Alaska Homeschool Cruise
by 11- year-old Sarah Richie, Conclusion by Susan Richie
Our trip began at the Houston airport. The airport was huge, and it took us a
long time to board our plane. We took our seats and when everyone was on
board the engines roared, then we were in the air. The flight from Texas to
Alaska was seven hours long. We landed in Anchorage, Alaska and then got on
a bus that took us to Whitter. While we were on the bus, we saw moose
happily eating by the road. We also saw eagles that looked like little black and
white spots in the sky.
While waiting in line, I got to see the true size of the ship. I believe
that was the biggest ship I have ever laid eyes on! A few days later we saw
a glacier calving. While we visited Alaska we went to Skagway, Juneau, and
Ketchikan, Alaska. In Skagway we panned for gold like pioneers. In Juneau
we went whale watching for humpback whales. Our grandparents took us on
a Ketchikan dogsled tour. All the dogs were huskies and one dog had puppies.
The big puffs of fur were funny little things. Back on the ship we saw sea
otters swimming and eagles soaring majestically overhead.
Our lovely cruise is at an end. We boarded a bus in Vancouver, Canada.
When we stopped we were at an airport. This airport was not much different
than the Houston airport. They both were like huge malls with air crafts. The
airports were loud with people talking and people on loudspeakers calling out
numbers. Then our number was called out and we boarded the plane. We flew
four hours home. The Alaskan trip was one wonderful week. One week I'll
never forget. - Sarah Richie
Our trip to this vast wilderness was to be by sea. We cruised southbound on
the Island Princess and took the inside passage sailing from Whitter, then to
College Fjord to view glaciers. Next was Glacier Bay National Park, where we
spent the day viewing the Margerie, Grand Pacific Glacier and Johns Hopkins
Glacier. Our next 3 days were moving from port to port, ending our voyage in
Vancouver, Canada, cruising a distance of 1633 nautical miles.
The glaciers calving and these monstrous, living rivers of ice were best seen by
sea. We would enter into the glacier bays and the cruise ship would do a very
slow 360 turn around. A national park ranger gave a talk over the loud speaker
educating us about the glaciers and surrounding sea life. It was serene and
peaceful, yet fascinating and intriguing. We were lucky to witness several
calvings. This is the process of ice breaking from the face of the glacier
meeting the sea. The sound is a cracking, then followed by a roar with a
resulting plunge into the bay breaking the serenity of the moment. The Tlingit
people call it "White Thunder". It's spectacular!
In Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan we would spend the day exploring and
board the ship that evening. The many choices of activities are limited only by
time and finances. There are shore excursions for every pocket book or just
take a map and explore as the shore excursions can take much of the day.
With so much to see and learn about, the best advice is to research your port
cities before going, or just go, enjoy and don't be concerned about taking it all
in.
From a homeschooler's perspective there are several options for
"edutainment". Our philosophy is to try to learn while enjoying ourselves and
that was easy on this trip. We focused on general history of Alaska and the
push for gold in establishing many of these towns. We read several books,
fiction and nonfiction in anticipation of the trip. The time waiting and
anticipating a trip like this is a wonderful motivator to learn. On the cruise,
there were age specific activities for the children with science incorporated by
the California Science Center. We also participated in a Junior Ranger
Program. The children completed a series acitivities and then in a spontaneous
ceremony at the park information center they were "inducted" as junior park
rangers. Link to www.nps.gov and search for junior ranger program. Island
Princess also had Onboard Naturalists and Park Rangers visit the children's
classes.
Books read in anticipation of trip - "The Happy Holisters and the Mystery of the
Totem Faces", "The Bite of the Gold Bug" by Barthe Declements, "Artic Lights
Arctic Nights" by Debbie S. Miller( this is a simple book about the time
changes), audio book "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George
Ship Education: forward, aft, starboard, port, embark, disembark, sextant; also
go to at least one formal dinner night to practice manners in a formal situation.
Historical significance: steamship S.S. Excelsior arrived in San Francisco on
July 14th, 1897;
Klondike gold rush; Alaska gold rushes-1897-1904, Alaska acquired from Russia
in 1867.
Sarah and Susan Richie
Hubbard Glacier
Alaska's longest tidewater glacier is Hubbard Glacier. It's the largest calving
glacier on the North American continent. Hubbard is very active, so if you've
come to see "calving", this is the place.
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| Homeschool Travel Resource |
