Wrap Up

Well..this is it.  Currently I sit in the Portland Airport awaiting my departure.  I feel a little bipolar at the moment.  On one hand I am ready to head home.  On the other I would love to stay and live in the rain forest.  Yes, I know, the logistics would be a little tricky.

There isn't much I would change about this trip.  I would add Sitka to the itinerary...a very cool little village on the Inside Passage.  However I learned while on board that the village has refused to allow the big ships to dock there...good for them, keep their village the way it has been for years and years.

I would opt for a different kayak partner...one who could speak English would be helpful.

I would like Forks to look like the movie!!

Beyond that, it was perfect.

Special thanks to Doug and Connie for putting it all together.  Big hug to Jane for her tolerance of a slightly off kilter cabin mate.

Until later.....

Day 14 - Forks, WA

Typically I get myself all worked up for any trip.  I get so excited and anticipation can, at times, out weigh the experience.

On this trip I definitely got myself worked up. I could hardly stand waiting the final few days until departure.  However, all of this trip exceeded expectations...I mean it was soooooo perfect, right up until I arrived in Forks!  My fantasies were shattered!!

In part, this is definitely my fault.  It has to do with the kind of reader that I am.  I read for the story, not the details.  So I don't remember things like the description in the books of the Cullen House.  I remember what I saw in the movie...ultra modern.  In Forks the Cullen House matches the description in the book....3 story, white clap board with a wrap around porch, currently the Miller B&B!

Bella's house is the same, totally different from the movie.  The High School...no where on the campus is there a parking area that looks like the scene where Bella was almost smashed by the truck.  Nor is the forest close enough for Bella and Edward to leave the school campus and discuss his vampireishness.  There is no Police Station that looks like her Dad's office, and as far as I  could tell no restaurant where Bella and Charlie ate on a regular basis.

What did sort of look right was La Push Beach

and Bella's truck.....

Beyond that, where the hell did they film Twilight, cause it wasn't in Forks, WA!!!!

The community had definitely embraced their Twilight fame, however.  There was the guy who was selling Twilight firewood.  And there was this cute sign as you approach La Push.

Evidence of Twilight is everywhere and any local you talk to can provide lots and lots of details on the phenomenon.

Once my dreams were shattered it was on to Portland.  This is my last day on the trip and tonight I will stay at a hotel near the Portland Airport.

The 4 hour drive down continued to be beautiful.  I have to say that hiking the Buckeye Trail in Ohio will never be the same after this trip.  I am hopelessly infatuated with temperate rain forests.

However, I am ready to be home...my own bed and snuggling with my sweetie will be a treat tomorrow night!!

Day 13 - Olympic National Park

Once again I was up early and did one more drive through Port Townsend just to make sure I didn't miss anything.  A special thanks to Mike and Sara for getting me there.  I would have by-passed that town but they said it was much nicer than Port Angeles...and it was.

Started up US 101 for a while when I realized I had missed the Olympic National Visitors Center.  Thanks to my handy, dandy GPS it got me turned around and at the front door in no time.  Grabbed a Park map and I was on my way.

First stop per my NG Tour Book and Park map was Hurricane Ridge.  Another thanks here to Karen for telling me about the National Park Senior's Pass.  I bought one a few years ago for $10, good for as long as I live and it gets me into any national park at no cost.  Saved me some bucks on this trip.

So the 17 mile drive up to Hurricane Ridge was incredible.  I had to watch the road carefully as it was narrow, windy and at the mountains edge, but when I could sneak a peek it was beautiful.   As I gained altitude I was in the clouds and eventually passed the tree line...all the while the mountains were teasing me with a veil dance in the clouds...sometimes you could see them...sometimes you couldn't...and the views changed by the second.

Arrived at the top and understood instantly how the ridge got its name.  The wind was howling.  Didn't stay outside long but enjoyed the displays in the Visitor's Center.

On my way down I took a park road cutoff that the Ranger said I could get through if I drove slowly.  I did drive slowly and it saved me a bunch of miles and took me through more temperate rain forests that defy description.

