Alaska Fishing Vacation

One of our most popular voyage options, the Alaska Fishing Vacation and Sightseeing Cruise allows you to enjoy the phenomenal fishing we have here in Southcentral Alaska, in combination with our extraordinary scenery and wildlife.

Alaska is truly a fishing paradise and Southcentral Alaska is the mecca of that glory. Here we have everything to make your Alaska Fishing Vacation and sightseeing cruise unforgettable - the muscle burning, rod bending halibut, all five species of line peeling, reel screaming salmon, our ravenous predators of the deep, lingcod, numerous species of delicious rockfish and the powerful, fast and furious salmon shark. Add to that our breathtaking scenery - including magnificent glaciers, cascading waterfalls, and the aurora borealis, our incredible wildlife comprising everything from majestic marine mammals to dazzling birds and stunning land animals, you will have a vacation that is beyond compare.

Imagine cruising through magnificent deep water fjords, watching the mighty orcas and the acrobatic humpback whales as they frolic in the pristine waters of Prince William Sound – and then testing your angling skills with our athletic silver salmon! Our chef will expertly prepare your catch for you that evening while you and your family and friends enjoy gazing at an awe-inspiring tide-water glacier calving into the sea!

Explore black sand beaches, hike through untamed wilderness guided by our highly skilled and knowledgeable crew or take a walk through our northernmost temperate rainforest. Relax with family and friends in a breathtaking cove, then step out on the back deck to “wet a line.” FISH ON! You land a 60 pound halibut as bald eagles circle overhead to enjoy the show. The next day the overwhelming beauty continues to dazzle you as we cruise along, while the Dall Porpoise swim playfully alongside the bow.

We watch the Stellar Sea lions as they haul out onto rocky islands while we fish for some delicious lingcod and rockfish. As we cruise to our anchorage for the evening we spot bears dining on the plethora of pink salmon burgeoning from a nearby stream. You go to sleep that night thinking of the wonderful adventures you have shared; looking forward to tomorrow’s exciting explorations!

Article Source: http://www.alaskawildernessvoyages.com/alaska_fishing_vacation_and_sightseeing_cruise.asp

Why People Find Their Alaskan Cruise So Enticing

By Michael Klerck

I am not at all amazed to see so many articles on cruising in Alaska. While it is disturbing to see no fewer than 4 gigantic liners in the small port of Ketchikan at one time, for instance, they do seem to time their arrival so that our shore excursion into a tropical forest (yes tropical) was as memorable as promised.

There is simply nothing like cruising. When the aeroplane in the seventies threatening the industry and I watched the ships slowly disappear I was sad. Witnessing a resurgence in cruising and a plethora of wonderful ship being launched - more in the last five years than in decades before - I have been delighted to join the eager fraternity that sets sail regularly.

We chose Alaska because we wanted to visit North America for the first time. But also because it sounded so exotic - it would be, coming from South Africa.

It was nothing short of breathtaking. But it was also the ship itself - Holland America's Volendam that made it especially so. Imagine sitting in a leather chair nine storeys up in an observation lounge with 270 degree views. Imagine this in almost utter silence, while the ship glides through a narrow passage, with less than 100 metres on either side - we could hear the waterfalls, see the wildlife, and watch in amazement as whales and seals swam passed us. When she approach a 'corner' my naval instincts and ocean experience that goes back 30 years said no.
How was she going to negotiate what was literally a corner up ahead? Keep in mind this was the largest ship I had ever embarked - over 70 000 tonnes. I ran downstairs to call my wife, and we both watched in amazement as her engine pods (much like movable outboard motors) and bow thrusters allowed her to sail through effortlessly. I simply shook my head.

When we reached the glacier it was an experience that was quite simply humbling. All the statistics about the melting ice and the glacier itself retreating many metres each year were disturbing, but then again it was as a result of this that we could approach and enter what was now a 'modern' bay - not accessible 20 years ago. In fact because of the sophisticated engines and designs, few ships, even with much less tonnage, have been able to negotiate the narrow passages and actually turn around when they get there.

I delighted in videoing how the captain, by using a pencil sized joystick, was able to program the ship so that she turned so silently and slowly over a period of an hour, without any movement forwards or backwards. I wondered if my small frigate, of just 2500 tonnes, from the South African Navy in 1973 might have done this - I think not. Passengers on the bow, and those sitting astern were then afforded a view of the entire bay and the cathedral-like walls of the glacier itself as the ship turned slowly in the streaming sunshine of the Alaskan summer. The glacier itself was somewhat daunting - with pieces of ice ready to calve - we desperately hoped a large one would break off and crash with thunderous applause into the mottled green bay, but alas only slivers did so on that particular day. We were acutely aware that our very presence added to the environmental changes, but were somehow willing to compromise in order to live the moment - so much like most of us on our endangered planet.

In fact the entire cruising programme must be for many people, not excluding the planners and ships owners, somewhat of a dilemma - hundreds of summer cruises a year do take their toll - the air pollution itself is a factor. But owners and cruise operators do everything they can to minimize the effect - cigarette butts are a serious no-no, for example; don't even think of throwing one overboard, and I have do doubt that with technology, our gargantuan liner was probably less guilty of environmental impact than my teeny frigate all those years ago.

