Alaska – Thoughts From The Passenger Seat

2026, Travel

Alaska Heritage Gateway

Posted on September 22, 2026 by nancyb422

After our two nights and one day of sailing, our next stop on our Viking cruise through Alaska was Icy Strait Point. This was the first stop that we weren’t directly at the dock and had to be ferried in by little boats. I thought we were going to be stopped at an actual town so I was a little bothered by it. But, come to find out once we were on land, Icy Strait Point is like a little amusement park. There is a gondola ride to the top of a mountain and from there, you can take in all types of adventures. From a sedate trolley ride around the area to Jeeps, UTVs, and a zipline back down the mountain.

The land was originally home to the Xunaa Káawu, or “the people of Hoonah” an “enduring Tlingit community shaped by the sea, the forest, and one another”. In the early 20th century a salmon cannery was established and it became a cornerstone of daily life. A short walk from the disembarkment point, is a recreation of the cannery with shops and food, and a beach for playing in the water when the kids get bored. The town of Hoonah is about a mile and a half away from the activities.

We got in line for the gondola and took it to the Sky Peak. We sat with a lovely couple who had spent some time living in Connecticut for work. Some of the people on the cruise acted like they never heard of Connecticut and others lived there, but were happy to have left. <bllllrrrpphhh> Good all the more for me.

The ride started out in the fog but the higher we got, the fog thinned and it was so beautiful. See for yourself –

Once at the top, we boarded the trolley for a “mountain top forest tram ride”. There was a walking path but they talked about bears so ……

It was an interesting ride observing the flora and fauna, but more the former than the latter! Along the way we saw bogs or “muskegs” as the locals call them. They might look like solid, bouncy grass, but underneath are deep pockets of water – some over six feet deep! The bogs are also prime territory for Coastal Brown Bears. The open meadows grow berries and the wet environment allows specific plants to thrive. Perfect foraging ground for bears.

What goes UP must come DOWN. We headed back down the mountain on another gondola ride. This time we had it to ourselves and so I could concentrate on taking pictures. Even though it was warm and sunny at the top, it was still cloudy below.

Once back on the ship, we grabbed our books and settled into cozy seats with cups of tea to watch the take off, and we were on our way again.

2025, Travel

Boating In Alaska

Posted on September 20, 2026 by nancyb422

We went on a cruise along the coast of Alaska and the Inland Passage last year. I only managed to get Day 1 done and well, I think I spent the last year and a month recovering from the travel home. Out of the ship at 8 am, to the airport in Vancouver, sit around until 3pm, board, fly to San Francisco, sit, leave at 7 or so, fly overnight to Washington DC, get in at 5 am, board at 6 am, fly to Hartford, in at 9, drive home, collapse and swear never to fly in a plane again.

Viking really does it right. It didn’t hurt that the weather for the first 5 days or so, was magnificent.

We had never been on an Ocean cruise before, only river, so we were happy to see the World Cafe, a buffet to choose from for our three meals a day! And Snacks!We would both rather graze across the options than be served in the restaurant.

The room was a little bigger than a river cruise room but everything is set up the same. It is a comfortable feeling. The ocean cruise has a laundry, which came in handy because my husband’s clothes didn’t arrive for another 3 days. We had to cancel our excursion on the second day to shop in Valdez for enough clothes so he wouldn’t have to wear the same things over and over.

The view from our balcony and all around the ship were breathtaking and it was hard to pull myself away.

The ship picked up a pilot and they brought us in close to the Hubbard Glacier on our full day of sailing. They tried to put together a $$ one, but not enough people signed up. Good thing, because then we all got it for free! It was really a beautiful sight.

We met two nice couples: one couple from Virginia, and the wife grew up in Guilford, Connecticut, and the other from Minnesota. We spent a couple of hours on the front deck with a couple from Arkansas/Florida, and although we tried to meet up again, it didn’t work out.

We didn’t partake in any talks or entertainment after dinner but we really enjoyed early morning coffee in the cafe, walks around the “track”, sitting in the afternoon sun on good days, getting a snack and cup of tea or coffee or wine (me) in the afternoon while sitting in cozy chairs reading our books. They had books in all sorts of nooks and crannies and we both found ones to enjoy on the trip. We sat a little bit after dinner as well, but usually were back to our room by 9pm.