The road started out paved and looked like this...

And ended up unpaved and quite a bit narrower.  My kind of adventure!!!

The short cut put me back on US101 and a few miles down the road I came to the Crescent Lake Park Lodge where I stopped for lunch and a lovely view of the lake.

From there I drove 14 miles back to Sol Duc Hot Springs.  Legend claims that two well matched dragons fought nearly to the death, and their hot tears of anguish created the hot springs of today.  Since I didn't pack a suit I drove on up to the end of the road to the trailhead for the Sol Duc Falls, one of the most photographed spots on the Peninsula and hiked back the .8 miles to the falls.  Again, I was in those beautiful trees and when I got to the Falls I just stood there and let its spray drench me.  I looked like a very happy wet duck on my walk back.

From the Falls it was back on US 101 headed for Forks, WA....yes the Forks of Twilight fame.  Couldn't help myself given that it was right there... I mean right on my way to Portland and all!!!

So, next post I talk about Forks.  Let me leave it at....if you blink your eyes on your way through you will definitely miss  Forks!!

Day 12 - Port Townsend, WA

All the fun today was getting here!!

As planned I was up and out the door early today and then on my way to Deep Cove. As promised by AAA, it was a charming little community with lots of activity.  Kayakers were everywhere, along with dog walkers.  

A border collie caught my eye.  His owner was walking slowly with stick in hand.  The collie was very anxious for him to throw it.  The owner was teasing him with it while walking down a slope on the path.  The collie was walking down the path backward and sideways....it was like watching a ballerina.  I swear the dog was doing doggie dressage.

After a yummy breakfast at the neighborhood cafe I decided it was time to head for the border.  I had two choices to choose from for my route and boy did I choose the wrong one!!!  I wanted to go downtown so I could go through a city park.  Seemed like a safe bet given that it was Saturday morning.  WRONG!!

Traffic was backed up for blocks because there was a Jazz Festival going on and the city blocked 3 of the 4 lanes of the major north/south road.  It took 40 minutes to get about 6 blocks.  Then somehow I lost Route 99 and ended up in Vancouver's strawberry fields.  Finally made my way to Route 99 and made it to the US border.

The line was pretty long as I approached.  I kind of expected that but was surprised to find a vendor rolling a cart up between the cars selling cold drinks and ice cream!!  Took 45 minutes to get to the US Customs official and 3 seconds to pass through customs.  Not bad.

The drive down to Seattle was beautiful. Looks just like you imagine, beautiful big forests, mountains, water....fabulous!!!

Suffered from a little confusion once I made it to the Ferry Terminal.  There was no signage and I didn't know if I needed a reservation or not.  So I got out of there found a place to park and called them.  Never did talk to a live person but the recording said Bainbridge Island was first-come-first served so I got back in the mess and found my way.  Less than $15 for me and the car to make the 35 minute trip.

The Seattle skyline from the Ferry was beautiful.  The Ferry was full and people and their dogs were everywhere!!  Those 2 must have had a rough day.

Then it was off the Ferry and on my way to Port Townsend.  I would have by passed this little town except Mike and Sara, Ben & Gretchen's friends, said it was nicer than Port Angeles.  Thank you Mike and Sara....it is a lovely town and by the time I got here I was really ready to get out of the car.

The town has Ferry service to someplace....don't know where, and is charming primarily because of its Victorian architeture.  Founded in the 1850's at one time it was one of the largest cities on Puget Sound.  I can say it has a thriving tourist industries as I got one of the last motel rooms in town!!!

Tomorrow it is on to Olympia National Park and I will be spending the night in Forks, WA!!

Day 11 - Vancouver Part 2

Read in my AAA Tour Book that if I was in North Vancouver, which I am, that I should check out the Lonsdale Quay Market...so after the laundry was finshed I jumped back in the car in search of this place.  I found it after some effort.  It is fairly well hidden when you don't have a specific enough map.

Turns out it was a nice dock side market that was closing up at 7 PM on a Friday night.  I just had a few minutes to check it out before the security guard was locking the doors.  Luckily I noticed abother open air market that looked like it was still going strong. 