Skagway gives one a chance to take a memorable train ride up over the start of the Rockies and into Canada - one follows the path up the mountain on which hundreds of pack animals fell to their death as a result of their owner's greed for gold. We were simply delighted at the Humpback Whale food festival out in the bay at Juneau - Alaska's capital (the only one in the world that is not accessible by road). This 'shore excursion' of about three hours was well worth it - our small boat captain guaranteed, with typical American marketing gusto, that we would see them feed. And we did. What a feast! The glaciers retreated with the last ice age and carved a vertical passage down into the bay, meaning that the shoreline has a vertical drop of hundreds of metres into the sea. It was here that a family of Humpbacks secured their lunch with their sophisticated methods of diving and bubble netting their small prey.

Believe it or not, we experienced some disappointment with regard to wildlife. One can see more whales, and really up close, in October to January in Cape Town and surrounds than we did in Alaska. We were constantly reminded that on the multitude of islands we passed on the inside passage (essential method of cruising) that for each square kilometre there was one bear. Sadly, or luckily we encountered and saw not one. I turned to my wife one day and knew what she was thinking. For all the wilderness angle pursued by brochures and guides, we realized how privileged we were to live in a country with the greatest concentration of life on the planet.

Alaska seem almost desert-like, but from this aspect only.

We did visit a salmon farm and see beautiful eagles. The whale feeding-frenzy (not something we get back home - they entertain us back there with circus tricks in the water) is now edited and copied to a much viewed DVD back home, and we realized that Alaska was not necessarily (for us, that was) a memorable wildlife experience.

But boy, it sure put on another display. One cannot visit without feeling one has been transported to a world of sublime and inexorably, stark, and primordial beauty. It is here, as with other 'last frontiers' that the world of yester era can be experienced. The beauty is both harsh and delicate, a place where ancient forces: enemies and allies met and struggled. I shall not easily forget the sun dispersing dark and ominous clouds, just in time for us to bask in its rays and then literally gasp at the spectacularly beautiful colours that the sunshine itself was able to entice from the seemingly cold and austere glacier.

She, the sun, seemed to thrust herself down onto the orchestra of icy protrusions and phallic structures, like an excited conductor might charge at his musicians with his baton, evoking their hidden talents.

We found our very spirits dancing with every ray that fell and in some weird neurological space my brain did somersaults. I remembered the testimony of a LSD-taking friend years back, and his description of how he 'heard' a sunset and could see colours in sounds. Here Nature was the intoxicating influence, and I swore blind that night that I had smelt the very colours that danced on the back of the retreating glacier, and heard every moan of the pristine and exquisitely beautiful blue that shimmered in every crevice and corner of the dazzling bay!

It is a wonder that many of these cruises are so inexpensive (I hate to use the word cheap). On the cusp of summer - April/August, September one can find them for as little as $499 - an entire week of sublime luxury and relaxation.

Amazingly, with at least four meals a day, and at least one gourmet tray of delights at 2am, my wife and I actually lost weight! The food was nothing short of spectacular and while my wife faithfully journeyed through the entire menu each night, my waiter soon appeased my strange penchant for dining by serving no fewer than three small main courses from around the world. I would certainly not have been able to afford such delights in Paris of Vienna, some not even back home.

Choose your cruise line carefully; while Holland America's passenger list averaged around 45 in age, a small family of kids had the children's program and a full-time child minder to themselves - a distinct advantage. But if it's love, sex and rock 'n roll you're after you might like to take a peek at Carnival or a cruise line that majors in another kind of wildness. Personally I would prefer this type of party cruise in the Med, Caribbean or Mexico. Somehow the breathtaking setting of Alaska itself demands a quiet and humble respect, more in tune with sipping whiskies, and silently walking on the upper deck in the clean, ancient air.

Whatever your choice, go you must. You will not be the same again.

Michael Klerck is a freelance writer and winner of the coveted Mondi Paper Magazine Writer's Award for work in Men's Health, South Africa. His website,
http://www.luxurylinerholidays.com gives advise, tips, tricks and information on cruising the world's oceans.

Travel Nursing Jobs in Alaska

By Anirban Bhattacharya

Travel nursing is one of the fastest growing segments of the nursing industry apart from being a major source of employment in the state of Alaska. Travel nursing, a concept, has gained significant popularity throughout this area, because of the overall shortage of registered nurses in these parts of the country and the overall stagnancy of the salary structures for nurses.

Travel nurses are usually registered by various specialized nursing agencies, which send them on contracts to their clients. The nursing agency usually supplies the travel nurses with housing and travel expenses and takes care of the licensing, benefits and payroll services while the hospitals, nursing homes or suitable clients fills the position temporarily and the nurse gets paid above market wages to work and live in a new region.

Most contracts are of shorter duration unlike permanently employed nurses. Moreover, the contracts vary from agency to agency and also the clients for who travel nurses are being sent. Typical assignment for a travel nurse may range anything between 8 weeks and 26 weeks.
These short term assignments may be renewed in many cases and may sometimes extend for longer periods as agreed.

