Home from Alaska

We are home from Alaska and we had a wonderful trip. The cruise was so much fun and the scenery was just beautiful. We had great weather and it was just an all around terrific time. I highly recommend this as an extended family trip as it was great for all ages. We started off with a day in Seattle with our precious cousins that we don't see as often as we'd all like. It was so good to spend some time with them and Jim, Meg and I watched the fireworks over Lake Washington from Susan's balcony and it was beautiful. Becky and Robert, the kids and Joyce came out later in the day. Joyce rested at the hotel and Robert and Becky and kids went to downtown Seattle and enjoyed some sightseeing. Allen and Heather and Heather's mom and two nieces flew in a bit later. On Sunday morning, we all got together at their hotel so Allen and Kim Caldwell and Susan Peder and all our family could enjoy a few hours together.

When it was time for us to head to the ship, Susan drove Jim, Megan and I down to the dock. The rest all got on a shuttle from the hotel to the dock. About half way to the dock, the shuttle bus had a blowout on one tire on the interstate and we are just SOOOO thankful that the driver was able to get the bus to the side of the very busy road and everyone safe. They sent two vans and got everyone on down to the ship and we were all very thankful that everyone was safe. The checkin process went as smoothly as we could hope and we were all glad to be onboard the Pearl and ready to start our fun week.

The first day at sea was misty and cold and we all thought we had not packed enough warm clothing. But never fear, the next day was our first port stop at Juneau and it was beautiful and warm! The local residents were all complaining about the heat! We took a shuttle out to Mendenhall Glacier and it was just beautiful. We walked down and enjoyed the scenery and on the way back up the path, there was a porcupine right down from the walk that was eating a bush very busily. He didn't seem to mind the cameras and stares of the tourists like us who had never seen a porcupine in the wild. After we got back to town, Megan took Robert and Becky and family on a letter boxing hunt while Allen and Heather and Jim and I enjoyed the free wifi at McDonalds. Actually, Megan checked hers as well before starting out on the letter boxing trail, which turned out to be an adventure which is another story.

The next day we went to Skagway and everyone did their own thing. Allen and Heather took the train ride and gold mining adventure that was half a day. Robert and Becky and kids all went on an all day trainride and adventure that stopped at a dogsledding camp and Delaney, Dalton and Emily got to pet the puppies and I think that may well have been the highlight of the tour for them. Megan, Jim and I took a hike over to one of the points and a cove which was really pretty. All of us enjoyed shopping in the town of Skagway as well. It is a fun place.

The meals on the Pearl were excellent. Both of the main dining rooms were really pretty and the food good. We enjoyed our meals together.

The next day we cruised Glacier Bay and it was so lovely. We saw several wonderful glaciers and they calved a lot and it was just magnificent to watch. We saw whales off the boat but not as many and we saw when we were in Hawaii last year. There were a lot of seals and we saw what looked like a sea lion on an iceberg as we were watching the glaciers.

The next day we went to Ketchikan and had a fun time walking the town and doing some letter boxing hunts along the way. Creek Street and the parks and shops were great fun.

Our last port of call was Victoria BC and we were there from 6PM til almost midnight and it was a great time to be there. We went in and saw the Empress hotel and the waterfront where there was a market and lots of performers, including a great orff instrument band which was great fun.

When we left the ship on Sunday, Allen and Heather, Kathleen, and Heather's nieces Megan and Kathleen and Robert and Joyce all went back to the airport on the cruise shuttle. The rest of us were picked up by sweet Susan and Joey, and she gave us a great tour of Seattle. we went up the Space needle and went to the market and the aquarium and just had a wonderful time. Then we went back to her house and visited with Susan, Joey, Alex, and Nicholas. We went to dinner at their club which was delicious and they took us to the airport for our red eye flight. whew. The week flew by and it was justa great time. We are all home safely now and revelling in the memories of our time together.

Alaska is beautiful!

We have had a great time so far and are in Ketchikan today. We had a wonderful day yesterday cruising Glacier Bay and watching the glaciers calve. We saw quite a few and several big ones. It was awesome. We have seen all kinds of animals. The McDaniel crew went on the train all day in Skagway and they saw a black bear beside the road. Allen and Heather and Heather's family went on the train for a four hour excursion and enjoyed that. Jim and Meg and I shopped Skagway the day before and then took a great hike out to a point and a cove where the views were beautiful. We saw a harbor seal as we walked across the footbridge back into town. At Glacier Bay, we saw a number of seals, and one iceberg had a sea lion on it. It was great fun. We saw whales later yesterday as we were playing Mexican dominoes and one surfaced near the boat and we saw quite a few spouting and playing in the distance. We have had a wonderful time together and it has been a great trip. We walked around Ketchikan this AM and found two letterboxes for Megan and think she has hooked some other family members on her new hobby.
We go to Victoria British Columbia tomorrow and then back to Seattle on Sunday morning.

North to Alaska!

We are in Juneau Alaska and we are having a ball on our big family reunion cruise! We have our whole family on an NCL cruise of Glacier Bay and we are having so much fun. We have us, Megan, Allen and Heather and Heather's mom and two nieces (Megan and Kathleen) and Robert, Becky , Delaney, Emily and Dalton plus Robert's mom, Joyce. And we are all enjoying so much just relaxing and eating and umm eating and eating! We had a wonderful visit with Susan and Allen and Kim Caldwell in Seattle. We arrived in Seattle on the 4th of July and we watched the fireworks off Susan's deck after a wonderful steak dinner. The fireworks on Lake Washington were just gorgeous from her deck and we didn't even have to drive. We had a great breakfast the next day at the hotel where everyone else were staying. Susan took Jim, Meg, and I to the dock to catch the ship and everyone else took a shuttle from the hotel to the dock. Can we say it was not uneventful!! The van they were in had a blowout on one back tire and they were riding on the rim and it could have been a huge disaster and we are so thankful that the driver handled it well and they were not hurt. They sent two vans and they were on their way to join us at the ship. We are on the Norwegian Pearl and it is a new ship and just beautiful.

Today we are in Juneau and we are in the McDonalds here that has free wi fi. We went to Mendenhall Glacier and it was just spectacular! Today is so warm and so beautiful and sunny and we even saw a porcupine right by the walk that was eating the bushes. Most of us had never seen one in the wild before so that was exciting. I will post photos when I get them downloaded.
Yesterday was not so warm and pretty-it was COLD and drizzly and we all thought we had not packed very well for this trip! But today is short sleeves weather and the air conditioning here in McDonald's feels really good.
Well, Jim and I need to get going back by all the wonderful souvenir shops on the way to dock. We will update in Ketchikan which I think is the next place that has wifi a the McDonalds!