I have never been on a cruise before and never really saw myself as a cruise-type guy, but when my in-laws invited us to join them on an Alaskan cruise, Michelle and I jumped at the chance. The cruise was a 3 day land portion followed by 7 days on the water. I used the opportunity to fly up to Oregon to fish with Eric and then met up with my wife and her parents in Anchorage. The days flew by and the beautiful landscape was complimented by far too much good food. Below are some of the expeditions that we found enjoyable on our cruise.
We rented a couple of mountain bikes while we were in Denali and rode around on the bike trails outside the lodge. The views were spectacular and the exercise was…invigorating. The ups and downs had everyone’s hearts pumping and lungs burning, but I can see what Mike over at Dry Flies and Fat Tires loves about biking.
While we were in Scagway, we hooked up with a rock climbing outfit and visited one of the local crags. Michelle and I used to climb often but when our local gym closed down our climbing shoes and chalk bags have not seen too much use as of late. Squeezing back into my Galileos and pulling on some real rock was a great way to spend a morning.
Michelle is a phenomenal climber and shimmys up rock so quickly and smoothly. I usually climb a route first and force myself to finish because I know that she is going to flash up when I am done. We had a wonderful time and would highly recommend the Alaska Mountain Guides.
While in Juneau, we booked a zip line trip with Canopy Adventures. The zip line is located in the middle of a rainforest and flies over the ruins of the Treadwell Mine, which was once one of the largest gold mines.
We had a phenomenal time zipping through the trees and flying over deep gorges. Our guides were great and extremely professional, which is always reassuring when you are up in a tree 100′ above the ground.
Our last stop on our cruise was in Ketchikan where we toured the with Southern Exposure Kayaks. We paddled around Eagle Island and literally saw dozens of different eagles in the trees and multi-colored starfish that clung to the rocks. The double kayaks were easy to maneuver and the calm water was serene.
Overall, the cruise was a great way to get an overview of Alaska, but I must confess that I saw only glimpses of mountains and streams that I longed to explore. Before I was back in Phoenix, I already had thought of ways I could get myself back up into the great state of Alaska to camp, fish, and hunt.
luv that fat tire action! sucking wind is just part of the deal when you start out, get past that learning curve, everything just smooths out for ya. Hope to see more wanderings via mtb! 😉 mike
Ha. I figured you would. I still have my eye on the classifieds for a used bike. I think I’m going to have to start out with something pretty inexpensive and work my way up. Our experience in Alaska was a ton of fun and really lit a fire. See you on a bike sometime in the future…
Ben
Nice! Looks like a pretty sweet little trip.
Although the cruise wasn’t my favorite way to travel, we had a really great time and got to experience some really cool stuff in Alaska. Thanks for the kind words.
Ben
Looks like fun! Going to Alaska is on my list of things to do, but probably not on a cruise. Great pics as always and rock climbing is something I don’t think I could ever do. lol
Thanks Bill. I hear you on the cruise thing. Driving up or maybe fly and then renting a camper there would be the way to do it. It is a huge state with lots to see and fish. Rock climbing is a blast. Never say never…
Ben