Walked half a block and found a combo farmer's market/crafts fair in full swing until 10 PM. Nice booths, nice people, live music, nice setting....didn't stay until 10, but it was a pleasant way to end the day.

Tomorrow, again based on the advice of the AAA Book, I'm heading further east in North Vancouver to Deep Cove...the write up sounds lovely.  Then I'll head south and find my way to the Bainbridge Island Ferry in Seattle.

Nite, nite everyone.

More Photos!!

I forgot that I can upload photos via the motel wifi.  Here we go!!!

Entrance to the Capilano Suspension Bridge!!!

One very long swaying bridge!!!

Over the gorge

The Cliff Walk

The Tree Walk

There weresome really big trees in this park.

Day 11 - Vancouver

Was up by 5:30 AM so we could meet the gang for breakfast at 6:30.  Am all packed and ready to go.  Then of course it was wait, wait, wait.   But as we pulled into Vancouver oh my, what a sight....just gorgeous.  I had no idea Vancouver was so large!!!  It was overcast, no sun in sight so things looked a little dreary, but the city looks huge and very modern from our vantage point.

The cruise lines has a very well organized process for getting people off the ship.  I think guests don't consider how many pieces of luggage has to be moved from the ship to the dock and some folks get more than a little antsy...like really rude.  I felt sorry for the staff and the grief they get.  

Finally my turn came I got off the boat and found my luggage very quickly.  I  was surprised that all customs did was collect our disembarcation paperwork....I expecxted more than that.  Anyway I quickly got my rental car and was on my way to the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.

OMG!!!! I am now and forever more in love with temperate rain forests.  I was in three different forests in Alaska and they were all beautiful....but this one sealed the deal.  The property of this tourist trap is incredibly beautiful.  I wish I was a millionaire so I could buy out the park and have it all to myself for a week. 

The suspension bridge itself was scarey.  I give myself credit for going across given my fear of heights and the bridge swaying quite a lot.  It didn't help that there were a zillion people on it at all times. 

Then there was the Cliff Walk which was a walkway hanging off the side of the gorge walls.  That at least did not sway.  There was a Tree Canopy Walk that also did not sway and finally a Nature Walk through the forest floor.  You will have a better sense of what this all was like once I get back into the US and can download photos from my phone.  I loved this attraction except for the zillions of people.  If they would control the crowd it would feel much like walking through a cathedral.

From there I headed west and went out to Horseshoe Bay which was where we entered the Sound this morning.  There is a ferry terminal there and a very pretty little village that surrounds the ferry operation.  Had lunch there and checked out the only motel in the area....would have liked to stay there this evening, but their rates were a little higher than I wanted to pay.

So picked up Marine Drive heading back into town which turned out to be a very tiny 2 lane road hugging the coastline.  Couldn't see much as there are large homes blocking the fabulous views.  But did find Lighthouse Point Park which was another walk through the big trees.  This one was much more enjoyable as there were few people there.

Am now sitting poolside at my motel waiting for a small load of laundry to finish up.  Tonight I have clean PJs...yeah!!!!

Tomorrow I'll hang around here until late morning and then head off to Seattle and the Olympic Pennsulia!!!

I'll load photos tomorrow.

Day 10 - A Sailing Day

Not much going on today.  Ketchikan was our last stop in Alaska so today is all day sailing on our way to Vancouver.   Jane and I slept in late....for us.  Caught up with the group for a 10:30 AM Brunch and then just hung out for the day

Starting around 1PM we were supposed to have a good shot at seeing whales so we spent some time on our cabin balcony watching and we did see one animal, but I think it was a porpoise rather than a whale.  Never got a really good look at it and it seemed rather small to me...too small to be a whale I think.

Managed to stay up late enough to see the final variety show on the ship....lots of fun with a really funny commedian.

Back in my cabin by 11PM, but couldn't get to sleep!!!

Day 9 - Ketchikan, Alaska

WOW!!!  Has Ketchikan grown!!!  Since my visit in the 70's they built a huge shopping area out over the water that is also the pier to accommodate the big cruise ships.  I was just really amazed because I have a good memory of the village from that previous trip.

