Pacific States Travel Tips, by Elana Andersen
Group Travel Blog
Alaska
Nature-lovers will want to join the welcoming festivities which greet Alaskas annual spring wildlife migration. Nowhere else, and at no other time of year, do visitors have an opportunity to view the massive number of species and creatures which are celebrated at these three events.
Stikine Garnet Festival in Wrangell, April 14-22, 2007, celebrates the arrival of more than 2,000 American Bald Eagles, which feed off the hooligan run in the Stikine River; 200,000 migrating shorebirds; 15,000 Snow Geese and over 10,000 Sand Hill Cranes.
There are approximately 123 species of birds visiting the area as part of the Pacific Flyway migration. Other wildlife that appear at this time include Steller sea lions, harbor seals and the occasional Orca whale. Festival activities include events at various island and river locations, guided tours, birding and kayaking workshops, an arts and crafts fair, entertainment, public markets, golf tournaments and other events. An updated Wrangell Wildlife Viewing Guide is now available from the Wrangell Chamber.
Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival in Cordova is typically held over the first weekend in May. Up to five million migrating shorebirds rest and feed on the delta and the festival highlights include workshops, speakers, guided wildlife watch tours, special birding events and numerous community themed activities. Midmonth is another festive time when the Copper River red salmon return to area rivers and streams. It is typically the first salmon species to arrive in the region and is prized by chefs for its flavor, color and high fat and oil content. In similar fashion to France annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau, Alaskas commercial fishermen race to Cordova for the first red salmon catch and its delivery to restaurants around the world for their restaurants bragging rights for being the first to serve the seasons catch.
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in Homer is the states largest birding event and is held over a four-day period in early May. Hundreds of thousands of birds are seen in the area including 25 species that travel from Asia, Hawaii and South America. As many as 236 species have been spotted during previous festival times. There are more than 50 scheduled events including guided walks, bus and bike tours, workshops, art and educational fairs, a wooden boat festival, nature writing and photography workshops, and a film festival.
British Columbia
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations introduces two new spectacular rail tours. The Whistler Mountaineer travels daily over a three-hour route along the Sea-to-Sky corridor between Vancouver and Whistler. The rail line offers spectacular panoramic views of cascading waterfalls, majestic mountains, the Pacific Ocean and the inland, forested valley leading to the Whistler resort area. The Fraser Discovery Route is a two-day, all-daylight rail journey between Whistler and Jasper, including an overnight stay in historic Quensnel. This route travels a remote interior region through the Pacific Mountain ranges towering canyons, across the high ranch lands and into the Rockies and Jasper. Both routes operate from May through October, offer Rocky Mountaineers service classes, and have interpretive guides, onboard host services, dome and vista cars and many other amenities.
Washington
Pacific Science Center in Seattle is the only west coast venue to host the renowned Discovering the Dead Sea Scroll exhibition, Sept. 23-Jan. 7. This major new exhibition features ten of the Dead Sea scrolls, including four that have never been publicly viewed and the largest Psalms scroll fragment discovered. Other artifacts are from the ancient settlement of Qumran near the Dead Sea. Several displays offer an interactive exploration of scientific applications used in various stages of excavation, conservation, and interpretation of these documents. Finding the Scrolls is regarded by many as one of the greatest archeological discoveries of the twentieth century. Advance exhibition reservations and ticketing are required.
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