Alaska on a Budget - 2009

My third trip to Alaska in three years…

Since I arrived back from my short winter trip to Alaska in March 2008, I’ve been thinking about heading back up in the summer of 2009. I am on a budget like a lot of folks, so I started saving for this trip during the summer of 2008.

There are a number of activities & adventures on my life’s ‘to-do’ list that I desire to achieve and Alaska seems like a great place to accomplish them.

- Ride & sleep on a Ferry (maybe see a whale or two)

- See the Southeast Alaska ; Ketchikan , Sitka , Juneau , Haines & Skagway

- Relax in the Hot Spring

- Go whitewater rafting

- Glide on a zip line through the trees

- Go deep sea fishing (for halibut, however, I would settle for any kind of ‘huge’ fish

- Drink a cold Alaskan Amber Beer and Midnight Sun Beer

- To spend more time at Denali National Park , hopefully see some wildlife & Mt. McKinley again

- Maybe hike on a glacier?

- Spend more time at some of my favorite locations again; Homer, Seward

- Spend time with my co-worker in Anchorage and meet her baby

This time the planning was easy & quick since I knew what resources to reference; The Milepost, Eyewitness Alaska Guide Book & the internet.  

I planned to use my frequent flier miles to fly & to save on that transportation cost. However, I was thinking of starting the trip by taking the Alaska Marine Highway starting in Bellingham , WA and finishing the trip in Anchorage , which would lead to a direct flight home (which I prefer.) I learned that one can not use your frequent flier miles one-way, it had to be round-trip. So I simply changed the itinerary to fly round-trip from Minneapolis to Seattle & back. My best friend lives in Seattle and the chance to see twice within a few weeks would enhance the trip more, plus she would be the first person I’d call to tell her how the trip went! I contacted her to find out if we could stay with her and if she would drive us up to Bellingham , WA – wasn’t a problem.

Then I navigated around the Alaska Marine Highway reservation website to book my ferry rides. I realized if you want to stay & sightsee at a location like Ketchikan, you must get off the ferry and take another one to the next destination. It’s not like a cruise ship where they dock for a day and sail at night. The ferry stays at port for a designated time frame and then continues to its next destination. The duration of the first portion of the trip was determined by the ferry schedule.

I learned from my first trip to Alaska to book early for deals & guarantee space. We booked/reserved the following on Jan. 25, 2009

- All Ferry rides w/ berth accommodations with the Alaska Marine Highway

- Redeemed frequent flier miles with NWA round-trip from Minneapolis to Seattle

- Alaska Airlines Flight, one-way flight from Juneau to Fairbanks (with layover in Anchorage )

- Alaska Airlines Flight, one-way flight from Anchorage to Seattle , WA

- Alaska Railroad from Fairbanks to Denali, then Denali to Anchorage

- Rental car in Ketchikan , Sitka , Juneau , Fairbanks & Anchorage

We waited until the end of March to book the rest of our hostel stays and adventure activities. The trip is now finalized!  I organized & coordinated this entire trip. The Type A Personality in me created a trip-tik with schedules, correspondences, confirmation numbers and had it bond so it was organized completely and it stayed in my backpack throughout the entire trip as a reference guide.

We were up early, I think out of excitement!  Our trip has officially began. My friends that live in Seattle,  dropped us off at the Space Needle at 8:30 a.m. on their way to work.  The Space Needle didn't open until 9:00 a.m. So we walked around the grounds of the Space Needle saw cool art and a pretty garden. 9:00 a.m. we bought our tickets and rode the elevator up to the top of the Space Needle. This was my second trip to the Space Needle, however the height still gets to me. Guess what we saw when we reach the top??? FOG! I would recommend to go to the top of the Space Needle mid day or evening. I paid $16.00 for fog.

Then we walked down the block to the Experince Music Project. First of all the exterior of the building is SO cool, architect Frank Gary designed it. Actually the exterior & interior are a must see. If you are a music lover - go to the EMP (Experince Music Project) We had so much fun!