Our excellent weather is holding which was great as today I was taking a boat to an island for another hike in a temperate rain forest.

After leaving the ship and boarding our bus we wound through town and while still downtown traffic stopped for two Sitka Deer who managed to loose their forest.  I felt bad for them as you could see they were confused and frightened.

Twenty minutes later were we as far as the road goes on the island and in a small harbor where our adventure began.  The boats were too cool!!!

We were assured by our captain that they were totally sea worthy.  I'm glad I had extra layers on as the ride to Britton Island was cool.

During the 25 minute ride we suddenly slowed in the water and Mike, our captain, announced that there was something he never expected to see.  We knew it was special when he whipped out his camera and started taking pictures.  There was a young male Sitka Deer swimming from one island to another.  He got a little confused with our arrival, but quickly found his bearings and completed his swim.  We watched as he gained his footing and climbed out of the water safe and sound.

We arrived at the island and completed our 1.5 mile hike in the rain forest.  It was beautiful and I wish my photos did it justice, but it doesn't.  I took way too many photos of ferns and skunk cabages, etc, etc....more than what you want to see.

I am now sitting in an outlet mall connecting to their free wifi.  Need to wrap up so I can walk around town a bit.  This is our last stop of the cruise.  Tomrrow is a sailing day and Friday we arrive in Vancouver. 

Won't be another post after this one until Saturday evening when I start my road trip on the Olympic Pennsulia.  

Day 8 - Hoonah

Our luck ran out at Hoonah as far as the weather goes...we finally got some true Alaska weather...cloudy, colder and drizzling.  Worked out for me though as this was my kayak day.  Had the weather held I would have been boiling and sunburned.

I kept thinking I had been to Hoonah on my 70's trip on the Alaska Marine Hwy Ferry with Karen.  But as we pulled into port it did not look familiar at all.  Finally figured out by looking at a map that it was Angoon in the 70's, so Hoonah was an entirely new experience.

Jane and I were departing on our separate shore excursions about the same time so we traveled into port via the tender together.  We did a little looking around and then went our separate ways.

This was a kayaking day for me so my day started at this little barn.  My Sierra Club buddies would have a heart attack with this operation as our two guides provided no safety instruction or any instruction of any kind.  I have kayaked before but was severely handicapped by a partner (2-person kayak) who did not speak any English!!!  And, within a few seconds I knew he had never been in a kayak before.  It was more than a little frustrating!!!

Our highlight of the tour was spotting a humpback whale.  I spotted the spray quite a ways off and we paddled toward the guy but not too close...per guidelines.  This guy hugged the shore and actually went into the village harbor.  We finally left him in peace and headed off in a different direction.

Not much else happened with the kayak tour.  It was very nice to be on the water and get the exercise.  The guides were again knowlegeable and more than willing to answer our questions.

I waited a little while for Jane to return from her tour.  Then we found this photo op and each took turns posing with our favorite ship!!  Around the corner from there we had a perfect view of the longest and highest zip line in North America.   Taller than the Empire State Building and I forget how long....but very long!!!  It took 45 minutes to be bussed to the top and 90 seconds to zip down!!!  Was a hoot watching folks come screaming in!!!!

We took a shuttle from the pier into the village of Hoonan.  Most memorable was the Bald Eagle sitting in a tree behind the Presbyterian Church and 200' further down the road the nest that was easily in sight.  After that it was time to tender back to the ship for our departure.

Late in the day the weather cleared again and we were back to our charmed weather.

Day 7 - Skagway

Woke up this AM docked in Skagway.  Don't remember the port from my '70s trip, but do remember downtown.  It has changed quite a bit.  EVERYTHING now caters to the cruise ships .... no big surprise I guess.  I remember many more bars.  It was a drinking kind of town.

Jane's trip didn't start until 10:30, mine started at 8:00, so I got dressed as quietly as possible and was out the door.  My shore excurison today was a 5 mile bike ride through another temperate rain forest.  It was very different from yesterday's forest, no moss like what we saw yesterday.

