In July of 2013, we sailed the MS Statendam (Holland America Line) from Vancouver, Canada to Seward, Alaska, USA through the Inside Passage of  the North American Fjordland and subsequently embarked on a road trip from Seward to Fairbanks. This is our story.

Here is the complete map of our sea and land route, with day trips and excursions.

Flight to Vancouver

Sailing from Vancouver

Boarding the MS Statendam at Canada Place Cruise Ship Terminal

June 30, 2013 11:30 AM

Vancouver is comfortably among the most livable and beautiful cities of the world. Its Canada Place Cruise Ship Terminal is located on Burrard Inlet right next to downtown. The iconic complex is also Vancouver's primary trade and convention centre, having housed the Canada Pavilion at Expo 86 World Fair. Five 363 foot white teflon sails make it instantly identifiable.

We reach the port in the morning, board the Statendam and get mandatory safety training at our emergency evacuation point (Lifeboat #10). I forgot to set the daytime on the camera til later resulting in timestamps off by over a year in the first few photos.

We set sail at 11:30 AM. It is a distant 615 miles to our first destination port of Ketchikan, Alaska. We will spend two days on sea to dock there two mornings later.

Soon we are on our way from Burrard Inlet to Strait of Georgia out to the Inside Passage.

The MS Statendam

Holland America Line

Registered in Rotterdam and sailing under a Dutch flag, the 55,500 tonne Statendam was built by the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri S.p.A. in Trieste. It is powered by two 16,000 hp engines for a top speed of 22 knots (25 mph). It has 14 decks and can carry 1,258 passenger along with 557 crew members. MS Statendam is the flagship of Holland America Line's Statendam-class (S-Class) ships.

MS Statendam Deck Plan. Picture credit: Globus

The ship is classy and very different from the few Afro-Caribbean Reggae infested pool-party and casino type Carribean cruise ships that we have previously sailed on. It exudes a sophisticated elegance with over $2 million worth of art and artifacts beautifully displayed throughout the ship. The Van Gogh Theater commemorating Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings The Starry Night and Irises is a work of art in itself. In the center of the ship a 3-story atrium showcases an elaborate 26-foot-high Fountain of the Siren sculpture. Sailing aboard the MS Statendam is world-class cruising at its finest (Ref: Globus). I walked around the decks and created this video slide-show:

We settle down in our home for the week and make ourselves comfortable.

Vancouver to Ketchikan

On Sea

July 1, 2013

11:00 AM

We are still in Canadian waters as the Statendam sails along Queen Charlotte Sound into Hecate Strait towards Ketchikan. An airplane-like screen in our cabin shows our location and progress along the cruise route.

It is foggy and not much was visible at breakfast a few hours earlier.

We will be sailing all day and night to reach Ketchikan early next morning. Relaxation aboard the ship is the order of the day. I find my favorite corner of the main deck and settle down. I would finish both books by the time we reach Seward.

20:02 PM

Dinner time. We are probably in the territorial waters of the United States by now. The fog has cleared and it is bright daylight. Indeed we do not expect it to get dark at all in the night from here on. Wild Alaskan Salmon is, of course, in order.

Ketchikan

Ready for the day out, we disembark and walk into the pretty town of Ketchikan, Alaska.

Ketchikan is inhabited since at least c.9,000 BCE by Tlingít people ("people of the tides" - indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America) who call it "Kichx̱áan". In modern times it markets itself to its increasing tourist-oriented economy as the "Salmon Capital of the World" and "Alaska's First City". Ketchikan indeed is a leading global producer of canned and frozen Pacific salmon. The "first city" is a reference to Ketchikan being the first port of call in Alaska on the northbound Inside Passage sea route, including for cruise ship passengers like us. Another reason for the "first city" designation is that Ketchikan is now the oldest remaining incorporated city of Alaska after older cities and counties were consolidated into city-and-borough administrative units.

More interestingly, the town of Ketchikan has the largest number of indigenous totem poles in the world, some of which we will see a bit later.

An impressive sculpture called "The Rock" greets visitors coming in from docked cruise ships. It features a singing Tlingít woman and representative loggers and gold prospectors, with Tlingít chief Johnson standing next to them welcoming visitors.

