July 2016 Alaska criuse and overland trip

[skip_wilson]

<p>Hi All,<br>

Several family members and I are planning an Alaskan trip in mid July 2016. We are taking the Northern Passages and Glacier Bay cruise through Un-Cruise tours from Juneau to Sitka over 7 days. That itinerary is pretty well set but I am wondering what suggestions you have for an extra 1-1/2 week extension after the cruise on to the mainland? We plan to go to Denali from Anchourage but I don't know the time frame required and have heard a rail tour via viewing cars is less hassle than renting a van. Are there particular rail tour companies to use? Does that 1-1/2 week time frame after the criuse allow a trip to the Kenai Pennisula as well to make it worth it as well and with whom?<br>

I am taking my LowePro Minitrekker backpack with my Nikon D7100 along with my Nikkor 16-85 and Nikkor 70-200 f4 lenses but don't see myself renting or using any longer telephoto than that. Would you suggest getting a tele extender ring eg Nikon 1.4X and/or are there some other less expensive but just as quality brands out there that meter and focus with my D7100? I, of course, will have my Bogen 3221 tripod with Kirk 2 Ballhead so I have agreed to carry the weight around a bit as I have over the years for a shot. <br>

I would appreciate any thoughts. Thank you. Skip Wilson</p>

[john_h.1]

<p>Obviously with a rail tour there is no control over when and where you can shoot or even pause to do so when something suitable comes. For sightseeing, its pleasant. For photography, IMO, almost pointless. Almost, I say, because there may stops there may be for things to do or photograph which may provide some opportunities.<br /><br />As for a van of several families members, that is problematic as well. They will want to see places so you get to do that and some stop offs will likely occur but patience and accommodation for serious photography, which takes time and being at the right pace at the right time. is unlikely. Which is totally understandable as one person dominating the schedule and making people wait around is typically undesired.<br /><br />If you can get away on your own for a day or two (long days as nighttime then is so limited) then you are in good shape to cover Kenai and Turnagain Arm which has maybe the most stuff in a manageable area. Denali will be much better if you are there when it is not overcast and, unless you get to hike a bit, you will be shooting some pics from the side of the road if you can stop for such things. If you go with that kind of gang of family, you will most likely be stuck going to Talkeetna which is a tiny tourist trap with some stores and a few restaurants or so. You can sneak in a few good off beat pics walking around there if you are creative. <br /><br />If you can't get your own rental car (which is very expensive there) your best bet is probably to use the van while others are kicking back for the night at the lodging. It will be daylight untill around 11 pm or so and also at wee like hours in the morning. Otherwise, you are along for the ride, literally. Which isn't necessarily bad for photography as you can make some awesome family vacation photos which everyone can enjoy for years to come rather than typical snapshots.</p>

[User_6502147]

<p>Considering your situation, it does not appear that you'll have time for any sort of exploratory or contemplative photography.</p>

<p>That said, you might be able to hook up with Greyline (Holland of America) tours, which would get you on a viewing rail car and then on a bus in the park. I'm assuming some of it, so it would be best to contact these folks. Personally, I'd rent a van, since it gives you much more freedom to stop or explore....not necessarily unlimited (considering being with others). The down side of a van-travel is that you need to set up lodging ahead of time.</p>

<p>For the most part you are covered, as far as photo eq is concerned, but sometimes you spot an animal or subject that's far away and only 150-600 can cover that distance. This is a crapshoot and one simply never knows when such optic is needed. It's up to you to determine whether 420mm is enough (w/1.4 extender) or if renting 150-600 will be next to you and mostly unused (?).</p>

<p>If that was me, I'd rent the lens, since these sorts of trips don't happen every month :>). Who knows, you might run into one of these....in Homer.</p>

<p>Les<br>

</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Much to cover here. First, for Alaska in July, take a good mosquito repellent (DEET-based). The AK mosquitoes hurt when they bite - worst bite I've encountered - but the venom is surprisingly wimpy. An hour after being bitten, the bump and the itch were gone! But they ain't fun. Don't get it on plastic camera parts - it can harm plastic.<br>

If anyone in your party works for an employer that has a contract with a rental car company for lower rates on company travel, ask that employer if the contract can also be used by employees on personal travel - a lot do. I saved a bunch - got a rental car for half what I could find thru travel websites like expedia and others. Worth checking.<br>

I have no experience with the rail tours, but I also suspect they wouldn't be well suited to photography. About a mile north of the entrance to Denali NP, there are 3 nice hotels operated by cruise lines. The train stops at the park entrance, and each hotel runs shuttles to and from the station and the park. It can be done, but it wouldn't be much to my likely as a camera nut.<br>

If you rent a car, hunt thru your local bookstores or go online and get a copy of this year's Milepost. It's a telephone-book-sized catalog of everything you'll find along every mile of public road in Alaska (almost inch by inch). It offers better information and is more helpful in planning your driving than any state map could ever be. I got mine at a local Barnes & Noble.<br>

10 days on land is enough to divide between the Kenai Peninsula and Denali as long as you are not too ambitious. For example, I recommend skipping the drive down to Homer as being too time consuming within your plans. You'll use a day getting from Seward on the Kenai Peninsula to Denali (over 350 miles, around 7 driving hours).<br>

South of Anchorage: I recommend a day cruise out of Whittier into Prince William Sound (haven't done so personally) or in the Kenai Fjords NP out of Seward (done that - amazing trip). Take a day-long trip, not a short 2-3 hour one that doesn't get very far. Good for whales, glaciers, and probably eagles, otters, etc. Also, since you aren't interested in getting a long, long lens for wildlife, I suggest a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservancy Center. It's at the eastern end of Turnagain Arm on the way from Anchorage to Seward. There you can see much of the wildlife that Alaska is famous for close enough to get decent shots with the lenses you have.<br>

