DAY 6---ICY POINT (HOONAH)

 

         This is our position today.  Overcast again and 54 degrees this morning.  Like Klawock this is our first time to visit this port.

BACKGROUND INFO

        Icy Strait separates Chichagof Island to the south and the Alaska mainland to the north.  We are docked at Icy Strait Point for our visit to Hoonah on the south side of the Strait and has a population of 931 but this can swell to 1300 during summer depending on fishing, boating, hunting, and hiking.  It is largely a Tlingit community on Chichagof Island.  It is 30 miles from Juneau, across the Alaska Inside Passage. 

        In the early 1900’s there were 8 fish canneries here but the last one closed in 1954.  The logging industry in southeast Alaska hurt the town economically in the early 1990’s but limited logging, tourism, and fishing have helped replace the void.  So now cruise ship passengers, fishing vessels, and summertime boaters who dock in the Hoonah city small boat harbor, all bring revenue to the city.  One of the world’s longest zip-lines is located here and is one of the ship’s tours.  The weather here is mild and much like that of Seattle.

        There is ferry service from Hoonah to Juneau.  There is a small 3000 foot runway airport also here.  The airport is planned for expansion to allow military C-130’s from the Coast Guard and Air National Guard to land here.

LAST EVENING

                                     Arnulfo is one of the best bartenders on Regent.

                   L to R:  Arcy, Risa, & Jasmine, are greeters as one enters Compass Rose.

        A new soup:  Alaskan spring salmon chowder with creamy potatoes and smoked bacon.  Very good.  I also had escargot.

       The chicken parmesan was prepared much better than the veal parm I had up in Sette Mari.

                              Some nice veggies that were not overcooked and served hot.

                               I enjoyed this Alaskan wild berry cobbler with ice cream.

                       This is what I usually order but had to try the cobbler.  Apple tart.

       We did not go see the comedian and retired to our suite.  I am sleeping so much better now.

TODAY

        Up shortly before 6:30 and opened our balcony curtains to find another cloudy day in Alaska.  After dressing I ran down to get our Americano coffees.  Jeff called about when I wanted to meet him for breakfast in La Veranda.

                I had a ham and cheese omelet.  The omelets are made to order and very good.

        Jeff went on a "Wilderness Hike" tour at 8:50.  Hike a 2 mile long old abandoned logging trail.  Tour was 2 1/2 hours.  I was scheduled for a 1 1/2 hour "Alaska's Wildess Kitchen" tour but did not go. 

                         Instead I just walked off the ship and looked around for a half hour.

                                                        This is the walkway ashore.

                                                       Gondolas for viewing scenery.

                                                             Gondolas up for zip lining.

          Heading back to the ship now.  There was a shuttle bus running to Hoonah that costs $10

        As this is largely a Tlingit (native Alaskan) community I thought it appropriate to tell you something about these folks.

THE TLINGIT PEOPLE

        It is not possible to talk about Alaska without a discussion of the Tlingits.  It is speculated that human occupation of southeast Alaska occurred 11,000 years ago by the indigenous Tlingit people.  It is not clear exactly where they came from however.  The name Tlingit essentially means human beings.  It was originally used to distinguish a human being from an animal since Tlingits believed there was little difference between the two.  Over time the word became their name.  The Tlingit people are grouped into units (like tribes) called “knan”. 

        Europeans (Russians) arrived in Tlingit country for the first time in 1741 but contact with the Tlingits was limited until well into the 1800’s.  Seems they did not like the Russians coming so fought to keep them out.  Eventually diseases imported by Europeans and Americans looking for gold, killed many Tlingits.  They fought American development of canneries, mines, and logging but it was futile due to America’s military strength.  In 1906, the Native Allotment Act, gave 160 acres to each adult “native” as long as the ground contained no mineral deposits.  Plus they could sell or lease this property without the approval of the US Secretary of Interior.  Basically, they got screwed just as are American native Indians were.  They were called Indians too and during the 1930’s, 40’s & 50’s, it was not uncommon to see signs on business doors in Alaska saying, “No Indians Allowed”.  Today, although the Tlingit people are much more accepted, their fight for survival continues.  There are an estimated 20,000 Tlingits today in Alaska.  They are a big part of Alaska’s history which has never been taught in our schools, as far as I know Totem poles in Alaska were originally from the Haidas & Tlingits. 