After a 25 minute drive up a very steep, gravel road, which definitely was not for the faint of heart we arrived at our destination.  The road was very narrow with a sharp drop off on one side.  I really wanted Zabeth, our tour guide and driver, to stop talking so much and keep her eyes on the road!!!

Our ride started in the Chilkoot Trail area of the National Park Service.  There were 10 in our group so it was again a nice size group to be with. Zabeth was our guide and again as yesterday in Juneau, she was very knowlegeable.  Her only failing was that she did not have any bug dope with her...which was a hazard since these mosquitoes were large enough to carry you away!!

The trail itself was lovely.  Mostly plenty wide for 2 bikes to ride side by side on what appeared to be a park service road. Our first stop was at the Slide Cementary, so named as all its occupants had been killed in an avalanche on the Chilkoot Trail.  From there we rode to Dyea, the first town in the area, prior to Skagway, but now a site that has been reclaimed by the forest.

We made another couple of stops and headed back to the van.  5 miles went by way too quickly for me. 

Photos!!!

Don't ask.  Somehow the photos got downloaded!!!

Hubbard Glacier

Beginning of Hubbard Glacier ice pack

Downtown Juneau

Audrey talking about trees

Mendenhall Glacier

Day 6 - Juneau

Woke up at 6AM to continued gorgeous weather.  At around 8:00 AM Juneau came into view.  It didn't look anything like I remembered it.  That was a little confusing.

My first shore excursion was a 4 mile hike on trails around Mendenhall Glacier.  There were 12 in our group which worked out well. Audrey and Wendy were our tour leaders, 2 young women who were both very knowledgeable regarding the flora and fauna of the trail.

During our bus ride to the trail head I asked if there was another port used by the Alaska Marine Highway.  Wendy said Yes, that it was about 20 miles outside of town which explained my confusion.  In 1979 when Karen and I made the trip up from Seattle that was the port where we arrived.

Our trail was 3-4 miles long pretty much straight up and the straight down....600' elevation gain/loss.  We wandered through a temperate rain forest that was gorgeous.  The hike felt a little fast to really enjoy what we were walking through.  Would love to do it again on my own so I could truly savor it.

The hike ended at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitors Center. There we got our best views of glacier.

It's now 5:30 PM Alaska time.  Time to head back to the ship for dinner.

Tomorrow is Ketchican and bike riding.

Day 5 - A Sailing Day

Today is a sailing day...no stops, no ports.  Our big excitement for the day was motoring into Yakatat Bay to view Hubbard Glacier.  Along the way we passed by the Tongass-St. Elias Forest.  We also passsed by St. Elias Mountain.  Beautiful!!

We were allowed on the helipad for the best view of the glacier and motored to within 6 miles of its face.  That was as close as we could get due to the ice pack.  I guess our ship can't double as an ice breaker.  Learned from our onboard naturalist that the Hubbard Glacier is one of 5% of the glaciers in Alaska that is still advancing.  All others are retreating.

I stayed on the helipad as long as possible, but it was cold up there and very windy.  Jane hung in for the entire time ...but I found more comfortable viewing spots.

Second highlight for the day was an 8:30 PM massage.  Aaaahhhh...what a wonderful way to end the day.

Tomorrow we arrive in Juneau.

Day 4 - On to Seward.

Nicely, for the first time in several days we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn.  We were loaded and on our way to the Anchorage Marriott for our transfer to Seward by 9:15 AM.

Celebrity Cruise Lines made the process very painless and in short order we were on the bus headed for Seward.  I know the 3 hour ride down and that it was truly beautiful.  Mountains on one side and Cook Inlet on the other. 

The 3 hours passed quickly but just before we arrived Jane got one of her biggest wishes..to see a Momma Moose and Baby. She actually got something better because it was a Momma Moose and 2 Babies!!!  Unfortunately the driver didn't see them so he whizzed right by them.  But for a brief second we saw the three of them charging across a marsh.

Seward itself is rather unremarkable.  But after checking in on the ship we wandered into town primarily to pick up a couple of bottles of wine for the cabin.