This has been my 7th visit to Seattle in the past 5 years. My best friend lives there. The best sightseeing/informational tour that I have participated within the past 5 years is The Ride the Ducks Tour.  Looking back I wished that I would have gone on this tour the first time I visited Seattle. Amphibious vehicles from the WWII are used to trolley you around Seattle, the drivers are very enterataining & very informative. The tour lasts about 1 1/2 hour. Arrive 1/2 hour before your scheduled tour. You first start out driving through Seattle, then float on Lake Washington where you will see float planes, perhaps a boat from the show "Deadliest Catch", the houseboat from Sleepless in Seattle and an Industrial Park from the movie "10 things I hate about you". For kids you can purchase a 'quacker', it makes a quacking sounds and looks like a duck's bill. 

After the Ride the Duck Tours we headed north of Seattle for Bellingham to board our first ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway.

The Columbia Ferry

We arrived at the Bellingham , WA Ferry Terminal around 4:30 p.m. we checked in. They gave us all of our boarding passes and accommodation tickets for every ferry that we would be taking on the Alaska Marine Highway over the next week & a half.  Then we went up the foot passenger ramp & entered the ferry.

First we had to find the purser office to receive our room assignment. One purser was working. The area in front of the purser was crowded with luggage, supplies and coolers as we waited in the long line to receive room assignments.

We received our room assignment. We reserved a 2 person berth with facilities and no window. I figured the only time I’m going to be in the room was to sleep, why spend money on the room with a window?  In our room were bunk beds, a little closet, one side chair, one end table, a nice size sink/counter and a bathroom with commode & nice size shower. After we were settled into our room, it was time to explore the Ferry.

The Columbia Ferry was the largest Ferry that we took on this trip. It had a number of amenities;

-          Observation Lounge(s)

-          Heated Solarium

-          Gift Shop

-          Theater area

-          Small video arcade room

-          Cocktail Lounge (tipping prohibited)

-          Ice Machine

-          Microwave

-          Vending machines for snacks

-          Full-Service Dining Area (with white table clothes)

-          Self-Service Dining Area (Cafeteria style)

We stood outside on one of the decks as we left the port of Bellingham , WA.

We finished the evening relaxing in the cocktail lounge, drank some beers, mingled with all kinds of people and enjoyed listening to the bartender sing/play a few songs on a guitar. It was a fun first night on the ferry.

There is a sign in the cocktail lounge that says ‘Tipping Prohibited’. We discovered that all steward postions on the ferry are paid the same hourly wage; whether you’re the bartender, purser, gift shop clerk, cook or dishwasher.  You’re all part of a team and you help each other out where needed on the ferry, which I thought was very cool.

We spent today relaxing & exploring the Columbia Ferry. In my opinion, traveling by Ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway is a wonderful experience. 

On the Columbia Ferry there is a dining room, almost formal-looking. The dining tables had white table clothes which I considered this pretty fancy for a ferry.  When we were eating breakfast the purser announced that the ferry will be sailing into the open sea water, that we will not be protected within the inner channels, to walk with caution and use hand rails.  

Try eating when the big ferry ship is rocking back & forth. It was an experience; one that we thought was humorous.  We were laughing and observing all trying to walk around the ship as is rocked, including us. We took it with a grain of salt; this is what we expected since we are on a boat on the water. The rocking lasted a few hours, then we were sailing within an inner channel and the sailing was smooth once again.  

After breakfast, we thought we should take our sea sick remedies we didn’t want to get sick on this trip. We believe we overdosed on all the remedies that we took?  The day before we put on the patch that goes behind the ear. Today, we took a few more remedies – just to be safe from getting sick. We also digested; a few squirts of motion sickness spray under the tongue, two motion sickness/ginger pills and fennel seeds. We noticed a short time after having digesting all these remedies that we felt really weird & our irises in our eyes were large. We didn’t get sea sick,  we think we got high?  I do not recommend taking all these remedies at the same time, just stick with one. I found that the patch behind the ear was the best sea sickness remedy for me. I didn’t get sick on any of the ferry or boat rides that I took throughout the trip.

