IgoUgo member Two Cruisers, contributing since 2004, recently took an Alaskan cruise, and were it not for one hitch in the plan, would have fulfilled a mission. “This goal of this trip was to check off our 49th and 50th states. We drove from Iowa to Seattle where we boarded a cruise ship for a 14 day cruise. On the way home we planned on going across North Dakota, but it was closed due to flooding!” Ah, well, what do they say about “the best-laid plans?” The Alaska portion of the trip, though, was a success. We hope you will visit Alaska: US’s 49th and 49th for us and enjoy the excerpts and photos presented here.
”We cruised all day into and out of Tracy Arm Fjord. I cannot express the excitement of the first time you see blue ice on an iceberg...it’s not just a hint of blue it is startling blue. And occasionally we saw eagles and other birds perched on an iceberg.”
”Ketchikan was our first port. The area is rich in Native American culture with strong influence from the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshan cultures. The harbor was abuzz with float planes and eagles. Both were interesting to watch.”
”Friends had recommended this shore excursion to us. I think it is very important to know some of the culture of the original inhabitants of an area. Saxman is a good place to get that experience. When we reached the native culture village, (our guide) led us through a section of rainforest. This was an excellent way to show us what the native cultures had to work with to establish their living environment. It was a lovely walk, dense with standing and fallen trees. We saw a nurse tree, that is a fallen tree that has provided shelter and sustenance for growing seedlings. Flora and fauna surprised us at every turn.”
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Posted by Nik'sMom (Terre Grilli)
Comment by MilwVon on March 18, 2025
Loved this blog & journal . . . cruising Alaska is one of the best ways to see areas that otherwise would be difficult (and expensive) to tour.
As for the floods in North Dakota, I witnessed some of the aftermath this past week via the Amtrak. The flood water & mud stained houses in Minot were visible from the train station.
Von