Summer of Fun: Weeks 8&9

Hi Honey, I'm home!  Quick let's update the blog before the memories totally fade into a state of blur.

SAW

Oh my, after being on the road for 35 days, I can totally identify with the realities of this cartoon.  We saw so many things on this trip...

From North America's tallest peak...Denali

to the town that inspired the show Northern Exposure...

We saw wildlife that took our breath away...

and saw friends that fill us up with joy...

and we saw that bringing old friends together 

with new friends helps make a trip complete...

HEARD

We heard the voices and stories of Alaska from such a great variety of sources...

From  an old gold-rushing miner "in character"

 to entertaining train narrators...

of both boy and girl variety...

We learned so much about Alaska history that our brains were on overload...

PERMAFROST...shall be my final Jeopardy response...

(inside joke but we were told over and over about how much of the landscape and development of Alaskan interior is impacted by this condition)

Any posed question I'd reply with Permafrost.

State Bird:  Permafrost (no, really it's the Willow Ptarmigan)

State Gem:  Permafrost (no, it's Jade you silly girl)

State Flower:  Permafrost (had to verify that but it's the Alpine Forget Me knot)

By far, my favorite was hearing about Alaska through 

 the stories shared by those we call friends...

 all who have chosen to make Alaska their home.

Bob and his wife Sharon (not shown) arrived after work in the mining industry brought them to Alaska in the mid 1980s.  We enjoyed hearing some of Bob's first hand stories about the lodge we were staying at as he was one of the primary electrical engineers assigned to the project back in the late 1990s.  The Peeks were kind hosts to Hubby back in 2013 on his first Alaskan adventure and it was a highlight of the trip for me  to meet them and extend my gratitude for taking such good care of Dom during his motorcycle adventure.   

Richard..work at the University of Alaska Fairbanks brought him to Alaska in the mid 1980s..he liked it, and stayed.   Richard and Hubby share a common interest in motorcycles and RVs..and Richard has proven over and over to be a trusted expert on all sorts of problems that plague Hubby when it comes to these two interests...

Bridget...the lovely wife of Richard.   After spending a short time on a church mission in Fairbanks, Bridget knew that no place else would ever be home except Alaska.  She met and married Richard some 18 years ago, and together they have raised 5 young men and continue to parent 3 adorable furry family members...only 2 would cooperate with my picture taking efforts...

Thank you all for helping us get a full Alaskan experience!

 Be it panning for gold like it was 1902...

 kayaking in the murky waters of Ballaine Lake..

Or experiencing a close encounter of the Moose Kind...

your hospitality helped make our trip complete!

DID

We did so much on this Land tour adventure..that it's hard to process it all.   

There were train rides...

 From Anchorage to Talkeetna...

and... 

Talkeetna to Denali...

Bus rides to Hell...

OK, not really...but when one spends 8 hours on a bus and Denali decides to hide from our eager eyes,it sure felt like Hell.  Score bonus points for  misery with a bus driver who left much to be desired in her story telling style... 

I kid you not:   She argued with season hunters who had spotted  a bear  that she, the expert did not  initially see.  She scolded us as we tried to place our trash in the trash can at one of the rest stops.   You see, we were supposed to hold onto our trash until the end when she would have us sort  and recycle all bits of trash.  This was followed by a 15 minute narrative on how much trash is generated in the park each year and other shaming comments.   And seriously folks, we paid EXTRA for this experience?!  

My one and only picture from Denali..

Oh wait..I take that back...

This was taken within an hour of us getting off the Bus of Disappointment...

Talk about the weather turning on a dime...

We road on  boats that thrilled us...

and boat rides that 

 frustrated us...

(the tour was informative and thoughtfully scripted, it was the crowded conditions and self centered attitude of other passengers that posed the  problem at least for me).

From museums that confused us...

modern art...not my thing..

Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center...

to museums that left us eager to learn more...

 Fairbanks Vintage Auto museum

A free park that hosts a collection of old Alaskan properties.

Without a doubt, we did a lot.   

But would we do it again?   

Both of us can confidently say Nope.

Oh we'd visit Alaska again for sure.

We'd take another cruise...

be it  here-there-or somewhere in between....

As for taking another land tour? With so many variables out of our personal control it's highly unlikely we'd have the desire.   You see, we enjoy the freedom to experience what interests us, linger longer when we want, move on to the  next destination when we find ourselves not that interested.    I thought that Hubby would enjoy the break from being the chief driver and navigator but turns out that is a small price to pay for the freedom that comes with being your own explorer.   

But, hey, often times  you learn such lessons as you go, and we also experienced an abundance of laughs, good eats and the companionship of great friends  as we learned these lessons of Travel-Chang Style.  

