Thread: From the Observation Lounge - where are Yonnie & Joe today?

Thanks for the welcome back, Norman. 33 days in the hospital was no bed of roses for Bob. I am very happy to see you continuing to participate in spite of your loss. Many a lesser man would have been devastated...goes to show you what faith can accomplish.

Icy Strait Point is just about my favorite port of call for Alaska!

YONNIE posted this about their plans for today:

We have done the Whale Watching tour a couple of times -- love it.

And if all goes well we will be doing it again on July 4th.

We prefer to book the ship's excursion as the boat is larger. We watched last year as one of the very small boats was bobbing all over the place with people hanging on trying to take pictures.

The weather is continuing to be cold/cool and damp. Hope the sun appears while Yonnie and Joe are on their whale watching excursion today.


Wednesday

Overcast with a chance of rain. High of 59F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Oh to be young and adventurous!

Here is a video of the world's longest ZipRider at Icy Strait Point! ---> VIDEO

The Icy Strait is a strait in the Alexander Archipelago in south eastern Alaska, at about 58°16′41″N 135°38′48″WCoordinates: 58°16′41″N 135°38′48″W. The strait separates Chichagof Island to the south and the Alaska mainland to the north. The strait is 64 km (40 mi) from its west side at the intersection of the Cross Sound and Glacier Bay to its east side at Chatham Strait and the Lynn Canal. The two largest islands in the strait are Pleasant Island and Lemesurier Island.

The creation of Alaska's newest cruise port, Icy Strait, represents a win-win collaboration between local communities and the giant cruise corporations that make big profits from visitors eager to experience America's "last wilderness."

The new facility -- just down the road from Hoonah, Alaska's largest Huna Tlingit village, and 22 miles southeast of Glacier Bay National Park -- has been a lifeline for a community in crisis, providing a much-needed alternative source of income for locals afflicted by a downturn in their traditional businesses of fishing and logging. Millions of dollars have been invested in creating a facility that offers cruise travelers an authentic "wilderness experience" and a refreshingly noncommercialized alternative to the usual run of Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Sitka.#


What they've created is an attractive new destination expressly for cruisers that's manmade but not commercialized. Icy Strait offers pretty woodland walks, an insight into Tlingit history and culture, a wide range of back-to-nature adventures and high-quality restaurants. Upmarket craft shops feature artisan crafts and locally made goods like woodland berry jam and confectionery, rather than the "made in Taiwan" good so prevalent in, say, Juneau. Buildings are constructed from sustainable local timber and built by local Tlingit workers in traditional style.


Although the port receives ships from Royal Caribbean and its higher-end subsidiary Celebrity Cruises, as well as Holland America Line, the Tlingit corporation Huna Totem -- which owns Icy Strait Point -- has wisely limited ship calls to ensure high passenger satisfaction.


As Char has remarked Yonnie and Joe plan a cruise excursion of Whale Watching.



Current weather in Icy Strait Point (Alaska) (Jul 04, 2012)



The report was made 13 minutes ago, at 17:56 UTC. The wind was blowing at a speed of 2,1 meters per second (4,6 miles per hour) from west (270°). The atmospheric pressure was 1018 hPa (30.06 inHg). The relative humidity was 81,7 %. There were broken clouds at a height of 1097 meters (3600 feet). The overall visibility was 16,1 kilometers (10.0 miles).



11 °C
52 °F

Sea day for Yonnie and Joe as Amsterdam cruises towards Anchorage where arrival is scheduled for 07:00 local time tomorrow morning.




Wishing Yonnie and Joe a restful sea day.

At 07:00 local time Amsterdam will be arriving in Anchorage.

We hope Yonnie and Joe are having a great cruise

Nice writeup on Icy Strait. It sounds like Alaska has done it right with a place that highlights the natural aspects of the place without resorting to the commercialism of so many other cruise stops. We need places like this.

