by Cynthia J. Notti  

Sarah Palin’s infamous quote about seeing Russia from her doorstep has some truth to it. If you visit the remote island of Little Diomede you can see Russia’s island Big Diomede. At a mere 2.3 miles apart, the international dateline runs between the two islands separating Russia from the United States by a whole day. So, in theory, you can travel two minutes to Russia and be 23 hours into the future. I don’t recommend you time travel this way, as it is illegal to cross the Bering Strait.

If you lived in Sitka, Alaska in the mid 1800’s not only could you see Russia from your doorstep, you’d be living in its capital. 250 years later you can take a walk through Russia America. Sitka has a rich Russian history from where Russia first flew its flag, to where the sale of Russia to America took place. I was teleported back to a time once forgotten all interspersed with locally crafted beer, the best Alaskan scallops I’ve ever tasted and arts and crafts by local Alaska Native artists.

I started my day at Alaska’s oldest and smallest National Park, or as the locals call it, Totem Park, In the center of the park is a commemorative plaque to mark the battle of 1804 between Russia’s Alexander Baranov and the Kiksadi Indians. This decisive battle marked the last major Native resistance in Sitka to European domination of Alaska. A storyboard depicts this historic event. Take special note of the Russian blacksmith hammer shown, the Kiksadi first acquired the hammer as a war prize in their attack on the Russian fort at Old Sitka. The hammer is on display in the Visitor’s Center.

I explore the rest of the Park’s trails and two hours and two miles later I head back towards town. A five-minute walk up Lincoln Street and you’ll arrive at the Russian Bishop House. Built in 1843, this restored simple structure is one of the few surviving examples of Russian colonial architecture. This two story mustard yellow building was once the headquarters for the Russian Orthodox Church, than later the Russian Mission Orphanage, now it’s a historic house museum. Stepping inside are photographs and artifacts that will make you feel and understand what it was like to live in Sitka during the Russian-American period, read up on Saint Innocent of Alaska, as you’ll see more of him on this tour.

After that my stomach is demanding lunch. The next building over, at 407 Lincoln Street is Bayview Restaurant. Located on the second floor of the Bayview Trading Co. This local pub serves burgers and beer. Best place to savor local and regional beers of Alaska and the view of the harbor isn’t bad either.

Continuing West on Lincoln Street, you go barely a block and St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church is sitting right in the middle of the street, literally. Built in 1844 century, it was the earliest Orthodox cathedral in the New World and the oldest church in Alaska. The Russian American Company funded the project, the bells were forged in Alaska and the clock fixed in the bell tower was made by Saint Innocent of Alaska himself. Stepping past the royal doors you’ll find a treasure trove of Russian ornate Old World icons from the 1700 and 1800s. Most notable icons are Our Lady of Sitka (better known as the Sitka Madonna) and Christ Pantocrator (Christ the Judge or Christ Omnipotent), both are by Borovikovsky.

Once you leave St. Michael’s keep heading west, towards the water, go just a few steps and turn right on Barracks Street. The road will take a slight left however continue straight. From the street you won’t be able to see it, as the location is inconspicuous. Located in a grassy vacant lot is a weather worn picket fence bearing remnants of white paint that encloses the gravesite of Princess Aglaida Ivanovina Maksoutoff, the wife of the last Russian Governor, Dimitri Maksoutoff, she passed on December 18, 1862.

Originally three blockades were built to protect the Russian settlement; if you look closely at the remaining one, you’ll notice chainsaw marks, which indicates the blockhouse is a replica and was reconstructed on the site of the original. Located directly across the street from the Princess grave, perched on top of the knoll, these blockhouses were incorporated into a stockade wall that guarded Old Sitka. Peek inside to find an old cannon. The site is marked with storyboard about a church, the lands and a divided town. Also located here are the gravesites of original Russian settlers and their corresponding stories.

Head back the way you came, down Barracks Street, turn right at Lincoln Street and in a couple of buildings, on the left side of the street is 202 Lincoln or better known as The Russian American Building 29. Built in 1835, it is one of the few Russian buildings surviving today and the only Russian colonial commercial structure standing in Sitka.