After breakfast we watched the movie ‘ Madagascar 2’ in the movie theater room. Yes, the Columbia Ferry has a movie room. In the movie room are two large plasma TV screens very comfortable lounging chairs. I would say that the movie room could house 40 – 50 people? I learned the only movies shown on the ferries are G-rated movies.

We spent the rest of the day reading, listening to our IPods and taking in the beautiful views. 

Mount Roberts Tramway

We started out today by taking a trip up the Mount Roberts Tramway, a $27.00 tram ticket and a hand stamp allow you to ride the tram all day long if you wish. For the best views of the Gastineau Channel & Juneau the Mount Roberts Tramway is a must!

Parking is limited on the street, about a 3 - 4 block walking distance is a parking lot. Just remember you rental car license plate number and write it in the parking log book inside the tram building, so you don't get a ticket or towed.
There are trails to hike, a Raptor Center with a Bald Eagle located up on the Mountain, as well as a nature store and in the main building a restaurant, Clighit Theater and gift store. We enjoyed the breathtaking views & took pictures on the platforms up on the mountain. We strolled through the gift shop and decided to take in the movie at the Theater. We thought we would have just enough time for the movie before meeting the Alaska Zipline Adventure guides outside the tram building. A Native spoke her introduction about the movie that lasted 25 minutes we had to leave before the movie started.

Alaska Zipline Adventures (an Eco-Tour Trip)

The Alaska Zipline Adventure tour meets in the front of the double doors of the Mount Roberts Tram building. The van deliveries you to the Eaglecrest Ski Area on Douglas Island , it was about a 20 minute ride. Once we were closer to the ski area, the driver of the van played the theme song for Indiana Jones. I got excited since I have a similar soundtrack on my IPod called Spacetacular with songs from Star Wars, E.T. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, etc…The driver called me a nerd, we all had a good laugh.

We completed the paper work and signed waivers. The trained guides demonstrated how to put the gear on then we were off to the "bunny hill".  We were a small group with two guides, a couple celebrating their 5^th wedding anniversary, my friend and I.  I think a small group zipling would be better, than a larger group. I can’t imagine how crowded the platforms area with a large group?

I am afraid of heights, still am. I felt completely safe riding in the gear & on the cables. I was most afraid on the bunny hill. Once you got the feel how what it was like to like on cables it was a lot of fun! The trained guides really made the trip enjoyable and entertaining. Half way during this eco-tour trip, they serve the best Spruce Tip tea. A must try. There are some cool surprises on each platform during the trip. I won’t give the secret away you’ll just have to find out for yourself. The guides take photos as you ride from one platform to another. After the tour is complete, you return to the ski lodge where you will have the opportunity to purchase a cold beverage, nibble on cheese & crackers, relax & watch the journey through the Alaskan rainforest through the photos that the guides took. Before you leave the Alaska Zipline Adventure Guides give you a custom made souvenir as a thank you. Then they delivery you back to the Mount Roberts Tram Building .

We asked the guides that were the typical age of someone that does this. They said 60 years of age!! They even said a 90 year old lady zip lined for her 90th birthday! AMAZING!!

I thought the cost $146.00 (including tax) for this awe-inspiring Alaska Adventure for close to 4 hours was well worth the amount. Note: It is encouraged to tip your zip line guides.

~~This was an AMAZING experience!!~~

Meal options…ask the locals

I have some rules for when I travel.

- I don’t eat at a chain restaurant only at local restaurants

- I drink beer or wine that is local.

- I typically ask the locals what they recommend for local cuisine

- I try to blend in with the locals and try not to stand out

We finally ate lunch at 3:00 p.m. at the Hangor, which was recommended by a local. My friend had a salmon burger and I had this amazing Asian salad with halibut. Here’s what is entertaining about sitting at the Hangor while you eat, you look out the big picture windows that face Gastineau Channel to see float planes taking off and landing. For someone that doesn’t see float planes every day, that’s interesting and exciting.

