an e-mail advertising this  cruise / land tour, showed it to Val and within two days we had booked it.  The second thing was that we never really wanted to do a land tour, we wanted to explore Alaska on our own, but the itinerary looked interesting and we decided to just do it.

We will once again be cruising with Holland America and this time we will be on the Statendam for the first time.  Since neither of us likes to fly very much we have decide to drive to Vancouver, BC where our trip begins.  Our plan is to arrive in Vancouver a day early and explore the city a bit as we have driven through Vancouver many times, but have never really explored it.  From Vancouver we fly to Whitehorse in the Yukon where our land tour begins.  We will spend 13 days on land visiting Whitehorse, Dawson City, Fairbanks, Denali and Anchorage.  From Anchorage we will travel to Seward to board the ship and start the cruise portion of our journey.  On the ship we will visit Glacier Bay, Haines, Juneau and Ketchikan before sailing through the Inside Passage and returning to Vancouver where our trip began.  On this trip we will be traveling by car, plane, bus, train and ship so I think we have all modes of transportation covered.  Here is a detailed itinerary of our trip from the Holland America website.

1	Vancouver  - July 8 Overnight at the luxurious Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel
2	Whitehorse  - July 9 Fly to Whitehorse on Yukon's own Air North and meet your Journey Host to learn about your upcoming adventure
3	Whitehorse – July 10 Yours to explore - choose from optional excursions such as local sightseeing or wildlife viewing adventures
4	Dawson City – July 11 Follow the route of Klondike gold stampeders in style to Dawson City, with an included lunch stop in historic Minto
5	Dawson City – July 12 Today enjoy optional excursions and a nostalgic Yukon River paddle-wheeler cruise aboard the Klondike Spirit
6	Fairbanks – July 13 Your journey continues as you board a short flight bound for Fairbanks, Alaska's Golden Heart City
7	Fairbanks – July 14 Take a step back in time aboard the sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery (lunch included), and pan for gold at historic Gold Dredge 8
8	Denali National Park  - 15 Today it's off to Denali for a leisurely three night stay at this magnificent national treasure
9	Denali National Park  - July 16 Venture deep into Denali on the Tundra Wilderness Tour (snack included), the best way to see wildlife and hopefully Mt. McKinley too
10	Denali National Park  - July 17 Explore on your own or take optional excursions with an entire free day in Denali
11	Anchorage  - July 18 This morning, board the luxurious domed rail cars of the McKinley Explorer bound for Anchorage
12	Anchorage  - July 19 Explore on your own or choose an optional excursion in Alaska's largest city before bidding farewell to your Journey Host
13	Seward  - July 20 Enjoy a scenic rail journey along Turnagain Arm aboard the cruisetrain en route to Seward before embarking your ship
14	At Sea (Gulf of Alaska)  - July 21 Enjoy a leisurely day of cruising
15	Glacier Bay  - July 22 Cruise the ice-studded fjords of this national treasure for a full eight hours as a Park Service Ranger narrates
16	Haines  - July 23 The best of two ports - stay in Haines for an uncrowded experience,
16	Skagway  - July 24 or go to Skagway for excursions and shopping
17	Juneau  - July 25 Enjoy a full day of exploring Alaska's capital-choose from exciting shore excursions and still have time to shop
18	Ketchikan  - July 26 Explore this uniquely Alaskan port, famous for its rich native culture, salmon fishing, and scenic Misty Fjords
19	At Sea – July 27 Relax and enjoy a full day of scenic Inside Passage cruising and immerse yourself in Holland America Line elegance
20	Vancouver  - July 28 Your Land + Sea Journey concludes this morning in Vancouver

This looks like a great trip, several of our friends have taken an Alaskan cruise in the last few months and had a great time and I'm sure we will too.

I am writing this the day before we leave, but when you read it, we will already be home.  After my experience with our Chicago trip I know I will not be able to keep up with this on a daily basis while we're traveling so I will keep a journal and publish that, along with some of our pictures when we get home.