Tuesday, 31 December 2024

Valdez and Seward, Alaska June 2024


During my trip across North Western Canada in June 2024, I drove into Alaska where I took two day trips to by boat:


Valdez:

Meares Glacier, Prince William Sound

Sea Otters
Orcas
Harbor Seal
Sea Lions

Seward:

North Western Fjord


Humpback Whales


Harbor Seals


Steller Sea Lions

Yukon and NWT Canada, and Alaska June 2024


 In June 2023 I flew to Whitehorse, Yukon and rented a Truck Camper. I used this to drive into the Canadian Arctic on the Dempster Highway to The North West Territories and all the way to Tuktoyaktuk on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. I then headed back down the Dempster Highway to Dawson City on the Yukon River where I got some much needed vehicle repairs (the Dempster is a rough gravel road and takes its toll on tyres in particular). I then crossed into Alaska on the Top of the World Highway, where I visited Valdez, Seward and Homer for some wildlife viewing. Finally, I returned to Canada via the Alaska Highway for the end of my adventure.

Tombstone National Park, Yukon
Arctic Circle Sign (I was less than half way to Tuk at this point)

Pingo near Tuktoyaktuk, NWT
End of the road at the Arctic Ocean
Remains of the sea ice
Tuktoyaktuk main street
Ogilvie Ridge on journey back south on Dempster
Tombstone National Park
Top of the World Highway

Views from Alaska Highway 1
Thompson Pass on way to Valdez, Alaska
Yukon River near Whitehorse

Sunday, 10 December 2023

Northern Lights at sea near Trondheim, Norway November 2023

 










Norway Round trip Coastal Voyage Bergen -Kirkenes - Bergen November 2023

In November 2023, I travelled to Norway for the first time, in order to experience a 12 day voyage along 2500 miles of the coastline. I particularly appreciated the time in the Norwegian Arctic, which encompassed the North Cape at 71.2 degrees north, and the Russian border down of Kirkenes in the east. The origins of this trip are with Hurtigruten, and it still acts as a postal service, calling in at 34 ports to deliver supplies to remote settlements. The Norwegian Government recently opened up the route to competition, and I travelled with new operator Havila, who operate four lower impact hybrid battery and LPG ships. I highly recommend this trip. The experience is not a traditional cruise (thankfully, there's no entertainment on board, other than the scenery), and the ship transports locals between ports. The food, was excellent, and the Norwegian crew friendly and considerate. In the winter season, the cost was very reasonable for a country with such a high cost of living. As you will see by my next post, I was also lucky enough to see the northern lights.

Bergen





Geiranger



MV Havila Pollux (Sister Ship)

Trondheim




Bode

Tromso





Havoysund and Nordkapp









Kirkenes


Hammerfest (Northern most town with >10,000 inhabitants in the world)


Stockmarknes

Oslo (I travelled via a very scenic train from Bergen)