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The Universe Explorer
Exploring Alaska by Ship & Bicycleby Valerie Summers
At each stop my extraordinary guide John
Pennell of Active Adventures and his able assistant Jon Busch, led me into the
beauty of Alaska. Instead of viewing
the scenery through a window, I became immersed in it during our visits to
eight Alaskan ports. Even in inclement
weather, we forged on. It had been
years since I rode a bicycle and even then my limited experience included
riding a three-speed bicycle. As with any relationship, the 21-speed
multitrack bicycle, which became my constant companion, took some getting used
to. Proper equipment and proper gear
always makes for better experiences. I
learned, as we went through rainy, windy, cold, sunny and warm weather, what
worked best. Wind and water repellent
fabrics or the new quick drying fleece pants and shirts kept me relatively
comfortable during our few hours of riding in the rain. The sun shone on us during most rides and
the air was pleasantly cool. Rides
ranged from 10-30 miles involving varying degrees of difficulty.
Our five-hour trip stimulated my appetite and
I could hardly wait for the 8:00 dinner bell. There was no food shortage aboard
the Universe. I could stuff myself five
times a day….breakfast, lunch, tea-time, dinner and evening snack-time. Food was plentiful and varied.
I could opt for multi-course sit down meals
served in the Hamilton dining room or the informal buffet style set up in the
Grille Room adjacent to the outside deck. Wherever I chose to eat, the service people went beyond the call of
duty. Never have I encountered such a
helpful, friendly and efficient waitstaff.
The Seavey’s IdidaRide Sled Dog Tours raises
sled dogs for the Iditarod, following the 1,049.mile trail from Fairbanks to
Nome beginning the first Saturday in March. We toured the facilities, received
a brief history lesson, tried on some of the garb used by the mushers, held
some puppies and enjoyed a two mile ride aboard a six person sleigh, mounted on
wheels, down a dirt trail pulled by 16 huskies. These are not the fluffy
kind of dogs which most of us imagine but are sleek and strong and built for
speed. The history of the race began
in 1925 when a heroic team of mushers and dogs transported critically needed
diphtheria vaccine to Nome. The trip
began in Seward and initially headed toward the Iditarod Mining District. It
has become an annual event since its founder Joe Redington, Sr. initiated it in 1967. The Iditarod symbolizes the
endurance of a frontier spirit and the toughness to take on the harshest
challenges the wilderness can dish out.
During our five days at sea, I kept up my activities utilizing the well equipped
fitness center, aerobic classes, volleyball and basketball courts and
challenging other passengers in ping pong tournaments. I listened to informative lectures and
viewed recent films in the theater where popcorn was served. Each evening I chose from catching the show
at the Mid Ocean Lounge, hanging out at the Club Great Sound or the St. Georges
Watch for some mellow tunes. I participated in dance classes and sometimes just
sat in a reclining chair on the promenade deck enjoying the dramatic icescapes.
At the northernmost areas, I experienced the land of the midnight sun, with the
sky staying bright until close to the witching hour. Other nights, the evening sky, reflected in the water, turned a
dusty rose, creating a soft, magical hue. After
a long day of activity I retired to my spacious cabin, kept scrupulously clean
by my steward. I enjoyed having all the
closet and drawer space and good lighting provided in my cabin. The range of accommodations aboard the ship
included the most reasonable, inside cabins on the lower deck up to two room
suites that provided extras such as hair dryers, VCR’s and plush terry cloth robes.
The SS Universe Explorer is leased by the
Seawise Foundation from Commodore Cruise Line. World Explorer Cruises is affiliated with the Foundation and uses the
ship to transport its passengers to Alaska each summer and Latin America every January. It serves more ports
of call than any other cruise line plying Alaskan waters. During the remainder of the year, the
vessel operates as a floating campus for the Foundation’s Semester at Sea
program for university students. The ship serves many purposes and
offers its passengers diverse
opportunities. I accomplished my goal
to enjoy an introduction to our 50th state by ship while pursuing a
very active schedule. The options
aboard the Universe Explorer suited every need. Adventuresome passengers boarded helicopters, sea planes, kayaks
and rafts. Some went fishing. Some played cards and bingo. All were well fed, well cared for and
thoroughly relaxed as we pulled in to Vancouver, British Columbia, our final
destination. For
information:
World Explorer Cruises Southwest Airlines Always well-priced, Southwest Airlines
employees add a new dimension by making flying fun with their relaxed attitude
and zany humor. Most of all, their
safety record speaks for itself as does their dependability. On my flight from Los Angeles to Seattle, en
route to my cruise, my luggage was
circling the carousel prior to my
arrival at baggage claim. Active Adventures Seavey’s Iditarod Tours |
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A cruise?
No thank you. Past
experiences have boringly included short port excursions with plenty of time on
board for cards, gambling and eating. The possibility of an active cruise
seemed unlikely. However, when I heard about the Universe Explorer, a different
kind of cruise ship, I decided to take a chance and sign on for two weeks in
Alaska. This ship, I discovered, is
also home to Semesters at Sea, so instead of a casino, I found a computer lab
and library housing more than 15,000 books. Instead of glitzy Las Vegas type floorshows, I enjoyed opera singers,
classical pianists and slide lectures delivered by noted authorities on various
aspects of Alaska including its history, geology and wildlife. The ship
generally stayed in port 8-12 hours allowing me to explore the area without
rushing. Rather than signing up for coach, plane and boat tours, I opted for
the hike and bike tours in every port. During my days at sea I discovered ample opportunity for activity.