Very often travel nursing agencies make arrangements for travel nursing jobs so that a travel nurse can be permanently positioned in a hospital or nursing home if both the client and the agency agree upon this. However, mostly these vacancies are temporary and anyone desiring to serve as a travel nurse should be mentally prepared to work in this type of agreement. In fact, the very name ‘travel nurse’ signifies a nurse who has to extensively travel to clients’ facility to offer her expertise, and this is the benefit of being a travel nurse…you do get an opportunity to see places and also get paid while visiting the wonderful country.

Myself webmaster of http://www.healthcareseeker.com dealing as Travel Nurse Agency for travel nursing jobs, travel nursing career, travel nursing employment by the certified travel nursing company.

Anchorage Alaska

By Ronald Dorfcob

The city of Anchorage was originally laid out by city planners in the year 1914 and it was originally intended to be a railway construction port for the Alaska railroad. During the initial period, the city’s economy was dependent on the railroad for its survival and growth. However, between the 1930s and 1950s the city saw a surge in air transportation. The Merrill Field opened in the year 1930 and Anchorage International Airport opened in the year 1951. With the construction of Elmendorf Air Base and the Fort Richardson in the early 1940s, the city’s importance as a military base increased manifold.

The city was hit by a massive earthquake on March 27th 1964 that had a magnitude of about 9.2 on the Richter scale that claimed the lives of 115 citizens.

The city’s fledgling economy received a massive boost in 1968 when oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay. In the year of 1975 the Anchorage was merged with Girdwood, Eagle River, Glen Alps and many other communities. This merger expanded the city which is now officially known as Municipality of Anchorage.

People of Anchorage enjoy short cool summers- the average daytime temperatures in the summer range from 55-78 degrees of Fahrenheit. However, average daytime temperature in the winters can drop down as low as 5 degree Fahrenheit. The city gets a fair amount of snowfall in the winter, and it may range from several feet of snow to just two or three feet that gives rise to accident prone conditions in the streets.

According to the 2000 census the city has a population of about 260,283 and the population of the Anchorage Municipality comprises forty percent of Alaska’s total population. This city is ethnically diverse and has a harmonious blend of different cultures- the majority being the white followed by the native Alaskans and a few other ethnic groups.

There are total 94,822 households in this big city and the houses are moderately priced.
Anchorage is a major port city that receives about 95% of all major freight supplies entering the city. In addition to this, the city is also a major railroad hub. Major industries include Petroleum and Tourism- nearly every tourist must pass through Anchorage at some stage of their journey in Alaska. Summer is a busy tourist season and the city becomes crowded with tourists during this period.

The city is well connected to the rest of the world via air, railroads and the sea. The city is just six miles away from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, and is served by several well known airlines. The city is also well connected by efficient rail services and bus lines.
Various freeways crisscross the city connecting to distant parts of Alaska.

The city provides great housing options with homes that suit all kinds of pockets. The real estate industry has witnessed a big surge in the prices and the land prices are expected to rise by the end of this year.

If you plan to get your dream home in this city, do not waste any more time and get in touch with the local real estate agents to make your dream come true. Additionally, be sure to speak with a mortgage professional to ensure that you are looking for homes that you can afford!

MyRefi.com offers an extensive amount of Anchorage AK Real Estate information. Search for Anchorage Borough AK Real Estate or get preapproved for a Alaska Mortgage today!

Alaska Cruise Vacation - Top 10 Reasons for Taking an Alaskan Cruise Vacation

By George Alarcon

There are so many reasons to go on an Alaskan cruise. I have only listed what I consider the top 10.

1. Witness mountainous glaciers, huge sky-blue icebergs, killer whales, lumbering moose, rainforest fjords, grizzly bears, bald eagles, ice fields, lumberjacks, caribou, otters, seals, dolphins, and much more.

2. Visit towns and meet people who represent the frontier spirit of Alaska, as well as experience Alaska’s native culture, its gold rush mythology, and its Russian colonial history.

3. You’ll have anywhere from a week up to 14 days to enjoy Alaska’s amazing beauty.

4. An Alaskan cruise is great as a vacation for the entire family with the option of enjoying onboard activities and events as well as viewing Alaska’s unique wildlife and vast wilderness.

5. An Alaskan cruise vacation offers the following attractions: helicopter trips, train rides, off-road jeep rides, underwater explorations, bus trips to the Denali State Park, King salmon fishing, and bike riding.

6. You will have a chance to witness nature up close or from a distance. For example, you can view the glacier formations and incredible waterfront towns.

7. On an Alaskan cruise you’ll have all of your essential needs fulfilled such as your meals, accommodation, transportation, and the option of choosing the activities and events that you wish to participate in.

8. Many expect Alaska to become very famous and a favorite cruise vacation choice of all most cruisers.

9. An Alaskan cruise is cheaper than ever before! This means that about anyone can afford and enjoy Alaska and its countless wonders.

10. You have the option of witnessing the Alaskan state when cruising the Inner Passage.
Learn about booking an Alaskan cruise vacation at a discount