Hey Matt -
As you know, Jenny and I just returned from our Alaskan cruise – this was no ordinary cruise! We had
no interest in spending our trip to Alaska sitting beneath a jumbotron, looking out the window at the last frontier, we wanted something more intimate, and we found it!
We cruised for 7 days from Sitka to Juneau with The Boat Company aboard the Mist Cove, a small, 12 cabin fishing ship with 3 skiffs on board! It was love at first sight. The ship was incredible. The cabins were huge, the beds comfy, and each cabin had its own private bathroom. It was more than enough space for two people and all the gear we brought with us.
We started out heading north out of Sitka and the views were incredible; the setting sun to the west lit up the mountains to the east and the water was smooth as glass. Each night we anchored in a private bay (impossible for large ships to access) and each morning we got to choose from a list of activities ranging from kayaking, canoeing, hiking, fishing, or just camping out at the open bar. It was hard to pick!
I couldn’t believe the food. The ship not only had an amazing cook on board,
but also a pastry chef, so each day we had fresh breads, muffins, rolls – you name it. It was really quite impressive. I would have been thrilled with a granola bar and a firm pat on the back, but the assortment of food they served was beyond my wildest expectations. Every day we had fresh fruits, breads, halibut (that we caught), shrimp (that we caught) and crab (that we caught). The last night aboard the ship we had the single largest filet mignon I’ve ever seen. Believe me, none of the guests left hungry.
The crew was always ready to serve us; anything we needed, whenever we needed it. They waited on us, straightened up our rooms, took care of launching the skiffs, canoes and kayaks, and guided us on our fishing trips and hikes – they did everything. I can’t say enough about them. I think it was the first time in 35 years somebody else baited my hook!
It was pretty incredible waking up to the most amazing scenery I’ve ever seen, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting on the bow watching grizzly bears forage on the shoreline…..then eating breakfast and hiking the trails the bears left on. It was all very exciting. Being surrounded by rain forest covered mountains while watching eagles fly by or whales filling the air with mist was truly something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
No TV’s, no phones, no computers, no internet. I left my phone on the charger at my house and never once missed it.
My description of this experience really doesn’t do it justice. The scenery was incredible, the wildlife (bears, whales, seals, eagles, ravens, porpoises, ducks, geese….I guess the only thing we didn’t see much of was other people!), the fishing, the hikes, all simply incredible, beyond words. This was by far the coolest experience of my life.
One week away from the monotony of big city life wasn’t enough. Riding on a skiff through icebergs on the way to a glacier is something I could do every day. Telling Jenny that catching a 45 pound halibut
(her first fish ever!) – “isn’t typical”, went over about as well as our guide making her kiss it for luck! Yuck!
I only had one complaint about the whole trip – they made me get off the boat at the end of the week.
We really enjoyed our trip and we couldn’t have done it without our friends and co-workers at Travel Beyond. You guys are the best!
A very relaxed,
Lee Mikkelson