Until next time..I hope you  have gotten to lose track of what day it is this summer...it's a feeling like no other!  

Summer Fun: Week 7

Ah yes, a few days late...let's just go with "I'm blogging on Alaska time"....

SAW

Be it by big boat...

Or little boat...

Or even a scooter

A cruise and excursions offer so many wonderful things to see..

HEARD

 A week at sea is filled with a variety of conversations...

From anticipation and excitement...

 To happy trips down memory lane...

Traveling with good friends is highly recommended in terms of providing a wonderful time to catch up and reconnect...

DID

There was a day at sea

Ketchikan

Icy Point Straits (Honnah)

Juneau

Skagway

And Hubbard Glacier

It truly was a week that will likely rate as one of the best week's ever!  

For more details on each day, please check in on Hubby's blog...

Summer of Fun Week 6

Downtown Vancouver:  Olympic Cauldron...served as the broadcast center for the 2010 Winter Olympics

Ready-Set-sail...yep, later today we board our cruise and set off for the inner passage of Alaska.  But first, I shall catch myself up with what we've seen-heard-done in the past week.

SAW...

I can easily see that with these epic-type adventures, the days start to become a blur around the 10 day point.   What did we see this week?  In looking over my pictures, I'd have to say we've seen a little bit of everything:   From the classics to the off the beaten path...here are a few of the week's visual highlights...

The flowers at Pike Place Market were incredible...and very affordable...

Apparently in the Seattle area...you either go to Starbucks or you go for coffee...they are not one in the same.   I prefer "coffee"...I can get Starbucks back home..this was a cozy coffee shop in the town of Snohomish..yummy...

 Walls of gum and flying fish...both "classics" of the Pike Place Market...

Everett=Boeing airplane manufacturing...took the tour, no cameras allowed, which is a shame as it was hard to fathom the size of the hangers...large enough to allow for 5-6 747s to be assembled at the same time...

HEARD

The familiar voices of friends...be it friends we've known for decades to friends we've just met through our online interests.

   It's been a wonderful way to learn about the areas we are visiting through their local take on things.  

My friend Sue served as a gracious hostess and taxi driver as she showed us around the city of Vancouver.   Recently retired from the city, she had the inside scoop on some of the lesser known quirks of the city...my favorite story was the one she shared about a resident who intentionally tried to kill off the trees in order to list her condo as a "unobstructed view".   I guess I found the story unsettling because in our section of CO, trees are not abundant and so trees are a selling point, not a hinderance.

DID

Oh the things we've done this week...here's the highlights along with my opinions on whether I'd encourage other travelers to include these places on their trip to the Pacific NW.

 Last Friday, Patrick and I took the "duck" tour of Seattle.  Yes, a wee bit corny and cheesy, but a thoughtful tour of the city, infused with facts, and funny stores about the city.  Yes, worth the price of admission.  The tour takes you on Lake Union and the guides even show you the classic house from the movie Sleepless in Seattle.   I found it amusing to learn not only how little of the movie was actually filmed in this city, but also, that the year they filmed, they had a major drought and many of the rain scenes involved special effects.  

 On the weekend, we visited a couple different attractions in the Everett area.  Our favorite was a docent led tour of a very small museum called the Historic flight foundation.  A very small museum that held a collection of aircraft dating from the 1920s to the 1960s.   What was unique to this museum is that all the restored aircraft can be flown...and for a price, you could be the passenger on one of these vintage aircrafts.   For an aviation and or history buff, this should definitely be a must see event.  Our friends in Everett took us to visit one of the wineries in the Seattle area.

typically I am a huge fan of this wine label, but perhaps it was the heavy lunch I'd had or it was they were trying to push some of their higher end varieties, but I left the tasting not very impressed.  Just the same, it was interesting to see what the locals do on the weekend...as the tasting room was packed, as our friends commented it was actually a quiet crowd compared to other times they'd visited.  

Here in Vancouver, we visited the iconic Capilano Suspension Bridge.   first built in 1889, the suspension bridge crosses the Capilano river some 230 feet above the river, and spans 460 feet in length.  I was worried the height would leave me feeling unsettled, but given we arrived early in the morning, there was little sway and the views were incredible.  

We also took a horse drawn carriage through Stanley Park.  A great way to see the park, and hear the history of this park, which is even larger than our Central Park in NY City.  

In addition to these structured experiences, we toured Vancouver by car.  Like any big city, one needs nerves of steel and patience, but in general this big city has a unique feel to it..almost like a small town.  The shiny high rises are rather eye catching and everything appears new=clean and fresh.  If you are passing through Vancouver, be sure to set aside an extra day or two just to explore...you won't regret it!

Until next time...I hope you are able to enjoy a little escape of your own...