Our Alaskan Adventure, Part 2

     So, where did I leave off--We had just been to the salmon bake, right?  When we left Juneau, we spent the afternoon on the boat heading towards Sawyer Glacier.  There was the hope of seeing whales (I think we saw 1), seals (saw several of those) and the big glacier at the end which was pretty amazing.  It was much colder as we got closer to the monster-sized ice but we had kids swimming in the pool below!  The pools are heated but getting out, now that is cold!  (besides, who goes to Alaska for the swimming anyway??)  Here are some photos from that afternoon.

      Our next port was Skagway.  The town looked like an old western town out of a movie.  It was very cute and we picked up a few souvenirs but our biggest adventure was to happen that afternoon.  We went up in helicopters to a glacier and went dog-sledding!  The sights from the helicopter were amazing (first timer, here!)  and as we were enveloped in cloud cover, we landed on the glacier where we took a snow cat to the mushers camp.  There were over 200 dogs there!  They were "Alaskan huskies" which basically means they bred huskies with other types of dogs for their assets such as strength, endurance, etc.  

     We divided up onto 3 sleds and were each joined by a musher and off we went!  We really couldn't see a lot because the clouds were so thick up there but it was fun and we each got to "drive" the sled for part of the run.  We took some photos and played with the dogs and then it was time to go back to the boat!

     Our final port of the cruise was Victoria, BC, Canada.  There are a lot of whale watching operations there and we had heard good things about one of them so we decided to give it a try.  Well, of course, the one we had a recommendation for was booked up so we went with a different company.  We did see whales, but with some bad weather coming in, our trip had to be cut short and the ride back was a little scary.  We had two kids crying because they were scared while we were all getting soaked in this small boat...not the most pleasant boating experience...but,we did see whales.  And here they are...

And a couple seals...

     Overall, it was a beautiful vacation!  The kids loved the social aspect of the cruise--they made friends and had a great time.  Most of all, it was wonderful to share the experience, something none of us had ever done before, with my family.  It was something we will treasure forever!  Thanks for joining the journey!

Time to Chill: Our summer trip to Alaska

     I know that usually I am writing about our adventures on some extended RV trip, across the country or up to Niagara Falls but this summer we decided to forego the cramped quarters for some equally cramped quarters on a cruise ship bound for Alaska.   This time, the whole family joined us, my parents, my brother Walt, his wife Heather and my niece and nephew.  It was a family affair.
     We travelled most of the day to get to Seattle where our cruise departed from.  The weather was nice and warm there.  The swimming pools showed no signs of the colder weather we were headed towards!
     Our first stop was Ketchikan, Alaska.  They call themselves the salmon capital of the world!  It was a very beautiful seaside town with amazing views of mountains above seas.  This used to be gold mining country and historic Creek Street was the home of many saloons and brothels back in the day. Now, it houses many quaint little shops with Alaskan souvenirs and one museum, Dolly's, which pays tribute to the brothels that used to line the street.  Kevin got up close and personal with Dolly
herself.

  The rest of the day in Ketchikan was spent on a nature walk where we were blessed enough to see bald eagles, black bears and got to feed real Alaskan reindeer!

Our next stop was Alaska's capital, Juneau.  We took the kids on a gold panning expedition here and although we won't retire any time soon, we did manage to find a little gold in them hills! (or the creek below to be more accurate!)  Afterwards, we were taken to a real Alaskan salmon bake by a waterfall.  It was delicious!  I was never really a big salmon person but after having it cooked over an alder wood fire pit and with a brown sugar glaze...I had a new appreciation for the fish!  They also served salmon caesar salad, wild rice, corn bread and chicken--Yum!
Here are a few pics from Juneau:

I will add another post with more from our Alaska trip--thought I should divide it up so it wasn't too long to read all at once!  Still to come: Amazing glacier pics, photos from our dog-sledding adventure and whale watching!  Thanks for following along with us!