Away from downtown, be sure to see the Alaska Museum at the University of Alaska. The museum divides the state into sections, each represented by its lifestyle or crafts.
Also, be sure to see the symbol that defines modern life in Alaska, the 800-mile pipeline that brings oil from Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic down to Valdez, the ice-free port east of Anchorage. Seeing the pipeline is a little like seeing grizzly bears or glacial ice up close. These are monumental Alaskan experiences.
The Fairbanks Inn is one of the better lodgings. For a classy but expensive restaurant, try the Bear `n Seal.
For more information on Fairbanks, contact the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau, 550 1st Ave., Fairbanks, Alaska 99701, or call 907-456-5774. JUNEAU, SKAGWAY AND SITKA
These three cities in the southeast panhandle of Alaska differ sharply from the more northerly sections of the state. Precipitation here is high, comparing with Washington State; so the trees, such as Sitka spruce, grow to great heights and can be harvested for lumber or pulp.
It is the most historic area in Alaska. Sitka was the major Russian colony during the fur-gathering era. At Juneau, prospectors made the first Alaska gold discoveries. From Skagway, 20,000 hardy miners, plus many women and children, climbed over the Chilkoot Pass to the Yukon Gold Rush of 1898.
A unique Marine Highway ferry system ties the region together, operating between Seattle and Skagway. Waterways, shoreline and boating become defining aspects of life here. Southeast Alaska has 33,000 miles of coastline, fully 68 percent of the Alaska coast. One out of five people owns a boat. Air and sea transport offers the only access to the region.
The flight to this area from Fairbanks on a clear day offers one of the most spectacular views on the planet. As you leave Fairbanks, you see the spine of the Alaska Range of mountains, the vast stretches of uninhabited and rugged land between cities. The snowy peak of Mt. McKinley stands out majestically. And finally, as the flight progresses, you get sweeping aerial views of the glaciers of southeastern Alaska, including Glacier Bay National Park.
Juneau began when Joe Juneau discovered gold there. It is said that Joe wept because he had made more money than he could ever spend in a lifetime. There were three major mines and a stamp mill. Juneau was selected as the state capital, though it has been overshadowed by Anchorage as a developed area and population base.
There are 200,000 Alaskans in Anchorage and only 27,000 in Juneau, out of a total population in the state of only 450,000. A move to change the capital to the town of Willow, west of Anchorage, has been voted down because of the high cost of the move.
At Juneau, visit the Mendenhall Glacier, where you can walk on the glacial ice. Mendenhall is one of 16 glaciers in the 1,000 square miles of ice fields around Juneau. Also, see the Alaska State Museum, with its elaborate collection of artifacts. This museum, and the museum in Fairbanks at the University, are your two best introductions to the state.
From Juneau the excursion boat Fairweather can take you up the Lynn Canal to Skagway, a town that boomed when miners seeking passage to the Yukon needed a staging area. Looking at the map, it was determined that traversing the Chilkoot Pass and then taking rivers downstream was the best way. Canadian authorities required that miners assemble a year`s supply of provisions before proceeding.
Skagway`s main attraction is a walk around the historic area, with a stop at the park service headquarters for a brochure on the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. There you`ll see photos of canvas fold-up boats that hopeful miners used on the Yukon River to get their supplies southward.
Sitka lies south of Juneau and is accessible only by cruise boat, ferry boat or aircraft.
Sitka was populated by Tlingit Indians for thousands of years. Russia watched the area with interest after Vitus Bering sighted the Alaskan coast in 1741. In 1799 the Russian Alexander Baranov began construction of fortifications at Sitka. Baranov intended to colonize Alaska for Russia and develop the fur trade.
The Tlingits resented Russian infringement, burning their fort and killing most of the people in 1802. Baranov returned in 1804 with the warship Neva and 1,000 men. He fought a decisive battle against 700 Tlingits, after which the Tlingits retreated and the Russians formally established their colony of New Archangel. Be sure to see St. Michael`s Russian Orthodox cathedral and its historic icons, some from the 14th Century. The cathedral was built from 1844 to 1848, burned in 1966, then rebuilt as an exact replica. Because of the declining fur supply, the Crimean War and Russia`s inability to defend Alaska, Russia eventually decided to sell Sitka and all of Alaska to the U.S. They did so in 1867-for $7,200,000, about 2 cents an acre. The reviving interest in the Russian heritage here includes the New Archangel Dancers, who entertain visitors with Russian folk dancing.