There is a fair amount of late 1890s gold rush and copper mining in Ketchikan's recent history with some quantities of gold and copper still in production. However, the "Ketchikan Mining Co." located strategically in the corner right across cruise ships is actually a large souvenir and gifts shop sharing prime tourist visibility with a Harley Davidson dealership and branded clothing outlet.

Spruce Mill Way - the waterfront street next to the dock - is crammed with jewelers, cafes, seafood restaurants and souvenir shops.

We look at options for a Ketchikan city tour and day trip to Herring Cove. Strategically parked "Ketchikan Duck Tour" amphibious tour bus-boats are hard to miss, but their 90-minute tour only covers the town and totem poles. 

We choose to go on the Ketchikan Trolley Wildlife, Totems & City Tour which covers the city, totem poles and Herring Cove. The tour vehicles are not really trolleys but buses inspired by San Francisco-style cable cars, including hard wooden seats that some may consider uncomfortable but add to the trolley vibe.

Happy birthday USA! The Statendam sailed from Juneau around dinner time. She is covering the 202 miles to Skagway. Around midnight we were sailing in daylight somewhere on the fjords of Favorite Channel heading towards Chilkoot inlet. By 4 AM, we are near Chilkoot inlet's fork into Lynn Canal.

The fjord keeps getting more beautiful as we sail further along the vast icefields. Snow-capped mountains, glaciers and waterfalls into the inlet become increasingly prevalent.

05:00 AM

We are sailing on the Lynn Canal entering the Taiya Inlet. Skagway is not far away now.

We are followed by the Wonder while getting closer to Skagway.

Skagway Cruise Port

06:00 AM

The beginning of Taiya Inlet marks the north end of Lynn Canal waterway from Juneau. At the north of Taiya Inlet, where the fjord ends, sits the town of Skagway - the northernmost port stop on our cruise route through the Inside Passage.

Settled from prehistoric times, Skagway (Tlingít "Skagua" - where the north wind blows) saw a sudden stampede of prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush of late 1890's for a few years, who moved on to other parts of Alaska by the turn of the century as quickly as they came in. Around 100,000 gold diggers flooded the area between 1896 and 1899, triggering, among other things, the spectacular White Pass and Yukon Route railway which we ride here today.

The Golden Princess and a sister Princess Line ship are already docked at the Skagway Cruise Ship Port as we sail in.

The Disney Wonder sails in and docks next to us soon after our ship is berthed.

We disembark from the Statendam. The famous Face Mountain is visible behind the aft of the ship across the fjord.

We see the train track and a train waiting right across the bridge from the berth at which our ship is docked.

Legends of Face Mountain

Skagway, Alaska

Variations of an ancient Tlingít legend surround the howling winds and rough seas that Skagway and the Taiya Inlet are known for. The stories all involve a Tlingít woman named Kanagoo also known as Shakaԍéi (Skagway) - "Pretty Woman" - who transformed into stone and lies today as Kanagoo Yahaayí - Kanagoo's Soul - which we call Face Mountain.

One version has Kanagoo's two sons going out to the sea to never return. Kanagoo kept waiting and crying for so long that she turned to stone. She keeps wailing and crying for her sons that continue to cause high winds at Skagway. Another version of the legend replaces a lover for the sons.

Kanagoo / Shakaԍéi (Skagway) lying as the stone of Face Mountain

Skagway is a border town with its east end literally marking British Columbia province of Canada. Gold prospectors were required by Canada to carry a ton of food and supplies sufficient for independent survival for a year. The intent of the railway was to make hauling the huge quantity of supplies and animals of prospectors across rugged mountain and waterway trails easier. "The 33-mile-long Chilkoot Trail began at nearby Dyea; and the 40-mile White Pass Trail began at Skagway and paralleled the present-day route of the White Pass & Yukon Route railway (WP&YR). Thousands of men carried supplies up the Chilkoot Trail, which was too steep for horses, or took the 40-mile White Pass trail to Lake Bennett, where they built boats to float down the Yukon River to Dawson City and the gold fields, 500 miles distant. In 1898 a steam-operated aerial tramway was constructed on the steepest section of the Chilkoot Trail, which eased the burdens of those able to pay," according to An Explorers Guide to the North.