Continue west on Lincoln Street and in a few yards you’ll come to a large sign that marks Castle Hill, also known as Baranof Castle. Tlingits, Russians and Americans have all claimed and occupied this site. First as a lookout point to defend the Tlingit Indian’s home, then Baranof’s Castle was the focal point of the Russian American company and housed the Russian Government and lastly the site where the transfer of Alaska to the United States took place in 1867. This by far is my favorite Russian American site not only because of the historic significance but also of the commanding 360-degree view over the town and water.

Now teleport yourself back to present day and head down Katlian Street to the Pioneer Bar, a fisherman’s and local hangout where the dress code is Xtra Tuff boots and Carhartt jackets. They’re all to friendly to give you their favorite spot to fish, enjoy the sunset, whale watch or tell you stories about bears that make their way into town. We end our perfect day by going next door to 256 Katlian Street to Ludvig’s Bistro, this unassuming little restaurant is the place to eat fresh local seafood from Sitka’s fisheries. I ordered the Tuscan Scallops, which are Alaskan scallops in prosciutto and truffle oil, with a nice and expensive bottle of Italian wine. We ate and recapped our amazing day while watching the sky change colors as the sunset in this most historic little Alaskan town.

If You Go

How to get there
Alaska Airlines,  800-252-7522
Alaska Marine Highway,  800-642-0066

Where to stay
Best View – Fly In Fish Inn Lodge,  907-747-7910
Budget – Super 8,  907-747-8804
Downtown – Sitka Hotel,  907-747-3288

Where to eat
Mediterranean – Ludvig’s Bistro, 256 Katilan Street 907-966-3663
Sushi – Little Tokyo In Sitka, 315 Lincoln Street 907-747-5699
Pizza – Pizza Express, 1321 Sawmill Creek Rd. 907-966-2428
Ice Cream – Harry Race Pharmacy, yes a pharmacy but they have an old fashioned ice cream parlor here. 106 Lincoln Street 907-966-2130
Local Crafted Beer – Bayview Pub, 407 Lincoln Street 907-747-5300

More Information
Sitka Historical National Park –  907-747-0110 Visitor Center Summer Hours: May – September, Daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visitor Center Winter Hours: October – April, Tuesday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. For Sunday & Monday hours call for hours.
Sitka Convention & Visitors Bureau – download a free vacation planner.  907-747-8604
About the author:
Cynthia Notti is a travel writer who can be found in Anchorage, Alaska when she is not riding a donkey through the mountains above Petra or exploring some similar locale. She has a degree in Business Administration and has worked for many years in the business world before focusing her attention on travel. She is currently working on her web site, www.discoverytravel.club and social media presence.

All photos by Cynthia J. Notti:
Bishop House – The historic Bishop House is now a museum.
View of Town – View of Sitka from the walking trail of Totem Park.
Sitka Totem Park – This totem will greet you as you enter Sitka National Historical Park or as the locals call it Totem Park.
Russian Church – Russian Orthodox Church is located in the center of Lincoln Street.
Princess Gravesite – Gravesite of Princess Maksoutoff, the wife of Alaska’s last Russian American Governor, Dimitri Maksoutoff.
Castle Hill – A panoramic view of Sitka from Castle Hill.

Alaska

by Stephen Sexton

WOOF – it’s not the sound of a dog barking, but the acronym for a hot new option for working holidays that more long-term travelers are turning to in these dire economic times.

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is a website that matches farmers with willing workers. The farmers receive free help around their property, while the “woofers” get a free bed and meals (usually healthy organic food), a unique experience, and if they’re lucky, a primer in small-scale organic farming practices.

Woofing has been around since the mid ’90s and but is only now taking off in a big way. That has much to do with the state of the global economy – more people are looking for a cheap way to travel, and the worldwide recession and the belt-tightening that has gone along with it has prompted many young people to look at different ways of living and consuming. In other words, not to rely on anybody for the basics in life, like food and energy. After all, if the global economy eventually collapses, as some more pessimistic woofers predict, then self-sufficient living will be the future for us all. Even if you don’t share that gloomy view, you may still love the woofing experience for other reasons. The chance to get back to nature and breathe some fresh air is a big draw from many work-weary city dwellers.

I recently returned from a summer of woofing around Alaska and can vouch for the spiritual aspects of farming. Feeding chickens and pigs can be a messy and tiring business, when you see those animals eye’s light up at the sight of you “it makes you feel good for some reason” one fellow woofer recounted to me.