We caught up with the rest of our group at dinner.  Then we went to the top deck to watch our departure.  Reseruction Bay was gorgerous as we pulled out.  Our first clouds of the trip made an appearence and the low sun's rays made shafts of light that were worth photos.

I called it an early evening around 11:30 but Jane took in a second show and then some gambling.  She reported that the ship is a ghost ship at 1:30 AM.

For me, tomorrow is another day.

Day 3 - The Denali Adventure

Day 3 started at 4:30 AM...a very early start for 2 girls who like to sleep in.  But by 6:05 we were dressed, packed and had eaten breakfast.  The bus was exactly on time.  After we made one more stop to pick  up the bulk of the passengers we were on our way to our first stop, the Denali Wilderness Access Center.  The we viewed a short film on the history of the Park.  One interesting factoid for me was that the first ascenton McKinley was June 7, 1913.  Exactly 100 years later our 5th grandchild was born on June 7, 2013...Makinley Faith.  Got to remember to to tell her Mom and Dad.

The Grande Denali Lodge had a spectacular view of the surrounding area!!
 

One primary objective of the tour was to spot as many of the big 5 species as possible; Bear, Moose, Caribou, Dall Sheep and Wolf.  We did see 4 of the 5.  I will leave it to the readers to think about which one we did not see.  Answer at the end of the post.

Our 3.5 hour tour went 17 miles into the Park.  Along the way we stopped at an old Ranger Station and of course seveal stops for a look at the mountain like the one above.  It was spectactular secenery.  Our turn around point was at Primrose Ridge where the bus was met by an Athabascan Indian woman.  She spoke about the 5 Indian tribes of Alaska and then more about her tribe and finally more detail about her family. She finished her presentation with a native indian tribute song to the Mountain...it was truly beautiful.

Afterward we were instructed to board the bus.  Bus driver tried to start the bus...no go!!  Tried again, nothing.  Got out and started banging the selinoid with rocks...nothing.  Tried larger rocks....still nothing.  Got back on the bus and called home base....but instead of sending a rescue bus they were sending a mechanic!!  This had all the makings of a very long day. 

By this time all the men were off the bus being very helpful I'm sure!!  Us ladies were plotting a high jacking of any of the other tour buses that were arriving.  After several more attempts the bus suddenly decided to start.  Go figure...I guess the larger rocks scared it.

Once we were on the return trip home all was well.  No more excitement.

Once back at the Grand we asked the driver for a lunch suggestion.  He pointed us toward the Creekside Cafe, about 10 miles back toward Anchorage.  Excellent suggestion.

Gretchen suggested we meet at the Airport, drop off the rental car and she would drive us to the Marriott the next morning  to catch our bus to Seward.  Worked out well.

That night we gathered again at Ben & Gretchen's.  So it was Jane, Mike, Sara,  Ben and Gretchen hanging out.  Mike asked how Karen and I met....and that started the Karen/Sue 1970's Adventure Stories.

It was a fun evening.

Day 2 - Beautiful Denali

Made it to Jane's hotel around 8:30 AM and on to the Snow City Cafe for breakfast...another excellent suggestion of Gretchen's.  She told us to call ahead for reservations  and while it seemed like an odd thing to do, we soon saw why...the place was packed.  The reservation definitely sped things up.  After a yummy breakfast of Crab and Swiss Cheese omelet we were on our way 200+ miles up the road to Denali National Park.

The drive was as expected....gorgeous, and what a perfect day.  I had told Jane that most days Denali is shrouded in clouds.  However, 130 miles out there she stood...huge and beautiful without a cloud in sight.  We took bunches of photos, more than we will ever use for sure!!!

 A little later we found a pull out and Jane posed me in such a way that it looked like I was pointing right at the mountain.

About 10 miles from our destination Jane got very excited and said Moose!!  Moose!!  I did not see a moose anywhere. But sure enough, 1/4 mile up the road on the right side  stood a young female munching away on her lunch!!! I still don't know how Jane spotted that thing.