But by the time construction of the railway started in 1898, the gold rush was already winding down. The rail construction project subsequently saved Skagway from becoming a ghost town, employing a lot of locals to continue to transport people, freight and fuel to Whitehorse and mines in Yukon till the early 1980s. It was briefly shut down before reopening as a tourist attraction in the late 1980s, and now carries cruise ship passengers to the Canadian border and back through spectacular vistas that place it among the most scenic railroads in today's world.

The train literally starts right across the docking berth of our cruise ship.

With luxurious wood panelling and a iron fireplace going, the vintage rail car is unlike the passenger carriages we are used to in European high-speed trains, or for that matter, scenic railways that we have been on in eastern United States including Western Maryland Scenic Railroad, Walkersville Southern Railroad, Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, Tennessee Valley Railroad and others.

Soon our train pulls off following the narrow gauge railroad along Skagway river. It is initially lead by a historic steam engine, but two diesels will be added later to climb across the mountains.

We see the Klondike Gold Fields that is now a tourist stop for visitors to learn gold panning first-hand and keep the gold they obtain. Visitors can also see dogs and dog-sleds. Mushers (dogsled drivers) explain everything about dog-sleds and racing the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. In addition, there is an old gold dredge that still operates and a brewery.

Our train chugs along Skagway river on to Boulder.

We get some panoramic views of Denver Glacier and the glacial lake.

Denver Caboose Cabin at Denver Glacier Trailhead

We see the unique caboose that is available for renting from Tongass National Forest Service at Denver Glacier trailhead. "This unique cabin is a refurbished 1960s railroad caboose that is retired from the White Pass and Yukon Railroad. It is an ideal base for outdoor enthusiasts who want to hike to the Denver Glacier," say the National Forest Service.

We cross the track switches at South Clifton Switch and North Clifton Switch.

"On To Alaska With Buchanan"

8.8 miles from Skagway, we reach Clifton and see the Buchanan Rock with huge "On To Alaska With Buchanan" sign painted on the cliff. This historic curiosity refers to a Great Depression-era project of Detroit businessman George Buchanan of inspiring young boys and girls to be adventurous and self-sufficient by hiking across the vast mountains, gorges, glaciers and water bodies of Alaska while learning skills to earn money. "Mr. Buchanan and 50 or 60 boys journeyed across Canada to Vancouver, sailed up the coast to Skagway, spent several weeks touring Alaska, climbing glaciers, panning for gold. Part of the deal was that their parents would donate 1/3 of the money ($81), George would donate 1/3 of the money and the boy would work selling items such as kitchen implements door to door to raise the remaining 1/3," say Skagway Stories.

The building above the cliff is the US Customs and Border Protection, Skagway Port of Entry.

The train continues past Pitchfork Falls to Black Cross.

We continue across Bridal Veil falls, Glacier, Wood Trestle Bridge, Tunnel and Steel Cantilever Bridge.

Finally at just over 20 miles from Skagway, we approach White Pass at the USA-Canada border.

We see the historic cabin of the Canadian NWMP (North West Mounted Police). This was the control point for entry into Canada where Canadian customs officials made sure prospectors entering Canada had enough supplies and equipment to survive for a year. The NWMP were a precursor of the modern day RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).

White Pass just across the Canadian Border is as far as the current tourist train goes. We return to Skagway cruise ship port enjoying the spectacular vistas once again.

We set sail back out of the Taiya Inlet and Lynn Canal. We are headed to Glacier Bay accompanied by the Disney Wonder.

Glacier Bay Basin

We are sailing the Glacier Bay Basin towards Tarr Inlet. The Glacier Bay Basin is in the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve which is part of a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve that is the world's largest UNESCO protected biosphere. The Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve along with Canada's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Kluane National Park and Tatshenshini-Alsek Parks are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Breathtaking panoramic views from the numerous fjords, inlets, channels, lagoons and islands of Glacier Bay transport us into a world far different from our east-coast urban jungle. The Disney Wonder is also sailing the same route.

