Ketchikan-Historical Photo-#18

Ketchikan-Eagles and Bears #17

"Look, there's another one! And, another one!! And, another one!!!

Eagles seemed to be everywhere I looked.  One of the locals explained,

"They're as common as pigeons here."

The American bald eagle loves Alaska, with populations so robust that it was never listed as threatened or endangered there. With an estimated 30,000 eagles in the state, it’s easy to spot one of these national symbols, especially in Southeast Alaska.

With wing spans up to 7.5 feet, eagles are powerful, but can only lift 3 or 4 pounds. They don’t seem to know their own limits though. We’ve seen more than one eagle stranded on the beach waiting for its wings to dry so it can fly again (usually after it gets dragged into the water a bit after an unsuccessful attempt to pick up a fish it couldn’t handle.)

Spotting eagles is a highlight of any visit to Alaska. Ketchikan has 30 nesting sites weighing in up to 2,000 pounds and measure 6 feet deep. Eagle's remain in Ketchikan because eagles know they won’t starve here. Eagles are carnivores and live to eat fish, so you’ll see them plenty at the mouth of salmon streams, Ward Cove, Herring Cove, Ketchikan Creek. Salmon pass through the area from April through September. Eagles even hang around in winter; the water remains ice-free, and the fish keep coming. 

Visit Ketchikan in May and you’ll start to see mature eagles preparing their nests. Their eggs hatch the following month, and through June and July you can watch adult eagles feeding their young in the nests. From mid-August through early September, the baby eagles are learning how to fly, honing their flying skills and practicing hunting pink salmon. You can see some of this nesting activity from the town’s roads and others from the water.

Eagles are thought to breed for life, and in Alaska can live into their early 30s. The iconic white hood and tail don’t show up for about five years, so if you see one with brown feathers, it’s probably a juvenile. (You can also tell by the beak; young eagles have a black beak that later turns yellow). 

More interesting sights near a stream filled with salmon.

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Ketchikan-Totem Heritage Center #16

The Totem Heritage Center preserves and perpetuates the living artistic traditions of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples that gave rise to the original totem poles on display and provides the opportunity to discover, learn and practice Native arts to inspire cultural understanding. The knowledgeable staff and interpretive panels help visitors gain a historical context with which to approach contemporary totem poles and the cultural traditions present in the community.

Alaska-Skagway White Pass Railroad Summit Excursion-#15

The Skagway White Pass Railroad Summit Excursion is very popular. We took an 

unforgettable journey aboard the "Scenic Railway of the World" to the White Pass summit. We started our   excursion as we boarded the train in Skagway and traveled 20 miles from tidewater to the Summit of the White Pass - a 2,865-foot elevation.We enjoyed vast canyon views and remarkable scenery along the historic route. As we rode in vintage coaches we retraced the original route to the White Pass summit, passing Bridal Veil Falls, Inspiration Point, and Dead Horse Gulch. The scenery included a breathtaking panorama of mountains, glaciers, gorges, waterfalls, tunnels, trestles, and historic sites along the White Pass Railroad. We saw the original Klondike Trail of 1898 worn into the rocks, a permanent tribute to the thousands of souls who passed this way in search of fortune. 

 Lucky to be in the last car, I was able to photograph the train as it curved ahead.

 One of the signs marking our route

 The summit with the appropriate flags at the Canadian border.

Linking to ABC WEDNESDAY

A Tasty, Tasty Treat! #14

You really haven't eaten salmon until you are in Alaska!

While the salmon was being grilled outdoors, our friendly bear whom you saw yesterday waited patiently in the tree, overlooking the scene. Because employees at the Lodge and visitors were sternly warned never to feed bears, he had a technique of his own. As soon as the food was grilled and moved indoors, the bear moved down, jumped on the edge of the pit and greedily licked up all the drippings. I watched his technique safely through the glass window inside the lodge. He teetered on the edge of the grill with his bum in the air as he bent and feasted on the remains.
We feasted inside on the delectable salmon and then later reluctantly climbed aboard out float plane for return to port. The view of the glaciers was as outstanding as seen on the first flight.