A half mile from St. Michael`s Cathedral is the National Historic Park, where you can see Tlingit Indians practice wood carving, sewing and jewelrymaking. At the historic park you can walk along a path to the site where the great battle of 1804 pitted the Russians against the fortified Tlingits, who were beaten because of the Russian firepower.
Next to the path you`ll see Tlingit and Haida totem poles. Today about a third of Sitka`s 8,200 people are Tlingits. Nearby, visit the Sheldon Jackson Museum, a missionary`s collection of artifacts gathered from the various native groups in Alaska.
The best single information source for Southeast Alaska is the Alaska Division of Tourism, P.O. Box E, Juneau, Alaska 98111, 907-465-2010.
For seeing the region from a cruise ship, which is the main mode of travel in the area, contact a travel agent. Twelve companies with 28 ships now travel the southeast.
GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK
This park, west of Juneau, is unique among our national parks. Bluish rivers of ice slowly push their way to the water`s edge. As you watch, amid the silence, massive chunks of ice crash into the water. For these sights, about 100,000 visitors come each year to Glacier Bay National Park. About 90 percent of these visitors see Glacier Bay from the comfort of a cruise ship traveling between Juneau and Vancouver.
Within the park you are likely to see eagles and bears along the water`s edge. Humpback whales, orcas or killer whales, minke whales, seals and dolphins disport in the chilly waters.
The major geological phenomenon of interest here is the rapid retreat of glaciers. Park Service maps record the advance or retreat of specific glaciers. Two hundred years ago the entire region was covered with glaciers.
When Capt. George Vancouver explored the region in 1794, his log book recorded that his progress was impeded by an impenetrable mass of glaciers covering Glacier Bay. He found the ice mass 4,000 feet thick, 20 miles wide and 100 miles long. By 1879, observer John Muir found that the ice had retreated 48 miles up the bay.
Glacier Bay is a premier example of retreating glaciers, as well as specialized forms of glaciers, including hanging glaciers (glaciers that hang on mountainsides) and tidewater glaciers (glaciers that come to the water`s edge). The area is a laboratory for the study of how plants colonize land newly opened by retreating glaciers.
The study of retreating glaciers by modern scientists attempts to define their interaction with and effect upon weather. The study is important because around the world, glaciers and polar ice store more fresh water than all our lakes, rivers, groundwater and the atmosphere combined. Glaciers form when snowfall exceeds snow melt.
Cruise ships or Park Service concession boats take you north along the Johns Hopkins Inlet and the Tarr Inlet to see the glaciers. On board, park rangers present a running commentary on glacial realities.
Reid, a tidewater glacier, is the first major glacier that comes into view. There are 12 tidewater glaciers in the park. They are much rarer than land-bound glaciers. The intense blue of the glacier occurs because water crystals, formed under pressure, align uniquely to reflect blue light. As the icebergs float away from the glacier, after breaking off, they endanger navigation because their size is uncertain. Rock and sediment in the ice may weigh down all but the tip of the iceberg.
Lampugh Glacier has a massive stream of melting glacial water pouring from its base.
At Johns Hopkins Glacier the cruise boats pause and drift. You can hear the sound of crashing ice as the glacier ice slowly breaks off. Tlingit Indians called this sound ”white thunder.” In the Johns Hopkins area substantial flows of glacial ice pass the boat. The major phenomenon of retreating glaciers becomes evident at Johns Hopkins when you look at Park Service maps. The known forward face of the Johns Hopkins Glacier in 1907 was about 15 miles farther into the sea than its present position.
Moving up the Tarr Inlet, you see retreating Margerie Glacier. Grand Pacific Glacier, blocking the channel, prevents farther passage.
For more information on Glacier Bay National Park, write to the Superintendent, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Gustavus, Alaska 99826; 907-697-2231.
This two-week Alaskan Grand Tour, while it covers a lot of territory, is satisfying, but bear in mind that it is but a sample of our largest state.
