July 15 – 30, 2009 16 days $4,540.00
It’s an unforgettable 16 days, a once in a lifetime experience! We
will be in awe at the towering mountains, the thunderous waterfalls,
the gleaming glaciers, and the wildlife on the mountains and in the
water. We’ll experience the lifestyle of the Alaskan of today. This tour
includes lodging, luggage handling, group attractions, some meals,
and round trip airfare, flying into Juneau and returning home from
Anchorage.
Here again, I would encourage you to compare what you get. We
work hard to give you MORE for your dollar and a true Alaskan
experience. Trip price is subject to increase if additional fuel surcharge
is added by airlines, between now and July.
Day 1: We will depart Yoder for our transfer to the Wichita airport. Late
afternoon, we’ll arrive in Juneau to get settled in for the two nights in the
beautiful Capitol City. After a brief check-in, we will learn about the city
from
our local step on guide as he shows us the town. Your evening will be free to
explore the downtown area.
Day 2: Waking up we’re surrounded by towering mountains, salt-water bays,
forested valleys and residential flatlands. Today we will visit the capital
building, salmon hatchery, and the beautiful Mendenhall Glacier. Here, the
Visitors' Center has spectacular views of the glacier, or you may want to do a
hike down along the water. Tonight we will enjoy an included authentic
salmon bake.
Day 3: Today we take the ferry for an exciting day, as we will spend most of
the day riding along the Inside Passage. If the weather is clear we will enjoy
the spectacular scenery, waterfalls, hopefully some ocean wildlife, and other
sights that we don't have in the mid-west. By mid-afternoon we should be
arriving in Skagway, to begin exploring the mainland of Alaska.
Day 4: Skagway is nestled in among the majestic surrounding mountains.
We'll make a brief stop at the Visitors' Center for a movie to acquaint us with
this historic gold rush town. After lunch we will meet at the Railroad station
for our afternoon ride on the "Scenic Railway of the World" as we board the
White Pass Yukon Railroad for an unforgettable tour to this famous pass,
seeing what struggles the gold seekers encountered
Day 5: This morning we head on into the Yukon and to Whitehorse
(Remember to bring your passport). We’re in for a real treat as we board the
Schwatka for a 2 hour scenic cruise down the Yukon River. This is the very
river that the gold seekers used, through Historic Miles Canyon, the biggest
obstacle on the path to riches at Dawson City. After checking into our hotel,
we’ll catch the show of the “Frantic Follies” where we journey back to the great
Klondike Gold Rush.
Day 6: Today we will continue our adventure of following the gold rush days
as we head north toward Dawson City. It's an all day drive. The evening will
be free to explore the town. If the sky is clear, there is a tour available to
drive
up to the “Midnight Dome” for a wonderful view of the city. On this hill for
a couple weeks in June you would be able to see the sun all night long!! We'll
enjoy two nights in this rustic old town, where the streets are not paved and
the sidewalks are boardwalks and you can relax right along the Yukon River.
Day 7: This morning a local step-on guide will join us as we head out to the
gold fields, some of which are still in operation today. We will visit a gold
dredge, experiencing one of those huge machines that they used during the
rush. After lunch, we will go back out to the gold fields to visit a family that
is
still working their claim. We will watch the operation in progress. Back into
town you might enjoy some time walking along the Mighty Yukon River.
Day 8: In order to leave Dawson City to the west, we have to cross the Yukon
River. We will be crossing the river, by ferry. This puts us on the “Top of the
World Highway”, which takes us out of Canada and back into Alaska. Our break
stop will be at an unforgettable spot - Historic Chicken, Alaska. Be prepared!!
We'll continue south and west stopping at Rika’s Roadhouse for a break and tour
and then on to Fairbanks for the night. This will be home for 3 nights.
