Alaska - Our first full day as a group (Part 2)

After reboarding the trolley train to take us back to the motorcoach, we drove over to Steamboat Landing to start the Riverboat portion of the tour. There were ramps to board the boat to make it accessible for wheelchairs and scooters.

Before we boarded the riverboat, we were given time to browse inside the gift shop. This shop also featured informational displays and a small shed space where you could pay extra to step inside and experience what temperatures would feel like at 40° below zero.

Not part of the regular Riverboat tour but included for us was the All you can eat family style lunch in the dining hall. It was a good hearty filling meal. 

Since it was a nice day we chose to start our riverboat ride sitting outside. A good portion of the presentation is done with a microphone by employees along the shore but you can still hear and see them from inside. There was also a closed circuit TV system on the riverboat so that you could see everything on a TV even if your in person view wasn't the greatest. Our current view was great for seeing not only the TV but the narrator who stood up top by the bridge.

After passing by a few homes where the residents came out to wave, our attention was directed to the float plane demonstration as he took off flying right past us. He circled back and landed in the water again repeating the process a couple times.

Our next shoreside presentation was at the home of a dogsled racing father and daughter. They told us about the dogs and how they are trained as the dogs ran and played around them. The daughter demonstrated several tricks with the dogs before hitching them up with other dogs to a line attached to a 4-wheeler. Dad hopped on the 4 -wheeler and the dogs using just their force pulled the 4-wheeler across the yard.

The dogs were rewarded after completing the lap around the property by being let free to play in the water.

Our next demonstration was from a Native American woman who showed how they skin salmon and hang it up to dry.

Not sure I'll look at a bagel and lox the same way again:

After this last presentation, the riverboat docked at this Native American village and we were divided up to move in small groups between the various areas for many presentations. The employees were great about keeping everyone moving along and redirecting people who weren't sure where their group went next. 

First up for us was learning about using the fur hide of animals for warmth. Can only imagine their laundry bill!

Our next stop was to see live reindeer in a pen. Just in case you wondered where they went the other 11 months of the year.

Next stop was to learn about traditional costumes and outfits worn by Native Americans:

Remember those dogs from earlier? They were brought over to the village to run in a pen of their own supervised by the daughter. You were encouraged to reach through or over the fence to pet them as they ran by. The daughter took questions from the crowd and occasionally showed off a trick or aspect of the dogs when someone asked.

This combo tour was a great way to spend the day learning a little bit about many aspects of life in Alaska. If I only had one day in Alaska, I would have felt satisfied with this tour. If you are on a tour that requires paying on your own for every excursion, this is one that should be included in your budget. All that was missing was glaciers and whales. Not to worry - they will be coming in future posts so stay tuned!