In Which Miss Hoppington Makes Golden Memories

Hello friends!

No rough seas here!

Skagway, Gateway to the Klondike, the point at which so many journeys started. This was the furthest north I got.

Skagway is the nickname of Kanagu, a mythical woman who turned herself into stone and lives in the bay. It literally means "beautiful women" but also refers to the rough seas in the bay. We didn't have any rough seas the day we came in.

Downtown Skagway isn't very large, only about five blocks wide and twenty blocks long. We floated into town early in the morning. I watched as the dockhands tied the boat up and then slipped off the boat to explore the town a bit before venturing further into the wilds.

The downtown area has boardwalks everywhere. Some of the stores are really cheesy tourist traps but there were some hidden gems. Like the garden at the Historic Skagway Inn with Johnny-Jump-Ups and Cosmos and other wildflowers.


As the town woke up, I went back to the ship to board a bus to my next adventure, which I can't wait to tell you about...

At home amongst the Johnny-Jump-Ups

Next time!

Hedda

In Which Miss Hoppington Answers the Call of the Wild

Helloooooo! (that's me howling),

Juneau is an interesting city but I spent most of my time outside of downtown. You see, I got to ride on a helicopter. A helicopter that flew over a glacier. And then landed on the glacier. And then I got to ride a dog sled! How absolutely fantastic!

We flew to the Mendenhall Glacier, which is a large glacier that starts in the Juneau Icefield, the fifth largest icefield in the world. A glacier is very dense ice formed by snow from over hundreds of years. Glaciers can move and can even change the land around them by scraping on the sides and pressing down. A lot of the mountains in Alaska were made by glaciers.

Once on the glacier, we all got off the helicopters and then went to meet our dog teams. Each group had a dog musher (a person who commands the dogs). After meeting the dogs, we all got into the sleds for a ride. All the dogs who weren't pulling sleds had to stay behind. They were very unhappy about it and let us know by barking and howling and whining. Sled dogs love to pull sleds and run!

After a quick break, the dogs are ready to run again.

Away from the camp, it was very quiet. All we could hear was the sound of the wind, blowing across the glacier, and the shushing of the sled runners. We stopped once because the lead dog wouldn't follow directions; he wanted to haw (go left) when the musher wanted him to gee (go right). Then, we stopped about half-way through to take photographs and for people to switch places (some people wanted to stand on the foot boards). The sleds started up again, and much too soon, we were back at the dog camp. I would have loved to go on a much longer ride.

Then the helicopter came back and we had to fly back to Juneau and the boat. My adventure in Juneau came to an end much too soon. But there was more adventure waiting the next day!

I'll tell you about it next time.

Mush onward, my friends!

Hedda

In Which Miss Hoppington Goes to Where the Flatfish Gather

Good morning!

Hello friends!

After the long trip to get to Alaska, I woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! (I can't help being bushy-tailed, I'm a rabbit). We landed in Juneau a few hours later.

There are lots of interesting things about Juneau. It is the state capital of Alaska. Also, there are no roads into Juneau. You can drive there but you have to drive onto a boat which then takes you to Juneau. Or you can fly in but not with your car.

Juneau is almost as big in size as the states Rhode Island and Delaware combined (imagine a city bigger than a state, much less two!) but it only as about 32,000 people in it. That's a lot of room for those people.

The eastern edge of Juneau Borough actually shares a border with British Columbia, Canada. That makes Juneau the only state capital to border another country.

Juneau has another name, too. The Tlinget people, who lived in the area since before Juneau was a city, call it Dzankik'i Heeni, which means "where the flatfish gather." Sometimes, it's translated "base of the flounder river."

Heavens, there are just so many interesting things about Juneau that I've run out of space to write about my day in Juneau. I did some really fun things. I'll tell you about them next time.

Cheers!

Hedda

Downtown Juneau, with Mt. Juneau in the background and Mt Roberts in the foreground

In Which Miss Hoppington Sails Away

Enjoying the sunshine on the boat

Ahoy Friends!

I've been on a very exciting adventure! My first really big adventure and, my goodness, was it big, the biggest. I got on a big boat and went to Alaska!

Alaska is the biggest state in the United States, even bigger than Texas. I only got to go to a very small part of it and I hope to go back; there is so very much to explore.

 Before I even got to Alaska, I had to get on a big boat in Seattle, Washington. Everyone says it rains all the time in Seattle but that isn't true. It was beautifully sunny the day I got on the boat.

Seattle... not raining today!

After getting on the boat, it took a whole day and two nights to get to Alaska. It's very far away. We went out on the ocean and the waves made the boat go up and down. It made some people not feel very good in their stomach but I felt just fine. I even spent time walking the railing outside my stateroom (that's like a hotel room). I guess I've got good sea legs!

Next time I'll tell you about the first place we stopped in Alaska!

Until then, fair winds!

Hedda

In Which Miss Hedda Hoppington Has Her First Adventure

Hi, Ramona!

Hello Friends!

I haven't been much outside of Gabriel Park so for my first adventure, I crossed the Willamette which, to a tiny rabbit like myself, seemed as wide as the Mississippi, and went to hear my friend, Miss L., sing in church. Miss L. goes to a big stone church in the Irvington neighborhood of Northeast Portland.  The church has beautiful stained glass and really pretty needlepoint seats. I even found one that had Ramona on it!

I loved the Ramona books when I was a little kit. Mum used to read them to me before I went to bed. I've been thinking that I should read them again now that I've moved to Portland. For a long time, I thought Portland was a made-up place because of the Ramona books but it's real and it's fun exploring the city! I hope to have a lot of adventures in Portland and when I do, I promise to tell you about them.

Yours ever,

Hedda

Waiting for my friend to sing...

P.S. I forgot to tell you, the music was wonderful! Miss L. says that her church choir will start singing soon and that maybe I can join. That would be a fun adventure!

In Which We Meet Miss Hoppington

Hello!

My name is Hedda Hoppington. I am a young (but not too young) rabbit, out on my own. I enjoy reading good books and watching movies and plays and lots of other things and I want to travel, travel, travel! I live in Gabriel Park in Portland, Oregon but I'm hoping to expand my horizons to the whole, wide world! I hope you will join me on my adventures.

Hop, hop and away!

Hedda Hoppington