Alaskan Amber Brewery

I couldn't wait to visit this brewery. I discovered on my first trip to Alaska in 2007, that I REALLY like the Alaskan Amber beer. Unfortunately, it's not sold in Minnesota . :(

We almost didn't find the brewery, the brewery is tucked away in an industrial part of town, it took us a few tries to find, but we were determined & thirsty.

I wasn't disappointed at all. The decoration inside the gift store/tasting area was interesting. They display beer bottles from every state in the US and all over the world on shelves about 6 feet high. It was fun to look at all the beer bottles.
I could have sworn that I read somewhere about brewery tours? I asked what times they give brewery tours and found out that they don't give tours. HOWEVER - the guy pouring the samples of beer has worked at the brewery since it first opened and was a wealth of information. He gave an impromptu speech around 5:30 p.m. that lasted about 20 minutes on the history of the Alaskan Brewing Company. Note: Remember to tip the guy pouring the beer.

Return to the Mount Roberts Tramway

It’s about 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. We thought we would take advantage of the all day hand stamp and tram ticket for the Mount Roberts Tramway.  We arrived just in time for the movie that was being played in the theater, very informative about the history of the Cliguit Native Culture.  We talked to the naturalist that was outside the Raptor Center about the Bald Eagle on display.  The gift store is very large and I enjoyed buying some souvenirs for friends and family.

Love Sushi

Earlier in the day we had asked the locals for restaurant recommendations. My friend and I both love sushi and Seong’s was recommended. It’s a tiny place, located on a corner, yet the food was great!

Pastry Heaven

Picture Victorian Era Décor, with some Western flare, fun bright artwork & gourmet pastries this sums up the Paradise Café.  This delightful bakery & coffee shop was recommended to us again from a local.  They serve fabulous gourmet style pastries and offer a variety of beverage choices; hot tea, coffee, lattes, mochas just to name a few. The Paradise Café is a busy place in the morning, with a line leading out the door. There is comfortable seating inside and features a small patio on the sidewalk. It’s easy to find, not too far from the tourist trap the Red Dog Saloon on Marine Way . I enjoyed my delightful breakfast surrounded by all the Artsy décor.

I tasted an Iceberg

We had the rental car until 1:00 p.m. today and decided to see the Mendenhall Glacier.  The climate near the glacier is about 10 – 15 degrees cooler compared to downtown Juneau. I should have dressed warmer.  I was curious to know how cold the water was of Mendenhall Lake, at the edge of the lake while I was dipping my hand in the ice cold water, I picked up a small floating iceberg. It was really cold. I did something unusual, I tasted it, I was curious to know if it had a distinct flavor. No, it tasted like dirty ice.

Alaska Marine Highway

Our next destination is Skagway . We departed at 3:00 p.m. on the Malaspina Ferry traveling on the Alaska Marine Highway . The Malaspina Ferry has been the fourth ferry that we’ve traveled on as we explored the South East Islands of Alaska the views were unbelievable traveling from Juneau to Skagway . We stopped for a short amount of time at the Haines Ferry Terminal while vehicles and people got off & on. Then we were on our way to Skagway . We arrived later than anticipated.

I was a little nervous about going whitewater rafting since it was a new experience for me. (Again, stepping outside my box)

While booking the rafting trip with Denali Raft Adventure, if you do not have a vehicle you can arrange for Denali Raft to pick you up at your hotel, cabin or hostel and they will drop you back off. Very convenient! They picked us up with their van, luggage and all, delivered us to the Denali Raft Adventure main building. Our luggage remained safe in their office while we rafted. After rafting they brought us from the main building, so could pick up our luggage and they delivered us to the Denali Train Depot as requested.

We wore dry suits while rafting on the trip. The guides laid out all the dry suit gear, explained & demonstrated piece by piece the correct way of putting them on.

I was actually nervous & excited once I saw the Nenana River as the guides were positioning the raft on the edge of the river. 

The guides were very friendly, informative and from what I learned were hand-picked to be rafting guides by Denali Raft Adventures. This really impressed me!