“Getting all dirty is actually pretty fun… it makes you feel like you’ve earned a good night’s rest. You just don’t get that same feeling of satisfaction at the end of a day from office work,” said another.

The chance to see the world and spend very little money while you’re doing it is probably the main reason people choose to woof. As well, you meet the locals and learn about the local area far better than you can by staying in hotels and doing package tours.

I stayed on three different farms over the course of my summer, and each revealed some of the advantages and pitfalls of the business.

The first was a totally “off grid” farm, several hours out of Anchorage which is the largest city in Alaska. Electricity was provided by solar panels and a generator, while water had to be hauled from a nearby natural spring. It was an ideal place for learning true organic farming practices, and the couple who owned the place were only too happy to answer all my questions. They had about 25 goats (many of which were milked twice a day), four sheep, one pig, about 90 chickens, five turkeys, three old Alaskan Husky sled dogs and an organic vegetable garden. I found working with goats surprisingly enjoyable, as they have their own individual personalities and are somewhat dog-like in that they answer to their name and even enjoy being petted.

While the rustic setting was attractive, the ultra-basic facilities were the things that made me leave in the end. I was housed in an authentic Alaskan log cabin about a mile away from the owners’ cabin, and had no washing facilities after a long day of shoveling goat poop and the like. There is only so much bathing in a freezing creek one can do before it gets old, so after three weeks I moved on, though not before they took me on a ride in their bush plane across the Chugach mountain range and over the sparkling blue Prince William Sound.

The next location was a heli-ski lodge in Valdez. It sounds glamorous on paper, but the reality was a little different. I was given jobs like entering credit card transactions into accounting software and cleaning out the garage. The owner was a single girl taking advantage of an opportunity for some free male help around the house, rather than providing a true organic farming experience. In fact the place did not produce a single edible plant nor own any livestock. That taught me how important it is to learn as much as possible about the situation you’re walking into before you arrive at the doorstep. Suffice to say I did not last long in this job.

The third and last woofing destination was with a couple who owned both a small 2.5 acre farm in the city of Anchorage itself, as well as a 20 acre farm in Homer, a beautiful town on the sea about four hours away. Bill and Judy were unbelievably good to me, and really helped me enjoy my time in Alaska. They were very interesting people, being ex-hippies while Bill was a Vietnam war veteran and an outspoken anti-war and Green Party spokesman.

The usual woofing guideline is that a woofer will work for about 25 hours a week in return for food and accommodation. However Bill and Judy certainly didn’t make me work that long, and they also provided amazing Alaskan meals every night, including locally caught King Salmon that would be worth at least $50 a plate at a restaurant in my native New York.

Woofing is not just in America – it is a truly worldwide organization. Go to the main woofing website: www.wwoof.org and click on the geographical area you want to travel in. A modest joining fee gives you access to the directory of farms for a particular country, and then the would-be woofer must contact each farm themselves to arrange a stay. It’s important to keep in mind that the arrangement you make with a farm is privately negotiated and could take many different forms. The general rule of thumb of 25 hours of work each week is negotiable and only a guideline. And facilities vary widely – some farms will offer only a tent, while others will have much more comfortable accommodation.

With a bit of good luck in finding the right farm, woofing can be a great experience, even for the most hardened of city slickers.

If You Go:

Keep in mind that the best of Alaska is often away from the well worn highways between Seward, the port where the cruise ships berth, and Denali National Park to the north. Between these two points is where the majority of fellow tourists can be found but the best of Alaska is far off the beaten track, including the counter culture capital of Alaska, Homer, situated on the water at the far end of the Kenai Peninsula.

Also, you can find the highest concentration of big mountains in North America in the remote yet stunningly beautiful Wrangell St Elias National Park, located about eight hours east of Anchorage near the border with Canada. The town to go to here is called McCarthy (population 30), located in the middle of the national park and connected to the outside world by a very rough dirt road (no rental cars allowed).

Other highlights are the 26 Glaciers boat cruise around the spectacular Prince William Sound (www.26glaciers.com), which leaves from the port town of Whittier, and the Denali Highway, another dusty gravel road that goes through some very remote but beautifully scenic country east of Denali National Park.

Every journey deep into the Alaskan wilderness deserves to be cherished. To commemorate this trip, you can customize a travel pin. Capture the coastal evening breezes of Homer City, the tranquility of McCarthy, the glaciers of Prince William Sound, and the vast wilderness of Denali, all within a single exquisite badge.