North of Anchorage: I suggest skipping Talkeetna unless you want to take a flight to see Mt McKinley. Other than being the principal starting point for those flights, it's a touristy town with a few restaurants and t-shirt shops. For accommodations, the cruise line hotels are nice, but if they are more than you want to spend (they were for me), search the Healy area. It's about 10 miles north of the park. We stayed at a place called the Denali Park hotel (sounds like it's in the park, but there are no hotels in the park) - it was clean, large room, very comfortable, and a lot more affordable than the cruise hotels. In Denali, they use traditional school buses for shuttles and tours. The Kantishna Shuttle goes from the visitor center all the way to the end of the road (90 miles) and back in a long day (8 Am to 830 PM for us). The driver will stop if an animal is spotted, but the driver will point out that driving is more important than watching for animals, so it's up to the riders to shout out when they see an animal, and the driver will stop. They'll also stop for a photo op for scenery if asked to. If you do this trip, you have to take lunch with you - ask at the place where you are staying and they'll hook you up with a box lunch. Going up or coming back, stop in Denali State Park. It's on the south side of the Alaska Range (and the opposite side from the NP). If the weather cooperates, you can see the mountain from it's base at about 400 ft above sea level to its top at 20,400 ft. <br>

Gear: If you get a 1.4X teleconverter, you'll use it, and not just for animals. If you don't want spend a lot (who does?), I recommend going to KEH.com and looking for a Kenko Pro 300 - their 1.4X is very good and KEH sells good used stuff with a warranty at very fair prices (no, I don't work for them). You can get the Kenko from them a lot cheaper than a Nikon brand and way less than a new Nikon TC. If you have another camera body, such as an older model left over from upgrading to your D7100, take it with you. First, don't let a camera malfunction leave you camera-less on the trip of a lifetime. And second, you can put your 16-85 on one body and the 70-200 with a TC on the other and be ready for anything as it happens. You'll miss animal shots trying to change lenses - it's much easier and faster to change cameras. I had my 16-85 on one body and 80-400D on the other and never swapped lenses for the 2 weeks we were there. Helps keep foreign substances out of the camera, too.<br>

I also suggest getting a waterproof case like those made by Gepe (if you don't have some already) to store memory cards. You will probably take more photos per day than you ever have before, so take plenty of cards with you (don't miss shots because you ran out!). Waterproof storage is entirely appropriate in a wet climate like Alaska. I also took a way to back up the cards so I had duplicate storage of everything. Paranoia has been keeping our species alive for millions of years, and I'm a firm believer in using it.<br>

You won't be able to set up the tripod on the boat because of space limitations among the other passengers, but you can use with the legs together as a monopod. If you do this, rest the bottom on the top of your foot and n ot on the deck. That will isolate the tripod from engine vibrations transmitted throughout the ship. You might also ask the staff photographers on board (pretty much every ship has one or more) where on the ship will be the best vantage point for shooting an upcoming feature - in addition to getting useful info, you could find yourself invited to a spot that passengers normally don't get to (no guarantees on that).</p>

 

[john_h.1]

<p>Its probably inevitable that Talkeetna is in Skip's future.</p>

[skip_wilson]

<p>Bob,<br>

You mentioned not taking the time to drive to Homer on the Kenai due to time constraints. Am I missing much on the drive there or in seeing Homer vs. Seward, the town, and the Kenai Fjords NP cruises out of there and the Alaska Wildlife Conservancy Center? Does it take long to get to the Turnagain Arm to access those Fjord NP cruises? Does Soldatna offer anything in particular to offset the time it takes to get there if one weren't going on to Homer? Thank you in advance. Your last post was very helpful. Skip</p>

[photomark]

Hey Skip,

 

I'm in Anchorage and get out and about from time to time. It wasn't clear from your post — does your cruise finish in

Sitka? Is the plan to fly to Anchorage and drive from there?

 

Turnagain Arm is the body of water just south of Anchorage. As soon as you leave Anchorage to the south, you are

driving along Turnagain Arm. If you continue, you will drive along the coast for about 45 minutes until you hit Girdwood,

which is a ski town in the winter. In the summer, you can take the life up the mountain, which on a clear day has great

views. Girdwood also has decent food. Although spendy, helicopter trips from Girdwood over the Chugach mountains are

unbelievable.

 

Continuing, you'll pass a turn off to Whittier which offers access to Prince William Sound. It's the clostest jumping off

point for kayaking, fishing, and glacier cruises to Anchorage. It's about an hour drive. Whittier is accessed via a one-lane

tunnel, which means inbound and outbound traffic alternates on a schedule. It's worth plannning around the schedule in

advance if you don't want to park for an hour. Portage Lake is a quick and easy stop along the Whittier turn-off before you get to the

tunnel. On a good day wind blows icebergs from the glacier at the end of the lake to the accessible shore by the road

and visitor center.

 

If you continue south past Whittier you can either turn off toward Seward or head to Homer. Soldatna doesn't have a lot

of flashing stuff unless you want to fish the Kenai river (world class rainbow trout and salmon), but it has big grocery

stores and gas, so it's good for a quick stop.

 

If you instead head north, the Matanuska glacier is a nice side trip. It's a little out of the way if you're heading to Denali,

but no too bad. Guides will give you crampons, axes, and instructions and take you on a glacier trek. It's good for the

whole family (8 years-old and up), and has some spectacular photo ops.

 

Of course, any time you can get in the air on a clear day, Alaska will blow you away. The flight seeing out of Talkeetna to

Denali is truly spectacular. Operators from Homer (and probably Kenai/Soldatna as well) can take you across Cook Inlet to see bears on the Coast of Lake

Clark N.P and buzz the glacier-capped volcanoes.