 Travelogue
Alaska
Introduction & Background
Content:
We had been wanting to go to Alaska for years. We finally decided in January that we were going this year for sure.
We left Tampa on June 7 and flew to St. Louis and on to Vancouver, British
Columbia where we got on board the Carnival Cruise Line Ship the Jubilee. There
is a three hours difference in British Columbia and our Ship sailed out at 5:30
pm. By the time we got to Alaska on June 9 we turned our clocks back another
hour since Alaska is 4 hours behind Tampa Eastern Standard Time.
 The route of
our Alaskan trip: June 7 & 8-Inside Passage; June 9-Ketchikan; June 10-Tracy
Arm & Juneau; June 11-Skagway & Lynn Canal; June 12-Sitka; June
13-Prince William Sound & College Fjord; and June 14-Seward, Portage Glacier
& Anchorage
We wanted to see mountains, wild life, and beautiful scenery. Our
expectations were more than realized. We have 12 hours of video tape and have
over 180 pictures in this photo essay. To say the least we have enough reminders
so that when we get "scenery or mountain deprived" we can turn on the
VCR or computer and luxuriate in the wonderment of Alaska.
 Connie
and Jim Messina did not get to see a Moose up live and personal as they had
wished but were ever so grateful that the Carnival Cruise Lines people had a
Moose welcome them as they stepped foot on Alaskan soil. Click
here for a real picture of a moose or click here for Moose
Cam live pictures of moose. Click her to see how enthralled the Messina's are with
Moose since they have named MOOSE
the Mascot for their website,
It is our hope that our pictures bring you some pleasure. But a warning
before you begin. Pictures do not do justice to the majesty, power, and
magnitude of the blessings which God has wrought on this land called Alaska. If
you had any doubts about the existence of a benevolent God, then seven days in
Alaska will wrench that disbelief out of you.
We feel this travelogue is a good adjunct to our website so that students can
use it for their "creative writing" stimuli or even do some research
papers on the topics contained on these pages.
Have fun and welcome to our view of Alaska.
Jim & Connie Messina, June 22, 2000
 Connie
and Jim Messina on the Carnival Cruise Line's Jubilee during their June 2000
Trip to Alaska
Map of the State of Alaska
Here is a map of Alaska to give you an idea of how large it is. Some of the
towns we visited are not even on this map. Our trip only took us to the South
East coast called the Inside Passage and up the South West Coast through Prince
William Sound where the town of Valdez is. Valdez is the southern end of the oil
pipeline which runs from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. It was in Prince William Sound
where the infamous Exxon
Valdez oil spill occurred on March 24, 1989.
How Big is Alaska?
This map gives you an idea of the immense size of Alaska when compared to the
rest of the "Lower 48" (what the people of Alaska call the contiguous states
of our country).
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Alaska is 586,412 square miles in area
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It has 33,904 miles of shoreline (which is 33% of America's
total shoreline.
Inside Passage of Alaska
 The
Inside Passage of Alaska extends from the Border of British Columbia in the
south to Skagway in the North. It has:
-
10,000 miles of coastline
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1,000 islands
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deepest fjords in North America
-
massive glaciers
-
Eagles, moose, and bears
Humpback and Orca Whales Dall Porpoises and dolphins Sea lions, seals, and otters Salmon and halibut
The inside passage is just the lower South East tip of Alaska's
shoreline.
The Inside Passage was the entry way in 1896 when gold was found
in the Klondike region of the Yukon Territory which is North East of Skagway.
Over 100,000 stampeders came to this region to strike it rich. These people
would get to Skagway or Dyea and then hike overland to the headwaters of the
Yukon river. From there they would build their own boats to go another 600 miles
to the gold fields in the Yukon Territory. Each of these Pioneers had to bring 1
ton of supplies with them if they were to be allowed to enter this territory.
These supplies were to last them at least one year.
Southeast Alaska, which includes the Inside Passage, is a region of lush forests, mild climate, abundant fish, game, and edible
plants. It was here that the Tlingit (pronounced Klinkit), Haida, and
Tshimshian Indians thrived. Their highly developed culture produced totem poles, ceremonial costumes, and exquisite
blankets. But the Tlingits were also fierce warriors. When the first Russians tried to settle
in Sitka, the Tlingits drove them out, despite the guns and cannons brought by the
intruders. Most of the totems and historical artifacts we saw on this trip
belonged to the Tlingit tribe.
Some words in Tlingit we learned on our trip are:
-
WWW-SAA-EEYA-TEE "How are you?"
-
EE-GOO-AYUG-WON "Be Brave!"
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WHOOSH-JEE-EEN "Helping One Another"
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GUNNAL-CHEESH "Thank You"
The Athabascan Indians of central Alaska faced harsher living conditions. Life was often
feast or famine. Close relatives of the Navajos and Apaches, the Athabascans were
accomplished hunters. They followed herds of caribou and moose for vast distances, and
fished for salmon and other river fish. They traded furs and other goods with nearby
Tlingits, Inupiaqs and Yupiks.
The Inupiaqs and Yupiks lived north and west of the Athabascans. In this harsh land they
hunted, fished, and gathered the berries and roots that grew during the brief, cool
summers. Inupiaqs and Yupiks hunters harpooned whales from small, skin covered canoes
called umiaks. The Inupiaqs and Yupiks also hunted for walrus, seals, and polar bears.
They followed the herds of caribou that migrated across the frozen tundra. The smallest group of Alaska Natives, the
Aleuts, were hardy people who lived off the sea. Their food, clothing, shelter, heat, and tools came from creatures living in the ocean or
along its shoreline. Exceptional sailors, the Aleuts sometimes paddled hundreds of miles in
skin-covered canoes, called baidarkas, to trade, visit, or stage daring raids on enemy
villages. You can get a notion of the beauty, dignity, and
strength of the Alaska natives by viewing the Alaska
Native Nativity Scene which we purchased on our trip and included on this
site.
National
Forests of Alaska
On our trip we were able to visit both of the national forests
in Alaska. The first was the Tongass National Forest which covers over 17
million acres of temperate rain forest. Click here for Map
of Tongass National Forest. This forest included all of the land around the
Inside Passage including Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka and Skagway. The
second National forest was the Chugach National Forest which covers most of
South Central Alaska and was on the route from Seward, Portage Glacier to
Anchorage. Click here for Map of
Chugach National Forest. Both Alaskan National Forest are
ecological, environmental, and natural resource treasures, which under the US
National Forestry Service, will insure that generations to come will experience
the splendor of Alaska's natural beauty.
Links
to Information Related to Alaska 2000
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