Enamel pins are more than just souvenirs; they’re pins of honor for traversing uncharted paths, a unique mark of the wilderness. Whether pinned to your backpack, jacket, or travel brochure, it will always evoke the awe and wonder of this pristine land.

As mentioned in the article, if you wish to WWOOF, then you will need to go to the www.wwoof.org website to find out more.

About the author:
Steve Sexton is a freelance travel writer currently based in New York City. He is originally from Australia but has spent the past six years exploring his new country after winning the “green card lottery,” an immigration program run by the US government that grants permanent residency through a random draw (much to the amazement of many Americans).

Photo credits:
All photographs are by Steve Sexton.

Gold Rush Narrow Gauge Train from Skagway, Alaska

by Glen Brewer

The White Pass & Yukon Route was built to take miners and supplies to the newly discovered Klondike gold fields. That was over a century ago, but now the gold rush of Alaska cruise ships is bringing far more business to this narrow gauge railroad than the original gold rush ever did.

I arrived in Skagway by ship, as did so many adventurers on their quests after riches. My ship, of course, was one of several large cruise ships that arrive every day during Alaska’s short tourist season, not one of the picturesque, small steamers of the Klondike days. Four ships were in port the day I arrived.

I was anxious to see what transportation challenges the early pioneers and the railway construction and operating men faced. As do most of today’s travelers, I boarded my train on the dock, right alongside my ship.

Gold was discovered in 1896 along the Klondike River of the Yukon Territory, but, due to the extreme remoteness, it took quite a while for news to reach civilization: it wasn’t until July of 1897 that the first successful prospectors arrived in Seattle telling their stories of great riches waiting to be scooped up.

These were depression times, especially in the mining industry. The United States Government had committed to purchase silver at a fixed, 16 to 1 ratio compared to gold. Silver mining boomed, but eventually the US treasury gold supply was nearly depleted. In 1893 the law was repealed. Mines closed – most never to reopen. Suppliers failed, railroads failed, the steel industry was in serious trouble. Soon the US sank into the worst depression it had ever known.

Silver had lost its luster, but not gold. Soon hordes of intrepid gold seekers were bound for the Klondike. Most of them took steamers from Seattle or Vancouver, and then packed their goods over one of two tortuous routes: the shorter but steeper Chilkoot Trail starting from Dyea or the longer but slightly easier White Pass Trail starting at Skagway. To make things worse, these hardy adventurers often traveled in winter. Of course, they were in a hurry to be among the first to reach the gold fields, but also it was easier to move supplies over snow and ice than mud and sharp rocks. Plenty of survival goods had to be packed by every traveler: Mounties required each person entering Canada to have at least one ton of supplies – the amount judged necessary for one person to survive for a year.

Construction of a three-foot gauge railroad from Skagway, Alaska began in 1898. By then the construction of a narrow gauge railway was unusual. Narrow gauge (any less than the “standard gauge” of four-feet eight and one-half inches between the rails) was a bit of a fad in the railway business. It was very popular for new construction starting about 1872 and then rapidly declined over the next twenty-five years. Basically the narrow gauge era was already a thing of the past when the White Pass selected it, but the advantages of cheaper and quicker construction for the narrower, lighter tracks which allowed tighter curves and less earth moving were just as compelling here as they had been in Wales and in Colorado a few years before.

The last spike was driven and the railroad opened for business in 1900 extending for 110 miles to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. But by that time, the gold rush was nearly over. Business settled to a slower pace of hauling mining concentrates and supplies.

Business really boomed for the first time during World War II as the US government built the new Alaska Highway – considered a high wartime priority. The railway was taken over and operated by the US Army; additional equipment was requisitioned from Colorado and elsewhere. As many as thirty trains operated per day delivering materials for the new road.

After the war, since there was still no highway between Skagway and Whitehorse, business continued. There was no interchange with any other railroad; therefore, the gauge was not a problem as it had been for other narrow gauge railroads. The White Pass became an innovator in container service, operated docks, ships and even airplanes. But by 1982 a highway was finally built. Business declined precipitously, and the railway shut down.

