Cruise to Alaska - Day Five - Hoonah

Today we hit Icy Strait Point in Hoonah, AK….our first real taste of living in Alaska. Not a major port, we had to take tenders in to the landing. While a little rough, it wasn’t bad at all.

We had about 30 minutes to explore the museum and gift shop before heading off for our ZipRider tour. We knew we’d spend more time when we got done with our ride.

We loaded up on the local bus to head up the mountain for our ZipRider. It’s the longest, highest and fastest….oh my! What had I gotten myself into…LOL! Our bus driver kept us updated with local what-not information.

While the island is loaded with wildlife (brown bears grow upwards to 800 lbs), we only saw bear scat…no bears. Once at the top of the mountain, we had about a five minute walk down a gravel road to get to the landing for the ride.

We would go in groups of five…separate harness seats though. They strapped the first five in and the rest of us watched expectantly. A loud bang and they were off! I kept telling myself that 60 mph was nothing….I’ve done 90 on my motorcycle. Hee-hee!

Stu went with the group just ahead of me….everyone wanted to go with their “partner” and I had already told him that if we had to separate, could he please go first so he could catch a photo of me. He’d done a zip line before but this was a first for me.

Suddenly it was my turn….the most trouble I had was getting my feet to stay on the trap door in front of me. The rain had gotten worse and both my shoes and the door were wet. Then bang….the doors opened and everyone went….I was the last, not sure why.

The first drop was the worst, then I started to glide along faster and faster. It was cold, the rain was stinging my face and I was having trouble breathing when facing forward. Yup, very much like a motorcycle ride under the same weather conditions.

The sights were amazing….gorgeous views of the bay, the forests, the ship and the little town below. I kept hoping to catch sight of a bear or even some deer but no luck. Before I knew it I was approaching the landing spot. I leaned back and pulled my feet up. I thought I was coming in pretty fast but remembered someone mentioning the springs at the end. They worked and quickly stopped me, much more gently than I anticipated. [I am the last in line in the first photo...] The rain had gotten harder as I came down the mountain...again, felt like riding a motorcycle in heavy rain...stings the face and soaks your pants from the knees down. LOL!

I was laughing and told the guy that undid my harness that the landing was the most fun part. LOL!! Stu was waiting for me and heard that comment. He’d managed to snag a few shots of me and my fellow riders. Great fun!!!

Here are the stats on the ride, from their website:

• * Length: 5,495 feet long
• * Vertical Drop: 1,320 feet
• * Average % grade: 25%
• * Top Speed: 65 mph
• * Cables: 6 side by side

We did some visiting in the local gift shops, picked up a few things and then stopped for lunch. We had halibut and chips…decent if pricey. Then it was time to grab a tender back to the ship.

We really enjoyed chatting with the locals in the various shops. Great folks, very grounded and VERY friendly. Our favorite stop so far!!

We opted to eat at the buffet and then caught the dance show put on by the staff. Great show….really enjoyed ourselves. While at the buffet, I snapped a few shots of the melon carvings. Wow!

So, all in all, another great day!!!!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

You can see all the photos in our SmugMug Album.

Cruise to Alaska - Day Four - Juneau

Once again we woke to sunshine and moderate temperatures. We wondered if we going to be lucky enough for a second day of great weather.

We hit the breakfast buffet around 8:30 and for once, had no problems finding a table. With the sun shining brightly we opted to sit outside on the open deck. What a pleasure! We took our time, snapping a few shots and uploading them to Facebook (we are trying to keep our Facebook friends somewhat apprised of the beauty and fun we are experiencing…LOL

We headed into town to do some shopping, knowing the main Harley-Davidson store was a must stop. Stu had found his shirt in Ketchikan but I still wanted to find something…which I did. Not too far into our walk we saw our first bald eagle. We’d been told they were everywhere but this was the first we had seen. He was just before the tramway ride.

We spent the morning browsing shops, enjoying some coffee while we addressed postcards to the family, buying souvenirs and gifts and ending up having lunch at the Red Dog Saloon.

Quite a place….the floor was inches deep in very fine sawdust, the entertainment was great, the atmosphere delightfully quirk, the beer cold, the food good and the service great! What more could you ask for? Oh, we also discovered Tim's Chips...they are the best we've ever had. Fortunately regional to WA & AK as far as we know...LOL!

We continued our journey through the stores, picking up a few more things and ended back at the ship about 3 PM. Time for some relaxation and a nap before we head out on our excursion for the day. We were going to a real salmon bake….our visit to Alaska wouldn’t be complete without that!

The trip to the location for the salmon bake was a bit anti-climatic. We did get to see the governor’s mansion and the state house….nothing spectacular like in the lower 48 though. We then arrived at the destination for the bake. Hmmm, not quite what we expected. It was in a nice location…in a wooded area by a river with a nice little waterfall. But the food was unspectacular and the rain soon started. We took a short walk to see the old mine entrance and the waterfall then headed back to eat. We didn’t waste much time there and took the first bus back to the boat. Oh well…have to have a dud once in a while. LOL!

We made it back in plenty of time to catch the evening show. The performer was Duncan Tuck….comedian and singer/guitarist. He put on a nice show and we stopped to chat briefly with him after the show.

You can see the rest of our photos in our SmugMug album.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

Trials, Tribulations & Troubles

Well, we hit the road about noon on Tues...scenic ride up to I-90 which would take us all the way in to Missoula, MT. We stopped at Walmart in Moses Lake, WA for the night. That is when the fun began....

When we got ready to head out on Wed morning, Stu found out that we had no trailer brakes. He always tests them before heading out (thank goodness). Further investigation showed a broken brake line.

Fortunately there was an auto parts store within walking distance. Parts located, Stu spent several hours getting the brake line fixed. Finally, we had brakes! We headed out with a destination of either Spokane, WA or Post Falls, ID for the night.

We made it to Post Falls and spend another Walmart night. We headed out for the Harley dealer in town....Stu needed to get his Idaho shirt. Found a nice design that was unique and headed on towards our final destination, Jim & Mary's campground in Missoula.

Not to be....a couple of miles from a rest area an alarm sounded in the truck. We were overheating. We limped into the rest area and discovered that the belt for the water pump had broken. Oh joy....

Stu unloaded the trike and after chatting with the folks working the coffee station, headed to the NAPA store in Superior, the town we had just passed through. They didn't have what we needed but could get it by morning.

We got permission to stay parked overnight, not a problem fortunately. There was a forest campground behind the rest area but it was easier to just stay put. At bedtime we discovered our next problem. Seems as though we had no 12 volt system unless we left the inverter for the solar panel enabled. Stu suspects that something got disconnected when we was working on the brakes (in & out of the storage bay where all the wiring is located).

Morning came and after waiting for the rain to stop, Stu headed out to get the belt. With a little help from Snoopy (from the coffee station), who was a retired trucker, the belt was back on and operational. Phew! The drive just got prettier and on the way into Missoula area.

We arrived at Jim & Mary's around 3pm and spent the rest of the afternoon getting set up. We'll be here until Tuesday morning...then we drive over to Butte (short hop) for a week.

I'm still working on the photos and blog for Alaska...but it will come eventually. LOL!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu