TOURS
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Technical and social tours have been arranged through a travel agency, Alaska Vacations International, Inc. To make tour reservations, conference participants must make reservations directly through this designated travel agency, not through ASCE. Descriptions of the tours follow. For information and for reservations, please call Alaska Vacations International, Inc., at (907) 258-2746. The form which follows may be faxed to (907) 278-8832. Also, custom trips are Available. To inquire, call Alaska Vacations International, Inc.
Please make reservations as soon as possible. Space is limited. Reservations on site are subject to availability. Please note that some tours have a minimum number of persons required. Alaska Vacations International may be able to match up travel partners. A travel guide will be available at the conference to answer questions. All tours are subject to weather conditions. Don’t forget comfortable shoes, warm clothing, and your cameras!
OVERNIGHT TOURS:
Pre-symposium Tour: Mount McKinley
Departure: 9:00 am, Friday,
May 2; Return: 8:00 pm, Saturday, May 3
Price: $ 380 double rate per
person (Minimum - 6 persons)
We will take a scenic drive to Denali National Park. We will stop at Eklutna to see the brightly colored Indian Spirit Houses. We also will visit the Musk Ox Farm and then continue to Talkeetna, a picturesque town which is the staging area for Mount McKinley climbers. We will overnight at an Alaska inn. After a hardy breakfast, we will depart for the Talkeetna Airport, where we will board a small plane (weather permiting) and enjoy the majestic view of Mount McKinley’s 20,300 foot high peak. This will be a photographic opportunity of a lifetime with scenes not only of the mountain but wildlife and climbers. After returning, we will journey back and stop at the Lucky Husky Farm to enjoy a dogsled ride throught the woods and learn all about mushing. After returning to Anchorage, we will enjoy an Alaskan-style dinner at the historic Sourdough Mining Company.
Post-Symposium Tour:
Alaska’s Dalton Highway and
North Slope
Departure: 7:00 am, Friday,
May 9; Return: 9:00 pm, Sunday, May 11
Price: $738 double rate per
person (Minimum - 4 persons)
Join us on this three-day guided round-trip journey from Anchorage to Fairbanks and the shores of the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay. We will observe permafrost and river features, the Yukon River Bridge, and a Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline pump station. We will cross the Arctic Circle, tour the Yukon River by boat, and visit an authentic Athabascan Indian fish camp. Our tour includes flying to Fairbanks and driving the Dalton Highway in small 15-passenger vans. We will overnight in Coldfoot and Prudhoe Bay, then take the final flight back to Anchorage.
DAY TOURS (available May 2-11):
Anchorage City and Shopping
Tour
Departures/Returns: 9:00 am
-1:30 pm and 1:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Price: $69 per person (Minimum
- 2 persons)
This tour will include the City of Anchorage and some shopping. It is tailored to show you Anchorage and some of its out-of-the way attractions. Anchorage is a city of contrasts and contradictions, where fancy hotels and skyscraper restaurants overlook salmon-spawning streams, and where flocks of wild birds nest in a city lake. It is bordered on the east by the stunningly beautiful Chugach Mountain Range and to the west by Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. We will visit ivory, fur, and salmon factories where purchases can be made.
Anchorage Night Life Tour
Departure: 9:30 pm
Price: $55 per person (Minimum
- 2 persons)
You will be picked up at your hotel to begin your tour of Anchorage’s hottest night spots. Experience the local flavor of Anchorage with knowledgeable guide, live music, shows, comedy, and fun. Visit 3 clubs and get 3 drink coupons. Afterwards, you will be dropped off at your hotel. (Must be 21 or older.)
Portage Glacier/Turnagain Arm Tour
Departure/Return: 9:00 am -
4:00 pm
Price: $99 per person (Minimum
- 2 persons)
We will venture south along the Turnagain Arm. View the beautiful Turnagain Arm with its famous bore tide. At Alyeska Ski Resort, we will take time for lunch (on your own) and then continue on to the Begich-Boggs Visitors Center at Portage Glacier for a presentation on glaciers and the ice age. Stop at the wildlife park near Portage to see the Big Game Safari.