        The poles were never objects of worship even though the early European explorers thought they were.  Totem poles symbolize characters and events of a myth or relate the experiences of ancestors or living people.  Pole carvings may include animals, birds, fish, plants, insects, humans, or supernatural beings such as the Thunderbird.  The poles are typically carved from highly rot-resistant trunks of giant cedar or western red cedar trees.  They usually last 60 to 80 years.  

        There is the Disney ship docked but this Azamara cruise ship is anchored and tendering passengers ashore.  It is the Azamara Pursuit and is just a little bit bigger than our ship as it holds 777 passengers.  Our Regent Explorer is 750 passengers.

                                                                     Lunch menu

        I had this Alaska Fisherman's Pi, a first for Regent.  It has salmon, corvina, scallops, and cod in it with a whipped potato crust.  Delicious!

        This afternoon I did some cross word puzzles and Rebecca went up to the library to read.  Now I'm heading down to have my afternoon cappuccino.

        This evening at 6:00 is the Seven Seas Society cocktail party.  We will be going as Rebecca and I are the most cruised on Regent ships this cruise and the Cruise Consultant will be mentioning our names and have us wave.  We now have 1114 nights cruised on Regent ships.

        This is tonight's Compass Rose menu.  Our favorite menu as there is miso glazed sea bass on it.  It is always on the Seven Seas Society night.  Love the mykonos (Greek) salad.

        The three of us have been asked to dine this evening with our General Manager, Anatoli.  We will meet him at 7pm in Compass Rose.

        Finally there is a production cast show at 9:30.  It is "Divos & Divas".  We have seen this show many times but anxious to see this new cast.

        We will be sailing again at 6pm.  Our next port will be day after tomorrow in Whittier, Alaska (543nm away).  Tomorrow we will stop to view the Hubbard Glacier before sailing on.

DAY 5---SKAGWAY, ALASKA

 AS A REMINDER CLICKING ON THE PHOTOS WILL ENLARGE THEM FOR BETTER VIEWING.

BACKGROUND INFO

SKAGWAY 

        Skagway is the smallest borough of and a city in Alaska with a population of approximately 1240.  This doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the large number of summer tourists.                  Skagway was an important saltwater port during the Klondike Gold Rush back in 1996.  From then through 1998 it as a lawless town described as “little better than a hell on earth”.  The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, part of the area’s mining past, now operates purely for the tourist trade running during the summer months and starts at the port of Skagway.  Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships.

        Skagway is located in a narrow glaciated valley in the Alaska panhandle some 90 miles northwest of Alaska’s capital city of Juneau.  Skagway is just one of three Southeast Alaskan communities that are connected via the road system, Klondike Highway, that was completed in 1878 and allows access to the lower 48 states.

        The median income for a household in the city is around $50,000.  Interestingly, Skagway was the setting for part of Jack London’s book “The Call of the Wild”.  The John Wayne film “North to Alaska” was also filmed nearby.

        We'll be returning here next week on our 2nd cruise segment.

LAST EVENING

        The pre-dinner show started at 5:45.  We went for the first 15 minutes of it.  Sat in the very back of the  deck 5 balcony.  He was a pretty good singer and pianist but could have been a better "showman".

        At 6pm we departed the show and headed to the Meridian Lounge for our cocktail hour.  We were the only ones there for quite a while.  We headed to Compass Rose at 6:45.  Kind of weird as not many dining there until after 7:30.  There was an Italian buffet this evening up in Sette Mari so I suspect it was packed.  Plus Prime 7, Chartreuse, and Pacific Rim restaurants.

        I had talked to Elvin, our sommelier, at lunch and requested he have the Rombauer chardonnay and this Criss Cross old vine zinfandel ready for us.  I had looked at previous blogs and saw I liked this lovely red wine on other cruises.  Definitely, a favorite of mine!

        Tonight we sat at one of Joseph's tables.  We have known Joseph for many years and he is a great waiter.  Will get his photo at dinner tonight as will dine with him again then.

        This is Putu who came by our table to say hi.  He is from Bali.  We have many crew member friends from Bali.

        Here is my double order of black mussels in a white wine sauce.  LOVE them!  Rebecca had just a single order.  We had to order them special the day before.