We rafted the ‘McKinley Run’, which were class 1 & 2 rapids. Since I love the water and kayak quite frequently. Honestly, the McKinley Run rapids were too boring for me and not exciting enough for me. It was definitely the ‘safer run’.  If you’re into experiencing ‘safe or calmer’ rapids, I would recommend the McKinley Run. The guide had mentioned that the river was low, due to the lack of rain this summer. So maybe that also played into the calmer rapids?

Don't get me wrong, I HAD a great time for my first time rafting it was a great experience!!! Next time I'm going for class 3 & 4 rapids, so I can get really wet and have more excitement!

For $84.00, I thought whitewater rafting with Denali Raft Adventure was a great value! As a taxi service they pick you up, loan you an expensive dry suit, have experienced rafting guides, raft for 2 ½ hours and deliver you to your destination afterwards.

This is a must do adventure while in Alaska !!

After this fabulous rafting experience, I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee as we waited for the train to arrive at the Denali Train Depot to deliver us to Anchorage .

The train ride from Denali to Anchorage is an 8 hour ride and is a very relaxing & scenic ride. 

Today was the day that I had been waiting for since the trip started, going deep sea fishing! I have never fished before, I didn’t know what to expect and was somewhat nervous yet REALLY excited.

Check in was at 6:00 a.m. on the top of Dock B inside the Saltwater Safari Office.  I brought my backpack that has my fishing license, lunch, a few bottles of water, warm clothing, rain gear and camera. Then we were told which dock to walk down to and which boat we would be fishing on.

We were on the Legend. The deckhand was taking care of things that a deckhand does. (I don’t have a clue). A group of fifteen of us crowded on the dock as we waited for further instructions on how to proceed, then the deckhand asked for our fishing licenses. He took them, documented them and gave them back. Then it was time to board the Legend.

The captain went over the safely procedures, then we were ready to motor through Resurrection Bay and into the sea. I believe we rode for close to two hours until we actually started fishing. We signed up for the Combo fishing which meant we fished all day for halibut, salmon, rockfish, and lingcod.  When we were ready to fish the deck hands had all the rods baited and ready for us to use them.

The deckhands were very patient with those of us that have never fished before. I had to be shown everything; how to hold the rod, drop the line down and riel properly. At first I positioned myself at the back of the Legend.  The second time I dropped my line down I caught my FIRST fish! FISH ON!!! It was a silver salmon.  I caught my limits for silver salmon within the first hour of fishing. I think it was beginners luck! Then I caught a lingcod, however it had to be thrown back since it wasn’t quite three feet long.

Then we trolled to a new area for fish more. There I stood at the face of the Legend and caught my limit for halibut, two of them. They were small, maybe 10 – 15 lbs.

Then we went to another area where I caught my four rockfish.

I think we headed back to Seward around 4:30 – 5:00 p.m? I believe all 15 of us anglers caught our limits today! (We are not guaranteed any fish, since fishing is a sport.) After we arrived back to dock, the deckhand wheeled the fish in large carts up to the Saltwater Safari Co, so the fish could be organized and hung for pictures. After that, the deckhands filleted all the fish, with our large of group this process took about 2 hours. Some of the locals that fished with us brought coolers and plastic bags for their fish. We borrowed tubs from Captain Jacks to place our fillets into. Captains Jacks weighed our fillets, mine weighed 27 lbs, then I made arrangements to have the fillets flash frozen and shipped to my house on the day that I prefer.  I thought Saltwater Safari Co and Captain Jacks really catered well to the tourists, ecspecialy if this was their first experience fishing or shipping fish home.

We left Seward around 8:15 p.m. that night, we were really tired and it was raining. We drove the drive back to Anchorage that evening. Upon our arrival to Anchorage we missed our first turn, which extended the time to find our hostel even longer. However, we never were able to find the Hostel on Spenard Road . By 11:30 p.m. we decided to rent a hotel room for the night at the Holiday Inn Express, even though it was a lot of money. It had been a very long day.