Our Master Outdoor Chef

Taku Glacier Lodge-#13

 Our float plane dropped us off at Taku Glacier Lodge for a few hours and we were unceremoniously greeted by an Alaskan native who was watching the whole proceedings from a tree not too far from the main building, one of his favorite places to sit and observe the frequent visitors. Come back tomorrow and I'll show you his main interest.

Views in front of the lodge

Linking to Saturday's Critters

Glaciers-#12

Why is glacier ice blue?

Glacial ice is a different color from regular ice. It is so blue because the dense ice of the glacier absorbs every other color of the spectrum except blue - so blue is what we see!

It's Not Just Frozen Water!

Sometimes the glacial ice appears almost turquoise. Its crystalline structure strongly scatters blue light. The ice on a glacier has been there for a really long time and has been compacted down so that its structure is pretty different from the ice you normally see. Glacial ice is a lot different from the frozen water you get out of the freezer.

It's Not Just Frozen Snow!

Glacial ice is not just frozen compacted snow. There are other things in the ice that make it much different from the ice in your home. Glaciers move through rock and soil as they carve their way down a slope. This means the ice is going to have a lot more ingredients than just water.

Wings Airline-#11

Wings Airline

Waiting to board our ten-passenger Otto floatplane for our excursion. Tomorrow I'll show you what Jim and I saw during our flight.

A Capital City-#10

The Dock at Juneau

Alaska Cruise #9-Docking in Juneau

I watched our handsome Italian  Captain as he manuevered the ship close to the dock.  Notice his right hand and the instrument panel in the photo below. He never seemed to take his eyes off the dock and used his hand on the panel without looking at the instruments to bring 

the ship snugly against the dock.

Alaska #8-Approaching Juneau

Alaska #7-Sitka, continued

 Sitka is a small, quaint little town with lots of attractions!

No matter where I go I can find new friends and a thrift store to browse.

Cruise #6-Sitka, Alaska

We were "tendered ashore" after we arrived at Sitka

The Docking Difference

When a cruise ship docks, it tethers itself to a dock or port and lowers a bridge so passengers can walk directly off the ship and into the port of call. Cruise ships most commonly dock at larger ports because they are usually better equipped to accommodate cruise ships' enormous size. When ships anchor, passengers are "tendered" to shore on tender boats. Tendering usually involves a shorter stop time because ships -- even large cruise ships -- can shift positions over time, even with a dropped anchor. If your itinerary indicates that your ship will tender at a particular port, that port is likely smaller in size, or the waters surrounding it cannot support large ships. Your ship will be in the waters away from, but still in sight of, the shore -- a roughly 10- to 40-minute small boat ride from the ship. The difference between docking and tendering can mean the difference between having all day or only a few hours to explore a port of call. This is because docked ships allow passengers to leave at their will -- and at their own pace -- to explore the town. Anchored ships, however, usually provide small boats that can ferry passengers to shore approximately 20 to 30 at a time, although some ports provide larger ones.
(Credit: USA Today.com)

This modest Cathedral that sits in the center of town is a big attraction to tourist because of its history.

Alaskan Cruise #5

Our ship as seen from shore at our first port city, Sitka. It looks like a huge ship but with a maximum of 386 passengers it is quite small, compared with other cruise lines. It is one of 7 ships owned by an Italian company. We spent many hours in the Observation Deck, quietly and gratefully watching the water and land slip by. What a treat!!

 Our suite was bedroom and living area combined. Very
comfortable. Note the curtains by the bed which were black-out drapes since we were in Alaska during White Nights. It also provided privacy for Jim, who is a late sleeper, when I rose early
to dress and go down for breakfast.

Theme Day-"Motion, July 1, 2017-Alaskan Cruise #4

I have been posting cruise photos chronologically but because it is theme day for July, I am skipping ahead and adding instead photos taken in Vancouver, Canada, where we spent a few days after the cruise ended. Since the theme is "motion," the jelly fish in the Aquarium cooperated gracefully.
Click here to see how other bloggers showcased the idea of "motion."

And since these photos were taken in Canada...