Alaska (3 Generations)

We arrived in Seattle overnight and left our big suitcases to the port valet…hope the bags will get home with us safely. It seems like Kyrie’s seagull friend sailed with us last night and was still there this morning. We ate a calm breakfast at the Garden Cafe before disembarking. Customs was facial recognition so we didn’t even have to show our passports. The whole process took less than 10 minutes. Outside we found a place to wait for our tour from Viator.

The tour started out rough. The pickup was almost an hour late. The guide was impossible to understand. He called ands told us we were in the wrong pickup spot even though it was sent to us by him the night before. We were squished into a passenger van with seven other people before the last stop to pick up two more! There was so little space not everyone was able to buckle their seatbelts. Carol was kind enough to switch places with Kyrie so she wasn’t stuck in the very last row with me. The guide had a microphone but basically whispered the whole time as music was playing, but even if he had spoken up no one could understand him. The people next to us in the van didn’t seem nice at first, but they ended up being really cool.

On the way to Leavenworth, we made a few stops. Things started looking up at the first, a little roadside homage to the area Sasquatch, the filming area for the film Harry and the Hendersons. I wanted to buy a souvenir but we only stopped for 15 minutes. The grumpy couple smashed into the back seat with us were kind enough to take a group picture. The husband joked around with us and put bunny ears on his wife as she took pics.

Next we stopped at Deception (or as we’d been calling it Desperation) Falls. It was a lovely short hike. There was a bridge that had been there for over a hundred years that got smashed by a fallen 700 year old tree. Instead of trying to move it, they just cut a walkway through the trunk in a ‘there I fixed it’ style.

After a few more hours on a winding mountain road at terrifying speeds we finally got to Leavenworth. The sun came out, it was warm and beautiful finally and we were given three hours to wander the adorable Bavarian style town. We ate at Stein first and listened to live polka music. We meandered through the streets and shops. Kyrie found a store with amigurumi from Zimbabwe and a bead store where she made her own collage magnet. There was even a comic shop but all their things were way too expensive. But it was a beautiful place and the weather was so pleasant we spent the last half hour just listening to the music and people watching. Before we got back in the van, Carol and the wife of the no longer grumpy couple discussed being dropped off at the airport with our guide. They were quoted $70 for all of us together.

The return trip, the guide didn’t speak at all other than at a quick bathroom stop. The small store was very interesting and the owner was fun. Three hours later we’d dropped off the other six passengers downtown before going to the airport. But we everyone got out the guide demanded $70 from us and $70 from the other couple. Carol paid because he was so aggressive and was shouting at us in the airport drop off. We saw the other couple in the security line and at least they were upset with the guide and not us. I hope they got home to Boston safely.

We were booked on Southwest all the way home again. The SeaTac airport was chaotic and cramped but we found a secluded gate a floor below ands waited there. The flights were bumpy but we were able to sit together this time because I stayed up to check us in the night before. The red eye we were all able to rest some but Carol’s ear wouldn’t pop and it was painful for her. We got back to Myrtle Beach around 11am the next day. Our bags arrived with us and Lynn was kind enough to pick us up.

Despite the bumps at the end, it was an awesome trip. One I’m sure Kyrie will remember forever. Thank you.Read more