[Travelandtourism] back from Alaska

[Steven Johnson]

Julie,
Your Alaskan trip sounds like it was truly amazing!  Someday, someday!

-----Original Message-----
From: travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie J.
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 1:55 PM
To: NFB Travel and Tourism Division List
Subject: [Travelandtourism] back from Alaska

Heya all!

I've actually been back for almost a week now, but catching up with
everything has been a huge effort.

Anyhow, Alaska was amazing!  I highly recommend it to anyone with a bit of
an adventurous, outdoor interest.  We ended up spending our whole vacation,
about a week in Homer on the Kenai Peninsula.  The weather was in the low
50's the whole time.  It sprinkled a couple of days, but nothing like what
we get in the Midwest.

I did not take my guide dog.  I used my cane or went sighted guide while
there.  Much of the terrain is fairly rugged, lots of rocks, uneven gravel
paths, steep inclines etc.  It was a challenging travel situation, but all
the tour guides were exceptional!  I did not tell any of them in advance of
my blindness.  That has worked out badly in the past.  I prefer to deal with
things as they come in person.

We went digging for Razor Clams.  This is a serious workout and seriously
dirty work.  The clams are very good though, better than I can buy in a
store here.

We went to a local museum.  It was small, but very nicely done.  It's modern
so has the typical combination of things behind  glass to look at, audio
displays, audio/video movies and some things to touch.  I enjoyed it.

We went kayaking.  I've never been before so was a little unsure about how
this was going to work, but like everything else I figure it out as I go.
The company uses very stable, double seat boats.  My sighted son sat in the
back seat, so he could use the foot pedals to move the rudder.  He told me
which way to paddle.  This particular tour is not a sport kayaking trip, but
a more sight seeing via kayak trip.  We saw all sorts of sea critters, sea
stars, anemones, jelly fish, many varieties of kelp etc.  Our guide told us
about local land features, history, weather, earthquakes, volcanoes,
glaciers, the native people and wildlife as we went.  They were also very
easy about my blindness.  At every opportunity they pulled things out of the
ocean for me to touch.  
Sea stars feel like sandpaper.  anenomies are like a ball of very soft
jello.

Next we took a ferry to Seldoviaa, a nearby native village only accessible
by boat.  This afternoon was taken up with shopping, sightseeing, a visitors
center, lunch at a tiny cafe and coffee at the most remote location on the
planet.  The main road connects to a dirt path through the forest.  You go
until you see the "open" sign on a tree.  That's where you turn and go down
a very windy, very steep dirt path to the water.  The coffee shop was built
over the water, but partly over the shore.  It was an experience I will
never forget!

We visited the Howling Husky Homestead.  The lady who runs it does not
compete in dog sled races, but rescues retired or neglected sled dogs and
runs them on her land as a hobby.  Again I got to touch lots of stuff, the
dogs, the harness, the sled, clothing and lots more.

Our final excursion was a combination fishing/sightseeing/eating boat trip.
We did a bit of sightseeing on the way to the fishing spot.  then we fished
for our lunch.  I caught two and Kiddo probably caught four including a
small Halibut.  Kiddo and the guide cleaned the fish, which was then
incorporated into our lunch on a tiny island where the guide lives.  No
electricity and no running water out there.  After lunch Kiddo and the guide
went wading in a tide pool to collect sea creatures.  They brought them back
to the picnic table where I had opted to rest and enjoy a bit of quiet time.
I got to see all the little creepy crawlies while they looked them up in a
reference book to try to identify the ones they didn't know.  Then it was
back on the boat for more sightseeing and pictures.  I have some very good
pictures from this part of our trip.  One is of a seal on a rock and the
other is a bald eagle over the water a split second after he has grabbed a
fish.

Our last day we checked out the Alaskan Islands and Ocean Visitor Center,
did some shopping and ate some more seafood.

The only really bad part of the trip was the  three separate planes we had
to take to get there and the layovers.  I didn't have any problems with
airport staff, security or lost bags or anything like that.  It was just
going from rural Nebraska to rural Alaska takes a while.

I'm working on a longer more detailed travel log.  I'm about half done with
it.  If anyone would like to read it, I'd be glad to share.

I would also like to ask that if anyone wishes to repost this to other lists
or share it anywhere on the internet that you ask first.

Thanks!
Julie


_______________________________________________
Travelandtourism mailing list
Travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Travelandtourism:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org/blinddog3%40ch
arter.net