Carlos A.

In this continuing series of how weather can change in Alaska, I present you Ketchikan in blue skies.



Time for a scope:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1MYxNqyPegbJw
Time on the clock says 5:30pm.  All abroad!

With that our sail away began.





























Sunset scope:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1BdGYoOeOZQxX

 

Day 6 - Ketchikan
Known for it's rain, Ketchikan didn't disappoint.  I stepped outside after a Windjammer breakfast... and got wet.  I can't complain though as this is the first measurable rain we've had so far.


Today's excursion is The Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour
I saw this offered last year on Celebrity Millennium but opted for a Misty Fjords boat excursion.  Once onboard Mille last year I learned that Captain Dave Lethin and his wife Denene, owners of the Aleutian Ballad, would be sailing with us and giving a number of talks and Q&A sessions during the cruise.  Those became must attend presentations and listening to his stories and his wife's experiences holding down the fort at home while he fished were amazing.  If you ever meet any crab fisherman who has fished the Bering Sea, you will learn they have stories to tell.  I couldn't change my excursion last year at the last minute but vowed if I ever returned to Ketchikan I would do this excursion.  And so I did.
Looking down off deck 12 the Aleutian Ballad was tied up right beside us.

Down to deck 5 for a closer look.


A quick scope while under the cover of the lifeboats on deck 5:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1YpKkLVLblXGj
It was raining pretty good so I put my waterproof case on my phone and left my good camera in the safe.  Rain coat engaged I made my way onto the pier and down to the Aleutian Ballad.

On board I found they had two live tanks with different marine life in each.  



While still in port I did another quick scope from the Aleutian Ballad.
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1ypKdYOYnZvGW
Once all the guests were on board they did the mandatory Coast Guard safety briefings and we departed.  
The boat is set up specifically for this purpose.  During some of the talks on Millennium last year, Captain Dave talked about what an effort it became to transform a crabbing boat into an excursion boat.  The $900k budget quickly exceeded $2.5M.  The regulations to carry passengers are very different than those for a fishing boat. 
The boat is setup with an upper and lower viewing areas both of which are covered.  Ceiling mounted heaters keep passengers toasty warm on the lower level.  

An upper viewing area provides a different perspective.

There is an area where they do most of the demonstrations that at times is chained off to keep passengers away from the danger.  At times this area is opened up and we were free to explore it.  
On this rainy day you could have stayed in the shelter and warmth of the lower seating area but I chose to move around and explore more.
The Aleutian Ballad has a storied history even before it's appearance on the TV series "The Deadliest Catch".  The previous owner was fishing the Bering Sea in a storm when a rogue wave flipped the boat on its side.  When turned sideways the engines get no oil and shutdown for protection.  With no power, steering or propulsion and the boat laying on its side in storming seas in the black of night, the Captain gave the order to don survival suits and abandon ship.   A nearby fishing boat heard the mayday call and a few hours later picked up the crew and brought them back to Dutch Harbor.  Dejected having lost the boat,  after a few days the crew was stepping foot onto their plane for the ride home when the Coast Guard called and told them they had found the boat, still floating on it's side at sea.  With the storm past they went out with stand alone pumps, got the boat upright and limped it back to Dutch Harbor.  The first thing the owner did was buy a 4' x 8' piece of plywood and strapped to the boat in the dockyard with the words "For Sale" spray painted on it.  That's where Captain Dave enters the picture and shortly after the Aleutian Ballad's appearance in "The Deadliest Catch" in seasons 2 and 3.  


During a season of the Deadliest Catch the Aleutian Ballad encountered another rogue wave.   This time the boat righted itself.  You can see that clip here:
The Bering Sea is not for the weak.  
Soon enough the fishing demonstrations begin.
I scoped one of them:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1MnxnZNZpqoxO?t=2m2s
This led to a spot where they could throw fish which would be picked up by passing birds, including some Bald Eagles.  


It was raining and my phone was safe in its waterproof case but case but boy was I missing my good camera.  Can you spot the Eagles in the frees?

