If you love West Virginia’s scenery, then cruise on up to Alaska where everything is wilder and more wonderful than you can imagine.
By Jack Houvouras
HQ 117 | SPRING 2022
Heading north to Alaska has long been on my bucket list of travel destinations. To me, the state has always represented the last of America’s untamed wilderness. What’s more, over the years I have been regaled with marvelous tales from family and friends who have visited our nation’s 49th state. They wax poetic about the towering mountain ranges, massive glaciers and abundant wildlife including grizzly bears, moose, eagles, whales and more.
Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I finally decided to book an Alaskan cruise with my fiancée Tracy. After all, traveling by sea is really the only way to experience such an enormous state. We chose local travel agent Stacy Carey of Carey-ed Away Travel in Barboursville to assist us in planning our trip. She was very knowledgeable and helpful in answering all our questions and concerns. Because cruises fill up quickly, we started planning nine months in advance. Finally, after a long wait and a great deal of excitement, we headed to the airport.
Our “Awe of Alaska” itinerary had us fly into Seattle a day early so we could experience the sights and sounds of the Emerald City. We chose to do a little shopping, have lunch at the famous Pike Place Market and then tour the Museum of Flight. At the museum I looked everywhere for a replica of the Bell X-1, the aircraft in which Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, but it was nowhere to be found. Being a proud West Virginian, I scolded the museum’s brass on the way out by asking them, “How can you have a museum of flight without the plane that broke the sound barrier?”
The next morning, we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks, Ubered over to the Port of Seattle and boarded our cruise ship — the Norwegian Bliss. On board everything was clean, spacious and well appointed. Our first day was spent at sea; so we checked out the ship, did some shopping at the numerous shops on board, enjoyed some margaritas, ate a delicious dinner and checked out a standup comedy show.
We arrived in Juneau the next day at 2:30 p.m. and had until 11 p.m. to return to the ship. Cruisers had a plethora of excursions to choose from — from salmon fishing to zip lining to kayaking to dog sledding. Do you want to see a lumberjack show or hop on a helicopter and land on a glacier? No problem. We opted for a guided hike through an old-growth forest that led to a scenic beach, where we spied the Mendenhall Glacier off in the distance. We then jumped on a small boat and did some whale watching. We saw plenty of humpbacks breaching the ocean surface which delighted everyone in our group. You could hear “oohs” and “aahs” from passengers on other boats in the vicinity. It was a great first day.
The following morning, we arrived in Skagway at 8 a.m. and headed out for some sightseeing and souvenir shopping. It was a beautiful, sunny day, so we decided to ride the rails on the White Pass & Yukon Route train. It was an unforgettable journey covering 40 miles that featured panoramic views of mountains, gorges, waterfalls, tunnels and trestles. If you go to Alaska, it’s a must-see. Afterwards we found a quaint, rustic eatery and ordered a plate full of Alaskan king crab legs and a pitcher of beer. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.
Day four was spent aboard the ship as we cruised through scenic Glacier Bay. We eyed dolphins following the ship as we entered the heart of the Fairweather Mountains. We scanned the shoreline for wildlife where cruisers often spot brown bears, mountain goats, sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals and bald eagles. The day culminated when the ship anchored in front of Hubbard Glacier, a 76-mile stretch of ice that is roughly 400 years old. That night we enjoyed a relaxing dinner in one of the ship’s eight specialty restaurants before seeing the Broadway musical Havana!
We docked in Ketchikan early the next morning and awoke to overcast skies, fog and rain. Because of the weather the seaplane tour we had booked was delayed by two hours. That gave Tracy enough time to start worrying about the poor conditions and the safety of the flight.
As her anxiety level rose, she turned to me and said, “You know, I have three children who count on me.” I understood her concerns and told her I would fly this mission solo. I felt bad for Tracy because the two-hour plane ride was unforgettable. The pilot soared over Misty Fjords National Monument where we had clear views of vast lakes, sheer cliffs and stunning waterfalls. I snapped photos out of the plane window at a frenetic pace. I returned to the ship and shared some of my amazing photos with Tracy over dinner.
Most of day six was spent at sea sailing south to Victoria, British Columbia. We arrived at 8 p.m., and because we were so far north the sun was still shining. A comfortable bus took us through a guided tour of the city en route to the world-famous Butchart Gardens. The National Historic Site is spread over 55 acres that include walking trails that connect lavish floral gardens, cascading fountains, ponds and rock gardens. We had two hours to tour the breathtaking scenery before darkness finally fell and a fireworks show lit up the sky. It was an ideal way to end our final day.
We arrived back in Seattle the next morning at 6 a.m. which gave us plenty of time to head to the airport and fly home. Looking back, our trip to Alaska fulfilled nearly all our lofty expectations. We never did see a grizzly bear which was high on our list, but we can always book a return passage … which we would do in a heartbeat.
