Alaska Vacation Now Is The Time!

Submitted by: Sue Tyler

Just look at all you can choose to see during Alaska vacations.

You can visit Iditarod Headquarters on Alaska cruises to learn about the “Last Great Race on Earth,” the 1050-mile dogsled race through the forests of Alaska. Even after airplanes were invented, dog teams continued to be widely used for local transportation and local work, particularly in the Native villages. By the 60s, the advent of the snowmobile had resulted in the mass abandonment of sledding and loss of much mushing lore. In 1967, on the 100th anniversary of Alaska becoming a U.S. Territory after being purchased from Russia, the idea was conceived to have a sled dog race over the historically significant Iditarod Trail. The race is a reconstruction of the freight route to Nome and commemorates the part that sled dogs played in the settlement of Alaska, with the mushers travelling from checkpoint to checkpoint much as freight mushers did 80 years ago! Learning this vital part of history is a fascinating element of the best Alaska cruises.

Cruising The Inside Passage!

Imagine yourself on a cruise to Alaska, seeing the Inside Passage in a deep-draft vessel and sailing close to steep mountain walls. Where else can you see comparable scenery? Stand at the rail and be mesmerized by forests in a hundred shades of green, be spellbound by tumbling turquoise glaciers. Imagine seeing beautiful 7,000 foot mountain peaks and nearly vertical rock cliffs. During travel to Alaska see the Tracy Arm – a narrow 26 mile long fjord, 1,200 feet deep at its deepest point, and one of Alaska’s most dramatic glacier settings. Tucked away at the end of this remarkable waterway are two very active reminders of the Ice Age – the twin Sawyer Glaciers, calving icebergs into the jade-colored inland sea. On 2012 Alaska cruises listen to the ice creak as it thaws, or hear the sound of the many waterfalls along the waterway. Kittiwakes, mountain goats and seals are a common sight. Whales and bears may even make an appearance in this magical place, a wonderful feature of Alaska cruise deals! a cruise to Alaska 2012!

The Many Charms of Juneau!

Nestled at the feet of snowcapped Mt. Juneau, Alaska’s stunning state capital is nicknamed”Little San Francisco” because of its narrow streets and flights of wooden steps hugging the hillside on which its multicolored houses are built. On many Alaska cruise deals you can take the Mt. Roberts Tramway up 1,800 feet to see sweeping views of downtown and the Gastineau channel, then explore the mountaintop complex with its extensive trail system, Nature Center, bald eagle exhibit, bear viewing platforms, shop and craft displays. Try salmon baked over an alderwood fire, or try your hand at panning for gold. Flightsee the Juneau Ice Field, where you imagine stepping back two million years to the era when shaggy mammoths roamed the West. Walk up to the Mendenhall Glacier just outside the city limits, looking across an iceberg-dotted lake at an enormous ice field flowing down the valley in a glacier that ends at lake’s edge. Liven up your Alaska cruise and try your hand at sea kayaking on Mendenhall Lake. Go whale watching, hoping to spot some of the 600 humpbacks which inhabit local waters, or possibly an orca, or killer whale, common to Juneau. There are amazing choices available in Juneau when you ask when to cruise Alaska!

About the Author: If you are thinking about planning any travel to Alaska, remember that late spring to early summer is a great time to find Alaska cruise deals.Visit

boomer-travel.newsvine.com/

for more information.

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isnare.com

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