Yonnie and Joe aboard Amsterdam have reached Anchorage. Brief details below.
Climate

Because of Anchorage's latitude, summer days are very long and winter daylight hours are very short. Anchorage is often cloudy during the winter, which decreases the amount of sunlight experienced by residents.
Demographics
The Anchorage Municipality is home to almost two-fifths of Alaska's population. As of September 7, 2006, 94 languages were spoken by students in the Anchorage School District.

Economy

Anchorage is a major port, receiving over 95% of all freight entering Alaska, as well as a hub of the Alaska Railroad. Major industries include government and military, petroleum, and tourism.
Geography
Anchorage is located in South Central Alaska. It lies slightly farther north than Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and St. Petersburg. According to the United States Census Bureau, the municipality has a total area of 1,961.1 square miles.

History

Anchorage was established in 1914 as a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad, which was built between 1915 and 1923.

Politics

Anchorage sends 15 representatives to the 40-member Alaska House of Representatives and 7 senators to the 20-member senate, making up nearly half of both houses.

Transportation


The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is the primary international air freight gateway in the nation, by weight. Twenty-six per cent of the tonnage of U.S. international air freight moves through Anchorage

Wildlife

A diverse wildlife population exists in urban Anchorage and the surrounding area. Approximately 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears live in the area. Bears are regularly sighted within the city.

Weather not very warm but we hope Yonnie and Joe have a brilliant day.

Current weather in Anchorage (AK) (Jul 06, 2012)

The report was made 5 minutes ago, at 14:53 UTC. The wind was calm. The atmospheric pressure was 1012 hPa (29.89 inHg). The relative humidity was 81,5 %. There were a few clouds at a height of 914 meters (3000 feet), scattered clouds at a height of 1981 meters (6500 feet), and broken clouds at a height of 3962 meters (13000 feet). The overall visibility was 16,1 kilometers (10.0 miles).



9 °C
48 °F

I'll try again

Yonnie and Joe aboard Amsterdam have reached Anchorage. Brief details below.

Climate

Because of Anchorage's latitude, summer days are very long and winter daylight hours are very short. Anchorage is often cloudy during the winter, which decreases the amount of sunlight experienced by residents.

Demographics

The Anchorage Municipality is home to almost two-fifths of Alaska's population. As of September 7, 2006, 94 languages were spoken by students in the Anchorage School District.

Economy

Anchorage is a major port, receiving over 95% of all freight entering Alaska, as well as a hub of the Alaska Railroad. Major industries include government and military, petroleum, and tourism.

Geography

Anchorage is located in South Central Alaska. It lies slightly farther north than Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and St. Petersburg. According to the United States Census Bureau, the municipality has a total area of 1,961.1 square miles.

History

Anchorage was established in 1914 as a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad, which was built between 1915 and 1923.Politics
Anchorage sends 15 representatives to the 40-member Alaska House of Representatives and 7 senators to the 20-member senate, making up nearly half of both houses.

Transportation

The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is the primary international air freight gateway in the nation, by weight. Twenty-six per cent of the tonnage of U.S. international air freight moves through Anchorage.

Wildlife

A diverse wildlife population exists in urban Anchorage and the surrounding area. Approximately 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears live in the area. Bears are regularly sighted within the city.

Weather not very warm but we hope they have a brilliant day.

Current weather in Anchorage (AK) (Jul 06, 2012)
The report was made 5 minutes ago, at 14:53 UTC. The wind was calm. The atmospheric pressure was 1012 hPa (29.89 inHg). The relative humidity was 81,5 %. There were a few clouds at a height of 914 meters (3000 feet), scattered clouds at a height of 1981 meters (6500 feet), and broken clouds at a height of 3962 meters (13000 feet). The overall visibility was 16,1 kilometers (10.0 miles).

9 °C
48 °F

Enjoy the temperatures while you can. It's on its way up to 106 in St. Louis today, and I'm sure that your hometown in Pa is quite a bit hotter than your day in Anchorage. Icy Strait Point looks and sounds like an interesting place to visit. Thanks, Char, for the ZipRider video.