Things to look forward to: Skagway

Our third stop in Alaska is Skagway, which is as far north as we will travel.

Glacier in Klondike Gold Rush National Park

In the late 1800’s the town was a hot spot for folks joining in on the Klondike Gold Rush. This history is evident as you walk through the town. Students will investigate the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush on the local economy. We will visit the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and hopefully get a walking tour with one of the rangers. You can read about the Gold Rush and more on the Skagway Vistors’ Bureau webpage.

Downtown Skagway

Students will have plenty of time on their own in Skagway. We are in port for over 12 hours. After our class activity, students might want to hike the Lower Dewey Lake Trail for some great pictures. A great place for food and beverages is the Skagway Brewing Company.

Things to look forward to: Juneau

The second stop on the Alaskan portion of our trip is the capital city, Juneau. The city is located on the Gastineau Channel and is the second largest city in the United States by area. The downtown area is at the base of Mount Juneau. There are no roads connecting Juneau to the mainland largely due to the difficult terrain. Cars can travel to the city by ferry and visitors largely arrive by ship.

Mount Juneau, Juneau, and the Gastineau Channel

Unfortunately we will be in Juneau on a Sunday when many things are closed, but we still have a learning adventure planned. One stop will be the State Capital Building which offers daily tours, including weekends. We will investigate the history and development of Juneau through the displays and conversations with the staff.

State Capital Building

Read up on the city and select a location that you would like to visit while we are there.

Things to look forward to: Ketchikan

The day after we leave Seattle will be at sea as we make our way to Southeast Alaska. The first Alaskan stop is Ketchikan, our entrance to the Inside Passage. The Ketchikan Visitors Bureau has a link with basic information that students should look over before arrival. What drives the local economy?

Downtown Ketchikan from Rainbird Trail (from Ketchikan Visitors Bureau webpage)

Ketchikan is located within the Tongass National Forrest and surrounded by picturesque views. One of the recommended hikes to take in the scenery is the Rainbird Trail. The trail head is downtown, within walking distance of our boat, and is mentioned in the class handout as a suggested hike. I (Dr. Kassens) will be running up if anyone wants to join! I have done this route twice and highly recommend it.

We have a scheduled economics based activity for the May Term students, but everyone will have plenty of time to wander around town.

When you tweet from Ketchikan be sure to use their hashtag #ketchikan!

Pre-trip Update #4

ECON 277 Student Conduct Policy

It is a requirement (and a good idea) that all Roanoke College May Term travel courses have a conduct policy. I have posted our course conduct policy on its own page on this blog.

Students: You must download, read, sign, date, and turn your policy in to me prior leaving. We will have a May Term Group Meeting April 7th at 12:30 (West 115) and you can give me your signed/dated policy then. There are printed copies outside of my office.

Parents: Take a look!

Things to look forward to: Oiselle and Seattle

We will spend some time in Seattle before and after our cruise. You can read up on Seattle and some things that you might like to do while there here. For example, coffee lovers might want to visit the original Starbucks in Pikes Place Market. You will be able to walk there from our hotel.

The original Starbucks

As a group we will visit the Oiselle headquarters. Sally Bergesen founded the women’s running apparel company in 2007 and has become known as a staunch supporter of athletes’ rights and women in sport. Think about questions that you, my young economists, will want to ask the folks at Oiselle Running, Inc. Questions might include “What were the greatest obstacles entering a market with big firms such as Nike?”

Scour the Internet for interesting stories about the company and how they are shaking things up.

Pre-trip Update #3

Several weeks ago I discovered that for groups of 10 people or more, one can submit a bid for ticket prices to United Airlines. After searching for the going rates from various airports near Roanoke to Seattle, I submitted a bid. United submitted a reasonable counter-offer that was much less than the going rates available online;  I accepted.

I recommend this process for group travel, but be sure to have a good idea of a reasonable price. Given the amount of information available online, that is fairly easy to obtain.

I submitted the final payment for the 13 tickets this morning. Our flight itinerary is below:

Day, Date	Flight	Departure City and Time	Arrival City and Time
Tue, 05MAY15	UA3352	CHARLOTTE, NC	WASHINGTON, DC
		(CLT) 6:00 AM	(IAD – DULLES) 7:24 AM
Flight operated by TRANS STATES AIRLINES doing business as UNITED EXPRESS.
Tue, 05MAY15	UA348	WASHINGTON, DC	SEATTLE, WA
		(IAD – DULLES) 8:15 AM	(SEA) 11:03 AM
Sun, 17MAY15	UA1279	SEATTLE, WA	HOUSTON, TX
		(SEA) 12:26 AM	(IAH -BUSH INTL) 6:40 AM
Sun, 17MAY15	UA3270	HOUSTON, TX	CHARLOTTE, NC
		(IAH -BUSH INTL) 10:18 AM	(CLT) 1:50 PM
Flight operated by EXPRESSJET AIRLINES INC. doing business as UNITED EXPRESS.

Pre-trip Update #2

Earlier in the week I submitted a bid with United Airlines for our tickets to Seattle. We now have a contract from the airline that I will sign this coming week. The bidding process saved a significant amount of $$. We will be leaving from Charlotte, NC on May 5 and returning to the same airport on May 17th.

This week we will have our first May Term meeting on Thursday 12:00-1:00 PM. In that meeting students will be updated on the:

1. plans thus far for our journey

2. course syllabus

3. items needed for the trip

Additionally, students are asked to bring a copy of their passport (or their passport and Dr. Kassens will make a copy) so that our cruise ship records can be updated. All students MUST have a current passport to board the ship.

Pre-trip Update #1

This is a first is a series of pre-trip updates for students, parents, and friends.

I purchased the tickets for our 9 day cruise throughout Southeastern AK. This is a modification to the syllabus posted online. I will update that soon. You can find the itinerary for the cruise here. We will be aboard the Jewel (Norwegian Cruise Line).

Next week I plan to purchase our plane tickets and am awaiting information for participating students.