I felt that we had ridden onto the set of
Northern Exposure as we rode through the town of Ketchikan, the salmon capital
of the world and the wettest town in North America. Although the first part of the excursion took us through town and
along the main highway for several miles, the destination more than made up for
it. Part of Tongass National Park, our
hike through the rain forest surrounding the one-mile Ward Lake treated us to
the sights, smells and sounds of nature. Tiny bright pink flowers would soon turn in to delicious
salmonberries. Yellow lily-like flowers
of the skunk cabbage proved more enjoyable to see than to smell. Only the sounds of rushing water and
birdcalls broke the silence. We sighted
bald eagles by the dozen during the ride, sometimes in flight other times
resting in the treetops. The 28-mile ride concluded at Saxman Totem Park
boasting the largest collection of totem poles in the world. We visited the nearby workshop where master
totem carvers plied their unique craft. The son of Chief Shakes of the Tlinket tribe imparted some of the
history of the totems while working on a commissioned totem pole for some
Colorado residents. Continuing on, our
final stop at Ketchikan was Creek Street, a picturesque row of wooden buildings
that once housed the most notorious red-light district of the north. It was time to head back to the ship so we
peddled off, happily tired and hungry.
Glaciers are a large part of the Alaska
experience and I encountered an abundance, both by ship and bicycle. One
afternoon, we cruised Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, a 3.3
million-acre pristine wilderness rimed with 16 gigantic tidewater glaciers. Mt. Fairweather, the highest peak in its
snow capped mountain range stands at 15,320 feet, supplying ice to all the
glaciers supporting Glacier Bay. Awestruck, voyagers viewed the Grand Pacific Glacier, measuring some
three miles across, witnessing several calving episodes and hearing the
thunderous roar preceding them. Another
day at sea passengers gathered on deck to view the 76 mile long, six miles wide
Hubbard Glacier looming mightily at the head of Yakutat Bay. This, the largest
tidewater glacier in North America , creates an impressive 300 foot ice wall
rising from the bay. The Hubbard
Glacier, known for creating quite a show, sometimes sends chunks of glacier as big as a 30 story building
crashing into the water. On to the port of Juneau, Alaska’s capital, I bicycled out to the much-photographed
Mendenhall Glacier, larger than Rhode Island, an impressive sight of miles of white ice punctuated with deep blue
vertical crevices. We hiked ¼ mile
along the glassy lake fronting the glacier up to the roaring snow-fed
waterfall, then back to the ship. Another fine day of bicycling some 24 miles partly along highways, but
mostly on bicycle paths and country roads less traveled. In Seward, we peddled to the Harding Ice
Fields via part paved roads and part wide dirt and gravel paths where we
climbed up and touched the great Exit Glacier. On the way out, we sighted a brown bear and her new cub foraging for
food in the mountains above us and came within several yards of a great mother
moose and her newborn as we bicycled towards our next stop.
If I had to choose my favorite ride, it
would no doubt be the combination narrow gauge rail ride up through the White
Pass and the bicycle ride down the 18 mile, 3,289 foot road leading to Skagway,
known during the gold rush days at “hell town.” The 2 ½ hour ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route train
chugged along as I sat in a comfortable parlor car listing to the comments of
the narrator. We passed through some of the most spectacular scenery
on earth, past rivers, waterfalls, gorges, over bridges and through tunnels. In
this magnificent setting, the railroad’s history turns dark. Built during the 1897-98 Klondike Gold Rush,
the area was known for its heartlessness and its lawlessness inspiring much of
Jack London’s writings. We passed the
Gold Rush Cemetery and Dead Horse Gulch where more than 3,000 mistreated
animals died. At the White Pass Summit,
the international boundary between Canada and the United States, we disembarked
and mounted our bicycles that had been transported by van to the starting
point. On the opposite side of the
chasm where the train tracks lay, we whizzed down the steep Klondike Highway,
almost devoid of traffic. I stopped for
pictures at almost every turn, exhilarated and thrilled by the majestic
scenery. The ride ended in town some
two hours later at the Red Onion Saloon for a traditional celebratory pint.
One of our most northerly stops took us to
Valdez, the site of the unfortunate oil
spill of 1989. The area, one of the
most beautiful in the state, is often referred to as the Switzerland of Alaska,
flanking the Valdez Arm just off
Prince William Sound. Our route took us
along Old Dayville Road at the edge of
the fjord towards the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal. We bicycled past a salmon hatchery, rushing waterfalls and snow
covered Alp-like Chugach Mountains reaching up into white cotton candy clouds.
Two majestic bald eagles fighting over food
flew just over our heads, not 10 feet away. Later, we retraced our route and
returned to explore the town. I struck
up a conversation with a woman who had moved from Boston some four years prior
and she commented that “in Valdez you find the best of America.” It is a true community where its 4,000
citizens stick together for better or for worse.