That looked like the end of the line for the narrow gauge, but fortunately, the Alaskan cruise business was quickly growing. Optimistically the White Pass reopened in 1988 and carried 35,000 passengers on its first year of renewed service for the cruise trade.

On an unusually fine, sunny, warm early afternoon, my train, right on schedule, took its place in a grand procession of four separate trains proceeded out of town, each within sight of the one ahead. Our ascent to White Pass began almost immediately and grew ever steeper: much of the way to the summit is on a 3.9% grade.

At Rocky Point, there is a sharp curve to the right and a fine view looking back over the tree tops back to Skagway, the Lynn Canal and Mt. Harding. All four cruise ships were easily seen at their docks.

Remnants of the old Brackett Wagon Road appeared below the track level. By November of 1897 George Brackett began to do something about the hardships of the White Pass Trail. He built a wagon road part way up the pass. The toll was set high, and so many travelers ignored the tollgates, that the Brackett road was soon a failure. The road certainly must have been an improvement, but even considering deterioration over the years, it did not appear an easy road to traverse.

Along the way, we were treated to views of waterfalls cascading down the mountainsides. The most prominent of these is the Bridal Veil Falls across the canyon and intersected on its way down the mountain by Highway 2.

A porcupine scampered away from our approaching train. Passengers often see bears and mountain goats on the mountainside near the tracks. These animals seem quite used to the passage of the trains and are not usually much disturbed by them.

As we headed into a hairpin curve, I could see the train ahead high above on the mountainside. It was on a narrow shelf blasted from the hard rock of the mountainside. Men dangling from ropes drilled and blasted these shelves for the track bed.

Beyond the shelf, the tracks curve around the mountain and to what is probably the most photographed spot in the more than one-hundred years of this railway. Here the tracks first curve back to the left onto a spindly looking, high, wooden trestle and then immediately plunge into a dark curving tunnel. Soon there was snow on the ground around us, and as we climbed onward, it became deeper.

Our train passed the original cantilevered, steel, bridge across a deep chasm. The bridge, bypassed by a new tunnel in 1969, is still in place. It sure doesn’t look like it would ever have supported all those Army trains of World War II. A little more evidence of the old trail up this pass was evident below as we approached the pass itself and the British Columbia border. By then the snow was quite deep. A previous train waited for us at the White Pass siding.

For most trains, White Pass is the turning point for the ride back to Skagway. Our brakeman cut off the engine so that it could run around the passenger cars and re-couple at the other end. Then we backed out of the siding and pulled forward past the following train, which by then had pulled into the siding for us to pass. We then had a clear track back to Skagway.

Since reopening for the tourist trade the White Pass & Yukon Route has become the busiest tourist railway in North America operating as many as 14 passenger trains a day. In 2007 a record of 461,388 passengers were carried, and despite the economic downturn, 2008 was still the second best ridership in 108 years with over 437,000 passengers carried.

For the White Pass line, the gold rush is finally here. The railroad itself is a triumph of nineteenth century perseverance and engineering – a fact recognized in 1994 when the line was designated as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. For passengers like me it is a bonanza of fascinating history and always impressive mountain scenery.

Skagway Shore Excursion: White Pass Summit and Skagway City Tour

If You Go:

A round trip to White Pass takes about three hours. A few selected trains go on to Fraser, BC and even to Carcross, YT. On weekends only, a steam train runs to Fraser.
White Pass & Yukon Route
P. O. Box 435
Skagway, AK 99840
800-343-7373

Skagway itself is a fascinating little town with an interesting history. Downtown streets still look much as they did in late gold rush days. The estimated year around population in 2007 is only 798 people; when it was incorporated in 1900, the population was 3,117.
www.skagway.com

Many of the preserved, historical buildings of Skagway are operated by the US National Park Service as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Site.
US National Park Service
P. O. Box 517
Skagway, AK 99840
907-983-2921

Although the majority of passengers arrive in Skagway aboard cruise ships operating out of Vancouver or Seattle, Skagway may also be reached by commuter flights from Juneau, car ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway System, or even by highway.

About the author:
Glen Brewer is a freelance writer and photographer residing in Denver, Colorado. Previously published travel and features have appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Vancouver Province, Denver Post, and Arizona Star. His railway oriented articles have appeared in Classic Trains Magazine, Rail & Wire, O-Scale News, and The Colorado Timetable.

All photos are by Glen Brewer.