Shortly after we arrived at the Grand Denali Lodge and got ourselves checked in.  Then there was a mix up with our tickets for our tour tomorrow...so I had to drive to the Park and get our tickets printed. On my drive there as I pulled into the Park here was this guy...causing a major traffic jam!!

The rest of our Dixie friends arrived about the same time so we connected with them and made dinner plans.

It was a lovely day.  Lots of driving, but I don't mind that and of course it was Alaska!!!!

Tomorrow we are up before 5 PM in order to catch our 6:00 AM tour bus.  Time to turn in.  See you tomorrow.



 

Day 2 - On to Denali

So the evening didn't go quite as planned.  It was way too beautiful an evening to sit inside a restaurant for dinner, so after a couple of foiled attempts to find outdoor dining in downtown Anchorage we ordered take out Thia and headed back to Gretchen & Ben's.  Fabulous idea!!! 

We were joined by friends Mike and Sara who had just arrived from southern California after serveral weeks of wandering through the west and then up the Al-Can Highway.   Brought back a flood of memories.  What a lovely way to spend the evening.  Lot's of good visiting!

Gretchen went with me to pick up Jane at the airport, which made it easier to find my way down there and back.  Also gave us a little alone time to catch up on our visiting.

Jane was ready to go when we arrived so we got her quickly settled in her hotel and then back home.  I managed to stay up until 10 PM ANC time which was 2AM Cinti time...pretty good I think!!!

Now it's time to get out of bed and get this day rolling!!!

Day 1 - Arrival In Anchorage

Everything went like clockwork.  All the flights were on time, they were smooth...no serious bouncy bouncies (which I hate), the 2 little kids behind me were seasoned travelers, very nice seat mates!!!  What more could a lady traveler ask for??  (@ Karen - one seatmate helped build Farmers Loop Road....how weird is that???)

Five hours from Minneapolis to Anchorage is a long time to sit.  I did get up and stand at the back of the plane a couple of times.  Each time there was someone to visit with.  One fellow traveler was a first time visitor to Alaska and he got to talking about how big the state is.  I could tell right away he didn't have a clue.  Wish I could have shown him the image below...it might have helped.

I read, I walked, I snoozed....still seemed like a long, long time!  But when we got over British Columbia and along the Alaska Panhandle many of us were glued to the windows.  The mountains, ice fields and glaciers were awesome.

The photo taken with my phone by my seat mate doesn't begin to do it justice.

I made it to Gretchen & Ben's house just fine and have relaxed a bit before I meet them in town for dinner.  I've posted photos of their house before when I was here in 2010.  But here are a couple again....

So after dinner I head back to the airport to pick up Jane Sweeney who will share the cabin with me on the cruise.  But I get ahead of myself.  Tomorrow Jane and I head to Denali for a quick visit.

Stay tuned!!!!

Day One - Early, Early, Early

5:36 AM and the day has started.  Got checked out of the Ramada and an adventuresome van ride with a very chatty driver got me to the airport 2 hours before departure.  Weather looks good so no problems there.  Airport security same as always.  Breakfast will keep me satisfied until I land in Anchorage 7 hours from now.  I am impatient.

The Adventure Begins

The next 14 days of blogging are dedicated to Nancy Richey who was supposed to be on this trip, but is not for personal reasons.  A couple of years ago she asked if I would ever go to Alaska with her and I said as soon as possible.  It was supposed to be this trip, but I guess the Fates worked against us.

It is also dedicated to all those Dixie Rebels who really wanted to go...you know who you are....but for all kinds of reasons, could not.  I  know this account of our trip will not come close to what it would have been if you were here...but I hope it will give each of the readers a little feel for the granduer and beauty that is all Alaska.  Those of us on this trip wish each of you could be here!!

It is 9:30 on Monday night 7.5 hours before I have to wake up at this Ramada Inn east of Columbus and catch the shuttle to the airport.  My flight takes me from Columbus to Minneapolis and then on to Anchorage.

The time difference will be a killer, and the 24 hours of daylight will take its toll...but I am so ready for this!!!  Anchorage here I come!!!