Trip Diary

May 2009

Sun 24: Arrival in Vancouver - Our flights from Australia and the United States deliver us to Vancouver.

Mon 25: Vancouver City Tour - This morning we joined a sightseeing tour of Vancouver including; Stanley Park, Gastown, English Bay, Chinatown and the waterfront. We got some amazing views from the top of the Lookout Tower. A very walkable city, we took the information from our tour, and used it to explore things on our own this afternoon.

Tue 26: Rocky Mountaineer – We departed Vancouver early this morning on our two day Rocky Mountaineer rail excursion. Rolling through the suburbs, and then through the fertile plains of the Fraser Valley before entering the rugged Fraser Canyon. Arriving late this afternoon into Kamloops, we spent the night in a local hotel.

Wed 27: Rocky Mountaineer – This morning we resumed our rail journey to Banff. Entering the Rocky Mountains we were treated to spectacular vistas as the train climbed over several mountain passes.

Thu 28: Banff – Today we did a little walking, and enjoyed the magnificent views. The weather really treated us nicely, with clear blue skies silhouetting the snowy mountain peaks.

Fri 29: Icefields Parkway Tour – This morning we joined a regular tour from Banff to Jasper. Following the Icefields Parkway we enjoyed the plenty of views, and a few wild animals along this spectacular highway. The highlights of this journey were the stops at Lake Louise and at the Columbia Icefield.

Sat 30: Jasper - Relaxing today we stopped in at the visitor information centre before making the short hike to beautiful Patricia Lake.

Sun 31: Jasper to Prince George – Just after noon we left Jasper aboard VIA Rail's 'The Skeena.' Although the train ended up slightly delayed, we enjoyed the scenery, and the wonderful service of VIA Rail's staff.

June 2009

Mon 01: Prince George to Prince Rupert – This morning we joined our friends aboard 'The Skeena' for a second day riding the rails. Arriving late this evening in the charming portside town of Prince Rupert.

Tue 02: Prince Rupert – We enjoyed a relaxing day in this small port town. The weather was lovely, and there was plenty to see walking around the Cow Bay waterfront.

Wed 03: Prince Rupert to Wrangell - This morning we boarded the MV Malaspina of the Alaska Marine Highway System. The ferry took us up the Inside Passage to Wrangell.

Thu 04: Stikine River Tour - This morning we board a jetboat and toured up the lower portions of the Stikine River. This is a true wilderness adventure, and we managed to spot a lot of wildlife along the river banks.

Fri 05: LeConte Glacier and Petersburg Excursion – Today we took another jetboat tour. This time through the scenic Wrangell narrows. Sailing to the head of LeConte Bay we were able to get right up to the toe of the glacier; ordinarily the glacier is actively calving into the bay and the resulting ice bergs prevent such a close encounter. On the way back, we stopped in the "Little Norway" town of Petersburg.

Sat 06: Wrangell – Due to some last minute changes with the ferry schedules we got an unexpected extra day in Wrangell. The weather continued in our favour, and we went exploring on several of the walking tracks around the town. A highlight for most was our visit to Chief Shake's House.

Sun 07: Wrangell to Juneau - This morning we boarded the MV Kennicott for the day sailing to Juneau, the state capital. Despite the changes in the ferry schedule, the Kennicott was still not very busy. We were able to enjoy the scenery from a number of different vantage points including the outdoor decks, and indoor lounges.

Mon 08: Juneau to Haines - This morning we boarded the MV Columbia, AMHS's flag ship ferry, for the sailing up the Lynne Canal to Haines. With another day of great weather, we were able to enjoy beautiful views of the Chilkat Mountains as we arrived in Haines.

Tue 09: Haines to Whitehorse - With a bit of time this morning we explored the town of Haines. Just before noon we boarded a water taxi to Skagway, where we met up with the famous White Pass & Yukon Railroad. This is one of the most spectacular railway lines in the world, and it did not disapoint. At the top of the pass we were met by our Yukoner driver/guide who took us the rest of the way to Whitehorse.

Wed 10: Whitehorse to Dawson City - Today we toured north along the Klondike Highway through the beautiful Yukon River Valley.

Thu 11: Dawson City – Today we explored the heart of the Klondike Goldrush. We visited the restored Dredge #4 and some of the other gold mining sites. Returning to town, we walked among the beautifully preserved buildings, and experienced a little bit of the Klondike Life.

Fri 12: Dawson City to Fairbanks – Today we had a long day travelling along the scenic ‘Top of the World’ and Alaska Highways to Fairbanks. Along the way we stopped at Chicken and Tok.

Sat 13: Fairbanks - This morning we boarded the riverboat 'Discovery' for an enlightening trip on the Tanana River. This afternoon, we took full advantage of the Fairbanks tourist shuttle; we saw the sights and did a little shopping.

Sun 14: Fairbanks to Denali – This morning boarded the Alaska Railroad's 'Denali Star' train to Denali National Park. The local High School helps make the trip enjoyable by having students provide us with some interesting stories and facts about the Alaska wilderness.

Mon 15: Denali – Early this morning we joined the Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park and Preserve. This tour takes us along a restricted access road to view the scenery which makes this wilderness so famous. We also 'lucked-out' and saw a fair number of wild animals.

Tue 16: Denali to Anchorage – This afternoon we boarded the continuation of the Alaska Railroad's 'Denali Star' to Anchorage.

Wed 17: Anchorage - Today we got a bit of a 'sleep in' and then set out to explore Alaska's largest city.

Thu 18: Seward Excursion - Most of our group joined the optional trip to Seward and enjoyed a cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park. The Park is home to more marine life than anywhere in Alaska and the scenery is equally impressive. It was a bit cold out on the water, but those who went enjoyed themselves.

Fri 19: Anchorage to Victoria - Alaska Airlines took us from Anchorage to Seattle and then connected with Horizon Air to Victoria.

Sat 20: Butchart Gardens Tour - In a city known for gardens, we joined a tour to the largest and most famous garden. Walking through the gardens we found it hard to keep our cameras down. The spring blossoms were out in their full colorful splendor.

Sun 21: Victoria Departure - Despite having several different flights to catch, we all ended up on the same transfer from Victoria to Vancouver Airport. The efficient coach and ferry service was a nice relaxing way to finish our tour.