There are four in this tree.





The fishing demonstrations continued and they discussed various approaches such as long lines and single pots.  
This bait bucket and the hooks are carefully arranged so that it can be fed into the sea very quickly without tangling..   



There are thousands of ways to die and many of them can be found on a crab boat.  This kind of fishing isn't for the faint of heart.  When setting a line of pots in 900' feet of water if you get tangled in the line you are going down.  At that point as they say, it's a matter of recovery, not rescue.
They retrieve a line of four crab pots that had been placed the day before.  In the real world a line could have hundreds of pots.




This one contained a Pacific Octopus.

They talked about the Pacific Octopus and how it is the nemesis of the crab fisherman.  Once they find a crab pot they will return night after night and feed from it.  






Next they talk about Prawns and how they differ from Shrimp.  Those that were caught are passed around for us to hold before returning them into the sea.

They talk about the different kind of crab pots used to catch different crab.  
Here in the water close to Ketchikan you won't find King or Snow crabs but there are plenty of Box crabs.

The deck hands carry them around for all us to hold.


With instructions how to hold them so you don't get pinched.
Box crabs don't have a lot of meat and aren't something you'll find at any restaurant.
Snow crabs on the other hand...




These you do not hold by the body because they can reach you with their pinchers.  

Then there are the Golden King Crabs of Alaska.  They don't pass these around but the crew displays them for us (their pinchers can do some damage).



They talk about each and the characteristics of them.  How for example if a predator like an Octopus gets a hold of one leg, some can shed that leg to escape.  "Both go away happy" as they said, the Octopus gets a meal, the crab lives another day.  

During all of this they tell stories of the experiences fishing.  It's quite a life.  After fishing for a few months its not unusual for a young man to receive a check for thirty or forty thousand dollars, his share of the take.  This contains no withholdings and many a young fishermen find themselves behind with the IRS and after a few seasons this can quickly grown into a monster sized debt with the IRS.  Those that grew up in a fishing family are taught this at an early age and those that listen set money aside for this purpose and avoid this trap.

We begin making our way back to Ketchikan.

I scoped some of our return:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1MYxNqyyPNRJw
While scoping we pulled up beside the 'Time Bandit' - another crabbing boat featured in 'The Deadliest Catch'.  Since I was scoping I couldn't take pictures so here are some screen shots from that scope:



That was a special bonus.
Now back to the pier where we started.




On the Millennium last year Captain Dave told the story how the Aleutian Ballad ran aground one time.  The Captain he had hired that year fell asleep and the boat hit a rocky beach.  They managed to limp it back to harbor and get it out of the water at a dockyard.  Captain Dave flew in and met the insurance adjuster in the boatyard.  After inspecting the boat the adjuster told him "Okay, here is what we are going to do. First we are going to strip the keel off and we are going to put a brand new keel the length of your boat.  Next, you are going to find yourself a new insurance company".  Fishing is quite the life.  
To be fair, its very hard to articulate everything in this one post.  If you are a fan of the The Deadliest Catch or you just want to know more about crabs and fishing, this excursion is well worth the cost.

That's been my go-to strategy too

After dinner my friends from deck 13 had heard a rumor that the Northern Lights might be active tonight.  
While they did not appear, there was amazing star gazing from the helipad.
Can you find the Big Dipper?  It's on the Alaska state flag so appropriate tonight.

 

Skagway - continued...
I walked through town and shopped some local arts shops and picked up a couple of locally made coasters.  With that I started back towards the ship.  
I was keeping an eye out for the Dewey Lake trail system and found a sign near the train crossing not far from the ship.


Time:  3pm

View of the town, or towards the town as the trees are blocking the town itself.  You can sort of make out the train tracks directly below me.

Basically you are climbing the ridge beside the ship but staring on the gentler side of it.

Most of the gain in elevation occurs along the beginning of the trail.  I was regretting those beers at lunch.  Slow and steady. 
Once "up top" there wasn't as much vertical and switch backs.
First I came along a small reservoir.

