Travel Day

Travel Day- Uber to the airport. We flew First Class- only because our rescheduled & rescheduled cruise resulted in HAVING to use all our Alaska Airline credit by TODAY. So instead of a round trip, weLes mer
Mount Ranier

We had a foggy, drizzly day, but lovely
We drove a couple of hours to Mount Ranier National Park. Tall trees, snowy mountainsides, and a hiding 14,000 foot mountain.
We were able to see the areaLes mer
Pike Place & Seattle Aquarium

We went to the Pike Place Market and saw all the things, including the fish-slinging. It was pretty busy- pleased to see so many handcrafted items. I picked up some lovely hand-dyed yarn.
We went toLes mer
Space Needle and Underground Tour

We had a drizzly day, but clear enough when it needed to be.
We had reservations through City Pass, so stood in line, and eventually made it to the top. There are great viewing spots inside andLes mer
Harbor & Chihuly-with a side of Hendrix

The Harbor Tour was well worth it. It was part of the City Pass package which also included options for the Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens, Aquarium, MoPop Museum, and the Zoo.
Our tour guide grew upLes mer
On to Fairbanks/Memorial Day

Had a lovely flight from Seattle to Fairbanks. The mountains were quite impressive. We got settled into our hotel, and set off to explore.
We were a bit outside town, but across from a shoppingLes mer
A Fairbanks Day

We did the Hampton Inn Breakfast thing, then got a taxi to the visitor Center. The Morris Thompson Visitor and Cultural Center is well worth the visit. There is good background on the different NativeLes mer
Fairbanks-Reindeer and Joining Jewel

In the morning we dropped our bags at our new hotel (Bear Lodge) and headed out for the Running Reindeer Ranch. What a great experience. After getting bug-sprayed, we learned a lot about the lifeLes mer
Land Tour-Riverboat and Big Daddy's

We took the Riverboat Discovery tour on the Chena River. Don't miss it! We got some history, saw a sled dog demonstration by Susan Butcher's daughter, Tekla.
We saw a demonstration of salmon prep forLes mer
Wilderness Express and on to Denali

Luggage pickup was at 6, and we were transported to the train depot for our trip to Denali.
Have I mentioned that Alaska is breathtaking? All of it!
The Wilderness Express was a great way to get toLes mer
Denali- Walks and Cabin Show

Julianna and I had breakfast sandwiches and coffee, then met our guide, Alexis (Lexi). She is a naturalist/environmental scientist, and taught us lots about the habits of the local critters. The mooseLes mer
Huskies, Views, River Float & Talkeetna

We all got loaded into the bus and proceeded to DogGoneIt Kennels. It's a family-run dog training place for Alaskan huskies. The husband has completed the Iditarod twice. We got really goodLes mer
Cubby's, Covid Test, Wildlife & Jewel

We got to sleep in! Luggage pull at 7 am.
Denali was absolutely clear this morning- in all its glory. We had coffee on the back patio of the lodge and basked in the beauty.
We loaded onto the bus,Les mer
At Sea- Hubbard Glacier

We started the day with coffee and pastries delivered to the room. How very civilized.
After a very busy land tour, we were very happy to have a sea day, be able to sleep later, and have a chill day.Les mer
Icy Strait Point, Hoonah, and Whales

Icy Strait Point is a port that was established by Norwegian Cruise Line with the advice and cooperation of the Native Alaskans who live in Hoonah. The village is tiny, and is a mile and a half fromLes mer
Skagway

Civilized breakfast-y salmon Benedict and the works.
We took a Trolley tour of Skagway with Tabitha. The town is pretty small- 4x27 blocks. We went to an overlook of the town and fjord (apparentlyLes mer
Ketchikan

We had a leisurely morning with coffee in the room and breakfast at O'Sheehan's. We then headed down to the gift shop, as JC saw a tote and duffel that intrigued her. After procuring those and aLes mer
Sea Day- Narrows

We had a lovely, restful sea day. We ended up spending a lot of the day in The Spinnaker watching the water. The senior officers had a Q&A. The ship is at about 55% capacity. It's apparently not aLes mer
Vancouver Arrival

Debarkation and customs- easy Peasy- then the wait for a taxi- took awhile, but no problem. We went to the Holiday Inn Downtown on Howe St. We asked if we could store our bags til check-in, and theLes mer
Vancouver- Stanley Park & Horse Carriage

We had breakfast at the hotel- really nice, but I wasn't feeling great, so I went back to the room for a nap while W & J ate. After a bit, they returned, and we decided to go to Stanley Park and takeLes mer
Vancouver- Flyover Canada/Granville Is.

I still wasn't feeling great, so did a COVID test- relieved to see it was negative. I had already decided to keep masking up, as I had for the whole trip, to protect others from my cold. Had breakfastLes mer
And Home

We got a taxi to the airport, and caught our flight from Vancouver to Seattle. They have a really neat thing going on there- US Customs is in Vancouver!!! You go through Customs, and that half of theLes mer