        Joseph brought us a finger bowl to clean our hands after eating them.  Water was very warm with lemon.

        Rebecca and I had requested this veal osso buco special the day before also.  It was served on a bed of creamy polenta.  Very yummy!  Jeff had a filet.

                                          Jeff had this chocolate mousse for his dessert.

            I had this super delicious banana-macadamia nut pudding with ice cream, of course.

        I was the first one to enter the theater when it opened the doors at 9:00.  I got our front row seats for the show, "Broadway in Concert", that started at 9:30.  We've seen this show many times but first time with this cast of singers and they changed several of the songs they performed.  It was a very good show.

TODAY

        We were already docked on the pier when I opened the curtains at 6:30 this morning.  It was raining lightly with a temperature of 52 degrees.

        View from our balcony today.  These train engines must be blocked off due to rock slides as they just sat there all day. There are 27 different tours departing the ship throughout the day.  I am scheduled on the 8:30 "Klondike Summit, Suspension Bridge, and Salmon Bake" tour (a 4 hour tour).  But have decided not to go on it for three reasons:  1)  On Sundays they have caviar and champagne starting at 8am in Compass Rose.  Also eggs benedict so this is more important than the tour.  2)  the tour involves 3 hours of bus riding.  The buses are are nice ones but a bus is a bus.  3)  the weather. 

        We are tendering today from the opposite side of our ship.  Even though all these buses and shuttles are lined up on the pier next to us.  Apparently there have been rock slides and still are as Jeff heard and watched one as we were docking.  So they do not want passengers disembarking on the pier in case there may be another slide.

         This is one of the shuttles to downtown that departs every 20 minutes from where the tenders drop passengers off.  Cost is $5 round trip.  Jeff will be doing one of these this morning.

        I asked Putu, waiter, for a LARGE portion of caviar and showed him a photo of what I was talking about from a previous cruise.  

                                              After photo.  Can't wait until next Sunday!

                  I just had half of an order of eggs benedict with a sausage and hash brown potato.

        After breakfast Jeff and I walked around the ship taking some photos.  This is a Carnival and Disney ship.  Behind us (not in photos) is a Princess ship.

                 The train is the "White Pass Scenic Railroad" which is doing some tours today.

             The tenders are dropping passengers somewhere here.  Very short tender ride away.

        Here are a couple photos of the rock slides which are very close to our ship.  This is why were are tendering today.

                                                  Some ships have painted on the rocks.

        At noon the three of us headed up to La Veranda for a bite of lunch.  This is Alvin, one of the head waiters whom we have sailed with before.

        I started with some creamy vegetable soup, gravlax, blue cheese, and a shrimp.  They have run out of anchovies.  Oh, no!!  Won't get more until next provisioning back in Vancouver when we disembark.

        They were carving ham today.  I asked for some wheat bread to make a sandwich.  They sent someone down to the bakery to get me some.  They make all the breads onboard.

        Jeff had went into town this morning and said there were just a few restaurants and many souvenir shops.  Most a tour port.

        It turned into a pretty nice day here in Skagway.  No rain and breaks in the clouds yielding a little sun at times.  This afternoon we watched a movie on tv.  It was "Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert" a 2025 film release.  Kind of a documentary about Elvis.

        Elvis has always had a special place in my heart.  While I was based at Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, LA, I was fortunate to see an Elvis concert.  This was the early 1970's when I was a B-52 pilot there.  Then on one of my American Airlines flights as a Captain flying Boeing 727's around 25 years later, one of my F/A's came up to the cockpit and said Elvis's old lead guitar player was sitting back in coach.  I immediately told the copilot he had the airplane and I went back and chatted with him.  Of course he was a lot older and had some health issues.  I told him I was most impressed with Elvis's band which he liked.  He asked for my address and later sent me an autographed photo.

        Tonight's Compass Rose menu.  Looks like I will be have a double order of escargot (on back side of every day's menu) as my starter followed by the chicken parmesan.  Of course we'll have our usual cocktail hour at 6pm in the Meridian Lounge.

        The comedian is back for his second show so won't be going to the show.  We sail again at 9pm for a 92nm sail to Icy Strait (Hoohah port).  Arrival time will be 8am tomorrow.