Bush Pilot Flight
Time: 1 hour
Departure: Must be scheduled
in advance
Price: $120 an hour for the
plane (Maximum - 3 persons)
Be a bush pilot. Experience how to take off, taxi, perform flight maneuvers, and, of course, land with an FAA Certified Instructor Pilot. You will be flying in a 4-seat Cessna 172. Depart out of Merrill Field and fly over the Chugach Moutains, Eagle Glacier, Whiteout Glacier, and Ice Fall Glacier. One person can co-pilot while two other passengers can videotape the scenery!
Helicopter Glacier Expedition
Time: Approximately 2 hours
(including 15-20 minute landing with picnic)
Departure: Must be scheduled
in advance
Price: $290 per person
(Minimum - 2 persons)
You will by picked up at your hotel by a representative from the helicopter company and transferred to the airport. You will be thrilled by the panoramic view of Anchorage as your helicopter leaves the city behind and glides through the unspoiled wilderness of Chugach State Park. Watch for the numerous mountain goats and other wildlife as you fly through dramatic mountain valleys and soar over Eagle, Eklutna, Whiteout, Lake George, Colony, and Knik Glaciers. Land beside a glacier and picnic on Alaskan hors d'oeuvres.
Kenai Fjords Wildlife and Glacier Cruise
Departure/Return: 7:00 am -
10:30 pm
Price: $130 person (Minimum -
2 persons)
Enjoy a wonderful cruise through Resurrection Bay on a 149-passenger boat. You will have the opportunity to admire the beautiful marine wildlife that populates this Bay, including sea otters, sea lions, seals, whales, bald eagles, and a variety of other sea birds. You will pass by the Bear, Holgate, and Aialik Glaciers and have lunch on board. The tour will take place during grey whale season.
Matanuska Susitna Valley Tour
Departure/Return: 9:00 am -
4:30 pm
Price: $84 per person (Minimum
- 2 persons)
Travel north to Wasilla - home of the Iditarod - in a comfortable van. We will visit the Eklutna Indian Village and cemetery. Enjoy the Iditarod Headquarters while learning the history of the "Last Great Race". Tour the Transportation Museum to see the exhibits of railroad cars, farming, aviation, fishing boats, buses, and the oil industry in Alaska. We will see Musk Ox Farm and Knik Glacier and stop for lunch (on your own ) at the Lake Lucille Resort.
Kenai River Float/Fishing Tour
Departure/Return: 6:15 am -
5:00 pm
Price: $120 per person
(Minimum - 2 persons)
Enjoy a scenic float/fishing tour down world renown Kenai River. Along the way you might see a bald eagle, moose, or an occasional black bear. An Alaskan gourmet lunch will be included while on an island in the river.
Hatcher Pass/Independence Mine Tour
Departure/Return: 9:00 am -
5:00 pm
Price: $96 per person (Minimum
- 2 persons)
You will visit the Alaska Pacific Consolidated Mine Company, one of the largest gold producers in the Willow Creek mining district, operated here from 1938-41. We will visit the Musk Ox Farm or take a guided tour of the Eklutna Indian Village.
Alaska Vacations International, Inc.
907-258-2746
To sign up for tours:
Call Alaska Vacations International, Inc. 907-258-2746
Or Fax This Form to 907-278-8832
Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Advance reservations are recommended. Once booked, there is a $25 cancellation or change fee on all trips. All trips are non-refundable 45 days or less prior to trip date. Full payment is required to confirm reservations.
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY!
Gold Fever in the North
A 1997 Gold Rush Centennial
Exhibit
Anchorage Museum of History and Art
The Anchorage Museum of History and Art will mount a major exhibition entitled "Gold Fever in the North: The Yukon and Alaska Gold Rushes", which will be on display from May 8 to mid-November, 1997. The exhibit will trace the sweep of the fold rush era from its modest beginnings in the 1880's, through the great Klondike rush of 1897-1898 and the Alaska stampedes to Noms, Fairbanks, Iditarod, and other locales, and ending with the rush to Chisana in 1913. The 5,000 square-foot exhibit will feature a variety of materials and media:
The selection of items never before have been assembled for a single exhibit. They have been secured from museums, corporations, national parks, national and state archives, and individuals in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Central, Juneau, Skagway, Seward, Whitehorse, Seattle, and as far away as California, Ottawa, and Washington, DC.
The Anchorage Museum of History and Art is located at 121 West Seventh Avenue, about a half mile from the conference hotel. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Admission to the museum is $4. There may be a special fee for this exhibit. For more information, call (907) 343-6174 or fax (907) 343-6149.
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