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USA - ALASKA: DOG MUSHING ON ALASKA’S INSIDE PASSAGE  “Mush! Mush!” We bounce around a bit as the lead huskies,Toke and Dancer, draw our 6-passenger custom-made wheeled sled through the dense Alaskan woodlands near Skagway to the cries of their driver, Pierre Fournier.This dog-sled adventure is one of the most sought-after excursions on the Inside Passage to Alaska ...... and at the end, as a bonus, you get to cuddle the adorable husky puppies. For many, the appeal of cruising to “The Last Frontier” is the ports-of-call and the many excursions. Take your pick: soar over the glaciered mountaintops in a helicopter or a seaplane, sip champagne while standing on an ancient glacier, go kayaking, sport fishing, panning for gold, biking through the Klondikes, hike or river raft or delve into the rich historic tapestry of the Gold Rush in the comfort of an antique street car or railroad. \
Each town or city has its own distinctive attractions, and each in Alaska is small, so you can explore them on foot and at leisure. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to see for yourself how these people live and even survive on this raw-boned coastline where seaplanes, darting around the cruise ship like angry wasps, are as common as a cab in a city street. And here’s a tip: If you are anxious to go on a particular excursion, don’t wait until you embark. Register prior to sailing. Some of the excursions are so popular that if you leave the booking to your embarkation you may just miss out. Onboard, of course, a team of shore excursion staff with a wealth of experience in Alaska are ready to help you, and the tour lectures will give you further guidance. There could have been no more unforgettable start to our Crystal Harmony cruise than to sail out under the famed Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco. Those passengers making a first-time visit had found one of the most diverse and beautiful cities in the world. We had had stayed at an hotel in the heart of the theater and restaurant district, just steps away from the newly-redesigned Union Square’s finest shops, boutiques and unique galleries .... and a short walk to the Museum of Modern Art. The cable cars at the corner take guests through Chinatown to Fisherman’s Wharf .... to shrimp and crab stalls and seafood restaurants, novelty museums and other family attractions, street vendors and souvenir shops, street artists and art galleries and languorous sea lions. San Francisco’s Number One attraction, PIER 39, is at the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf, a two-level open-air festival marketplace filled with potpourri of numerous attractions, 110 shops and restaurants. From here ferries take visitors to Alcatraz, now a National Park, once home to the likes of Al “Scarface” Capone, “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert “The Birdman” Stroud. The first port-of-call for the Crystal Harmony is Ketchikan, Alaska’s southernmost city, strung out for kilometers along a waterfront, most of it supported on pilings above Tongrass Narrows. The cross streets are often simply wooden steps climbing the steep hillside. Historical tours include the Creek Street tour which winds through the old boardwalk red-light district and Dolly’s House Museum, the home and working place of the town’s last “madam”, and the authentic totem poles at Totem Bight. Along the waterfront are seaplanes and boats serving the logging camps and other settlements. Skagway has been wonderfully preserved and restored as the gold-rush town it was at the turn of the century when it was the main gateway to the Klondike, 800 kilometers to the north. Its rip-roaring past comes alive as you walk its streets or browse through the Trail of ‘98 Museum’s collection of memorabilia. The two-hour scenic journey aboard the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad is one of the most spectacular in the world. Juneau, capital of Alaska and gateway to the Mendenhall Glacier, was a bustling community before gold was discovered in 1881. After one of the many available excursions, take a walk in the past to the historic sites; you can load up with gold nuggets and fossilized walrus-tusk jewelry or stop off at John’s taxidermy shop, and no doubt you’ll drop into the infamous and rowdy Red Dog Saloon! With the extinct volcano Mount Edgecumbe towering in its background, Sitka, once the Russian capital of Alaska, has a past unique in its blend of Tlingit culture and Russian history. The Russian influence can be seen everywhere: visit the onion-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral, for instance, a fine example of rural Russian church architecture. Don’t miss an excursion to the Alaska Raptor Center, Alaska’s foremost bald eagle hospital and education center. Each year, the Center provides medical treatment to about 200 injured bald eagles and other birds .... injuries almost all human-related, ranging from maliciously inflicted gunshot wounds, to accidents caused by collisions with vehicles and airplanes, electrocution by power lines, and foraging at garbage dumps. The Raptor Center's patients also include birds taken from their nests by people who think it might be fun to have an eagle as a pet and then they usually become malnourished. The Center is doing a great job. After Sitka the Crystal Harmony sails for cosmopolitan Vancouver, British Columbia where you can explore the restored Gastown district – just minutes from Canada Place where most of the cruise ships dock – discover the intrigue of Chinatown or explore Stanley Park, the largest natural park of any city on the North American continent, or browse among the shops and galleries in Granville Island. Or you can spend the day strolling down Robson Street with its lively restaurants, stylish boutiques and chic cafés. In Victoria many passengers head for the sumptuous Afternoon Tea at the majestic, ivy-covered Fairmont Empress, enjoying the view over Victoria’s stunning Inner Harbour. Not far away is Bastion Square, the site where the Hudson’s Bay Company constructed Fort Victoria in 1843 and where the restored 19th century buildings now house restaurants, shops and art galleries. Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in North America, leads into Canada’s oldest Chinatown, established in 1858 when Chinese immigrants were used for railroad labour. In the downtown core are The Royal British Columbia Museum, one of North America’s leading natural and human history museums, the National Geographic Imax Theatre, Craigdarroch Castle, The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and The Victoria Maritime Museum and Thunderbird Park where ancient Native totem poles stand tall. Only 30 minutes from Victoria is the world-renowned Butchart Gardens, an enchanting 50 acres of groomed gardens on a 1904 country estate, its Sunken Garden reclaimed from the family limestone quarry. Even the garbage disposal units at strategic spots are in disguise, covered by blooms. And at journey’s end, the pleasure of docking again in San Francisco. Photo: courtesy Ketchikan Visitors Bureau
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