Glacier Bay was one massive glacier in an enormous icefield around 1750. Increasing temperatures and decreasing snowfall have resulted in the modern 65-mile long main fjord with numerous channels, inlets, islands and smaller glaciers around it.

Johns Hopkins Glacier

09:45

Most of the over 1,000 glaciers in Glacier Bay are up in the mountains, but some tidewater and lake glaciers do flow down to the water. Just before Tarr Inlet, the Statendam turns left sailing west on Johns Hopkins Inlet. At the end of the fjord we come up close to our first tidewater glacier on the bay: the spectacular Johns Hopkins Glacier.

A significant part of the face of Johns Hopkins Glacier is underwater. There is also a substantial extension of the ice face at the deeper submerged part. Meltwater from underwater face and sides of the glacier form strong freshwater currents in the saltwater inlet, sometimes powerful enough to break through as water fountains. In addition, when large chunks of ice calve underwater, they pop up suddenly and violently as icebergs.

Gilman Glacier

Gilman Glacier is right next to Johns Hopkins Glacier. The two glaciers join up and separate intermittently over the course of time.

Gilman Glacier pretty much flows by itself without tributaries bringing in moraine. The lack of rocks, debris and silt makes Gilman look far cleaner than Johns Hopkins.

As we leave Johns Hopkins inlet to turn into Tarr Inlet, the gorgeous pair of Johns Hopkins and Gilman glaciers will remain etched in our minds as one of the most unforgettable sights of the Inside Passage.

Harbor Seals of Glacier Bay

Right around here, we see our first Harbour Seal. These seals are among the most common mammals found in the bay and often hang around cruise ships and follow smaller boats.

The Grand Pacific Glacier and Margerie Glaciers

10:00 AM

By 10 AM, we are well into Tarr inlet. The enormous dark face of Grand Pacific Glacier is straight ahead and Margerie Glacier is coming up on our left. We see a tiny bit of the vast icefield stretching to the horizon.

Glaciers, Glaciers Everywhere ...

Lamplugh Glacier, Reid Glacier

We sail out of the Tarr Inlet back across the Glacier Bay Basin past Lamplugh Glacier and Reid Glacier skipping yet another fjord to the east of Tarr Inlet where Riggs Glacier and McBride Glacier come down to the water.

The last dinner on the ship is a somewhat formal affair. Regardless, our boy fell asleep at the dining table!

The sea voyage will soon come to its end.

The MS Statendam docks at the Seward Cruise Ship Terminal early in the morning.

It is here at the Dale R. Lindsey Alaska Railroad Intermodal Facility ("cruise ship dock" to locals) that we bid farewell to the MS Statendam which has been our home on the sea for a week. She will be fondly remembered the rest of our lives. Collecting our luggage, we head out from the Cruise Ship Terminal and start the rest of our journey by road.

Interestingly, our boy seems to be the happiest getting off the ship.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center Animal Sanctuary

July 7, 2013

10:00 AM

Starting our road trip from the port of Seward, we get on Alaska State Highway 9 (Seward Highway) heading to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center nestling in the foothills of the majestic Portage Glacier. The drive through Portage Valley on this foggy day is still spectacular.

There is a shuttle bus that takes us around the Conservation Center.

We see bald eagles on trees.

There is a bald eagle named Adonis whose left wing had to be completely amputated because of a bullet injury from someone illegally shooting at him.

Adonis the Bald Eagle with amputated wing

Rescued Great Horned Owls (also called Tiger owls or Hoot owls) are up next, sleeping peacefully in the daylight.

We see a Northern Cat (Lynx) - the only cat native to Alaska.

There is great opportunity to watch rescued grizzly bears from up close. Mamma and baby bear are particularly delightful to watch. Each grizzly needs about 40 salmon every day in the summer months to survive the upcoming winter.

There is a boardwalk next to the main building that offers some spectacular views of the conservation center nestling in the glaciated mountains.

We depart the Conservation Center by mid afternoon and head north towards Anchorage. It is an hour's drive to our hotel near Anchorage airport.