It was interesting to watch the scenery change as we sailed closer to Vancouver from snow covered mountains to green forests and small towns along the way.

This morning I told my husband I was longing for another river cruise!

2025, life

As Summer Comes To An End…

Posted on September 10, 2025 by nancyb422

I walk out my back door almost every morning at about 6:15 to work out. I have taken so many pictures of these mornings. Why? I don’t know! I feel like I have to capture what I see to make it real. To remind me of what I’ve seen.

As I stood and looked around this morning, I wondered “did I enjoy this summer? Did I dig in? Or did I just go through the motions?”

I felt very confident that yes, I did embrace this summer. It was hotter than Heck, but I sat outside under the cover you see in the picture or on the covered side porch where there is always a nice breeze.

I would head out there after dinner and my husband would soon follow. We’d sit outside there for 2 hours, me reading and him watching you-tube videos.

I rode my bike a few times, less than I hoped, with my husband and friends but that is something there is still time for before the winter sets in.

We didn’t spend much time on our boat and that will be a conversation during the winter. Give it one more year? Give it up? The few times I was on it, I enjoyed it! Sometimes it’s the getting there…

And of course, there was our cruise to Alaska! That took up 10 days of the summer. The travel to and from felt like it took 10 days itself, but it was worth it.

For me, it’s not about being busy, or going to a lot of events. In the summer, it’s about being outside!

I’d been feeling down for the last couple of weeks, but the other day something shifted (full moon?), and now I just feel GRATEFUL and THANKFUL.

2025, life, Travel

Greetings From Alaska!

Posted on July 29, 2025July 29, 2025 by nancyb422

After 2 flights equaling 9+ hours, one suitcase (my husband’s) put on a “later flight”, and a 2-1/2 hour bus ride, we are on the Viking Orion for an Alaska inner passage cruise with approximately 928 other people.

We booked this trip last August. We took a Viking cruise in October of 2022 down the Seine from Paris to Normandy and back but this was our first ocean cruise. It always seemed so far away. Until it wasn’t.

Our embarkation was in Seward on Saturday evening and we spent Sunday there with the ship departing at 5pm. This, we thought, was going to be the opportunity to have his suitcase delivered to the ship.

“Just in case”, we went shopping for hiking shoes and a fleece jacket for our afternoon hike. Because my husband only had Sketcher slip ons from our trip, we knew he would need some shoes for hiking. I knew there had to be something in town for clothing and luckily there was. We headed to Seward Outdoor Store at 8am which was a short walk from the ship. They had what he needed and it was a necessary purchase for him to enjoy the day.

We also paid a visit to a gift shop which is owned by a friend of a hometown friend! We walked in and introduced ourselves and talked with the owner about our trip and our friend who directed us there. It was nice to make the connection and to tell my friend we visited.

*If you’re ever in Seward, tell Fred we said hello!*

For our excursion in Seward we decided to do a hike to the Exit Glacier. The cruise has an included excursion at each port but sometimes they can be a little dull so we usually pay the money for something that really interests us. A hike is right up our alley.

At 1pm we boarded a bus right off the ship and it was a 15 minute ride to Kenai Fjords National Park. 50 of us got off the bus and divided up among four young guides. Ours was a delightful young woman named Morgan. Morgan has done more in her 24 years than some people will do in a lifetime. She was very knowledgeable about the area and the glacier.

We all expected (and packed) for temperatures to be in the low 60s. Well – Sunday afternoon it was 78 degrees! Thankfully I had my own water bottle and one provided by the tour group because I needed every drop.

It was a 2.5 mile round trip which took us over areas where the glacier has retreated over the years. Morgan explained how they determine how long ago it retreated by the types of trees that have grown. We also saw the striations in the rock and the angle which tells the direction the glacier retreated. It was worth the money and the exertion!

Sadly, we didn’t receive the suitcase by the time the ship left at 5pm. More on that in my Day 2 post!