The water surface was very still so there were great reflections.

I kept going and came to the lower lake.


On this side of the lake the trail was well established and packed.

Venturing around the end of the lake there are several small streams running through the woods.

For some reason I decided to go for the loop around the lake.
At first this wasn't too bad.

As I continued around the lake the trail became more rugged.

This only lasted for a short while before the trail became better defined.

The trail doesn't always allow views of the lake but when it did it looked spectacular.


Near the end of the lake was another picnic area.


I noticed rails nearly covered in the dirt.  At one point this was an active mining area.  To think this was all done by hand up here on the top of this hill.  Incredible.
 
 
Time 4:38pm
I was definitely growing tired.  It was a long day of walking and hiking.  However I was just beginning the turn around the lake's other end and making my way back to the beginning where the trail up the hill first placed me.  Diamond happy hour had started, time to crank it up. 
One last panoramic before I make haste and speed up.  Alaska really is beautiful.


Phew... back around the lake, down the hill and to the pier!

 Thirteen miles in just over 8 hours including stops for the cemetery, lunch, museum and lower Dewey Lake.  
Time 5:19pm. 
My walk today:

Cemetery at the top
Dewey lake near the bottom and the ship in the bottom left.
And... back in time for my 5:45pm My Time dining reservation - after a cold beer and a shower.

Juneau - Mt Roberts Tramway
Weather looked good so around 9am I headed off the ship and purchased an all day ticket for $34 in the tramway station.  There were no lines so I walked right to the front to wait for a descending tram to arrive.  Later in the day there would be long lines.  There were still some clouds lingering near the top but I figured they would clear while I was up there.  Soon enough a tram arrived.

The tram had been in and out of the clouds so there were drops of water on the windows but it was still quite amazing.  I secured a spot looking back as most folks ventured forward.  I knew the best views would be rear facing.



I scoped the the ride up :
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1lDGLXXlElmGm
At the top the clouds were moving back in.

There is a raptor center that contains a bald eagle who was injured, walking trails and hiking trails.  The trails near the tram station are easy to walk while the trail to the very top of Mt Roberts is more aggressive and better suited to people used to hiking.  


It was clear then more clouds moved in.  You can barely make out the outline of a ship along the edge in this photo. 


There are viewing platforms that can easy to access for non-hikers.

Here is a short time lapse video of the clouds from that viewing platform.  I quite enjoyed watching the clouds roll through the valley.
I continued up the trails in the direction of the peak.

Mt Roberts is names after Father Brown, a Jesuit Priest who was an avid hiker and volunteered with a newly formed trail association in Juneau in the early 1900s.  He erected a cross, long since replaced with this more modern version.




As you climb higher the trail becomes more suited to hiking boots over sneakers.  Fortunately I had brought mine.

With the clouds clearing I spotted an old friend who has been stalking me on this cruise.  

That's the Explorer of the Seas making her scheduled noon arrival in Juneau as her first stop since leaving Seattle on the same day we left Seward.




I scoped her arrival from this location:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1LyxBQQgXapJN
After this I continued the ascent.

The trail was getting steeper.

At this point it was noon and I was getting hungry.  Plus I wanted to visit Mendenhall Glacier.  The peak was another 90 minutes up which meant about the same to get back to this spot, plus at least that much to get all the way down.  Did I mention I was having Windjammer withdrawal?  

With the weather clear I was able to get a great view of the ships as I retraced my steps heading back down.

The train is a great way to get from Anchorage to the port. 


Here is a scope while I had cell coverage:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1BRJjeeRkyNGw
First drink of the day, Mimosa!

Another scope:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1gqxvXXdqyeGB

This is all glacier silt from thousands of years of run off.  Our guide tells us they once wanted to build a bridge across this channel.  They needed to find bedrock so they started drilling into the silt.  They gave up at 2,000 feet.  



The announcer or guide spent most of her time in our car and it was nice to chat with her between announcements.  Here we are beside the Seward Highway.


