Kaleidoscope Travel & Cruise was once again the host of a fabulous tour/cruise to the Yukon and Alaska. This year the excited group departed Calgary on June 28th, and flew to Whitehorse, in the Yukon to begin the 16-day ‘trip of a lifetime’. We were met at the airport by our motor coach and taken to our hotel for a welcome reception hosted by ‘The High Country Inn’. The following morning we began our wonderful adventure in the lands of the midnight sun as we explored the city of Whitehorse. Our first stop was at the longest wooden fish ladder in the world. We carried on to the Beringia Center and the famous Miles Canyon, and our final stop on our city tour was at the SS Klondike. This national historic site pays tribute to an era of riverboat transportation. Riverboats brought virtually all goods into the region, as well as many of the newcomers. The site brings to life the history and the challenge of moving freight along the Yukon River. That evening we all enjoyed ‘The Frantic Follies’ – “the best entertainment in the Yukon”.
The following morning we traveled north to Dawson City, and on our way we spent time photographing the beautiful Five Finger Rapids. We arrived in Dawson City later in the afternoon and it was as though we had ‘stepped back in time’. Dawson City itself is an historic site – the streets are still not paved and most of the buildings date back to the time of the gold rush in the 1897. We all tried our luck that evening at the oldest casino in Canada – ‘Diamond Tooth Gertie’s’ – we also enjoyed the show starring Gertie and her can-can dancers. The following morning we were hosted to a tour of the city and Bonanza Creek where gold was first discovered. Everyone tried their luck at gold panning, and then toured Dredge Number 4, which is a National Historic Monument. Bonanza Creek and many of the surrounding area is still being mined for gold.
We continued on our travels, over the Top of the World Highway, (the spectacular view – it is properly named) to Alaska. We lunched on chicken soup and pie at ‘Chicken’, (the original town folks could not spell ptarmigan), and now it is a memorable stop along the way. We stayed over night in the town of Tok before continuing on to Fairbanks, Alaska. Our morning coffee break was spent at the interpretive center at the end of the Alaska Highway and our lunchtime break was spent a Rika’s Roadhouse located in the Big Delta Historical Park. This was followed by a ‘kodak moment’ at the incredible sight of the Alaska Pipeline. For our afternoon break we visited the North Pole – where Santa lives, and shopped at this unique location. That evening we enjoyed the Golden Heart Review at Pioneer Park – a busy, but most enjoyable day.
Next we had a truly exciting day aboard the Riverboat Discovery III, as she sailed the Tenana and Cheena rivers on a three and a half our journey. We visited the camp of the 3 time Iditarod winner – Susan Butcher, and were amazed by her teams of dogs, as they demonstrated their speed and agility by pulling an ATV – this is how they practice during the summer months. We also spent time at a traditional fish camp, observing the way of life that is still enjoyed by many of the Athabascan natives. That evening at Pioneer Park we feasted on the Salmon Bake, it was a ‘delicious’ way to end to a wonderful day.
And now we turned south to Anchorage, and the scenery, as always was spectacular. We enjoyed a great lunch at Mary McKinley’s Lodge and continued on to our destination, where that evening we had a ‘Bon Voyage’ party in our hotel.
It was now Wednesday, July 6th, 2006, and the second part of our great adventure awaited us, because today we were embarking the Carnival ‘Spirit’. We traveled to Whittier where the ship was docked and were able to board early and begin the ‘eating frenzy’ which is always a BIG part of cruising. During the 7 days we sailed from Whittier to Vancouver we saw some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. Our first morning when we woke, we were in College Fjord surrounded by 16 tidal water glaciers. The ship slowly made its way through the fjord, while we were treated to the sights and sounds of the glaciers calving. Fabulous! Our first day ashore was spent at Sitka where the Russian heritage is still very obvious. 
We now sailed the Inside Passage, going ashore at the lovely towns of Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Juneau, the capitol of Alaska, is only accessible by air or sea. At Skagway many of the group rode the White Pass and Yukon Railway, which journeys through the famous Dead Horse Gulch and Chilkoot Pass, the routes taken by the gold miners during the gold rush. When we went ashore in the beautiful town of Ketchican, it was NOT raining! Considering the town gets an average 147 inches each year, we were very lucky this year. Once again the choices of what to do in each of the ports varied greatly. Some chose to whale watch, ride the rapids, snorkel (in Alaska?) and to kayak, and some chose to do walking tours and shop the great shops found at each port. The last day at sea was spent enjoying the many activities that are always available on a cruise, including the duty free shops, a casino, spas, indoor and outdoor pools, evening shows, and of course the fabulous food, to mention a few. We arrived at BC Place 16 days after we left home, and everyone agreed it had been a wonderful ‘trip of a lifetime’.