Day 9: For more of a feel for Alaska, we will enjoy a tour of the city with a
local step-on guide with a stop at the University Museum. They will show us
some of the highlights of the city, along with the history. One of the stops
will
be at the pipeline for a close look and information on it. This afternoon we'll
be ready for an exciting adventure as we cruise into Alaska's golden past, on
the
Sternwheeler Discovery. We'll glide by log cabins, landing strips, stop for
demonstrations of dog sledding, skin tanning, salmon drying, while our native
Alaskan guides share their Indian and Eskimo cultures with us. We'll make a
stop at an old Indian village complete with smokehouse, trapper's cabin and
much more. This evening be ready for some good old-fashioned music and
comedy as we enjoy an included dinner and show at Pioneer Park. Back to the
same motel.
Day 10: Today you can choose what you would like to do on your own. We
have had lots of requests to experience "North of the Arctic Circle" since
Fairbanks is within about 150 miles of it. You may chose to fly to Fort Yukon,
a historic fort, or to Barrow, the northern most point of North America, or
take an all day driving tour to the Arctic Circle, or help deliver mail to
remote
villages by air. There is always plenty to do right here in Fairbanks. There is
an
interesting museum downtown, maybe you would enjoy doing a Balloon
Flight over the area, maybe a round of golf, or visit a gold mining camp. Maybe
fishing is your thing. Or it may feel good just to relax at the motel for part
of
the day. We'll help you make arrangements.
Day 11: A visit to the University of Alaska will include a stop at the
experimental gardens and the experimental farm which houses their Mush
Oxen and the caribou and reindeer. Leaving Fairbanks, a most scenic drive is
in store for us as we head south on Hwy 3. Our lunch will be in the interesting
town of Nenana. By mid-afternoon we will be arriving at our lodging at Denali
Park! Be ready for a fun evening of entertainment and a family-style, all-youcan-
eat dinner of fresh Alaskan salmon and ribs. Your dinner is followed by 45
minutes of tall tales, great songs and foot-stomping music. A real Alaskan
experience…… all included!!!
Day 12: An EARLY morning departure will find us boarding the Park bus
for a narrated tour deep into Denali Park. An experienced driver/guide will
share the natural and cultural history of Denali with us. We’ll enjoy views of
the Alaska Range while hearing stories of the historic climbs of Mt. McKinley.
If weather permits we may enjoy a sighting of “The Mountain”, and possibly
some wildlife. Bring your cameras AND binoculars for this taste of Denali!!
We should be back to your rooms shortly after noon for a relaxing afternoon
in a beautiful part of the U.S., “Denali Park”, the largest and most remote of
all of our National Parks. For those of you who would want, there are
opportunities of a raft trip down the river. Your evening will be free to enjoy
the beautiful park.
Day 13: Today our drive south takes us through some small interesting
Alaskan villages such as Talkeetna before stopping at Anchorage. You will
have the afternoon to explore the downtown area all within walking distance
of the motel. Anchorage will be home for 3 nights.
Day 14: Today we drive down to Seward for our cruise in the Kenai Fjords
on our Wildlife and Glacier tour. We will travel to the towering walls of ice
where you can “hear” the glaciers move as well as see the brilliant blues in the
ice. The sea life most commonly seen includes otter, sea lions, seals, eagles
and
possibly whales. What a rewarding day! We will head back to Anchorage for
sights in Alaska’s most modern and largest city.
Day 15: Founded in 1915, Anchorage is a young city with a fascinating
history. Today is our day to SEE and DO Anchorage, starting with a city tour
with a local step-on-guide. We will visit the busiest floatplane harbor,
literally
an airport on the water, watching planes approach and take off on the water.
We’ll stop at Earthquake Park, the site where huge tracts of land slid into the
inlet during the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. We will spend some time
downtown visiting a couple of information centers. Afternoon will see us to
the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which focuses on the five major Native
groups in Alaska. After a full day in Anchorage, we’ll turn in early for our
early
morning flight.
Day 16: No seaplanes for us today, as we go to the International Airport for
our early morning flight home. What a wonderful 16 days of hands on Alaska
and not just a drive by!! You will truly experience what Alaska is all about and
meet the wonderful people of Alaska.