I LOVED fishing! Now I understand why people go back every year for go fishing in Alaska . Fishing was truly an awesome experience! Saltwater Safari Co was recommended by my co-worker in Anchorage and I would recommend them to!

Date                Purchase                                Amount/Split              Where Purchased?

7.23.09                  Travel Insurance                                  $17.00                                   NWA.com

7.23.09                 Frequent Flier Miles                            Free                                        NWA.com

7.24.09                  Ride the Ducks pictures                    $20.00/$10.00                      Ride the Ducks/Seattle

7.24-7.26               Ferry: Columbia to Ketchikan            $239.00                                 Alaska Marine Highway

7.24-7.26               Ferry. Columbia : Berth 2 Nights       $227.00/$113.50                 Alaska Marine Highway

7.26.09                  Budget Car Rental in Ketchikan       $73.00/$36.50                      Ketchikan Airport

7.26.09                  Ferry: to Ketchikan Airport                  $6.00

7.26.09                  Fuel: for rental car in Ketchikan        $8.45/$4.23

7.26.09                  Ferry: to Ketchikan from Airport w/ car    $10.00/$5.00

7.26-7.28               Ferry: Taku to Sitka                             $83.00                                   Alaska Marine Highway

7.26-7.28               Ferry: Taku: Berth 2 Nights                $83.00/$41.50                      Alaska Marine Highway

7.27.09                  Trans: to B & B                                     $10.00                                   Sitka Bus/Tour Co

7.27.09                  Acc. In Sitka -  B & B                            $112.00/$56.00                   Swan Lake B & B

7.28.09                  Trans: Sitka Taxi to airport                 $15.50/$7.75

7.28.09                  Acc. In Sitka -  B & B                            $112.00/$56.00                   Swan Lake B & B

7.29.09                  Acc. In Sitka -  B & B                            $112.00/$56.00                   Swan Lake B & B

7.28-7.30               Avis Car Rental in Sitka                      $237.00/$118.80                 Sitka Airport

7.30.09                  Fuel: for rental car in Sitka                 $12.72/$6.36

7.30.09                  Ferry: Fairweather to Juneau           $45.00                                   Alaska Marine Highway

7.30.09                  Taxi: ferry terminal to airport              $20.00/$10.00                      Juneau

7.30-8.1                 Budget Car Rental in Juneau           $139.00/$69.50                   Juneau Airport

7.30.09                  Acc. In Juneau – Hostel                     $10.00                                   Juneau Int. Hostel

7.31.09                  Acc. In Juneau – Hostel                     $10.00                                   Juneau Int. Hostel

7.31.09                  Alaska Zipline Adventures               $146.00

7.31.09                  Pictures of zipling                                 $20.00/$10.00                      Flickr

8.1.09                     Fuel: for rental car in Juneau            $25.52/$12.76

8.1.09                     Taxi: airport to ferry terminal              $21.00/$10.50

8.1.09                     Ferry: Malaspina to Skagway            $50.00                                   Alaska Marine Highway

8.1.09                     Acc. In Skagway – Hostel                   $20.00  

8.2.09                     Fast Ferry to Haines                           $68.00                                   Chilkat Cruises & Tours

8.2.09                     Acc. In Skagway – Hostel                   $20.00

8.3.09                     Ferry: Malaspina to Juneau               $50.00                                   Alaska Marine Highway

8.3.09                     Taxi: ferry terminal to airport              $21.00/$10.50

8.3.09                     Flight to Fairbanks                              $236.00                                 Alaska Airlines

8.3.09                     Avis Rental Car in Fairbanks            $119.89/$59.95

8.3 – 8.5                Acc. In Fairbanks w/ relatives            Free

8.5.09                     Fuel: for rental car in Fairbanks        $24.00/$12.00

8.5.09                     Taxi: from Airport to relatives             $31.00/$15.00

8.5.09                     Train to Denali then Anchorage        $210.00                                 Alaska Railroad

8.5.09                     Acc. In Denali – Hostel                       $35.00                                  

8.6.09                     Denali Kanishna Bus Tour                $165.00

8.6.09                     Acc. In Denali – Hostel                       $35.00  

8.7.09                     Denali Rafting Adventures               $84.00

8.7.09                     Rafting Pictures                                   $20.00/$10.00

8.7.09                     Train to Anchorage                              N/A                                          Alaska Railroad

