A Northwestern Autum
It's only the third week of August, but a living carpet of blazing yellow - fall foliage! - covers the hillsides crowded with birch and aspen. On the higher hills here in Alaska's Denali National Park, a little white "termination dust," the early snowfall that signals the approaching end of the season, sparkles in the sunshine. A cow moose browses in the underbrush, only her head and shoulders visible as we enjoy the view from the Park's only road. The fresh, cool air smells, and feels, wonderful. A quest for the glories of autumn begins early in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. While the image of the Great Land is deep green evergreen forests, much of Alaska's Interior is primarily deciduous, and the color turns very dramatically indeed. As we traveled up by Cruise West motorcoach north from Anchorage toward Denali, huge swathes of terrain were bright yellow tinged with orange. Six weeks later, and nearly 2,000 miles to the southeast, we're enjoying a casual weeklong cruise from Seattle aboard small-ship line Cruise West's Spirit of Columbia on the coast of British Columbia. There's plenty of evergreen here, too, but the abundant maples and other deciduous species have turned color, and the island shorelines are a gorgeous quilt of red, orange, and dark green. From the densely planted, lush gardens of Victoria and Vancouver to the wilderness waterways of Desolation Sound, even high atop Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, we find autumn at its best - a true Pacific Northwest idyll.
The Cruise ship Alternative:
Subject: Alaska - Press Release
For Immediate Release:
http://www.seiberspace.com/Alaska/ - a good walkthrough of the boat and what you can expect to see on your trip done by one of our passengers
Contact: John Swanson
Company Name: All Aboard Yacht Charters
Phone: 1-800-767-1024
Email: allaboard@alaskacharters.com
Website: www.alaskacharters.com
If you're tired of being just a number on a mega cruise ship, explore Alaska aboard the Classic Yacht Discovery with just 10 other passengers. This small, intimate yacht allows the crew to get to know you by name, and it also allows you get up close and personal with the bears, whales, and glaciers like no large cruise ship could.
All Aboard Yacht Charters has been providing the ultimate wildlife, natural history and fishing expedition style cruises in Alaska’s inside passage since 1981. Catering to small groups of no more than 10 passengers on our scheduled 8 day cruises you’ll see all Alaska has to offer in an intimate setting where nature has a front row seat. Whale watching, bear viewing, glacier tours, walking in magical rain forests, fishing and kayaking are just some of our daily activities. The real Alaska “up close and personal”.
Our Crew includes a USCG Licensed Captain / Naturalist ( with 30 years cruising experience in Alaska) , a 1st Mate, A Gourmet Chef and Steward. The Classic yacht Discovery has 6 clean comfortable private staterooms, a beautiful teak dining and main salons a covered fantail lounge and excellent decks for viewing wildlife. The yacht carries 4 sea kayaks, a rowing skiff and 2 Boston whalers for shore excursions and fishing. The vessel has all the modern conveniences and the latest safety equipment. All Aboard Yacht Charters has permits to Southeast, Alaska's two bear observatories both Anan and Pack Creek. Both are limited entry and offer unparallel bear viewing opportunities. As one of Southeast, Alaska's longest term eco tour operators our permits issued by the US Forest Service allow us shore access to many of these remote areas where our shore excursions are always a highlight of our trips. Admiralty Island "the Fortress of the Bears" where bears outnumber people is one such place.
For those select few people who really want to see and experience the best of Alaska, the grandeur of Alaska we do have the Alaska Small Ship Cruise for you. We were one of the very first eco tour operators in Southeast Alaska. Many things have changed since then, however, one thing remains constant and that is our desire to do the best possible Alaska Cruise we can. We know the area better than any other tour operator and will endeavor to make this the most memorable vacation experience of your lives.We love Alaska, it's beauty, it's wildlife, it's raw nature. We care deeply about the impact we have as tour operators on the fragile Eco system. The animals we observe we consider friends rather than objects, we are the uninvited guests, after all.
What our passengers have said:
"In all the traveling I've done in all the trips I've taken, I don't think any has affected me the way my trip down the 1000 miles of the inside passage did. I felt truly alive in the embrace of nature, felt that I was a part of it - that it wasn't something outside of me, something for me to use, even something for me to protect the way I'd protect a valued possession. It's never been harder, or seemed more wrong to come home." Jim Molanar
"John, You are a kindred soul. Your sharing of feelings and knowledge of the world you love allow others to truly see Alaska for what she is. A place that puts a persons world and life into perspective. I know this to be true because it happened to me. Jeanne and I both agreed that this was the vacation we enjoyed the most and hopefully we will do it again, we just want to continue receiving the rewards that the "Discovery has to offer. Thanks and the best always, Glenn"
"To the Crew, Yes I can name you all, but to do so would seem to put you in order of importance. Each & everyone of you have made this trip a great experience. You all have your part that you handled. Thanks forever for an experience that I will not forget. The wildlife, the fishing, the food, the camaraderie will not be lost or forgotten. God Bless this boat and all of you. Peggy Sue & Will "
Thank you, John Swanson
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With summer vacation almost here, I decided to start looking for a unique place to travel. Tired of the usual beach vacations, my husband and I decided that we would like to go somewhere new this year.
Not wanting to get our passports renewed, we wanted to stay in the US. And so our search began. Limiting our search to something we have never done before, we decided that we wanted to go make the outdoors a focus on this trip. Not the usual outdoors buffs, with any hiking experience or anything under our belt, we decided that a nature cruise type vacation was just what we needed.
We decided to go for – the <a href="http://www.theboatcompany.com/discover_alaska.php">Alaska inside passage cruise small boat tour</a>. I researched a ton of <a href="http://www.theboatcompany.com/your_experience.php">Alaska cruise vacations</a> and we were set.
The company we chose is known for partnering with <a href="http://www.theboatcompany.com/blog">Sustainable Tourism Alaska</a>, and after visiting, we know why. The scenery is stunning, and you will see a variety of wildlife, glaciers, and other things not found elsewhere in the US.
For anyone wanting to vacation somewhere unique this year, I highly recommend the <a href="http://www.theboatcompany.com/discover_alaska.php">Alaska fishing trips with cruise</a>. You truly won't regret it.