Our bartender on this day...

Time for a Bloody Mary.

I really enjoyed the glass ceiling.  The views were incredible.

The dining car area was on the first floor below us and they led us down in groups as it only hold 20 at a time. 

Breakfast is included with Goldstar service, including another Mimosa I discovered.  

I had the Aurora Breakfast last year so I tried the Sourdough French Toast.  It was very good.  
Back upstairs the conductor was punching tickets and talking with passengers.

A moose was announced on the right.  I saw it very well but by the time I raised my camera all I got was a blurry back end of a moose running away.  Can you see it?

We made a quick scheduled stop in Girdwood to pick up a few more passengers.  After that we continued into the mountains.


Glaciers were announced as we approached them.








More moose spotted:





Yet another scope:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1YqKDQQjAYzGV?t=28s

The train slowed as we crossed over this stream so we could see dozens of spawning Salmon.  It was easier to see with our eyes but if you look closely you will see the deep pink fish in the river.

Finally our ship appeared in the distance.

With that we had arrived in Seward.


A scope of our arrival:
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1dRJZggRdmrxB
It's hard to capture the beauty of Alaska with a simple camera.  It really needs to be experienced first hand.

Surf & Stream is unthrottled internet.  Even if you don't stream movies, S&S is a much better experience because it's not being artificially slowed down.

Everything in Cozumel could have bacteria on it........just sayin'

How a rock could be detected by a METAL detector if you bring it onboard?
And how is it that a rock poses a threat to a ship security? ?

Such a lovely view from my balcony.

While composing this post it got even better

Today is day 4 of our cruise and I purposely delayed starting this blog. 
Voom suffers in Alaska being so far North and knowing I would take a bunch of photos I will be writing the bulk of thread after I return home and can go through thousands of photos to select the best ones.
Consequently keep any eye out for updates next week, but in the interim if anyone has any questions they would like to ask while I am on board feel free to add those now.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Embark in Seward
Day 2 - Hubbard Glacier
Day 3 - Juneau
Day 4 - Skagway
Day 5 - Icy Strait Point
Day 6 - Ketchikan
Day 7 - Inside Passage
Day 8 - Disembark in Vancouver 
So far every port has been awesome and weather has been great.  Our time at Hubbard Glacier was incredible and very different from Explorer's trip to the Dawes Glacier in June.  That's just a tease, I'll get into that in more detail once I go through the pictures and videos of calving I have.
We've just arrived in Skagway and I am heading out for my day of self exploring.   
Later...

By FlowBro Ty
On my recent voyage the mariner of the seas  the DreamWorks experience was remove. I look on royal website to find out if it was remove fleet wide and on the website they don't even say if it was gone fleet wide so I ask the cruise director and he said it was removed.So that means if you sail on the mariner you sadly cant meet Shrek or See The Latest DreamWorks moives.    

Any company that treats their loyal employees in this manner will not get my business no matter how much I love RCCL. If they treat their employees in this manner, imagine what they think about their "loyal" cruisers!!! ?

Let's talk about something else... ?
 

Let's talk about something else... ?

Let's talk about something else... ?

Please keep this conversation solely about the news and refrain from personal attacks. Thank you.

Absolutely! 

Great! You keep enjoying!!! There will be plenty of time to fix that later! 

Thanks , I think ther is some problems with the pics ,I will fix later when I am back to the cabin

I'll accept the mimosa and will put this discussion to rest....

I'm still waiting ? and I'm about to die of thirst! I'm parched!!! cough, cough!

Sailing out of Venice , my first periscope attempt so do not judge me ? https://www.pscp.tv/w/blFytjF4TlFhYWthZUdhUWJ8MU93eFdXTU52dk14UUczzw6DWO9jbY0Hz_TWvMcJLn_VB5Z1HZA0_ar6CzDo?t=1s

Doing some quick research... Pricing seems to be around $1-1.50 a band depending on chip used (based on 20k+ units).
Nice profit margin