8.7.09                     Taxi to Hostel                                       $4.00/$2.00

8.7.09                     Acc.  In Anchorage – Hostel              $25.00                                   Alaska Backpackers Inn

8.8.09                     Taxi: to airport                                       $25.00/$12.50

8.8-8.14                 Avis Rental Car for the next 7 days  $718.61/$359.31

8.8.09                     Acc.  In Anchorage – Hostel              $25.00                                   Alaska Backpackers Inn

8.8.09                     Fuel for rental car                                $12.47/$6.23

8.9.09                     Shipping stuff home                           $15.00                                   Post Office

8.9.09                     Shipping stuff home                           $78.00                                   Post Office/Priority

8.9.09                     Tunnel to Whittier                                $12.00/$6.00

8.9.09                     Acc.  In Girdwood – Hostel                 $25.00                                   Alaska Backpackers Inn

8.9.09                     Fuel for rental car                                $17.98/$9.00

8.10.09                  Fuel for rental car                                 $18.08/$9.04

8.10.09                  Acc. In Homer – Hostel                      $25.00                                   Homer Hostel

8.11.09                  Fuel for rental car                                 $23.04/$11.52

8.11.09                  Acc. In Homer – Hostel                      $25.00                                   Homer Hostel

8.11.09                  Time Bandit picture                             $10.00/$5.00

8.11.09                  Fuel for rental car                                $13.98/$6.94

8.11.09                  Fishing license                                    $20.00

8.12.09                  Acc. In Seward – Hostel                     $20.00                                   Moby Dick Hostel

8.13.09                  Deep Sea Fishing                                $298.00                                 Saltwater Safari Co.

8.13.09                  Shipping fish home                            $175.00                                 Captain Jacks

8.13.09                  Acc. In Anchorage – Hotel                  $189.28/$94.64                   Holiday Inn Express

8.14.09                  Flight to Seattle                                    $297.00                                 Alaska Airlines

8.15.09                  NWA Flight Homer – change date   $100.00                                 NWA.com

Some shared costs            $3,926.57

If I were traveling solo $5,175.52

I brought $3,000.00 in spending money with me.Entire trip for 24 days cost $6,926.57. Ave. $288.59 per day

Transportation                                                                                    Amount/Split

Flight                      Minneapolis to Seattle                                        Frequent Flier

Flight                      Travel Insurance, NWA                                       $17.00

Ferry                       Columbia : Bellingham to Ketchikan                $239.00

Rental Car            Budget: Ketchikan                                               $73.00/$36.50

Ferry                       From Main land ( Ketchikan ) to Airport             $6.00

Ferry                       From Airport to Main land w/ car round trip     $10.00/$5.00

Ferry                       Taku: Ketchikan to Sitka                                     $83.00

Rental Car            Avis: Sitka                                                              $237.00/$118.80

Ferry                       Fairweather: Sitka to Juneau                            $45.00

Rental Car            Budget: Juneau                                                   $139.00/$69.50

Ferry                       Malaspina: Juneau to Haines/Skagway         $50.00

Ferry                       Fast Ferry: Skagway to Haines vs.                   $68.00

Ferry                       Madalspina: Skagway to Juneau                     $50.00

Flight                      Juneau to Fairbanks , 1 -way                             $236.00

Rental Car            Avis: Fairbanks                                                    $119.89/$59.95

Train                       Fairbanks to Denali, Denali to Anchorage     $210.00

Rental Car            Avis: for 7 days                                                     $718.61/$359.31

Flight                      Anchorage to Seattle , 1-way                              $297.00

Flight                      Seattle to Minneapolis                                        $100.00

                                                                Some shared costs           $2,050.06

If I were traveling solo $2,698.50

 Other Transportation Costs (fuel, tax, tolls)

Fuel                        Rental car in Ketchikan                                      $8.45/$4.23

Shuttle                   Sitka : From Ferry terminal to B & B                  $10.00

Taxi                         Sitka : From B & B to airport                               $15.50/$7.75

Fuel                        Rental car in Sitka                                               $12.72/$6.36

Taxi                         Juneau : From Ferry terminal to airport            $20.00/$10.00

Fuel                        Rental car in Juneau                                          $25.52/$12.72

Taxi                         Juneau : From airport to Ferry Terminal          $21.00/$10.50

Taxi                         Juneau : From Ferry Terminal to airport          $21.00/$10.50

Fuel                        Rental car in Fairbanks                                      $24.00/$12.00

Taxi                         Fairbanks : From Airport to relatives                 $31.00/$15.50

Taxi                         Anchorage : From Train Depot to Hostel         $4.00/$2.00

Taxi                         Anchorage : From Hostel to Airport                   $25.00/$12.50

Fuel                        For rental car                                                        $12.47/$6.23

Tunnel                   Whittier Tunnel                                                     $12.00/$6.00

Fuel                        For rental car                                                        $17.98/$9.00

Fuel                        For rental car                                                        $18.08/$9.04

Fuel                        For rental car                                                        $23.04/$11.52

Fuel                        For rental car                                                        $13.98/$6.94

Some shared costs           $167.87

If I were traveling solo $315.74

Accommodations

Free                        Friends in Seattle                                                                Free

Ferry                       Columbia : 2 person berth 2 nights                  $227.00/$113.50

Ferry                       Taku: 2 person berth 2 night                             $83.00/$41.50

B & B                      Swan Lake B & B, Sitka                                      $112.00/$56.00

B & B                      Swan Lake B & B, Sitka                                      $112.00/$56.00

B & B                      Swan Lake B & B, Sitka                                      $112.00/$56.00

Hostel                    Juneau Hostel                                                     $10.00

Hostel                    Juneau Hostel                                                     $10.00

Hostel                    Skagway Hostel                                                   $20.00

Hostel                    Skagway Hostel                                                   $20.00

Free                        Relatives in Fairbanks                                       Free

Free                        Relatives in Fairbanks                                       Free

Hostel                    Denali Mountain Morning Hostel                      $35.00

Hostel                    Denali Mountain Morning Hostel                      $35.00

Hostel                    Anchorage : Alaska Backpacker’s Inn              $25.00

Hostel                    Anchorage : Alaska Backpacker’s Inn              $25.00

Hostel                    Girdwood: Alaska Backpacker’s Inn                $25.00

Hostel                    Homer Hostel                                                      $25.00

Hostel                    Homer Hostel                                                      $25.00

Hostel                    Seward: Moby Dick Hostel                                 $20.00

Hotel                      Anchorage : Holiday Inn Express                      $189.28/$94.64

(We booked a hostel in Anchorage : Spenard Hostel $25.00, however we were so tired from fishing & driving, we couldn’t find it so we got a room at the Holiday Inn Express)

Free                        Friends in Seattle                                                                Free

Some shared costs           $692.64

If I were traveling solo $1,110.28

 Activities/Adventures

Alaska Zipline Adventures                                 $146.00

Denali Kantishna Experience Bus Tour         $165.00

Denali Rafting Adventures                                 $84.00

Saltwater Safari Co ( Deep Sea fishing)          $298.00

Fishing license                                                    $20.00

                                                                                $713.00

Misc.

Picture                   Ride the Ducks, Seattle                                     $20.00/$10.00

Picture                   Flickr, Alaska Zipline Adventure                        $20.00/$10.00

Picture                   Denali Rafting Adventures                                 $20.00/$10.00

Shipping stuff home           Post Office                                            $15.00

Shipping stuff home           Post Office – Priority                            $78.00

Picture                   Time Bandit                                                          $10.00/$5.00

Shipping fish home            Caption Jacks                                      $175.00 for 27 lbs

Some shared costs           $303.00

If I were traveling solo $338.00